NL Wild Card

[Frayed Knot]

This race should be fun to track for a while.

As of Sept 3rd:

TEAM	RECORD	PCT	GB
PADRES	70 - 66	.515	---
PHILS	69 - 68	.504	1-1/2
MARLINS	68 - 68	.500	2
REDS	68 - 69	.496	2-1/2
GIANTS	68 - 69	.496	2-1/2
ASTROS	67 - 70	.489	3-1/2
BRAVES	64 - 72	.478	5
D'BACKS	64 - 72	.471	6
ROCKIES	63 - 73	.463	7
BREWERS	62 - 75	.453	8-1/2

And the best part comes when a lot of these teams face each other as they will in the coming weeks.

- Phils have 6 remaining against Houston who have beaten them in the [u:cab060dcd2]last 12 straight[/u:cab060dcd2]

- The Phils and the Marlins have [u:cab060dcd2]10 games[/u:cab060dcd2] against each other remaining. That's 40% of their remaining skeds.

- Marlins just reached .500 for the first time since being 1-1. Plus they're the first team in over a century to fall 20 games below then reach .500 again in the same season

- Brewers were only kind of on the fringes of the race anyway and have now [u:cab060dcd2]lost 10 straight[/u:cab060dcd2] to pretty much put even that idea on ice


[u:cab060dcd2]This week[/u:cab060dcd2]:

* Padres: host Rockies then go to SF

* Cincy - coming off a 2-8 trip to the west coast - get the Giants & then Pirates both at home

* Giants go to Cincy then host the Pads

* Marlins host D'Backs then the Phils (4)

* Braves: at Shea (where Wild Card dreams go to die) then host Cubbies (4)

[HahnSolo]

I'm still hoping the Reds pull it out. Not so much that I prefer to play them over anyone else, but if either of the Pads, Phils, or Marlins win it, the Mets will be off to the West coast for games 3 and 4 of the first round. I'd like to avoid the networks screwing us fans with an 11 PM start again.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Phillies ahead of the Astros with now, 2-1 in the 7th.

Ryan Howard has a home run. Big suprise.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

HahnSolo wrote: I'd like to avoid the networks screwing us fans with an 11 PM start again.

Good point, but I don't think that would happen. It did in 1999 against Arizona (twice!), but not in 2000 against San Francisco. I think they learned that they're better off scheduling for the New York audience.

At least, I hope so.

[nymr83]

i love how close this race is. with any luck these teams will beat each other up all month long and bring a tired bullpen, aching position players, and an out-of-order rotation into the playoffs against the Mets.
A one-game playoff between SD and CIN in SD with the loser flying all the way to NY to play the next day would be golden

[Valadius]

My Grandpa won't shut up about the Marlins. Or as he calls them, the Mawlins.

This is an actual conversation I had with him. Keep in mind, the Marlins were behind 9 other teams for the wild card when this took place.

"Who won the wild card in '97?"
"Um, the Marlins."
"And who won the World Series?"
"The Marlins."
"Who won the wild card in 2003?"
"The Marlins..."
"And who won the World Series that year?"
"The Marlins, Grandpa."
"Who's gonna win the wild card in 2006?"
"I don't know, Grandpa..."
"The MAWLINS!!! And who's gonna win the World Series? The MAWLINS!!!"

Recently, when the Marlins lost one game after winning a bunch in a row, he wouldn't even come to the phone. He's nuts.

[Vic Sage]

i'd love for the Padres to win the WC and face the Mets in the first round, and I'd love for Piazza to have an amazing series as the Mets sweep SD out of town.

for all the caterwaling about how washed up Piazza was after last season, its interesting to me that he's currently outhitting our catcher, with a 65 point lead in OPS (.838 to .773), while accumulating Runs + RBIs at a rate of .264 per AB (89r+rbi / 337ab), compared to LoDuca's significantly less produtive .249 (110r+rbi / 442ab). Now, given that Piazza has over 100 fewer ABs than LoDuca so far this season, its reasonable to assume that, at his age, Piazza's numbers would likely decline if he played as much as LoDuca had. Still, the numbers indicate that the Bachelor still has some punch and is giving SD more bang for its buck than Punchless Paulie has given the Mets.

