Baseball playoff races come down to final week
The baseball season has come down to the final week and the St. Louis Cardinals have gained a measure of separation from the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central race.
Going into Monday night’s action, the Cardinals had a 91-65 record and a two-game lead over the Pirates and Reds, who were both 89-67.
Meanwhile, the Pirates and Reds were five games in front of the Washington Nationals (84-72) in the wild card race.
Here is a look at the week ahead for the three NL Central contenders:
Cardinals
Schedule: vs. Washington, tonight-Wednesday; vs. Chicago Cubs, Friday-Sunday.
Who’s hot: Left fielder Matt Holliday was hitting .339 (40-for-118) in his last 32 games with 11 doubles and five home runs going into Monday night.
Who’s not: Right fielder Carlos Beltran was 7-for-43 (.163) in his last 11 games.
Of note: The Cardinals swept a three-game series from the Nationals April 22-24 at Washington as Holliday went 5-for-11 (.455) with a double. … The Cardinals are 9-7 against the Cubs this season as Beltran is hitting .350 (21-for-60) with seven doubles, one triple and one home run.
Pirates
Schedule: at Chicago Cubs, tonight-Wednesday; at Cincinnati, Friday-Sunday.
Who’s hot: Left fielder Jose Tabata was hitting .333 (12-for-40) in his last 11 games with one double, one triple and two home runs going into Monday night.
Who’s not: Shortstop Clint Barmes was 1-for-15 (.067) in his last eight games.
Of note: The Pirates were 10-6 against the Cubs this season as center fielder Andrew McCutchen was hitting .351 (20-for-66) with eight doubles and left-hander Francisco Liriano, who pitches Wednesday, is 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA in four starts. … The Pirates are 8-8 against the Reds and left-hander Jeff Locke is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in four starts.
Reds
Schedule: vs. New York Mets, tonight-Wednesday; vs. Pirates, Friday-Sunday.
Who’s hot: Shortstop Zack Cozart was hitting .375 (9-for-24) in his last six games with one double and two home runs going into Monday night.
Who’s not: Catcher Devin Mesoraco was 7-for-46 (.152) in his last 15 games.
Of note: The Reds swept a three-game series from the Mets from May 20-22 at New York as first baseman Joey Votto went 5-for-10 (.500) with a home run. … Against the Pirates, Votto is hitting .315 (17-for-54) with two doubles and three homers while right-hander Mike Leake is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA in four starts.