Playoff percentages: Twins, Cards gain ground as Angels, Brewers stumble
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacted the playoff races, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
Nothing gets the juices flowing like a trip to Motown. Just ask the Minnesota Twins.
After dropping three straight in the Bronx, the Twins got their road trip back on track Thursday at Comerica Park, thumping the Detroit Tigers 12-1 to extend their lead - with some help from the Cleveland Indians, who extended the Los Angeles Angels' losing streak to four games - over the second American League wild-card spot to 2 1/2 games. The victory upped the Twins' postseason odds to 32.4 percent, a jump of nearly 11 points, while the Angels - now tied with the Texas Rangers at 76-76 - watched their chances of sneaking into the wild-card game plummet by virtually the same amount.
In the National League, meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs can pretty much taste a second straight division title after knocking off the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 in their series opener, extending their lead atop the NL Central to 4 1/2 games and increasing their postseason odds to an all-but-guaranteed 97.9 percent. The Colorado Rockies failed to take advantage of the Brewers' loss, their tenuous lead over the second wild-card spot stuck at one game following a fourth straight defeat - this time, a 3-0 shutout courtesy the San Diego Padres - so the St. Louis Cardinals were able to make some series headway, picking up a game on both teams - upping their playoff odds by a whopping 11 percent - with their 8-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
American League
| Team | Result | Playoff Pct | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twins | W 12-1 vs. Tigers | 76% | +10.9% |
| Angels | L 4-1 vs. Indians | 9.8% | -10.6% |
National League
| Team | Result | Playoff Pct | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | W 8-5 vs. Reds | 24.6% | +11% |
| Cubs | W 5-3 vs. Brewers | 97.9% | +3.5% |
| Brewers | L 5-3 vs. Cubs | 23.9% | -6.3% |
| Rockies | L 3-0 vs. Padres | 53.6% | -8.2% |
Visit Baseball Prospectus for playoff percentages for each team.