MLB Playoff Picture: 3 things to know from Tuesday

Every night we look around the league and identify three things you need to know about the playoff races. Here’s what happened Tuesday.

The beasts from the AL East

It’s like the ’90s all over again. The American League East is the gauntlet it used to be, with four out of five teams vying for a playoff spot, and three of them holding down a spot. The Toronto Blue Jays have lost five of their last seven, the Boston Red Sox share the division lead with Toronto, the Baltimore Orioles are in a Wild Card spot, and the New York Yankees are 3 1/2 games back of one. At this point, the Blue Jays or Red Sox could realistically drop from first to fourth in the AL East in a matter of a week, so don’t blink, things are getting heated.

Floundering Fish

Giancarlo Stanton, who was initially expected to be out for the season, made a surprise return to the lineup Tuesday. That being said, he’s joining a Miami Marlins squad that can’t seem to win a game when it matters most. The Marlins are 1-9 in their last 10 games, and after holding a Wild Card spot on Aug. 15, the squad is now six games back of playoff position and fading quickly after losing five games in a row.

Keeping up with the Cardinals

How about those Cardinals? After it looked like Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was over, St. Louis exploded for four runs on three homers in the ninth to stun Pittsburgh 9-7 – a microcosm of the Cardinals’ season. St. Louis is in playoff position, holding a one-game lead over the New York Mets. Here’s the crazy part: if St. Louis makes the playoffs, they’ll likely do so with a losing record at home.

If the playoffs started today: