With the MLB postseason drawing ever nearer, the division and Wild Card pictures leave plenty to be determined. Follow the scores and storylines of the contenders who played on August 8, 2025, focused on the NL. Stats and rankings provided by MLB.
The Rangers continue pretending to be in the NL Wild Card race, currently 1.5 games back of the Yankees for the last spot, living off their starting pitching alone. Their staff is talented, but only enough to feel the pain of not making it. Led by outfielder Brandon Marsh’s four-hit night, the Phillies’ win continues to fight off the Mets atop the NL East. This eight-run win puts their season differential at +87, 53 above the Mets.
Two contenders faced off, but the Brewers showed why they have the best record in MLB. Starting Pitcher Brandon Woodruff gave another example of the second-best ERA for team starters. The Mets had two costly errors, creating a further gap between them and the Phillies for NL East champions.
This was a tough loss for the Cubs against a team with a negative run differential. This puts them five games back of the Brewers for first in the NL Central. Once leading the pack, Chicago continues to show off their offense, but is dealing with a middle-of-the-pack pitching staff. While a talented and entertaining team, they are in tough against the heavy hitters in the NL.
The three playoff contenders in the NL West are starting to settle out, with the Padres five games up on the Giants, but three games back of the Dodgers. This outing wasn’t indicative of the Padres’ recent play. They are 7-3 in their last ten games, and have the fourth-best OPS and ERA in MLB.
Dodgers’ starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw showed the difference between an ace and a reclamation project. Going six innings with only one earned run, the future Hall of Famer is a big part of Los Angeles’ resurgance of pitching, ranking fifth in team ERA over the last 30 days. Their lead atop the NL West climbs to three games, as they look to hold off the Padres to avoid the Wild Card.
The Giants almost missed this list, but they are technically only four games back of a Wild Card. Their short path is treacherous, as they are battling with teams like the Mets and Padres for that spot. Their pitching staff is allowing almost half a run more per game over the last thirty, and their .690 OPS isn’t going to pick up the slack
The NL picture is coming into focus, with teams inching away from each other. There’s still ample time for things to get turned on their head. Just look at teams like the Cubs, Tigers, and Yankees; once dominating forces, now risk backing into the playoffs.
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