Here’s how the standings sit at the end of Week 13. One week more and we’ll know exactly how the playoff picture shakes out–although, admittedly, the AL’s slate is set, with the only question being what teams go where.

NL West
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (x) 5-8
Washington Nationals (e) 4-9
New York Giants (e) 3-10
Crazy Cubs (e) 2-11

NL Central
Baltimore Bombers 10-3
Albuquerque Tapirs 10-3
Seattle Mariners 9-4
New York Yankees (e) 4-9

NL East
Anaheim Angels 10-3
Montreal Marlins 9-4
St. Louis Cardinals (e) 7-6
Atlanta Braves (e) 5-8

NL Wild Card
Albuquerque Tapirs 10-3
Seattle Mariners 9-4

AL West
Blue Blue Jays (x) 6-7
Oakland Orioles (e) 5-8
Super-Duper Wombats (e) 4-9
Super-Duper Melonheads (e) 4-9

AL Central
Crazy Indians (x) 10-3
Colorado Rockies (e) 8-5
Pittsburgh Pirates (e) 6-7
Mighty Tigers (e) 4-9

AL East
Philadelphia Athletics (p) 10-3
Boston Red Sox (p) 9-4
Arizona Diamondbacks (e) 6-7
Minnesota Monsters (e) 5-8

AL Wild Card
Boston Red Sox 9-4 (p)

e=eliminated, x=clinched division, p=clinched playoff spot

I got absolutely no sleep last night, sucked at doing vocal retakes this morning, and have a band rehearsal in the evening that I’m totally unprepared for. That sounds like the perfect mood to be in for the recap!

Albuquerque Tapirs 16, Baltimore Bombers 6

After being upset by the Mariners last week, the Tapirs needed a win to keep themselves on top in the playoff race, especially since the Bombers had widened the gap between the two teams by winning against the Yankees to notch a one-game lead and guarantee themselves the tiebreaker against the Tapirs. At Sandy Flats, they did just that, as while the Bombers catcher was able to keep the kleptomaniac Tapirs from taking many bases (until he took the mound, at least), the Tapirs had a good day at the plate, notching 23 hits and scoring 14 runs, while the Bombers were held to only 10 hits and 6 runs. With this result and the Mariners win against the Yankees, the AL Central continues to refuse to clear up, as any of the three teams can win the division with the right results, and it’s very plausible that either the Tapirs or the Bombers might find themselves out of the playoffs despite managing a season with double-digit wins.

Player of the game: Barry Bonds went 4-for-5 with two singles, a double, and a home run, tallying 2 RBIs and scoring twice.

Crazy Indians 12, Mighty Tigers 5

Coming off an upset of the Rockies, the Tigers were looking to continue that magic against the Indians. Unfortunately for them, they found themselves overwhelmed, as offensively they were only able to score six runs on fourteen hits while allowing a run on defense. As for the Indians, they had a bit of a down day offensively, as they only managed ten runs and were held to fourteen hits; however, at Steele Stadium, this was easily enough for them to take the win. This win clinched them a playoff berth, and when the Rockies lost later in the week, the Indians clinched the division. At this point, the Indians will nab the #1 seed with a win against Colorado next week, and will fall to the #2 seed with a loss. The Tigers are still eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Petra Chekov went 2-for-3 with 2 homers, barraging the Tigers with 5 RBIs.

Anaheim Angels 8, Atlanta Braves 4

This game was mostly irrelevant to both teams; for the Angels, it didn’t matter whether they won or lost, as the winner of the Angels-Marlins game would take the NL East, while the Braves were already eliminated and had nothing to gain by winning. Still, both teams went out and played, with the Braves scoring eight runs offensively off of thirteen hits and a walk but giving up five on defense, while the Angels came out and scored nine runs off of seventeen hits and a walk while giving up one run on the other side of the ball. The Braves remain eliminated, while the Angels will face off against the Marlins in a game for the division. There’s trouble on the horizon for the Angels, though; while they were absolute monsters in the middle of the season, recently they’ve fallen back to earth, with four straight weeks of scores below fourteen. To make matters worse for them, this downward trend reached its nadir this week, as their score of 8 is their worst output since Week 2, and they’re facing off against another one of the few defenses in the league that has kept them in single digits in the Marlins; it would not be surprising to see Montreal defeat Anaheim and take the division, and it’s completely possible that when all is said and done the Angels will fail to take the wild card slot and miss the playoffs entirely.

