2023 MLB playoff picture, standings, postseason projections: Brewers grow lead over Cubs in NL Central

The playoff field for the 2023 Major League Baseball season is starting to take shape shape, though there's a bunch of jockeying still to be done in the coming weeks. Two divisional races appear to be sewn up, with the Braves and Dodgers owning commanding leads in the NL East and NL West, respectively. The other four divisions remain up for grabs.

In the NL Central, the Brewers are creating some separation. Milwaukee enters Tuesday night on a nine-game winning streak after taking the series opener against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday. The Brewers, who have two more games against the Cubs this week, have a five-game lead in the division. The AL West race has tightened significantly in recent days as the Rangers struggle and the Mariners surge.

One AL West team that does not appear headed to the playoffs? That would be the Angels. It's been a dismal August for the Angels, who tried to build a winner around Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline. Instead, the Angels have completely fallen out of the race and Ohtani was revealed to have a UCL tear last week. He will not pitch again this season. Oh, and Mike Trout went right back on the injured list after returning for one day.

There are still plenty of teams in the playoff hunt, tough. The wild-card races are loaded, especially on the NL side. The Phillies are on top, but it's not a large margin. The Giants, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Reds and Marlins are fighting for the last two spots. In the AL, the Rays are, for the time being, comfortably in, but then it's the Astros, Blue Jays and Rangers fighting for the last two spots while the Red Sox are in the mix.

Here's a look at the MLB standings and playoff picture for the 12-team postseason as of this morning. All division and postseason odds are courtesy of SportsLine, and you can check out the expanded standings here.