NL Wild Card standings update: D-Backs hold 1.5 game lead over Giants

Aug 28, 2023, 9:25 AM | Updated: 9:26 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 27: Casey Schmitt #6 of the San Francisco Giants celebrating a h...

(Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

You can feel the pressure building behind the National League Wild Card race.

As we prepare to enter the final month of the 2023 MLB season, six teams are currently in the mix for the National League’s three Wild Card spots:

The Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Miami Marlins.

San Francisco (67-63) has struggled in August, but they remain on the doorstep of their National League West counterpart, the Arizona Diamondbacks, for the third and final Wild Card spot.

Patty Barrels brings everybody home 🔥

pic.twitter.com/oVUdBQWUFS

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2023

Thanks to Sunday’s much-needed win over the powerhouse Atlanta Braves, the Giants limited the damage from its recent skid and remained 1.5 games behind the D-Backs in the standings.

With a fellow Wild Card hopeful in the Cincinnati Reds arriving at Oracle Park for a three-game set that begins on Monday, San Francisco will have no shortage of meaningful games during the coming weeks.

San Francisco’s next three series are against teams in the mix for an NL Wild Card spot: Cincinnati, San Diego, and Chicago.

Although the Padres are all but out of the race (eight games back entering Monday’s slate of games), the Giants can’t let their guard down for the rest of the season, especially against teams fighting for their lives.

Here’s the breakdown of how many games the Giants have against teams around them in the NL Wild Card race:

7 vs. San Diego (4 at home, 3 on road)
3 vs. Cincinnati
3 @ Chicago
2 @ Arizona

What is the current state of the NL Wild Card standings?

The race remains tight for these three postseason spots, but here is a bright spot in San Francisco’s remaining schedule: Things will get “easier.”

Before beginning a nine-game stretch that featured six games against the World Series-favorite Braves, the Giants have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule in Major League Baseball.

Now, San Francisco has the 19th-hardest remaining schedule, with teams around them in the standings like Miami (5th), Philadelphia (10th), Arizona (11th), and Chicago (12th) all facing more challenging roads to securing a playoff berth.

The race is on. With just over one month–or about 32 games–remaining in the regular season, some important baseball is on the horizon.