Player of the game: Troy Glaus went 4-for-4 with two singles, a double, and a triple, contributing 3 RBIs to the Angels’ score (although he only crossed the plate once himself).

Boston Red Sox 6, Minnesota Monsters -1

The Red Sox had their worst game of the year, with a season-low 15 hits and only 5 runs scored off of those hits (also their lowest tally on the season). It didn’t matter, though, as the Monsters also had one of their worst games this season, losing 4-3 while managing only eight hits and giving up seven. Since the Rockies lost later this week, the Red Sox have now clinched a playoff berth, and can clinch the #1 seed with a win and Indians loss, the #2 seed if both they and the Indians win, or the wild card with a loss. Meanwhile, Minnesota is still eliminated.

Player of the game: Jackie Robinson went 3-for-3 with a single and two doubles, knocking in two of Boston’s five runs and scoring once himself.

Blue Blue Jays 20, Super-Duper Melonheads 1

This game was vital to both teams; a win for the Blue Jays would put them in the driver’s seat and give them a chance to clinch the NL West this week, while the Melonheads needed a win just to stay alive. Unfortunately for their playoff hopes, the Melonheads failed to show up, only managing 9 hits and 4 runs while giving up three runs of their own. Since the Blue Jays were the away team, they’d need to win by two runs to take the game; instead, they pounded the Melonheads with 34 hits and a walk on their way to scoring 25 runs, an output so massive that it didn’t even matter that they gave up five runs on defense. The Melonheads were eliminated, and when the Orioles lost later in the week, the Blue Jays clinched the division title. With a meaningless game upcoming and the Blue Jays sitting at 6-7, it’s completely possible that the AL West might be represented by a below .500 team this season.

Player of the game: Chico Pappas was a force to be reckoned with, going 5-for-6 with three singles and two home runs, stealing a base, and making an error–okay, that last one’s not so great, but the rest of it is. Nobody was on base for him to bat in, admittedly, but that’s not his fault, as he had the best game of anyone on the Blue Jays.

Montreal Marlins 18, St. Louis Cardinals 7

With the Angels win eliminating them from the playoffs, the Cardinals didn’t have anything to play for in this game, while the Marlins needed to win in order to stay alive in the division race. As has become customary in the second half of the season, the Cardinals defense was once again overwhelmed as the Marlins scored 15 runs at home off of 24 hits, while their offense wasn’t able to do enough to overcome their opponents. In this case, St. Louis had a better day than usual offensively, as they managed seven runs on twenty hits, but when all was said and done they just didn’t have the firepower to overcome their opponents. The Marlins remain in the division race, while the Cardinals are still eliminated.

Player of the game: Henri Deschenes went 3-for-4 with two homers and a double for 6 RBIs and a score every time he got on base.

Philadelphia Athletics 24, Arizona Diamondbacks 4

The Athletics were looking to keep their lead in the AL East and stay within striking distance of the Indians, while the Diamondbacks were only playing for pride. Unfortunately for the snakes, it seems pride wasn’t much of a motivator, as they were only able to muster nine hits and four runs at home in a 4-0 shutout. As for the Athletics, they gave up three runs on defense but more than made up for it by smacking 38 hits and scoring 27 runs. When all was said and done, the Athletics clinched a playoff berth, remained in first place in the NL East by one game due to the Red Sox win, and stand only behind the Indians in the race for the first seed on the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Diamondbacks are still eliminated.

Player of the game: Achmed Khan went 4-for-6 with a single, a double, and two home runs, managing 7 RBIs and scoring thrice himself.

