Ok, now we are done with week 18, we have 5 weeks remaining. Due to a stat correction, Chicago's additional win meant that they did not get eliminated this week.

This week, eliminated were Kansas City as they both lost and Milwaukee won, either of which would eliminate the Colts. Thanks to both their loss and Milwaukee's win, the Minnesota Gemini were also eliminated.

No new teams joined Arizona as clinched their playoff berths.

This week's scenarios:
Chicago and Tampa Bay are both in a situation where either will be eliminated with a loss or a Milwaukee win. The Pros are on the road, facing the Squirrels in Oakland. The Turtles are on the road as well, facing the Talons in Toronto. Meanwhile, the Muskies are also on the road against the Saints in Montreal.

Atlanta will be eliminated with a loss AND a Milwaukee win. As previously mentioned, the Muskies are on the road against the Saints in Montreal. Meanwhile, the Firebirds are at home against the Los Angeles Condors.

Both Dallas and Oakland will be eliminated with a loss or a win by either New York or Boston. The Sidewinders are at home against the Minnesota Gemini. The Squirrels are at home against the Chicago Pros. The Blackbirds are on the road, taking on the Griffins in Raleigh. And the Masons are at home against the Oklahoma City Bison.

Two teams can clinch playoff spots this week, Detroit and Oklahoma City. Both need the same thing, a win and losses by both Los Angeles and Seattle. The Bison, as previously mentioned, is on the road against the Masons in Boston. The Deacons are at home, hosting the Kansas City Colts. The Condors are on the road, facing the Firebirds in Atlanta. And the Samurai are on the road, facing the Thunderbirds in Phoenix.

Following our win over Carolina, we need a few things to fall our way if we want to lock up the AL pennant early, and for us that just means we have to keep on truckin'. We welcome the Seattle Samurai to town, who are 2 games back from the last AL playoff spot and would like to leave Arizona with a win in their pocket. Our featured player this year is 2026 All-Star reliever Dylan Lee, who earned 3 holds on 3 opportunities while also striking out 2 across 3.1 innings. #RideTheLightning

Following a big week 19, we lost three move teams from playoff contention, as Chicago needed a win and a Milwaukee loss to stay alive, but they dropped a tough one to Oakland.

Speaking of Oakland, both them and Dallas were in the same situation, both needing to win and have both Boston and New York to lose. Dallas and Oakland both did what they needed, but only got a loss from Boston and were eliminated with New York's win over Carolina.

This leaves only 5 teams battling for the four playoff spots in the National League. The American League has 7 teams competing for the final 3 spots, as Arizona has already clinched their playoff spot.

This week sees two teams in the AL looking to stave off elimination this week, as the Atlanta Firebirds and Tampa Bay Turtles both need a win and a Milwaukee loss to stay alive. The Muskies are hosting the Detroit Deacons this week in Milwaukee, the Firebirds are on the road to face the Squirrels in Oakland, and the Turtles are at home to take on the Arizona Thunderbirds in Tampa.

Meanwhile, four teams can clinch playoff spots this week. Las Vegas is in with a win OR a Boston loss, and Montreal is in with a win AND a Boston loss. The Masons are at home squaring off with the Seattle Samurai, the Atoms are at hosting the Toronto Talons in Las Vegas, and the Saints are hitting the road to take on the Blackbirds in New York.

The American League side has both the Detroit Deacons and Oklahoma City Bison in the situation where they can lock up a playoff spot. Both the Deacons and Bison would need to win this week or get a Condors loss. The Deacons hit the road to take on the Muskies in Milwaukee, which does also factor into the Firebirds and Turtles playoff hopes. The Bison head to Chicago to take on the Pros. And the Condors are on the road to take on the Gemini in the Twin Cities.

A big win over the Pandas helps the Atoms keep the top spot in the NL and gives us a chance to clinch a playoff spot this week. All we have to do is beat the Toronto Talons, as for the third game out of five, we play a team with fewer than two wins. We can't get too complacent though, as the last thing we want is to drop a winnable game and give teams an opening to catch us. Luckily, we have RP Bryan Baker in our bullpen. The righty hurler has been near-unhittable this season, and while he did give up an earned run against San Diego, he still earned three saves over three innings while striking out five. #UpAndAtom

With a win over the Talons, the Atoms have clinched a playoff spot. We've still got more stuff to clinch, so we'll likely need to keep winning. This week's matchup will be a tough one, however, as we welcome the Masons to town to finish off a three-game homestand. Boston is jockeying for the final playoff position, so they'll be giving it their all to come out of Vegas with a W. They will have to go up against SP Eric Lauer, who was excellent against Toronto. The lefty hurler went 6 2/3, striking out 6 while allowing only one earned run and getting the win and the quality start. #UpAndAtom