[Frayed Knot]

As of Thrusday, Sept 7:

TEAM	RECORD	PCT	GB
PADRES	73 - 66	.525	---
PHILS	70 - 69	.504	3
MARLINS	70 - 69	.504	3
GIANTS	70 - 70	.500	3-1/2
REDS	69 - 71	.493	4-1/2
ASTROS	68 - 71	.489	5
BRAVES	66 - 73	.475	7
D'BACKS	65 - 74	.468	8

* San Diego, winners of 5 straight, are just one game behind the Shea-bound Dodgers for the NLWest lead, meaning that our opponents this weekend could soon be the leading contender to be our first-round playoff opponents.

* Philly heads to Florida for 4 games starting tonight. Because those two start the day tied for 2nd in the NLEast, our 'Magic Number' can ony go down by a max of 1 today. Root for a split.

* Milwaukee & Colorado both spent this week falling into the double digit deficit range and have therefore been eliminated from this here chart

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Heard on the radio today that the Phillies are starting a "ten-day" road trip. (I don't know if that means ten games or not. Gotta figure it means at least nine, though.)

With four of those games against Florida, this is a tough stretch for the Phillies that could make or break them.

[MFS62]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: With four of those games against Florida, this is a tough stretch for the Phillies that could make or break them.

I don't want to break them right now, because that would mean the other would get a big leg up in the WC chase. I'd just prefer they bend a little, rooting for a split.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think I'd like to see Florida win three of four.

The five or six road games the Phillies play after they leave Miami will go a long way towards deciding their fate.

[Willets Point]

I'm still rooting for a Phillies WC and a New York-Philly NLCS.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Willets Point wrote: I'm still rooting for a Phillies WC and a New York-Philly NLCS.

I think you're in the minority here. The Phillies are the last team I want to see the Mets face in the NL playoffs.

I'm rooting for San Diego.

[Willets Point]

It would be a dramatic, kickass series for the ages. That's worth rooting for. And besides, if the Mets can't beat the best opposition possible they don't deserve to win.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Willets Point wrote: It would be a dramatic, kickass series for the ages. That's worth rooting for. And besides, if the Mets can't beat the best opposition possible they don't deserve to win.

That's a very sportsmanlike attitude, but it doesn't sway me.

I want to see the Mets win, whether their opponents are top-notch or not.

[Willets Point]

Just as long as you understand where I'm coming from. I think the Mets could take the Phillies personally.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think they could, too. And it would be the most exciting matchup. Maybe even with as much tension as 1986 vs. Houston.

I have to say, looking back, that that 1986 NLCS means a lot more to me than the one in 2000 that the Mets won easily.

[seawolf17]

I don't want tension. I don't want to beat Philly and then the Yankees, because my cholesterol is probably high and I don't need the stress. I want a parade down the fucking Canyon of Heroes or whatever they call it, and I want it as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

[Vic Sage]

I'm down wit dat, wolfie.

[metirish]

Playing the Phillies would be cool I think,especially a very intense series,get the rivalry going at full boil.....I imagine thousands of Mets fans filling the philly stadium,fights in the stands like a Rangers Flyers game...FU Philly.

[MFS62]

Ditto, Vic and Wolf.
I don't want any game or series to be decided by something like a fan interference or umpire call. Because if that happens, AL/ Yankee fans will moan that they needed help or luck to beat a good team.

I want the Mets to blast through the post season, winning it all, by delivering good old fashioned ass whippings to their opponents. And if they have to beat up on teams that aren't their toughest competition, so be it.

Later

[Guest 86-Dreamer]

Marlins are the team I would least like to see make the playoffs. The other WC contenders have all been right around .500 all year. Although the Marlins have ended up with the same record, they have gotten there much differently - playing well above .500 for a long stretch. They have six solid hitters and 4 young starters all pitching well. I really hope the Padres hold on.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Us TCBing the Dodgers this weekend would help the Pods. We also have 7 left with FLA, so whether they make it or not could depend on us too.

[Frayed Knot]

Padres salvage the final one from the Giants and avoid the sweep.
There's now a 3-way tie for 2nd in the WC race.

