MLB Wild Card Standings 2015: San Francisco Giants On Fire, Pittsburgh Pirates Slipping
MLB wild card standings for the 2015 season have gotten very interesting. As the San Francisco Giants have caught fire at the right time (again), the Pittsburgh Pirates have started slipping in the MLB standings. On Sunday (July 19), the Milwaukee Brewers finished a three-game sweep of the Pirates, coming away with the most shocking results of the weekend. Coming into this series, the Pirates were 53-35 and the Brewers were just 38-52 on the season.
Over in Arizona, the Giants finished a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Giants are now on a six-game winning streak that has improved the team to 49-43 on the season. Suddenly, the Giants are just half a game behind the Chicago Cubs in the race for the second wild card slot in the National League. The team has also pulled within four and a half games of the Pirates for that first spot. The Cubs could increase that lead to a full game by beating the Atlanta Braves Sunday night, but a loss there would create a tie for the second wild card.
In the American League wild card standings, a lot of one-sided games took place on Sunday. The Minnesota Twins (50-42) hold the first AL wild card slot, but lost 14-1 to the Oakland Athletics. The Houston Astros (51-43) are currently in the second spot, with that hold made stronger by a 10-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Creeping up behind them are the Baltimore Orioles (46-45) that just finished beating the Detroit Tigers 9-3. Suddenly, the Tigers are falling further out of the race, as they trail by four and a half games after two more losses over the weekend.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Washington Nationals (49-41) and Chicago Cubs (48-41) were penciled in as two 2015 World Series contenders after a lot of MLB offseason acquisitions. The Nationals lead the NL East by two and a half games and the Cubs have a hold on the wild card spot for now. Both teams are at risk of getting caught, though, with the New York Mets (47-44) trying to move up in the East and the wild card race. That could make for a very interesting race to the finish line.
There is going to be an exciting battle in the AL East as four teams have.500 or better records. The Baltimore Orioles (46-45), Tampa Bay Rays (47-47), and Toronto Blue Jays (47-47) could all make a run at the New York Yankees (50-41) for a division title or a wild card spot. For now, though, the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros are still way ahead in the MLB wild card standings. What might make the difference is which team can complete a key acquisition and gain some momentum for the final two months of the regular season.
[Image Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
