The Major League Baseball regular season is winding down, which means the playoffs are just around the corner. This season has been devastating for some- such as Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees- who couldn’t stay off the disabled list. The season was certainly more rewarding for others, like Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who so far has hit 52 home runs this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers endured a rocky start, their lowest point coming on June 21st when they found themselves 12 games under .500. President Stan Kasten held a private meeting with manager Don Mattingly, informing him that the team would be forced to make a change if things didn’t turn around. Did they ever.

The Dodgers went from being one of the worst teams in baseball to being one of the best. After a June 21st loss to the lowly Sand Diego Padres, they proceeded to win 40 of their next 48 games, propelling them to a NL West division title. Currently they are just two games behind the NL East leader Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League.

The New York Yankees are struggling mightily this year with injured players. In order to move forward, the Yankees will have to find a way to win important division games against the Red Sox and Tampa Bay down the stretch. The Yankees’ only hope for the playoffs is to gain the wild card spot.

One thing we can all agree on is that we did not expect the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves to both hold first in their division. The Braves lost long-time third baseman and fan favorite Chipper Jones to retirement and acted quickly, acquiring new players like brothers Justin and B.J. Upton. Justin has had a good season with 140 hits and 26 homeruns. B.J., however, has struggled, making some fans question why the Braves let Michael Bourne walk in the offseason. Freddie Freeman has also been having a great season, with 23 home runs and 105 runs batted in.

The Red Sox have had a strong team all season, led by John Lester and Ryan Dempster on the mound. David Ortiz is leading in batting with 29 home runs and a batting average of .307.

The real question is whether the Red Sox and Braves can maintain their strong play heading into October. There are still 5 regular season games to play, with quite a bit of playoff positioning on the line, especially in the NL Central. This playoff season has great potential, and there’s a level of uncertainty that should make for exciting match ups. If the regular season is any indicate though, it’s looking like a Braves vs. Red Sox showdown is in store for October.