Samuel Corum/Getty Images
The American League wild-card race took its latest crazy turn this week thanks to the Detroit Tigers.
Detroit moved ahead of the Kansas City Royals and into the second wild-card spot on Sunday with a win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Detroit’s win tightened the AL wild-card race even more between three AL Central rivals. The Minnesota Twins are also closely in the mix.
The NL wild-card race could be decided by Thursday since the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves play each other in Atlanta from Tuesday-Thursday.
New York and Arizona hold a two-game lead over Atlanta for the final wild-card spot. Of note, the Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks.
Updated Playoff Bracket
American League
(1) New York Yankees – first-round bye
(2) Cleveland – first-round bye
No. 6 Detroit vs. No. 3 Houston
No. 5 Kansas City vs. No. 4 Baltimore
National League
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers – first-round bye
(2) Philadelphia – first-round bye
No. 6 Arizona vs. No. 3 Milwaukee
No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego
Updated MLB Standings
American League
AL East
1. New York Yankees (92-64)
2. Baltimore (86-70)
3. Boston (77-78)
4. Tampa Bay (78-78)
5. Toronto (73-83)
AL Central
1. Cleveland (90-67)
2. Kansas City (82-74)
3. Detroit (82-74)
4. Minnesota (81-74)
5. Chicago White Sox (36-120)
AL West
1. Houston (85-71)
2. Seattle (80-76)
3. Texas (74-82)
4. Oakland (67-89)
5. Los Angeles Angels (63-93)
AL Wild-Card Race
1. Baltimore (86-70)
2. Kansas City (82-74)
3. Detroit (82-74)
4. Minnesota 0.5 games behind
5. Seattle 2 GB
6. Tampa Bay 4 GB
7. Boston 4.5 GB
Detroit was the biggest mover in the last week, as it went from outside the wild-card race to the second wild-card spot.
The Tigers swept the Royals and then took two of three from the Orioles to switch the dynamic of the wild-card race in their favor.
Detroit should solidify its spot in the playoffs in the final week of the regular season since it plays the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox at home.
Kansas City is on the road against Washington and Atlanta, while Minnesota finishes at home with Miami and Baltimore.
The Orioles-Twins series will decide the order of the wild-card race and which teams get in as wild-card sides.
Baltimore has a four-game buffer on Detroit and Kansas City and it may need every bit of that cushion since it visits the New York Yankees before heading to Minnesota.
Baltimore’s games with the Yankees will not matter for the AL East title, but it will be relevant in the race for home-field advantage between the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians. New York leads that competition by 2.5 games.
National League
NL East
1. Philadelphia (92-64)
2. New York Mets (87-69)
3. Atlanta (85-71)
4. Washington (69-86)
5. Miami (57-99)
NL Central
1. Milwaukee (89-67)
2. Chicago Cubs (79-76)
3. St. Louis (79-77)
4. Cincinnati (76-81)
5. Pittsburgh (73-83)
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-63)
2. San Diego (90-66)
3. Arizona (87-69)
4. San Francisco (77-79)
5. Colorado (60-96)
NL Wild-Card Race
1. San Diego (90-66)
2. New York Mets (87-69)
3. Arizona (87-69)
4. Atlanta 2 GB
The Mets and Braves will be front and center in the baseball world from Tuesday-Thursday.
The Mets visit Atlanta for three games that could either decide the wild-card race, or take it down to the final three contests of the regular season for each side.
The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks will likely play for seeding next weekend at Chase Field.
San Diego has to visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game set this week, so it may not have enough room to clinch the top wild-card spot ahead of Friday.
Arizona will look to put pressure on the Padres and Mets since it hosts the San Francisco Giants for three games starting on Tuesday.