A long and treacherous MLB season finally is beginning to take shape, with almost all of the spots filled for what promises to be a scintillating 2015 postseason on the road to the World Series.
Out of the 10 spots available in the American League and National League, nine have already been claimed. While a couple of teams are fighting tooth and nail for that final spot, others are jockeying for division titles or the chance to host one of those pivotal wild-card games.
The season is nearing its end, but not before a weekend of contests that should feature high-stakes play as the clubs preparing for October are gearing up for a playoff run. With that in mind, let’s look at the full postseason schedule along with a picture of how things stand after Friday’s games.
2015 MLB Playoff Schedule (through ALDS/NLDS)
Schedule information courtesy of MLB.com. Home-field advantage for Dodgers-Mets NLDS series not yet determined.
Postseason Picture (as of Oct. 3)
Teams with Work to Do
Los Angeles Angels
What’s been a deadlocked race for the AL West has not gotten any more clear heading into the final weekend, and that’s thanks to the Los Angeles Angels.
Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the rest of the Angels looked destined for a postseason-less 2015 just over a week ago. Then, they rattled off seven straight wins, including two crucial victories in Houston over the Astros.
It comes down to their season-ending four-game series in Texas against the Rangers, the first of which L.A. lost and gave Texas at least a wild-card berth. Trout put his team on his back Friday in a big-time 2-1 win that kept their season alive, as John Miceli of TopSportsReport.com noted:
The Angels need more than just a pair of wins Saturday and Sunday to get in. Behind the Astros by a game as well, they may need some help from the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend—which doesn’t look likely after they were routed 21-5 by Houston Friday night.
That being said, there’s still a road for L.A. to clinch the division should they win out against the Rangers and see the Astros drop their final two.
That massive payroll and years of building for a deep playoff run all hinge upon a pair of games against a heated rival—and some chips falling into place elsewhere.
New York Mets
The New York Mets were in position to not only end a drought of winning their division but getting into position for home-field advantage in their opening NLDS series. The first part came in jubilant fashion, but the second is in jeopardy.
A surprising sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies put the Mets back into a dead heat with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the NL West. The Dodgers enter Saturday at 90-70 with three games to go, while the Mets are 89-70 with three to play.
In a series with a Dodgers team still angry after an unfortunate NLDS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last postseason, one could assume that home-field advantage will be paramount. Opening a five-game series at home can allow a team to move one win away from advancing before it even plays a road game.
The tiebreaker bodes well for New York, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted:
The Mets’ bats have awoken in a big way in the second half of the season, largely fueled by the trade-deadline acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes. But those bats have also been inconsistent, and it’s hard to see them catching fire in Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles against the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
For that reason, finishing the season on a high will be huge for the Mets’ chances of October glory.
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