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Playoff Race Update: Pirates Have a Small Chance to Clinch Today

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The Pirates could clinch the playoffs on Sunday. (Photo Credit: David Hague)
The Pirates could clinch the playoffs on Sunday. (Photo Credit: David Hague)

The National League playoff race is tight. The NL Central has three teams separated by two games. The division leaders in the National League are separated by three games. The regular season ends in nine days, and the playoff races will all be close. To keep track of that, we’ll have a nightly recap with the scores, standings, and any tiebreaking information for relevant scenarios. Here are the results from tonight, and how they impacted each race that is important for the Pirates.

NL Central

Cardinals 7, Brewers 2

Pirates 4, Reds 2

The Pirates moved ahead of the Reds for second place in the NL Central. However, the Cardinals also won to retain their two game lead.

Wild Card

Pirates 4, Reds 2

Nationals/Marlins Postponed

The Pirates took a one game lead in the Wild Card race, and their elimination number is now three. They could clinch the playoffs tomorrow if they win and Washington loses a double-header. The Nationals had their game postponed tonight, leading to a day/night doubleheader tomorrow.

I doubt the Pirates clinch tomorrow, but early next week should provide an interesting scenario. The Nationals play the Cardinals, which will impact the Pirates no matter the outcome. Every win by the Cardinals helps the Pirates to clinch. Every win by the Nationals helps the Pirates move closer in the NL Central. Since it’s pretty much a guarantee that the Pirates will make the playoffs, they should be rooting for the Nationals in that series.

Playoff Seeding

Cubs 3, Braves 1

Cardinals 7, Brewers 2

Dodgers 4, Padres 0

The Braves have a half game lead in the top seed, despite their loss and the win by the Cardinals. The Dodgers also won, and moved 2.5 games back. So the standings didn’t change, but the top teams got closer together.

1. Atlanta

2. St. Louis

3. Los Angeles

4. Pittsburgh

5. Cincinnati

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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