Yasiel Puig has not hit a home run since July 31, and has just four extra-base hits in that span. Sooner the better: They may finish with the NL's best record, but the Dodgers do have their worries. We say the Dodgers just miss clinching against their arch rivals and do it a game later, at home against the Rockies. And while they do have three games remaining against the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw will start one of them. Like the Pirates, the San Francisco Giants aren't out of it. Playoff starter? Power arm in the bullpen? On the shelf? It'll be good to find out. But they also must figure out exactly what last year's playoff ace, Michael Wacha, can bring to the table after a shoulder injury. Sooner the better: Like many teams, the Cardinals could stand to rest a bullpen that's had to grind through 74 games decided by two or fewer runs. Louis has the luxury of two off days and finish with six games against the Diamondbacks and Cubs. But they have no head-to-head games left with the Cardinals. We're not counting out the second-place Pirates - trailing by 3 1/2 games - by any means. Can the Nationals reconstruct a once-dominant closer to at least be a viable late-inning option in the postseason? A slew of mostly meaningless games will enable them to pitch Soriano whenever they want - even the ninth. Sooner the better: Pop the champagne, then get to work on The Rafael Soriano Project. While the Atlanta Braves have been a thorn in the Nationals' side, they've also scored zero or one run in seven of their last 14 games. Like their Beltways brethren, the Nationals can wrap things up by winning two of three against a second-place team. That's a career-high in appearances for Jepsen and one off Smith's high. Kevin Jepsen and Joe Smith have each appeared in 71 games, tied for second-most in the American League. Sooner the better: A remade and revitalized bullpen kick-started the Angels' resurgence. So figure on the Angels popping champagne Friday night, when the Rangers visit Anaheim. But the Angels' lock on the division has been aided by Oakland's demise, and though the A's finally won consecutive games Saturday and Sunday, they don't figure to finish 13-0. Monday, the Angels begin a four-game series against the Mariners, and the pitching matchups actually favor Seattle. Alejandro de Aza, Ryan Flaherty, Kelly Johnson, Jimmy Paredes.the Orioles can figure out where these pieces best fit, just as the baseball-viewing public can learn that these guys actually play for the Orioles. Sooner the better: With Chris Davis out for at least the first round of the playoffs, Baltimore can benefit from trying lineup and field combinations in a low-pressure environment. That said, two wins in three games against the Blue Jays will put it away. Baltimore leads the division by 11 1/2 games and the notion of a "chief pursuer" has been a non-issue for about a month. The Orioles can get it done as soon as Tuesday, as they face the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series that begins Monday. With apologies to the AL Central, where the Tigers and Royals may go down to the wire, we look at the magic numbers for each first-place team, and what they may gain by clinching sooner: With two weeks remaining in the season, five of the major leagues' six division leaders have leads of at least three games, and the clinching countdown has begun in several cities.
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