Season 29 Play-off Race

by Unknown 2:21 PM 24 comments

Parity is on the rise in Plumpy!  With roughly 25 games to go, 11 NL teams are within at least 6 games of a play-off berth, while 8 AL teams maintain realistic hopes of reaching post-season play.  Let's take a look at where we're at now, and how things are looking for the rest of the season for the teams still in contention.

First the NL (current ranked in order of play-off seeds if the season ended today, 12/24 as of the PM cycle.)

1.)  Syracuse Magma (93-42) *NL North Champion (With a 17 game lead, the Magma taking the division, and the number one seed, is all but a formality at this point.)

2.)  Scranton Boll Weevils (80-55) *NL East Champion (A one game lead has never looked so precarious.  Four games is all that separates the Boll Weevils from a first round bye, and watching the play-offs from home.  10 games remain against the three closest teams chasing Scranton, and 17 are against opponents with winning records.  Mexico's peskiest export has it's work cut out for them.)

3.)  Montgomery Burns (71-64) *NL South Champion (Burns holds a three game lead over rival Charlotte.  Burns has been ravaged by injuries and has made a couple plays that signal their focus is shifting towards the future, including the trade of four time MVP Roger Conroy.  However, the return of Ace Shelley Olson from injury, combined with a very strong ML core still makes this team dangerous.  A big series with Charlotte looms in 10 days.)

4.)  Boise Basturds (68-67) *NL West Champion  (Barring something shocking, the Basturds will be back to back division champions.

5.)  Louisville Surveyors (79-56) *NL Wild Card 1  (Here's where things get interesting.  Despite having the third best record in the NL, things are far from comfortable in Surveyor country.  All but four of Louisville's remaining games are against teams above .500, including a 4 game series against Syracuse.  Despite the recent injury to SP J.T. Jones, the Surveyors have beaten quality opponents all season, and will their destiny in their own hands, so long as they can take care of business against Scranton, Hartford and Chicago (NL). The road is long, but the team is good.  Stay tuned.)

6.)  Chicago Boomers (76-59) *NL Wild Card 2   (The Boomers are tied with Hartford, but won the season series 6-4 and therefore will win any tie-breaker.  The next three series are against Scranton, Boise and Louisville, so if the Boomers can go on a tear now, that will make the season ending series against Syracuse less anxiety inducing.)

7.)  Hartford Submarines II (76-59)  (While presently, Hartford is the first team out, 14 of their remaining games are against teams more than 15 games below .500, and 6 of the others are against the two teams right in front of them in the NL East.)

8.)  Pittsburgh Wannabes (71-64, 5 games back of Wild Card) (No team will be clamoring harder at the Winter Meetings for divisional realignment than Pittsburgh, as their record is currently identical to 3 seed, Montgomery.  That said, the Plumpy Originals have remaining series against both Louisville and Chicago, and are far from out of contention.)

9.)  Baltimore Sparkle Ponies (70-65, 6 games back of Wild Card)  (The resurgent Sparkle Ponies have quietly crept back into the post-season discussion.  While the odds are not necessarily in their favor, if Baltimore can make some noise in its three remaining series against their divisional rivals, Scranton, Louisville, and Hartford, the Ponies may prance into the post-season after all.)

10.)  Charlotte Nature Boys (68-67, 3 games back in NL South, 8 games back of Wild Card)  (While a Wild Card berth seems unlikely, if Charlotte can sweep the upcoming three game series in Montgomery, Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!)

11.)  Charleston Chews (65-70, 6 games back in NL South)  (The Chews would realistically need to sweep both Montgomery and Charlotte to have a chance

And now for the American League!

1.)  Durham Dirt Dogs (87-48) *NL South Champion  (A 7 game lead should be safe, though nobody likes having San Juan in their rear-view mirror.)

2.)  Omaha Settlers (84-51) *NL West Champion  (With an 11 game lead in the division, the primary focus for the Settlers is on securing the 2 seed/first round bye in the play-offs.)

3.)  Chicago Fatties (77-58)  *NL East Champion  (The Fatties have a 13 game lead, and while hopes remain for going on a run and stealing the 2 seed, Chicago's more rotund fake baseball team is likely focused on fending off Columbus and securing the 3 seed.)

4.)  Columbus Dodger Blue (76-59)  *NL North Champion  (Despite a recent run by Ottawa, the Dodger Blue have maintained a four game cushion, thanks in no small part to winning their recent series against Durham.  Keep your eyes on this one folks, should be a great race.)

5.)  San Juan Elephant Seals (80-55)  AL Wild Card 1  (SPEAKING of divisional realignment, the defending champions are no stranger to the AL's first Wild Card, and won the league last year from that exact position.  The E-Seals have a 7 game cushion between them and being bereft of the post-season, and are a near lock to go back to the Dance.)

6.)  Little Rock 'n Roll (75-60)  AL Wild Card 2  (Little Rock was certainly Rock 'n Rolling when they acquired Roger Conroy shortly before the trade deadline earlier this month.  Little Rock has their work cut out for them, as 20 of their remaining games are against teams with winning records, including a huge seven game series that begins tonight against...)

7.)  Oakland Hammers (73-62, 2 games back of AL Wild Card)  (Oakland's destiny lies largely in how well it comes out of this 7 game series against Little Rock.  Beyond those seven games, only one series remains for the Hammers against a team with a winning record.  A solid showing against 'n Roll will put them in the driver's seat for the final AL Wild Card berth.)

8.)  Ottawa Eh's  (72-63, 3 games back of AL Wild Card, 4 games back of NL North)  (The season concludes with a three game series at Columbus.  Until then, a four game series against San Juan is the only series the Eh's have against a team with a winning record.  Ottawa has just as good a chance as any AL team to improve their standing in the... standings before the play-offs begin.)

Merry Christmas everyone, and good luck to all in your respective post-season races!