AL wild card

It would take a minor miracle for someone other than the Rays or Red Sox to win this race. The Twins, at this writing, are seven games back with 12 to play — that's just not going to happen. The runner-up in the East will take the AL Wild Card. Expect that to be Boston.

NL Central

The Cubs lead the spiraling Brewers by a healthy margin, and while the two teams will play each other six more times, there's simply not enough time for the Brewers to catch up.

AL West

This one's over in the literal sense. The Angels are division champs for the fourth time in five seasons, and now they'll worry about clinching home-field advantage and staying healthy.

NL Home-Field Advantage

The Cubs have a tough schedule remaining, but their lead for best record in the NL is more than large enough. They'll claim home-field advantage, and that figures to be meaningful for a team that's 51-24 at Wrigley this season.

So — at risk of making reckless assumptions — here's the likely playoff scrum we're left with ...

American League