2014 MLB elimination pool

Seattle hasn’t made the playoffs since winning 116 games in 2001. This will be its first winning season since going 85-77 in 2009.

The Brewers were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday with a 5-3 loss in Cincinnati, clinching a wild card spot for the San Francisco Giants.

Milwaukee got off to a blazing start at 20-7 and spent 149 consecutive days in first place, including a 2½-game lead as late as Aug. 19. But since then the Brewers went 10-23 to knock them out of the postseason picture.

Tanaka was brilliant in his first year in the majors, 13-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 19 starts, with 139 strikeouts in 134⅔ innings, but missed two and a half months with a partial tear of a ligament in his right elbow. New York is hopeful the righthander, signed to a seven-year, $155 million contact last winter, can avoid surgery and be ready for spring training.

Since the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93, the club has found itself in baseball’s friend zone, neither truly bad enough to rebuild nor actually good enough to really contend for any sustained period of time. In the last 21 years, the Blue Jays have lost 90 games just once (in 2004, when they finished 68-94), but have also never won more than 88 games in a season during that span.

The team truly stuck in the middle owns a 2014 record of 80-77, which seems fitting for a club that has hovered close to .500 for over two decades.

Miami wasn’t widely expected to do much entering the 2014 season, but the team hung around until now with a group of good young talent surrounding one of the most feared sluggers in baseball. Unfortunately for the Marlins, that key slugger suffered one of two injuries that ultimately left the team wondering what could have been.

While the Rays weren’t likely to make the playoffs when the trade happened, and Smyly pitched well upon arriving in Tampa, many voiced concern that the Rays didn’t optimize their return for Price given how dominant he had been on the season and the year-plus remaining on his contract. Still, with Cobb/Archer/Smyly/Odorizzi/Hellickson ready to roll in 2015, there is plenty to be optimistic about in Tampa Bay. That much was clear, considering their second half has been a winning one, and their overall plus-8 run differential portends a winning record.

The Reds continue to have one of the more intriguing cores in the National League, but this was an example of things failing to come together. Just two years after putting together a 97-win campaign, Cincinnati looks to be on pace for a sub-.500 finish.

Chicago was teetering on the edge of elimination and would have needed a miracle run, but it appeared it was going to survive at least another day. But Jake Petricka was unable to hold the lead in the ninth and the Royals comeback sealed Chicago’s fate.

After three straight years with at least 106 losses, averaging 108 losses per year, the Astros are guaranteed to lose no more than 97 games in 2014, which represents progress.

Houston had winning months in May and August, and since May 24 is 48-51. The Astros lost to the Angels on Saturday, dropping to 65-83 on the season.

Not a lot was expected from the Twins in 2014 and those low hopes were borne out through most of the season. The team started the year with a promising 12-11 record, but reality soon set in and the Twins have remained in last place in the AL Central since early July.

Kansas City’s win improved their record to 80-64, one game ahead of the Tigers (80-66) in the AL Central. But it also assured the second Wild Card, currently led by Detroit, will finish with at least 80 wins, one more than possible for the Red Sox.

There wasn’t much of a high point for Boston, as they were 20-19 on May 14, before a 10-game losing streak buried them. They responded with a seven-game winning streak, but that was as good as it got.

The Diamondbacks opened play at 59-85 on Wednesday, with a maximum possible of 77 wins. The Pirates (76-69) won, keeping their 1½-game second Wild Card lead over the Braves (75-71), who also won on Wednesday, with the Brewers (74-71) close behind.

Because the Pirates still have four games remaining with the Brewers and three with the Braves, any scenario of these teams losing as many games as possible will produce a second Wild Card winner with at least 78 wins.

Even still, the Rockies remain in limbo with some high-priced stars who are hurt all too often and little pitching depth. And that reality shows little sign of changing in the near future.