[BigRed75]

Playoff push update:

Forest City Tribe (G333 77-56, 2nd place, 2 GB, 99.7% chance): A healthy six-game lead in the wild card all but secures the Tribe's chances of post season play in the first Cleveland-mission season. Now to get the division title and not have to go through the Wild Card. We've been neck-and-neck with VCU Rams all season. Bob Lemon continues to impress with a 17-5 record and 2.16 ERA, while Jim Thome and Rocky Colavito are now both hitting above .250 and are the top two in homers, with 24 and 20 respectively.

Reno Silver Sox (S327 69-64, 3rd place, 10 GB, 17.6% chance): The song remains the same for the Silver Sox, who started out quickly in April and May only to fade down the stretch. Van Lingle Mungo has once again been the best pitcher for the Sox, he is quickly becoming one of the greatest pack pulls in my PT career. 69 OVR Rod Carew continues to do 69 Rod Carew things, leading the team in hitting with a .325 average. At this point, with Carew, Gwynn, Parker, LaValliere and Madlock, the Silver Sox can't wait for tournaments to start.

Thetford Mines Mineurs (B267 83-51, 2nd place, 1/2 GB, 100% chance): Much like the Tribe, the Mineurs focus is on winning the division to make promotion that much easier. Everyone's favorite Senior, Vladdy Daddy, leads the hitters, while Joe Hesketh could very well win 23 games in his first full season as a Mineur. A three-game series at division leaders Burlington on Sept. 19-21 could prove pivotal.

South Side Lumber Company (G306 65-69, 3rd place, 9 1/2 GB, 2.1% chance): Last season's surprise package have the slimmest of hopes of a double promotion, as they find themselves four teams and 5 1/2 games behind the second wild card spot. Diamond may prove to be a bridge too far, especially without the services of Ed Walsh and 99 Luke Appling, so I'd be happy for another season in Gold and the chance to earn those last few thousand points to get Shoeless Joe or Ted Lyons.

Nashville Game Theories (B213 70-63, 2nd place, 12 GB, 48.7% chance): For a team optimized to score points instead of win games, to have a coin-flip chance of making the playoffs in September is about the best that the Game Theories could hope for. Amazingly, the team is actually playing three games under its pythag expectation. The key is the pitchers playing over their heads - four starters have above .500 records and three have sub 5.00 ERAs. Playing in a park that is maxed out hitting factors, that's astounding. Miguel Sano is on pace for a 40 HR season and Kirk Gibson has a 20/20 season already sown up, he's going for a 30/30 season now.

Baltimore Orioles (G305 62-71, 3rd place, 15 GB, 2.0% chance): After spending most of the season in the Wild Card position, the Orioles suffered a disastrous 8-20 August which saw their playoff chances crater to a mere 2 percent. A mediocre season will soon come to an end, and with 32,000 PP in the bank, time to spend wisely.

Sydney Unicorns (G341 72-60, 1st place, +1 1/2, 94.8% chance): The Unicorns have their first Gold League playoff position all but wrapped up in their second season. The 'Corns only made one offseason move, picking up Aussie native Liam Hendriks to strengthen the bullpen, but the benching of Gleyber Torres and putting Josh Bell into something close to a full-time DH role has made a big difference, too.

Everett Aquasox (B268 90-43, 1st place, +5 1/2, 100% chance): Barring a catastrophe, the Froggies will be in the playoffs for the sixth straight season. The .677 percentage puts them on pace for a 110-win season, which would be a franchise record; although, the 109-win season ended in a humiliating 3-1 division series loss. King Felix is 15-6, J.J. Putz has 40 saves, and Ichiro is locked in a tight battle with another Ichiro as he goes for his fifth straight batting title.

The Charlotte Monarchs, Cincinnati Redlegs and Rottnest Island Quokkas are all fighting relegation, rather than a playoff spot. The Redlegs are propping up OL Perfect .420 and relegation is all but assured.