Breaking Down the National League Wild Card Race
With the baseball season ending in just under two months, the wild card race in the National League is heating up with the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks with firm leads of the top wild cards, and the third spot looks to be a fight between two National League East foes with the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. However, you cannot count out the St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants, who loom just one and a half games back of the final spot, or even the Chicago Cubs with a three-game deficit. Here is a breakdown of each team and the road they have near the end of the season.
San Diego Padres
The National League West is loaded with talent as the Los Angeles Dodgers possess the division, but don’t count out the Padres or the Diamondbacks, trailing just three and a half games behind. San Diego has been on fire, winning eight of their last ten and having absolute star power. We recently saw Dylan Cease show his true colors with a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on July 25th. He has been the ace for them, and they have obvious talent in their lineup with guys like Luis Arraez, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts, but their strength so far this year has been their bullpen. Robert Suarez has been phenomenal for them, with a 1.55 ERA and 0.863 WHIP this season. They bolstered the bullpen with midseason acquisitions of Tanner Scott and Jason Adam. The Padres have two series coming up against teams below 500 with the Pirates and Rockies, which starts a stretch of 15 straight days with no rest. September opens up with a series against the Tigers, before two on the road and two at home, concluding the season with a six-game homestand against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.
Arizona Diamondbacks
After going on a miraculous run as a wild card team last year, the Diamondbacks look to repeat again this year with a pretty similar squad. Ketel Marte has had a breakout year and has had help from Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll, as well as the trade deadline acquisition of Josh Bell from the Miami Marlins. The rotation has been bolstered from last year with returning arms of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, as well as offseason moves with Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery. The Diamondbacks open up a three-game homestand with the Rockies before heading out to the East Coast to face the Rays, Marlins, and Red Sox. They finish up the month with a six-game homestand against the Mets and the Dodgers before going out on the road against the Giants and Astros to start September. They have two at home before starting a 13-day stretch with six at home and seven on the road before finishing the season with a series against the Padres.
Atlanta Braves
Injuries can often slow teams down in Major League Baseball, but for the Braves, it has almost entirely halted their success as they have not been the same team. With Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris, and Spencer Strider all going down, this team is looking for someone to lead the way. The talent is still there with Marcell Ozuna and Max Fried, but it does not help that Matt Olson is having an underwhelming season. They look to make strides in the last 45 games of the season. The Braves open up a road trip to the West Coast with three against the Giants and four against the Angels before heading home to face the Phillies and Nationals. They finish up August on the road against the Twins and the Phillies. They open September with seven at home, including a makeup game against the Reds, before a two-game road set against the Nationals. They host the Dodgers before going on the road to Cincinnati and Miami and then return home to finish the year against the Mets and the Royals.
New York Mets
After being one of the hottest teams of June and July, the Mets are starting to cool off and return back to being a mediocre team at best. Francisco Lindor has been on fire ever since being moved to the leadoff spot. Mark Vientos has solidified himself as the new Mets third baseman, batting for a 270 average with 17 home runs and 44 runs batted in in 70 games this season. The rotation has been insufficient, with Luis Severino pitching more innings than he is typically used to and the middlemen in the rotation, Sean Manaea, and Jose Quintana being very inconsistent. The bullpen has been lackluster as injuries have plagued them; however, with the key guys starting to get healthy, they look for José Buttó, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nuñez, and Edwin Diaz to lead the way out of the pen. The Mets begin a nine-game homestand against the Athletics, Marlins, and Orioles before finishing out the month on the road against the Padres, Diamondbacks, and White Sox. They return home to open September against the Red Sox and the Reds before going on the road against the Blue Jays and the Phillies. They return home to face the Nationals and Phillies before closing out their season on the road against the Braves and Brewers.
St. Louis Cardinals
This team has the potential to make a late-season push at a possible playoff spot with a lot of veterans surrounded by young guys who can make an impact at any moment. Nolan Arenado is producing on both sides of the diamond, while Paul Goldschmidt trends downward in his fourteenth season. Masyn Winn looks to be an emerging talent in his rookie year with his flashy glove and speed on the basepaths. Sonny Gray has led the Cardinals' pitching staff with a 3.65 ERA and 11 wins in 21 games started. Ryan Helsley has been a wrecking force as the Cardinals' closer despite a rough start to August. The Cardinals face the Reds on the road before coming home for two series against the Dodgers and Brewers. They will go on the road to Minnesota before coming back home for four against the Padres and then going to the Bronx to play the Yankees to close out August. Opening in September, the Cardinals will be on the road in Milwaukee and then open up a six-game homestand against the Mariners and Reds. Following the Reds, they will face the Blue Jays in Toronto before seven at home against the Pirates and Guardians. They will finish the season on the road against the Rockies and Giants.
San Francisco Giants
Despite being fourth in the National League West, the Giants do have a chance at making a case for that third wild card. Heliot Ramos has been turning heads, and offseason acquisition Matt Chapman has been starting to heat up. Blake Snell threw a no-hitter against the Reds on August 2nd, and Robbie Ray looks to return to form as he had a late start to the season. Camilo Doval hasn’t been what we’ve seen from him in the past, with a 4.70 ERA and five blown saves, and was recently optioned to Triple-A, but the Giants have true talent otherwise in that bullpen.
Chicago Cubs
Do not count out the Chicago Cubs with the way their roster is put together. With talent in the outfield with Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ, and a stellar rotation consisting of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon, this team can truly do some damage in the latter quarter of the season if they continue to gain ground on the third wild card. The Cubs have three games on the road against the Guardians before returning home to face the Blue Jays and Tigers. They close out August on the road with a series against the Marlins, Pirates, and Nationals. The Cubs will host the Pirates and Yankees to start September before going on the road to face the Dodgers and Rockies. They host the Athletics and Nationals before closing out the season with a road series against the Phillies and a home finale against the Reds.
