Major League Baseball teams are already thinking ahead to the playoffs with a month remaining in the season.
Those teams in contention to make the playoffs are focusing on the postseason.
The regular season will come to an end later this month.
No other team in the National League has been as dominant as the New York Mets, who lead the NL East by a whopping 16 games.
With players such as David Wright, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran all having outstanding seasons, the Mets are clearly the obvious pick to make the World Series.
The Atlanta Braves who most expected to win their 15th-straight division title have had a disappointing season and will end their record of division wins.
The 2004 NL champions, St. Louis Cardinals, are leading the NL Central by 6 games over the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals and their slugging first baseman, Albert Pujols, are also expected to be a threat in the playoffs.
The true races in the NL come in the NL West division and the Wild Card race.
In the NL West division, the Los Angeles Dodgers led the San Diego Padres by just 2 games, and the San Francisco Giants led by Barry Bonds, who has been on fire lately, are only 4 games behind the Dodgers.
The NL Wild Card could be anyone’s at the end of the season, with the San Diego Padres leading the race and five teams trailing them by only 4 games or less.
The Philadelphia Phillies are right behind the Padres, only 1 game out.
With the success of such players as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies are eyeing the Padres to take over the Wild Card.
The San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Florida Marlins and Houston Astros are all also within four games of the Wild Card.
On the AL side, the New York Yankees with their all-star lineup are once again poised to win the AL East.
The Boston Red Sox have fallen off as of late, possibly due to the health problems of designated hitter David Ortiz and other injuries that have plagued the team. They trail the Yankees by 9 games.
The other two divisions are almost decided as well. The Detroit Tigers, who have enjoyed a successful season after years of struggles, lead the AL Central by 5 games over the Minnesota Twins, while the Oakland Athletics lead the AL West by 6 games over the Los Angeles Angels.
The AL Wild Card race seems to be down to two teams.
The Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox have been trading the lead for the last few weeks.
Currently, the Minnesota Twins are leading the Wild Card by just a 1/2 game over the Chicago White Sox.
The next team back is the Los Angeles Angels, 6 games behind the Twins.
The MLB regular season will end during the first week of October, when the playoffs will begin.