Super-Duper Wombats 10, Oakland Orioles 7

This was a must-win game for the Orioles, as if they lost it would mean the Blue Jays clinched the division. They lost anyway, as while they were able to muster 16 hits they couldn’t turn enough of them into runs in a 6-0 home shutout. The Wombats didn’t have a fantastic day either, but by scoring ten runs on nineteen hits they were strong enough (and efficient enough) to make their way past the Orioles and eliminate them from the playoffs. The Wombats themselves were eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the week with the Blue Jays win, and with this loss the Orioles also find themselves out of contention.

Player of the game: Claudia Villarta went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a single, managing two RBIs and scoring once herself.

Washington Nationals 15, Crazy Cubs 12

This was an elimination game for both of these teams, as despite having abominable records through eleven games they were both in contention due to the poor performance of the NL West. Both teams had improved in recent weeks, the Nationals due to improvement on the part of Jarod Johnson and the Cubs due to new ownership, and both teams were looking to make their case for the NL West title. The Cubs came out strongly, managing 20 hits and 7 home runs as they scored 14 times; unfortunately, their poor defense also allowed 4 runs, knocking down their score quite a bit. The Nationals also had a strong game, getting nine more hits but scoring only two more times, but since they also only allowed a single run, this meant that the Nationals ended up taking the game. In the end, the result didn’t matter, as the Devil Rays beat the Giants and eliminated both teams from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Diana Hayes went 4-for-5 with three singles and a double, scoring thrice and managing 4 RBIs while striking out once and providing the Nationals only error.

Seattle Mariners 8, New York Yankees 7

The Mariners needed a win to stay in the playoff race, but this week they had a surprisingly underwhelming performance as for the first time since Week 9 they were held to single digits. This wasn’t due to poor batting, as might be expected; Seattle put up a perfectly respectable 11 runs on 19 hits. Unfortunately, they also allowed three runs, keeping their score down, while at home the Yankees had their best game since Week 2 and their second-best home game of the season outside of opening week, scoring six runs off of fifteen hits and pitching a shutout. This still wasn’t enough for the Yankees to overcome the Mariners, and with the Tapirs beating the Bombers at the start of the week Seattle remains in the division race and the wild card race with a vital game against the Bombers coming up. The Yankees are still eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Shawn Green went 4-for-4 with two singles and two home runs, scoring thrice and batting in four runners.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10, New York Giants 3

The stakes in this game were simple: if the Devil Rays win, they clinch the division. If the Giants win, everyone else is still alive. (Well, as long as you don’t take into account that the Nationals already beat the Cubs and eliminated them from contention earlier in the week.) The Giants came out swinging, scoring 6 runs off of 11 hits. Unfortunately, Luanne Lui had a poor day on the mound, allowing 9 hits and letting 4 runs across. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays somehow won 14-4. Tampa Bay clinches the NL West with the win, while the New York Giants, Washington Nationals, and Crazy Cubs are all eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Maryilyn McDonnell went 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run that combined for 5 RBIs while scoring twice herself.

Pittsburgh Pirates 13, Colorado Rockies 8

The Rockies needed to win to keep themselves in contention for the playoffs. Instead, they lost after what mbless1415 referred to as a very frustrating game where Colorado left plenty of opportunities on the table. The Pirates didn’t have any such trouble, as they garnered 23 hits and 2 walks on their way to a 16-3 road win which was enough to get them past the Rockies. With this result, the Red Sox clinch a playoff berth, the Indians clinch the division, and the teams in the AL playoffs are set, with only the specific seeding left to determine. Also, the Rockies and Pirates are both eliminated from playoff contention.

Player of the game: Alex Rodriguez went 5-for-5 with two singles, a double, and two home runs. He scored every time he came up to bat and notched 5 RBIs.

Playoff Picture

National League:
#1 Anaheim Angels 10-3
#2 Baltimore Bombers 10-3
#3 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-8 (clinched #3 seed)
#4 Albuquerque Tapirs 10-3
IN THE HUNT
#5 Seattle Mariners 9-4
#6 Montreal Marlins 9-4

American League:
#1 Crazy Indians 10-3 (clinched top two seed)
#2 Philadelphia Athletics 10-3 (clinched playoff berth)
#3 Blue Blue Jays 6-7 (clinched #3 seed)
#4 Boston Red Sox 9-4 (clinched playoff berth)