The Cards are going to get that last playoff spot. The National League is all but set now.

The Cards are going to get that last playoff spot.

I agree. Atlanta needs one more win or a loss for the Dodgers and Brewers to wrap one spot, and while the Cardinals don't have an easy schedule (after this series) their last six games are at home with the Nats and Reds, both of whom will be setting playoff rotations.

The Pirates' last six games are also at home, with the Reds and Braves who will both be in postseason mode. I don't know if that will help; the Bucs have been playing teams who have little incentive for most of the last month and have been awful, and winning seven of nine after being in free fall since the middle of August is going to be a tall order even considering the schedule.

FWIW, no team has ever finished under .500 after being sixteen games over during any point of the season.

-- MWE

The Cards are going to get that last playoff spot. The National League is all but set now.

You do know they play their last 6 games against the two best teams in the NL? If they split the next two in Houston (Jaime Garcia has always been terrible on the road) and go 2-4 after that, all Milwaukee or LA has to do is go 7-2. It's not like it's a 100-to-1 longshot.

FWIW, no team has ever finished under .500 after being sixteen games over during any point of the season.

Interesting. If memory serves, the '85 Cubs were 34-19 at one point and ended up under .500, but do they share that distinction with anyone else?

Didn't the Astros have a year recently where they were 10-30 or so and finished over .500?

i checked on the 1978/79 cubs because boy i thought they got close but the 1979 cubs only got to 12 over.

Worse part about the Pirates collapse is that it's going to hurt McCutchen's MVP chances. He's posting a .289 .392 .566 .958 for September with 6hr, and 15 rbi in 22 games, but that isn't good enough. (Auguest really killed him)

You do know they play their last 6 games against the two best teams in the NL?

They'll be wearing the uniforms of the two best teams in the NL, but don't expect them to be the same players who earned those records. Davey Johnson is already on record that he will be resting his regulars.

srul

wish the crew had wandered into washington a week later. the nationals had everyone in place versus the brewers.

alas

<ii checked on the 1978/79 cubs because boy i thought they got close but the 1979 cubs only got to 12 over.</i>

Maybe you were thinking of the 77 Cubs ... on June 28 they were 47-22 and finished the season exactly 500. That's way more impressive than the Pirates. Well, depending on how you define impressive.

Can they bring back Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa for the one game playoff? That would be awesome. LaRussa could run out eight relievers to finish out a 2-1 win, Bobby Cox could start aggressively pinch hitting and pinch running early and run out of players by the end of the game. The final out would be recorded when LaRussa's fourth lefty strikes out Jonny Venters to end the game. Send the DVD of the game right to Cooperstown.

Worse part about the Pirates collapse is that it's going to hurt McCutchen's MVP chances. He's posting a .289 .392 .566 .958 for September with 6hr, and 15 rbi in 22 games, but that isn't good enough. (Auguest really killed him)

McCutchen MVP chances aren't in the top 20 worst parts about this Pirate collapse.