Two weeks ago, the Mets were swept by the Braves and Cubs at home. That seemed to be the the final nail in the coffin for the Mets hopes. Since that time, the Mets have gotten back into the race with the once reviled Manuel Margot and Chris Paddack doing their dirty work for them. Now, the Mets two back with 17 to play, which we all know is a much better position than being seven back at this point in time.

Overall, this Wild Card race has tightened up, and the race is effectively down to six teams. Here is where things stand with each one of these teams with their playoff odds as calculated by Fangraphs.

Washington Nationals

Record: 80-64
GB: +3.5
Odds: 97.0%

Since June 1, the Nationals have been one of the best teams in all of baseball with a 56-31 (.644) record over that stretch. They have Max Scherzer back pitching like the Cy Young level pitcher he has been, and Anthony Rendon has emerged as a real MVP candidate.

With all that said, their pace has slowed down in September with the team being two games under .500 over the month (4-6). They also have a very difficult final stretch of the season with 14 of their final 18 games coming against the Twins (1), Braves (3), Cardinals (3), Phillies (4), and Indians (3).

While that is a tough enough schedule to suffer a meltdown, they do have a four game set against the Marlins. Of the aforementioned games, 10 of the 14 games are at home where they are 12 games over .500

Chicago Cubs

Record: 77-68
GB: 0
Odds: 49.9%

After sweeping the Mets, the Cubs had control over the second Wild Card spot, and they squandered it away losing five of their last six games. In this stretch two of the Cubs biggest problems have emerged to come back and bite them.

Their first issue is the bullpen which has been further exposed with Craig Kimbrel landing back on the IL. That led to Steve Cishek coming into the game against the Padres and walking three of the four batters he faced to force home the winning run in the 10th inning.

The other issue is their play on the road. Even with them sweeping the Mets at Citi Field, they are six games under .500 on the road. That is troublesome for a team with their final six games of the season being played at Pittsburgh and then against their hated rival St. Louis Cardinals.

In fact, after the game against the Padres, the Cubs finish their season completely in the division playing six against the Cardinals and Pirates and three against the Reds. Against those teams, the Cubs have a combined 22-19 record.

Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 77-68
GB: 0
Odds: 33.4%

The good news for the Brewers is they are red hot with one of the easiest schedules down the stretch. They have won six in a row. After finishing the series against the Marlins, their next series on the road at St. Louis, the Brewers finish the season with the Padres, Pirates, Reds, and Rockies.

Against those teams, the Brewers have a 22-17 record. It should be noted even with their taking care of the Pirates this year, they finish the season with six on the road, and they have been a bad road team being three games under .500 on the road.

Making their run all the more difficult is the fact Christian Yelich is done for the season after fouling a ball off his kneecap fracturing his patella. This means Yasmani Grandal, who has been red hot in September with a 1.252 OPS in the month, will have to continue to carry them offensively. Of course, that’s where many people look to how Grandal struggled the past few postseasons.

New York Mets

Record: 75-70
GB: 2.0
Odds: 19.9%

The Mets were left for dead after getting swept by the Braves and Cubs, and it seemed any hopes were dashed when the Mets blew two out of three games against the Phillies. The Mets then responded by taking the first three against the Diamondbacks surging back to just two games out.

The good news for the Mets is aside from Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman, their starting pitchers are red hot. When they are pitching to this level, they have shown they can beat anyone. The other good news is after the series against the Diamondbacks, 10 of the Mets final 17 games are against sub .500 teams, and the Mets are 33-17 against sub .500 clubs.

That gives the Mets a real chance to claim a Wild Card. However, the Mets also have three against the Dodgers and the Braves remaining. The Mets are a combined 6-14 against those teams. The Mets only hope on that front is the Dodgers having just having clinched has them easing off the gas pedal. The same goes for the Braves who should have clinched before that final series of the season.

However, as Mets fans will tell you, you can never feel comfortable with a September series against the Braves with the Wild Card on the line.

Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 75-70
GB: 2.0
Odds: 3.6%

While the Phillies season has not had the wild fluctuations the Mets season has had it is surprising to see the Phillies still alive in the race. That is all the more the case when you consider them and the Brewers are the only two teams alive with a negative run differential.

As we saw with the Phillies beating the Mets, it is J.T. Realmuto and Adam Haseley keeping them alive in the race with their starting pitching faltering. One thing to note is after missing some time after getting hit on the hand by Steven Matz, Bryce Harper has been red hot going 3-for-10 with a homer, two RBI, and three walks over his last four games.

Combined with their bullpen stepping up, specifically Hector Neris, that may be enough for the Phillies. That still may not be enough as the Phillies have a brutal stretch to close the season. After finishing the series against the Braves, the Phillies play the Red Sox (3), Braves (3), Indians (3), and Nationals (4). If they can get through that stretch and still be in the race, they finish the season with the Marlins putting them in position to get in with an easy opponent to finish the season.

On that note, it should be noted, they are are combined 12-17 against the Braves and Nationals, and they are 7-9 against the Marlins this year.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 75-71
GB: 2.5
Odds: 5.3%

The Diamondbacks came into Citi Field with the best run differential among all of the teams competing for the second Wild Card, and they were red hot having won 11 of their last 13 games. It wasn’t an easy road to hoe either as the Diamondbacks took three out of four against the Dodgers.

Ketel Marte has played like an MVP candidate. Really, the entire lineup was clicking with Eduardo Escobar, Wilmer Flores, and Josh Rojas all hitting well. The starting pitching was hot too with Zac Gallen and Mike Leake pitching well.

The antidote to any level of hot hitting is the Mets starting pitching staff. Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Matz combined to completely shut down the offense. With the Mets going to the whip with Seth Lugo and Justin Wilson, the Diamondbacks couldn’t even feast on the Mets bullpen.

Despite the Mets halting their hot streak, the Diamondbacks still have a very favorable schedule. After leaving New York, they have series against the Reds, Marlins, and Padres with the Cardinals being their only over .500 opponent remaining.

The Padres have proven tricky for the Diamondbacks with the Padres being ahead in the season series 7-6. This is the same Padres team who his taking care of the Cubs. Still, with 13 of their last 16 at home where they are three games over .500, they are in a position to make things interesting.