The Major League Baseball season is heading into its final weekend, as most teams have four games left, with three divisional races and two wild card spots still to be determined before the playoffs begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The Houston Astros managed to fall out of contention in the AL West after leading the division for most of the year and now have to make up some ground to get one of the three American League wild card spots.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, head into their final four games on the cusp of an NL West title, but will most likely end up with a No. 3 seed if they close out the Padres. Should they collapse, the Dodgers are already assured at least a wild card spot.
Where are the Houston Astros?
With an 84-74 record and a five-game losing streak that saw them blow the AL West lead and, in fact, lose the division to the Seattle Mariners, the Astros have work to do to make the playoffs.
They have one game left against the Oakland Athletics tonight, then three games against the Los Angeles Angels. They enter those games one game behind the Detroit Tigers for the third and final wild card spot and two games behind the Red Sox. They are also two games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who currently lead the AL Central.
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Where are the Los Angeles Dodgers?
The Dodgers have an 89-69 record and are 2 1/2 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, who only have three games remaining. After finishing a series against the Diamondbacks Sept. 25, they have three games at the Seattle Mariners (the Mariners are still competing for a No. 1 seed), while the Padres have a weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks.
Los Angeles’ magic number is two, meaning they need any combination of two wins or Padres losses to win the division. The Dodgers are four games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the No. 2 seed and can’t catch the leading Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed. The top two seeds come with first-round byes.
More: Are Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki the answer to Dodgers bullpen issues?
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What are the contested divisional races?
The American League East, American League Central and National League West have not been clinched.
AL East
Team W L GB
Toronto 90 68 —
NY Yankees 90 68 —
Boston 87 71 3
Games remaining: Toronto vs. Boston (1 game), vs. Tampa (3 games); New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox (1 game), Baltimore (3 games); Boston at Toronto (1 game), vs. Detroit (3 games)
AL Central
Team W L GB
Cleveland 86 72 —
Detroit 85 73 1
Games remaining: Cleveland: at Detroit (1 game) vs. Texas (3 games); Detroit: vs. Cleveland (1 game), at Boston (3 games)
NL West
Team W L GB
LA Dodgers 89 69 —
San Diego 87 72 2.5
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Games remaining: LA Dodgers: vs. Arizona (1 game) at Mariners (3 games); San Diego: vs. Arizona (3 games)
What are the wild card races?
In the American League, two teams are fighting for one spot; in the National League, three teams are fighting for one spot. There are three wild cards from each league.
AL wild card standings
Team W L GB
NY Yankees 90 68 +5
Boston 87 71 +2
Cleveland 86 72 —
Houston 84 74 1
Games remaining: New York vs. Chicago White Sox (1 game), Baltimore (3 games); Boston at Toronto (1 game), vs. Detroit (3 games); Cleveland: at Detroit (1 game) vs. Texas (3 games); Houston: at Oakland (2 games); at Los Angeles Angels (3 games)
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NL wild card standings
Chicago Cubs 89 69 +8
San Diego 87 72 +5.5
New York Mets 81 77 —
Arizona 80 78 1
Cincinnati 80 78 1
Games remaining: Chicago Cubs: vs. New York Mets (1 game), Cardinals (3 games); San Diego: vs. Arizona (3 games); New York Mets: at Chicago Cubs (1 game), at Miami (3 games); Arizona: vs. LA Dodgers (1 game), at San Diego (3 games); Cincinnati: vs. Pittsburgh (1 game), at Milwaukee (3 games)
When do the playoffs start?
The best-of-3 Wild Card round begins Tuesday, Sept. 30, and runs three straight days until Oct. 2. There are four games each day.
The top two seeds receive byes and advance directly to the Division Series. Those best-of-5 series begin Saturday, Oct. 4.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: With 4 games left in regular season, where to MLB races stand?