(This story was updated to add new information.)
Matchups for Major League Baseball’s playoffs are almost set.
Almost.
Twenty-eight of 30 teams finished their regular season Sunday, and the results ensured that the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves will play one more day of games — yes, Nos. 161 and 162, at Atlanta’s Truist Field — to determine the final two National League wild-card teams.
But plenty more certainty was gained as a slate of nearly synchronized games played out. Nobody was eliminated. But a handful of traveling secretaries could hit “book” on hotel rooms and tell their pilots exactly where they should punch it in the team plane.
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As for those final two NL slots that will be filled by two of the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-73), Mets (88-72) and Braves (88-72)?
Well, it’s relatively simple (yeah, right) after Arizona and New York won on Sunday and the Braves lost.
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How will the final NL wild cards be determined?
The Mets will fly from Milwaukee to Atlanta on Sunday night and play a doubleheader at Truist Park, as a result of two postponements last week due to heavy rainfall from Helene. Rookie star Spencer Schwellenbach will start Game 1 for Atlanta, opposed by Mets right-hander Tylor Megill.
It’s simple: One win by the Mets and one win by the Braves, and they are in the playoffs.
So yes, Arizona is in the odd situation of seeing how Game 1 plays out and going all-in on the winner to also claim Game 2. Just one problem: The Game 1 winner will have its playoff berth in hand and be less inclined to use higher-leverage pitchers in the second game.
And using Monday to play makeup games means there’s no off day before the wild-card series begins — and so the early-game winner will barely have 24 hours to jet off to Milwaukee or San Diego and begin the actual playoffs. Should the Braves lose Game 1, it will be interesting to see if they deploy Cy Young Award favorite Chris Sale in Game 2; Atlanta has been holding him back both to get extra rest and also to hopefully start a playoff opener.
How much will “the sanctity of the game” matter to the winner of Monday’s first game? Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, left only to watch and pray, hopes the answer is: A lot.
How will the NL survivors be seeded?
The San Diego Padres are locked in as the No. 1 wild card and No. 4 NL seed.
Arizona can only qualify as the No. 6 seed, by virtue of losing tiebreakers to both the Mets and Braves.
If the Braves and Mets both advance, the Braves will be the No. 5 seed, by virtue of winning the season series against the Mets, 7-6.
A look at the playoff picture and projected starters, starting with the well-defined American League before we get to the NL mess:
AL wild-card series
(All games on ESPN/ESPN2/ABC)
No. 6 Detroit Tigers at No. 3 Houston Astros
Game 1, Tuesday: LH Tarik Skubal vs. LH Framber Valdez, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 5 Kansas City Royals at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles
Game 1, Tuesday: LH Cole Ragans vs. RH Corbin Burnes, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 2, Wednesday: RH Seth Lugo vs. RH Zach Eflin, 4:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: RH Michael Wacha vs. RH Dean Kremer, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
AL Division Series – Saturday, TBS
Royals-Orioles winner vs. No. 1 New York Yankees
Tigers-Astros winner vs. No. 2 Cleveland Guardians
NL wild-card series
No. 6 Mets/Diamondbacks at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers
Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Freddy Peralta, 5:32 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA, 7:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 5 Mets/Braves at No. 4 San Diego Padres
Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Dylan Cease, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN,
Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
NL Division Series – Saturday, Fox/FS1
Mets/Braves-Padres winner vs. No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Mets/Diamondbacks-Brewers winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
