Due to Atlanta’s success here in the final stages of the season and a couple of new teams slipping into the race, we’ll have some more teams to keep an eye on here in the final portion of the regular season. The Twins and Pirates are now locks for Top-3 odds in the MLB Draft Lottery but now we have two other teams to worry about all of a sudden.

Both the Rays and Giants are now in the conversation of teams that the Braves could possibly switch spots with in the MLB Draft Lottery odds. We’ll keep track with them for now and until either the season ends or it’s no longer possible to switch spots with them — whatever comes first. For now, let’s see what the MLB Draft Lottery hopefuls were up to on Thursday.

Astros 11, Athletics 5

Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game

Welp! The Astros got the memo that they can’t really afford to lose any more games and have a shot at getting into the Postseason. As such, they absolutely stomped the A’s and raced out to an 11-1 lead at one point in this contest. Framber Valdez struck out 10 and only gave up one run while he was out there, while Christian Walker delivered three RBIs (including a homer) in this one. The Athletics showed some life near the end of this one but it was too little, too late for them. The A’s have started to cool off at the perfect time, as you’ll see below.

Advertisement

Phillies 1, Marlins 0

Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game

The Marlins have also picked a good time to cool down. It also helps that they ran into the Phillies and while both of these teams technically don’t have a lot left to play for during the regular season at this point, Philadelphia is still trying to keep sharp before they embark on another quest in October. Miami’s bullpen put up a valiant effort to keep the Phillies quiet in this one but conversely, the offense must’ve gotten the memo that the Braves finally lost a game so they need to “keep up” by taking an L in this one. Walker Buehler shut Miami down for the most part and the Marlins couldn’t break through against their bullpen, so here we are.

Orioles 6, Rays 5

Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game

This game has suddenly become extremely relevant to the Braves and their own Lottery Odds, as the O’s are breathing down Atlanta’s necks and the Rays aren’t too far behind, either. In the end, it was the Rays who took the loss and did so in dramatic fashion — the O’s scored four runs across the final two innings and then Dylan Beavers became the hero as he hit a walk-off shot in order to push the O’s to a win. As such, the Rays are suddenly in position to end up making a decent-sized jump in the Lottery Odds if they end up having a calamitous weekend on the field. Meanwhile, this is going to be an incredibly interesting weekend in the Lottery Race thanks to the O’s picking up this dramatic win.

Hoo boy, we are in for an interesting finish for the final weekend of the season. The Braves, A’s and Orioles are all tied for the fourth-best odds at 75-84, with the Marlins and Rays lurking at 77-82 and even the Giants are still within striking distance at 78-81. The Pirates and Twins are going to have a fierce battle for the second-highest Lottery Odds but at this point, they’re too far away for any of the aforementioned teams to catch.

Advertisement

In all honesty, we might need to go ahead and keep the Giants out of this since they’ll be playing the Rockies to end the season and it would be truly stunning if San Francisco got swept by one of the worst teams in MLB — which is what they need to potentially give their Lottery Odds a huge boost. The Rays and Orioles will be facing two teams in the form of the Blue Jays and Yankees, respectively, who have already punched their ticket to October but will also be looking to make sure they’re sharp for the Postseason. The Marlins will be getting the Mets and New York still has yet to officially punch their ticket to October so that could be tough for Miami, even at home. Sacramento The A’s are going to be facing a Royals team with zero to play for, so there’s that.

Meanwhile, the Braves are getting the Pirates this weekend, so that would also be shocking if Atlanta ended up taking a sweep this weekend. A series loss is definitely possible because the Braves have proven that anybody can trip them up at any time but if you’re rooting for a sweep for the sake of the MLB Draft Lottery, that might be a longshot. Either way, there’s a ton to keep up with here as the season comes to a close. Let’s see what happens, y’all.