- The Padres lead the National League wild-card standings by one game over the tied Cubs and Phillies.
- The Diamondbacks trail by three games and are two losses from wild-card elimination.
- The Pirates, Cardinals, Marlins, Nationals, Reds and Mets are already eliminated from the wild-card race.
- Oddsmakers still favor the Dodgers for the pennant over Milwaukee despite the Brewers’ better record.
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres hold the National League’s top wild-card position by one game over the tied Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies with four games left in the regular season. The Arizona Diamondbacks, three games back, can be mathematically eliminated from the wild-card race in as few as two more results.
A One-Game Cushion At The Top
San Diego is 88-70 with four games left, one game ahead of Chicago and Philadelphia, who are tied at 87-71 apiece for the final two spots in the wild-card standings. All three teams finish the regular season Sunday.
The Cubs-Phillies tie matters beyond seeding pride for legal sports betting: only the top wild card hosts a series, and San Diego’s one-game edge is all that keeps the Padres in that spot. The No. 5 seed opens in San Diego and the No. 6 seed travels to the No. 3 division winner.
Arizona’s Math Runs Out Fast
The Diamondbacks are 84-74, three games behind the Cubs and Phillies with the same four games remaining. MLB lists Arizona’s wild-card elimination number at 2, so two more Diamondbacks losses end the push before the regular season’s final day. Every other team chasing a spot is already out: the Pittsburgh Pirates (80-78), Miami Marlins (78-80), St. Louis Cardinals (77-81), Washington Nationals (75-84), Cincinnati Reds (73-85) and New York Mets (73-85) have all been eliminated from wild-card contention.
A month ago, the NL pennant race had narrowed to Atlanta and Milwaukee at the top. Atlanta has since settled into third in the league at 93-65, and the real fight has moved to the bottom of the standings instead.
The Board Still Likes Los Angeles
The Dodgers are the pennant favorites at +115 even though Milwaukee, at 99-59, has won two more games than Los Angeles; the Brewers sit at +325. Atlanta is +750. Philadelphia is +800 and Chicago +850 on identical records, and San Diego, the team a game ahead of both, is +1300. Arizona is +15000, the longest price left among the four teams still alive.
| Team | Wild-Card Gap | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | – | +1300 |
| Chicago Cubs | 1.0 | +850 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 1.0 | +800 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 3.0 | +15000 |
Milwaukee, Atlanta and Los Angeles have all clinched their divisions, leaving the wild-card order and the rest of the National League’s seeding as the only things legal MLB betting sites have left to price before Sunday’s finale.
