Toledo, Chicago, and Oakland Deadlocked

In the ultra-competitive National League, three teams are jockeying for one spot. With the final playoff slot on the line, Toledo, Chicago, and Oakland

The Toledo Maumees are now up 2-0 against the Durham Tobacconists after a near-complete collapse. The Maumees, coming off a come-from-behind 5-3 victory, will need to sweep Durham in order to have a shot at playing in the postseason.

After reeling off five consecutive victories, the Oakland Oaks lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to rival Omaha in their last game. Now, they'll have to defeat Omaha in order to clinch a birth.

The Chicago Whales have perhaps the easiest route, though their opponent, the surging Cleveland Cubs, have been markedly improved since the All-Star Break. They too lost a one-run stunner (4-3) in their last game, and will likely need to win to advance.

A look now at the head-to-head records between the three competing ballclubs:

The Chicago Whales own a 6-4 season advantage against the Oakland Oaks. Against Toledo, the Whales split their season series 5-5.

Similarly, Toledo and Oakland split their series 5-5 as well.

The first tiebreaker for Wild Card spots is the head-to-head advantage. Therefore, if Chicago wins, Oakland is eliminated. However, the other two scenarios--a Toledo victory or a Oakland victory--do not eliminate any other team based on head-to-head standings.

The second tiebreaker is division standing. Here's how they rank:

1. Toledo: 18-11
1. Oakland: 18-11
2. Chicago: 16-13

All three teams have one divisional game remaining. The third tiebreaker is run differential. Here's how they rank:

1. Chicago: +116
2. Toledo: +95
3. Oakland: +26

Here's how every team can win the second Wild Card spot:

Chicago:
1. With a Win and a Toledo Loss.
1a. Chicago would own the head-to-head tiebreaker against Oakland.
1b. Chicago would own a better record than Toledo.

Toledo:
1. With a Win:
1a. Toledo would own the divisional tiebreaker against Chicago, even with a Chicago victory.
1b. Toledo would own the run differential tiebreaker against Oakland, even with an Oakland victory (assuming Oakland scores less than 70 runs)

Oakland:
1. With a Win, a Chicago Loss, and a Toledo Loss.
1a. Oakland would own a better record than Chicago.
1b. Oakland would own a better record than Toledo.

2. With a Win, a Chicago Loss, and a Toledo Win, in which the comparative run differential exceeds 69 runs in Oakland's favor.
1a. Oakland would own a better record than Chicago.
1b. Oakland would own the run differential tiebreaker against Toledo.

In short, for Toledo, if they beat Durham, they're in. Chicago can get in regardless of whether Oakland wins or loses, just so long as Toledo loses. For Oakland, both Chicago and Toledo must lose for them to get in.