Braves’ magic number at 1, Padres punch postseason ticket

Oct 3, 2022 - 2:00 PM

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As the 2022 MLB regular season enters its final three days, the Atlanta Braves are on the cusp of another division championship. The Braves completed a three-game sweep of the New York Mets with a 5-3 win on Sunday and now lead the NL East division by two full games with three to play. Elsewhere, the San Diego Padres clinched a spot in the postseason while the Philadelphia Phillies tightened their grip on the final wild card spot.

The Division Race

The Braves will head to Miami where they will begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Monday. Their win Sunday night gave them a 10-9 edge in the season series against the Mets and thus cut their magic number to clinch the NL East to just one. A win by Atlanta or a loss by New York, who will close out the season against the Nationals, will give the Braves a fifth-straight division title and the No. 2 seed in the National League.

The Wild Card

The Padres fell to the White Sox Sunday, but cliched a spot in the postseason thanks to Brewers’ loss to the Marlins. The Phillies defeated the Nationals, 8-1 Sunday and are now just a game back of the Padres and lead the Brewers by two full games.

The Brewers will host the Diamondbacks starting Monday while the Phillies will travel to Houston to take on the Astros. The Padres will close things out at home against the Giants.

Playoff Picture

Things still aren’t in stone in the National League’s playoff picture, but it is starting to come into focus.

The Braves’ magic number to clinch the NL East and the No. 2 seed in the National League is one. If the playoffs started today, they would have a first round bye and would play either the Phillies or the Cardinals in the NLDS starting on October 11. The Dodgers are the top seed in the NL and will play either the Mets or Padres.