MLB Update

Well, for most of the season, there was almost no drama in Major League Baseball. Now, with only three games left in the regular season, there's drama all over the place.

National League:

The divisional titles were wrapped up some time ago, with the Phillies (99-60), Brewers (94-65), and Diamondbacks (93-66) all cruising home without incident. (I have no idea how Arizona, who last year was one of the worst teams in baseball, became such a powerhouse, but a lot of odd stuff happens in the NL West. Remember when the Rockies won the pennant a few years ago? Weird.) Atlanta was supposed to cruise home with the Wild Card, but the Braves have collapsed. This weekend, the Braves had to travel to a suddenly red-hot Natstown, and found themselves in all sorts of trouble with the usually-hapless Nats, who have won 11 of their last 14 games. The Nats took two out of three from Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are on fire, and they are now only 1 game behind Atlanta:

Atlanta: 89-70

St. Louis: 88-71

Atlanta closes with three games at home against Philadelphia, while St. Louis goes to Houston (55-104), the worst team in baseball. Will the Phillies try to knock out Atlanta? Will anyone actually attend the Cardinals' games? Can the Nats (78-80) sweep Florida to finish above .500 for the first time since they arrived in D.C.? We'll have to wait and see.

American League:

Over in the Junior Circuit, the divisional titles are also wrapped up, with New York (97-62), Detroit (92-67), and Texas (93-66) taking the honors. But as in the National League, the expected Wild Card (Boston) has collapsed. Today the Sawx pulled played a double-header in Yankee Stadium; they lost the first game 6-2, but pulled out the nightcap 7-4 in 14 innings. That win was very important, because it kept Beantown one game ahead of every TV executive's nightmare, the Devil Rays:

Boston: 89-70

Tampa Bay: 88-71

Boston ends with three games in Charm City, and if they can sweep the Orioles (67-92) they will be on their way to the post-season. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays (yes, I know they're now officially the "Rays," but I prefer their older, sillier name) will be hosting the Yankees -- and everyone in Boston will be watching to see if the Yanks take a dive.