Nick Wass/Associated Press

MLB Playoffs 2021: Updated Playoff Picture and World Series Odds

Nate Loop

If you were hoping for some clarity about the MLB playoff picture after Friday night's games, you're pretty much out of luck.

In the American League, all the divisions are accounted for, but the wild-card race is still up in the air with two games left to play in the regular season. The New York Yankees have an advantage going into the final weekend, but the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are all hot on their heels and vying for a postseason berth.

In the National League, it's going to be a photo finish between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants for the NL West crown. The Giants are in the lead, and their magic number is down to one with two games to go.

Here's a look at the updated playoff picture and which teams are still betting favorites to win the World Series with the regular season wrapping up.

American League Playoff Picture

Cole Burston/Getty Images

AL Division Leaders

East: Tampa Bay Rays (99-61)

West: Houston Astros (93-67)

Central: Chicago White Sox (92-68)

               

AL Wild-Card Standings

1. New York Yankees (91-69)

2. Boston Red Sox (90-70; 1 GB)

3. Seattle Mariners (89-70; 1 GB of No. 2 WC)

4. Toronto Blue Jays (89-71; 1 GB of No. 2 WC)

              

The division's are all sewn up, but the chase for the wild card is one for the ages. The Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday, powered by home runs from Hunter Renfroe and Bobby Dalbec. Meanwhile, the Yankees lost to Tampa Bay 4-3, allowing the Red Sox to move within a game of the first wild-card spot.

The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays remain on the outside looking in, but just barely. The Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 to stay within a game of the Red Sox. The Mariners were tied with Boston going into Friday, but they lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Angels and are a game back with two games to play.

If this is making your head spin, you're not alone. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, there are a number of ways this race could shake out, including a four-way tie for two spots and three-way ties for either both spots or just the second spot. Any one of those scenarios would lead to two tiebreaker games. There's a good chance we could see a Game 163 (or two) before we get to the postseason.

National League Playoff Picture

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

NL Division Leaders

West: San Francisco Giants (106-54)

Central: Milwaukee Brewers (95-65)

East: Atlanta Braves (86-73)

           

NL Wild Card Standings

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (104-56)

2. St. Louis Cardinals (90-70)

              

Let's get the easy stuff out of the way. The NL Central belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers, and the NL East is safely in the hands of the Atlanta Braves. The St. Louis Cardinals have wrapped up the second wild-card spot thanks to an incredible 17-game winning streak over the final few weeks of the regular season. That leaves us with the two best teams in baseball still duking it out for the NL West title.

The Dodgers were in bad shape early Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Clayton Kershaw left the game early with a left forearm injury, per MLB.com's Juan Toribio, and L.A. found itself in a quick 5-1 hole. The Dodgers refused to quit, though, and Trea Turner tied the game with a grand slam in the fifth inning. Matt Beaty stepped up and hit a pinch-hit home run in the sixth to give the Dodgers a lead they wouldn't relinquish, and they went on to win 8-6.

The Boys in Blue have made late-game heroics routine as of late, yet it hasn't been enough to chase down the Giants. The year's biggest surprise team cooly dispatched the San Diego Padres 3-0 on Friday night for their seventh win in a row, maintaining a two-game lead over their biggest rivals.

With two games left in the regular season, any Giants win or Dodgers loss clinches the division for San Francisco. If the Giants botch the next two games and the Dodgers win out, the two teams will play each other in a Game 163 at Oracle Park, with the loser forced to play the blistering-hot Cardinals in the National League Wild Card Game.

World Series Odds

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

World Series Odds

Dodgers +320 (wager $100 to win $320)

Astros +480

Rays +600

Giants +700

White Sox +750

Brewers +850

Yankees +1200

Braves +1400

Cardinals +2000

Red Sox +2500

Blue Jays +3300

Mariners +7500

                

Despite the fact that they are likely to lose the division race, the Dodgers remain the favorite to win the World Series.

They won last year's title in the shortened season and are arguably better this time around. L.A. is fifth in the majors in runs scored (812) and tops the majors with a 3.01 team ERA (the Giants are second at 3.25). The Dodgers have won 104 games and counting, even with 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger having a dreadful season at the plate.

However, Kershaw's injury and Max Scherzer's recent struggles (10 earned runs in his past two starts) are cause for concern, especially if they have to play the Cardinals in a one-game series. For Dodgers fans who have enjoyed one of the team's best-ever seasons, it's an agonizing prospect.

The Giants have the fourth-best odds, so they may be an enticing pick for some. Their level of play in the second half of the season has been incredible considering the Dodgers have been breathing down their necks.

Meanwhile, the Astros and Rays have the best offenses in baseball, with 846 and 845 runs scored, respectively. They also have the luxury of having their divisions locked up, while many of the other teams on the list are still scrambling for position with one weekend left in the regular season.

              

Odds via FanDuel.

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