The National league wild card race has turned into a very unexpected and interesting one with two weeks left in the regular season. The most deciding race to determine the wild card might be the NL West division race. The Los Angeles Dodgers currently have a 3 game lead ahead of the San Francisco Giants after taking two out of three games in their recent series, but there is still one more remaining three game series between these two rivals in Los Angeles. Let’s keep in mind that out of the remaining 13 games that the Giants have left, 7 are versus the San Diego Padres and 3 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both the Padres and Diamondbacks are sub .500 ball clubs. It is very likely that the second place of this division will be the first wild card so a lot of emphasis will be put to win the division.
Another great race is occurring in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals have taken over first place of their division earlier this month after the Milwaukee Brewers had a terrible stretch which sent them all the way down to third place of the division. Meanwhile the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to be in the hunt and are currently the second wild card team. The Cardinals currently have a 3.5 game lead over the Pirates, and a 5 game lead over the Brewers for the NL Central. The Brewers still have a three game set remaining against the Cards and also a three game set versus the Pirates, and although the Pirates won’t face the Cardinals anymore this season, they do have a four game series versus the Atlanta Braves which could determine the faith of the Pirates.
The only team that seems a lock to win their division is the Washington Nationals which have a 10.5 game lead in the NL East. Here is how the NL Wild Card standings look as play begins on September 15:
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
| San Francisco Giants | 82-67 | +3.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79-70 | — |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 78-72 | 1.5 |
Teams still in the mix are the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins, but things aren’t looking good for any of these teams. The Marlins stand 6.5 games behind the Pirates and the scary loss of Giancarlo Stanton hurt. While the Braves just got swept by the worst team in the league, the Texas Rangers. After getting swept the Braves are 4 games behind the second wild card spot. As mentioned before, there is still a four game series for the Braves versus the Pirates, but also have the Brewers in the way, who could benefit if the Braves can win the series.
The Giants are in the best position right now of all wild card teams, not only because they are leading the wild card, but because they could still run away with the NL West division if they finish off strong. While in the NL Central it looks very likely that the Cardinals will take the division and the Pirates and Brewers will fight for the second wild card spot, the Braves and Marlins need a miracle to get back in the hunt.
Photo Credit: SportsLogos.net
Follow Manuel on Twitter: @OsoFan
