Five key National League series to end 2020 MLB Regular Season

Kwang-Hyun Kim (Wikimedia Commons)

As the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season comes to a close, there are so far seven teams in the American League that have qualified for the postseason, and four teams in the National League. In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics are in. The Houston Astros will join them with a win this weekend against the Texas Rangers or a Los Angeles Angels loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The National League meanwhile is a lot more complicated. So far there have been only four teams that have made it. They are the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, there are eight teams battling for the final four spots. Let’s take a look at the five most important series this weekend involving National League teams.

5) Miami Marlins @ New York Yankees–In order for the Marlins to get the number two seed in the National League East, they need to be tied or better than the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins are at 29 and 28, while the Phillies are at 28 and 29. The Phillies are in Tampa Bay this weekend.

4) San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants–In the all-California series, the Giants are at the .500 mark at 28 wins and 28 losses. They currently lead the Phillies by half a game, and the Milwaukee Brewers by one game for the eighth and final playoff spot. The New York Mets and Colorado Rockies are also still mathematically alive, but need a miracle at this point.

3) New York Mets @ Washington Nationals–Let’s take a look at the Mets. They have a three game series in the American capital. At 26 wins and 31 losses, the best record they could have is 29 wins and 31 losses. That means they would have to sweep Washington and hope the Rays sweep the Phillies. That might not even be enough as they may need help from other teams from other divisions.

2) Cincinnati Reds @ Minnesota Twins–At 29 wins and 28 losses, Reds starting pitcher Trevor Bauer has already self-proclaimed himself as the National League Cy Young Award winner. Cincinnati is currently in third place, half a game back of St. Louis for second place and a game and a half up on Milwaukee in the tight National League Central. Cincinnati, which is the top third place team in the National League, has the tie-breaker against the Brewers, but not the Cardinals.

1) Milwaukee Brewers @ St. Louis Cardinals–These National League Central Division foes play against each other this weekend with a lot on the line. St. Louis is second in the National League Central with a record of 28 wins and 26 losses, while the Brewers are two games back at 27 wins and 29 losses. St. Louis may still have to play two games against the Detroit Tigers on Monday, if those games have meaning. It has been a stupendous season for Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim, who has a record of three wins, zero losses, and an earned run average of 1.62.

Fill In The Form Below To Receive Our MLB News Straight To Your Email For FREE!