TEAM	RECORD	PCT	GB
PADRES	74 - 68	.521	---
GIANTS	72 - 71	.507	2-1/2
MARLINS	72 - 71	.503	2-1/2
PHILS	72 - 71	.503	2-1/2
REDS	71 - 72	.497	3-1/2
ASTROS	70 - 72	.493	4
BRAVES	69 - 73	.486	5

[u:5c0c1c49b8]This Week[/u:5c0c1c49b8]

SD: @ Cincy, @LA (4)

SF: Col, @ StL

Fla: Mets, @ Atl

Phil: @Atl, @ Hou

Hous: @StL, Phil

Atl: Phi, Fla

[Frayed Knot]

Well there's a new leader in the WC race ... mainly because there's a new leader in the NLWest. The Pads have taken 2 of the first 3 from the Dodgers (1 game left) and have a half-game lead in the division.

The WC standings as of Sunday night:

.

TEAM	RECORD	PCT	GB
DODGERS	78 - 71	.523	---
PHILS	77 - 72	.517	1
GIANTS	74 - 74	.500	3-1/2
MARLINS	74 - 75	.497	4
REDS	73 - 76	.490	5
BRAVES	72 - 77	.483	6
ASTROS	71 - 77	.480	6-1/2

[u:6f6a8b598a]The coming week[/u:6f6a8b598a]

LA: 1 more w/SD, then host Pitt, Arz

SD: 1 at LA, then host Arz, Pitt

Phils: Cubs, Fla, + 1 makeup w/Houston

SF: @ Col, @ Milw (4)

Fla: @ Mets (4), @ Phil

Atl: @ Wash, @ Colo (4)

Hous: Cinc, StL

[stevejrogers]

Is it another case of AL dominance this year that the NL Wild Card with two weeks to play has yet to achieve 80 wins, while the top two in the AL have over 83 wins, not to mention two teams (Angels and Red Sox) have 80 and are both 8 and 8.5 games off the pace

Or is it a product of a more competitive NL and the AL Central has a big drop off after the Tigers, Sox and Twins?

[Frayed Knot]

It's a bit of both.

THe AL's kicking of the NL's butts raised the collective record of the AL as a whole while depressing the entire senior circuit.
But since interleague ended (and the league records remain constant) the lower teams in the NL have been more competitive than the bottom-feeders in the AL which creates a log-jam towards the .500-range in the NL. None of those WC contenders is breaking away from the pack because they're essentially beating the heck out of each other and even taking it on the chin from the Pittsburghs ov the world.

Bottom line: the AL has more good as well as bad teams. In the NL, only the Mets (this weekend aside) have left the others in the dust.

[TransMonk]

Check out Detroit, Boston and the Chi-Sox records since the All Star break. They're under .500. Meanwhile everyone in the NL East save Washington is over .500. I don't think the difference between the AL and the NL is as great as everyone thought it was in July.

[Frayed Knot]

Wild one out in LA while we were all celebrating last night:

Pads take a 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st - in part thanks to a Piazza 2B & Cameron 3B
Dodgers erase all that, but Pads go on to score 3 in the top of the 9th to take a 4-run lead.
Then the fun started:

With Jon Adkins pitching;
Jeff Kent HR'd
JD Drew HR'd
out goes Adkins, in comes Trevor Hoffman;
FIRST PITCH from Hoffman is a HR to Russell Martin
then the NEXT PITCH is a Marlon Anderson HR and we're all tied and there's still no outs!! (2 HRs and a 3B on the day for Marlon)
Hoffman winds up getting out of the inning without any more damage and SD even goes out and takes a 1-run lead in the 10th
So then in the bottom of the 10th w/Rudy Seanez pitching, Lofton walks and then Garciaparra hits a walk-off 2R HR
And, with that win, the Dodgers re-take 1st place

4th time in history there were 4 consect HRs, although I'm assuming it's the first time while a team was down by 4 in the 9th.


Elsewhere:
- Phils lost
- Giants got stomped on by the Rox
- Reds lose to the Astros
- Braves win
- and, oh yeah, the Marlins lost to someone

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Wow!