Atlanta Braves: (8-2; -5)
The Braves swept the Nationals and will face the Marlins for three this weekend. Atlanta is in strong position to steal the Wild Card from the Colorado Rockies, as the Braves finish with four at home against the Nationals while the Rockies finish with three against the Milwaukee Brewers followed by three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are currently separated by 2.5 games.
Florida Marlins: (5-5; -7.5)
The Marlins were eliminated from division contention and almost out of it in the Wild Card. They do have a chance to share the misery, as they could eliminate Atlanta this week with a sweep and a Rockie series win.
Philadelphia Phillies: (5-5; Magic Number 3)
The Phillies pulled closer to their third consecutive division title, as their magic number is just 3. They close with four against the Astros, and three against the Marlins. The Phillies are two and a half behind the Dodgers for the top seed.
Washington Nationals: (2-8; -38)
In what had to be a miserable weekend of sports in Washington, the Nationals broke the 100-loss plane, getting swept by the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies would be justifiably upset if the Nationals hand the Braves the Wild Card next weekend.
The Nationals magic number for clinching Bryce Harper is 1. Interesting to note is that the Baltimore Orioles are making a hard charge at Anthony Ranuado (2), as they have now lost 10 straight. The Mets are 2.5 back of the 5th pick and 3 back of the 4th.
Around the Majors:
The most, and maybe only, exciting race in baseball is the AL Central. The Detroit Tigers lead the Minnesota Twins by 2 games heading into a four game series between them starting today. The Twins are by far the hotter team, winning 8 of their last 10. The Tigers close out the season against big rival Chicago, and the Twins finish against Kansas City.
