Rockies, Brewers, and Cardinals in Race for 2nd National League Wild Card

Heading into the final nine days of the baseball season, the tightest race for the postseason is for the second Wild Card slot in the National League. Entering games of September 22nd, the Chicago Cubs held a 4 ½ game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the N.L. Central, and while they haven’t wrapped up the division title, they were closing in on it. The Arizona Diamondbacks have essentially wrapped up the first Wild Card, holding a six game lead there. But that second slot is completely up in the air, with the Colorado Rockies (82-71) holding a one game lead over the Brewers (81-72) and a game and a half lead over the St. Louis Cardinals (80-72).

For most of the summer, it looked like Arizona and Colorado were shoo ins for the two Wild Cards, but while the Diamondbacks have gotten hotter down the stretch, the Rockies have cooled off. Colorado has lost four in a row to San Francisco and San Diego, the bottom dwellers in the N. L. West. The Brewers took nine of 11, and still had hopes of catching the Cubs before losing to Pittsburgh on a walk off homer and losing an extra inning game to the Cubs, a game they should have won, at the start of a crucial four game set with the defending World Series champs.

Meanwhile, St. Louis continues to hang in there, sweeping three games from the Cincinnati Reds after losing four of five. The Cardinals are at Pittsburgh for a three game weekend series, and then finish at home with a four game set with the Cubs and a three game series with the Brewers. Colorado is at San Diego this weekend, and then will three games each against Miami and the Los Angeles Dodgers to close out the regular season.