NBA playoff picture: standings, predictions, bracket, format revealed Cardinals clinch NL Central.

The 2022 Major League Baseball season is winding down, and it hangs in the balance as teams try to secure their spot in the playoffs. Seven teams The Dodgers, Astros, The Mets, Good, Yankees, Rangers and Cardinals) have won playoff games in a field of 12 teams, and seven teams are fighting for the final five spots with only one week left in the season. The NL East is the only division race going down to the wire. The Mets and Braves head into Wednesday’s action tied for first place in this weekend’s crucial faceoff series.

Two NL wild card spots are still up in the air, with the Padres close to clinching one of them, while the Phillies and Brewers compete for the third and final playoff spot. In the AL wild card race, the Blue Jays and Rays have a cushion with the Mariners trying to avoid the Orioles for last place. The Mariners (21 years) and Phillies (11 years) have the two longest postseason droughts in Major League Baseball.

Now let’s jump into the detailed rankings, current playoff matchups and postseason odds, and remember that the postseason structure is different starting this year.

Sticky places

• Dodgers: Clinched NL West, first-round bye, home-field advantage in NL
• Astros: Clinched AL West, first round bye
• Mets: A crowded playoff spot
• Clever: Crowded playoff spot
• Yankees: Congested AL East, first round bye
• Guards: Clinched AL Central
• Cardinals: Clinched NL Central

The new, 12-team playoff format

In the recent negotiations for a new collective agreement, players and owners have agreed to a new and expanded postseason structure moving forward. That new structure kicks in this season, and here’s a look at how it works.

• The postseason field will expand from 10 teams to 12 teams, with an additional wild card entry in each league.
• The wild card game is replaced by a best-of-three wild card series that takes place in the first round of the playoffs. The top seed in each wild card series hosts all games of that series, two or a maximum of three games.
• The top two division winners in each league, determined by best overall record during the regular season, receive a first-round bye. This means they go straight through to the top five division which acts as the second round.
• The four wild card round participants in each league are the division winner with the worst record among the division winners and the three non-division winners with the best records. The winner of that division will be the No. 3 seed regardless of whether one or all of the other wild-card teams have a better record.
• To recap, here’s how the playoff seeding works out in each league – No. 1 seed (in LDS): best record in league; No. 2 seed (for LDS): second-best record among division winners; No. 3 seed: third-best record among division winners; No. 4 seed: best record among wild card teams; No. 5 seed: second-best record among wild-card teams; No. 6 seed: Third-best record among wild card teams.

The League Championship Series and World Series remain best-of-seven series, with home-field advantage being the team with the best record in each series. Note that there is no reseeding after any round.

I understand? Now here is where things stand now when it comes to the race for these seats and races.

If the season ends today…

American League

• Hello No. 1 Astros and No. 2 Yankees
• Wild card series No. 5 Rays at No. 4 Blue Jays (winner faces No. 1 seed)
• Wild card series No. 6 sailors in No. 3 Guards (Winner Faces No. 2 Seed)

National League

• Hello No. 1 Dodgers and No. 2 Mets
• Wild card series No. 5 Padres at No. 4 Braves (winner faces No. 1 seed)
• Wild card series No. 6 Phillies at No. 3 Cardinals (Winner Faces No. 2 Seed)

MLB standings

(Postseason predictions courtesy of SportsLine; extended standings may be viewed.) over here)

MLB wild-card standings