In the National League the New York Mets sweep of the Washington Nationals essentially ended the hunt for playoff positions. Although mathematically still alive, the Nationals and the Giants would require miraculous finishes to earn a spot in the post season. Seemingly, all that’s left is to see if the Pirates can make a run at the Cardinals, and who earns home field advantage.
The margin between contention and elimination is remarkably slim. The Nationals held leads in all three games of their series with the Mets, but managed to lose each one. The most egregious loss being the second game, where they had a 7-1 lead until the seventh inning. How different the race would look if the Nationals had won even two out of three games.
Similarly, a week and a half ago the Giants were very much in contention, entering their series with the Dodgers trailing by 3-1/2 games. But they lost all three of their games to the Dodgers, with each game decided by one run, including extra innings in the first game. In a 162 game season, it’s amazing how the fates of four teams can turn on three games.