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NL wildcard standings end with Braves vs. Mets

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And then they were even.

The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, longtime sparring partners in the National League East, suddenly find themselves in a 19-game sprint for playoff berth. They enter this week tied 78-65 and sharing the third and final NL wild-card spot — and are on the rise in USA TODAY Sports' Power Rankings.

The Braves have a birthright to the playoffs. They have won six consecutive NL East titles but all but surrendered this year's crown to Philadelphia. But their playoff chances are threatened by a nine-game winning streak by the Mets that briefly catapulted New York into sole possession of third place. Unless either team turns it on and catches Arizona and/or San Diego, the playoffs won't be big enough for either team.

They will meet again in Atlanta from September 24 to 26.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

  • Jack Flaherty, season savior: 5-1, 2.61 ERA in seven starts since the trade deadline.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

  • Alec Bohm lands on the injured list, while the lineup continues to pose problems.

3. New York Yankees (+1)

  • Nestor Cortes completes his combined masterpiece with Clarke Schmidt, but is not satisfied with it.

4. Milwaukee Brewers (-1)

  • The club has an interesting potential new addition to the bullpen: top talent Jacob Misiorowski.

5. Baltimore Orioles (-)

  • Adley Rutschman has been in a 33-for-188 (.176) canyon since late June.

6. Cleveland Guardians (-)

  • .230 batting average and four shutouts in the last 20 games.

7. San Diego Padres (+1)

  • Manny Machado joins Nate Colbert at the top of the franchise's home run list with his 163rd home run as a Padre.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks (-1)

  • Ketel Marte is back after a three-week absence due to an ankle sprain.

9. Houston Astros (+1)

  • They reached a score of 49-31, with Kyle Tucker out due to a broken tibia.

10. Atlanta Braves (+1)

  • Closer Raisel Iglesias has not allowed an earned run since before the All-Star break.

11. Kansas City Royals (+1)

  • They are again only 2 ½ games behind first place Cleveland.

12. New York Mets (+1)

  • The team's nine-game winning streak is its longest since April 2018.

13. Minnesota Twins (-4)

  • Suddenly they are closer to the fourth-place Tigers – and missing the playoffs – than to first-place Cleveland.

14. Chicago Cubs (-)

15. Detroit Tigers (+2)

  • The youngest squad in the Major League is now knocking on the door of the playoffs.

16. Seattle Mariners (-1)

  • Management remains convinced that this—this!—will be the winter that Jerry Dipoto assembles a sentient cast.

17. Boston Red Sox (-1)

  • Still insist that they be there.

18. St. Louis Cardinals

  • Masyn Winn in a 4-for-40 slide.

19. San Francisco Giants (-)

  • Matt Chapman’s contract extension finally ensures a minimum level of continuity.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

  • It will be close to avoiding their first season with more losses than wins since 2017.

21. Texas Rangers (+2)

  • A little late, but still a nice 10:3 section.

22. Cincinnati Reds (-)

23. Toronto Blue Jays (-2)

  • Closer Jordan Romano is officially out for the rest of the year after an elbow injury.

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

  • Billy Cook hits a double in his first major league appearance.

25. Washington Nationals (-)

  • Trevor Williams is preparing to begin rehab.

26. Oakland Athletics (-)

  • Brent Rooker has 35 home runs and is next on the 100 RBI mark.

27. Los Angeles Angels (-)

  • A guy named Samuel Aldegheri got his first major league win.

28. Miami Marlins (-)

  • Connor Norby, True Marlin: He has hit four home runs in his last seven games.

29. Colorado Rockies (-)

  • Kyle Freeland makes his third good start in four games and lowers his ERA below 5.

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

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