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The road to the MLB playoffs is more crowded than ever as the sprint to October picks up.While division leaders continue to jockey for position, the biggest drama is unfolding in the wild card races, where contenders are fighting for the last of the postseason berths. Several clubs remain separated by only a handful of games, which makes every series crucial.Here's the latest playoff picture, updated with MLB wild card standings and the teams on each side of the postseason cut line heading into action on Monday, Aug. 10.MLB playoff picture: Who would make playoffs if season ended today?American League playoff field1. Tampa Bay Rays (East leader) — 71-462. Chicago White Sox (Central leader) — 61-563. Houston Astros (West leader) — 60-594. New York Yankees (No. 1 wild card) — 66-525. Boston Red Sox (No. 2 wild card) — 64-536. Texas Rangers (No. 3 wild card) — 59-59National League playoff field1. Milwaukee Brewers (Central leader) — 74-442. Atlanta Braves (East leader) — 71-473. Los Angeles Dodgers (West leader) — 70-484. Chicago Cubs (No. 1 wild card) — 69-505. Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 2 wild card) — 63-566. Philadelphia Phillies (No. 3 wild card) — 63-56Current matchups in American LeagueRangers at Astros; Red Sox at YankeesRays and White Sox would have byes to AL division seriesCurrent matchups in National LeaguePhillies at Dodgers; Diamondbacks at CubsBrewers and Braves would have byes to NL division seriesAmerican League wild card standingsTop three wild card teams make the postseason:New York Yankees — 66-52 (+7.0 games)Boston Red Sox — 64-53 (+5½ games)Texas Rangers — 59-59 (—)Detroit Tigers — 58-50 (1 game back)Minnesota Twins — 58-61 (1½ games back)Cleveland Guardians — 58-61 (1½ games back)Baltimore Orioles — 57-61 (2 games back)Seattle Mariners — 56-63 (3½ games back)Toronto Blues Jays — 56-63 (3½ games back)National League wild card standingsTop three wild card teams make the postseason:Chicago Cubs — 69-50 (+6 games)Arizona Diamondbacks — 63-56 (—)Philadelphia Phillies — 63-56 (—)San Diego Padres — 62-57 (1 game back)Miami Marlins — 60-59 (3 games back)St. Louis Cardinals — 59-59 (3½ games back)Washington Nationals — 59-61 (4½ games back)Pittsburgh Pirates — 58-62 (5½ games back)Cincinnati Reds — 56-61 (6 games back)MLB wild card tiebreaker rulesTies between two teams, per MLB.com:Head-to-head recordIntradivision recordIntraleague recordLast half of intraleague games: These are the records from intraleague games after the All-Star break.Last half of intraleague games plus one: Previous intraleague game on the schedule before All-Star break is used and process is repeated until tie is resolved.When do MLB playoffs start?The first day of the MLB postseason is expected to be Tuesday, Sept. 29, two days after the regular season ends. The dates for the division series and championship series have yet to be determined, but the World Series is set to begin Friday, Oct. 23. If necessary, Game 7 of the World Series will be on Halloween (Saturday, Oct. 31).
