The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.It’s mid-August, and most of this past weekend’s games still had playoff implications?? Plus: Past and present players celebrated different milestones, and bad umpiring was on display. Also, Ken Rosenthal got the skinny on the Mike Trout … uh … what’s the opposite of “invitational?”I’m Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!Weekend Recap: Many teams remain in playoff raceI truly believe this has been the most entertaining regular season in recent memory. Not because every team is good (I’m familiar with the AL West), but it’s Aug. 10 … and 21 teams are either in or within 3.5 games of a playoff spot.That’s 70 percent of the league’s teams — and thus fans — who still have something resembling hope. (I’m sure there’s a league-sponsored commercial coming soon to celebrate that parity.)Anyway, here’s a quick ranking of every series this weekend featuring those 21 teams. Sorry, Reds-Nats and Mets-Pirates. (And here are the MLB standings, for reference.)
Braves-Yankees: New York snapped Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak in 10 innings on Friday, then won again Saturday. Atlanta salvaged a win on Sunday, also in 10 innings. All three were one-run games.
