The Mets Can Still Win The NL East 😬

The Braves are in the driver's seat for another division title, but the Mets aren't done just yet. You gotta love October baseball 😎 (4 min read)

hoto by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

MLB Playoff Picture

October baseball is officially here, but with just two days left in the regular season, the MLB playoff picture still has some moving pieces, particularly in the National League

  • After being in command of the NL East for the vast majority of the season, the Mets may have to settle for a Wild Card spot instead. The surging Braves have stormed in front thanks to a three-game sweep over their New York rivals this past weekend πŸ“Š

  • Division-rival Miami played the role of spoiler against Atlanta last night, but the defending champs still control their own destiny, and they can clinch the NL East with one more victory

  • Elsewhere in the division, another September collapse appeared to be taking shape in Philadelphia when the Brewers pulled even with the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot a few days ago. But fans in the City of Brotherly Love can finally breathe easy...thanks to three straight wins, the Phillies have officially punched their postseason ticket for the first time since 2011 πŸ‘

A big congrats to the Phillies, but as is the case with all Wild Card teams, it's a long road ahead to Fall Classic glory with such a deep and star-laden field of contenders. With playoff action set to begin this week, take a look at the teams with the best odds to bring home the Commissioner's Trophy πŸ’°

  • Dodgers: +300 (bet $100, win $300)

  • Astros: +380

  • Braves: +500

  • Yankees: +550

  • Mets: +950

As you can tell from the Braves and Mets' odds, the difference between a division title and a Wild Card berth is massive for a team's World Series chances. If you need a quick refresher on the new playoff format, take a look πŸ‘‡

Trivia Question: Who led the Phillies in hits the last time they reached the postseason?

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Who Ya Got In The East?

With a magic number of one, the Braves have two more shots to cement their place atop the NL East, and I don't need to tell you that today's double-header is do-or-die for the Mets...

If you thought the Marlins were going to roll over and let the Braves claim the East crown without breaking a sweat, you thought wrong. In fact, Miami seems to be embracing the spoiler role 😎

The Marlins surely won over some additional Mets' fans with their 4-0 victory yesterday, highlighted by 12 strikeouts in just six innings from Miami starter Jesus Luzardo. It remains to be seen if today's starter, Braxton Garrett, will have the same level success against Atlanta's potent lineup

  • Prior to getting blanked yesterday evening, Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson had homered in three straight games, while teammate Matt Olson had homered in four straight

  • Expect that duo, along with Atlanta's other mashers, to come out swinging tonight πŸ’£

To catch you up, yesterday's series opener between the Mets and Nationals was rained out, giving New York even more time to agonize over their series in Atlanta and the division lead they let slip away 😫

All hope is not lost quite yet, but all the Mets can do themselves is take care of business, twice. Fortunately, they're matched up against the worst team in baseball

  • But while the Mets have taken 11 of 16 from the Nationals this season, it was Washington who won the most recent series when the two teams met in the first week of September πŸ‘€

I like New York to come out on top this time around, but even if they're able to take both ends of today's double-header, the question remains...will it be enough?

Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

Good news for Mets' fans, even in the midst of a collapse, I don't see them dropping one to the Nationals in a must-win game. Unfortunately while I'm writing this I don't see lines for the first game of the double-header, so I'm going with the Mets to cover the night game, and the Guardians to bounce back at home πŸ‘‡

  • Mets -1.5 vs. Nationals in the night game: -120

  • Guardians ML vs. Royals: -188

$100 on this bet would win you $181 β€” if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win πŸ˜‰

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Trivia Answer: Jimmy Rollins led the Phillies in hits during the 2011 season, as Philadelphia won the NL East with 120-60 record

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