The MLB schedule is coming down to the final month, with postseason dreams fueling teams in the hunt and padding the bankrolls of those baseball bettors sharp enough to sniff those clubs out. As August comes to a close and September shows up, we look at a few MLB teams that could be diamonds in the rough on the diamond in the final stretch of the summer.

Washington Nationals
The Nationals are at the top of the National League Wild Card standings, holding a three-game lead over the rest of the qualifying teams. Washington has been hot to close out August, entering Wednesday with wins in seven of its last 10 outings and boasting a 16-7 record this month.

Washington’s bats have exploded during this current hot streak, in part to some weaker pitching on the opposing side. The Nationals have scored an average of 8.5 runs per game in their last 10 outings, giving plenty of breathing room to a pitching staff posting a wobbly 4.12 ERA in August. September sees the Nats at home for 15 of their 28 games, good news for a club that is 36-27 in the nation’s capital this season. They should also get a boost in the bullpen with some relievers returning from injury before the end of the year.

Chicago Cubs
Chicago is currently pegged for the second National League Wild Card spot, just back of Washington and ahead of Philadelphia by two games, entering Wednesday’s schedule. Chicago has been relatively quiet most of the summer, treading water in the NL Central. However, the Cubbies are building momentum with six wins in their past 10 outings – a stretch that could have been better if not for running into the team mentioned above: Washington.

Chicago is one of the better home teams in the bigs with a 44-22 record inside Wrigley Field, contrasting a bad road record of just 26-39 away from the Friendly Confines. The Cubs close out the regular season with a balanced schedule, playing 13 of their final 27 games in the Windy City. It will likely come down to an inconsistent offense and if it can produce in September. Chicago does have some easier opponents lined up, like Seattle Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and San Diego.  

Oakland Athletics
The A’s have been a sneaky good bet all season, earning almost 17 units of profits for bettors taking their MLB moneyline odds. Oakland is in the second spot in the American League Wild Card standings, sitting just a half a game back of the Cleveland Indians. So far in August, the Athletics 15-7 with a staff ERA of 3.17 and have won the battle on the scoreboard in seven of their last 10 as of Wednesday.

Oakland has made most of that money in the Bay Area, with a 43-26 record at home on the year. The September schedule sees the A’s inside the Coliseum only a dozen more times, with the club playing 14 of its final 26 games on the road. However, as it stands, one road game versus the Yankees and a three-game series in Houston are the only opponents with a winning record left on Oakland’s plate in September.