The NL playoff picture looks great for the Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins just swept the Los Angeles Angels on the road. This is amazing news for The Fish, who are now holding a Wild Card spot. This is all despite injuries to some of the team's key players. Other key players such as starting pitchers Jesus Luzardo and Eury Perez stepped up, and we're seeing a great power outbreak from DH Jorge Soler. The Miami Marlins really have a shot to make the playoffs...

The Miami Marlins are a good team this year.

Before this season started, I was very optimistic about the team's chances to make the playoffs. I wasn't very high on either the Philadelphia Phillies or New York Mets. That was counter to what most analysts had to say, and yet here we are. The Miami Marlins are 28-26 in the final Wild Card spot, while being 4 games out of first place in the NL East. Philly is 25-28 and the Mets are at 27-27. Philly's pitching is not looking good at all this season, while the Mets are just shaky and aging all over the roster.

The scary thing about the Miami Marlins (in a good way), is that the reigning NL Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara is well underperforming (4.86 ERA/3.81 FIP). He'll bounce back (as Fangraphs agrees). There's also fellow starting pitcher Trevor Rogers, who was back to his 2021 form prior to injury. He's coming back in the near future. What about when CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. comes back? He's due a hot streak too...

The best part is that the Wild Card situation is very good for the Miami Marlins. Three teams will make the playoffs in this way. The current three teams are the Arizona Diamondbacks (31-23); Miami Marlins and the San Francisco Giants (28-26). Behind these teams are the previously mentioned Philly and the Mets. Other realistic contenders are the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-27), and I guess the San Diego Padres (24-29). Oh and the St. Louis Cardinals (24-32).

Let's be realistic St. Louis isn't a playoff team this season. Pittsburgh is only in the conversation after their hot start. They certainly don't look like a playoff team either. Can San Diego turn it around? Can Philly? Can the Mets? One of them might (most likely the Mets), but then I could easily see San Francisco falling out of a Wild Card spot. The Miami Marlins have a realistic shot at the playoffs this season. By the way is it too crazy to think about challenging Atlanta for the division? It's only 4 games...