MLB: American League’s Wild Wild Card Race
The American League Wild Card race has a half-dozen clubs trying to squeeze into two spots with less than two weeks to play in the MLB regular season.
If you thought that yesterday’s look at the NL Wild Card race showed a tight, competitive battle among multiple teams – and it did reveal exactly that – well, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
Where the National League Wild Card battle is now a three-way tie for the two spots following Tuesday night action, the American League Wild Card fight has six teams who are legitimately within striking distance.
Much as with the NL, those fighting for the AL spots have little chance at taking their respective divisional crowns.
In the AL East, the Boston Red Sox control the race, leading the Toronto Blue Jays by four games with just 11 left to play.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
In the AL Central, the Cleveland Indians hold a seven-game lead on the Detroit Tigers with a dozen left to play. The Tribe have lowered their ‘Magic Number’ to 5 for clinching the crown.
Out in the AL West, the Texas Rangers have the biggest lead of all with a nearly 10-game bulge over the interstate rival Houston Astros, who are 9.5 games behind. The Rangers can clinch as early as tonight.
But the Wild Card race in the league has the six remaining ball clubs separated by just three games in the loss column, all still with a legitimate shot at reaching the postseason.
The Blue Jays lead the race with an 83-68 mark, and their division rivals in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles, control the 2nd Wild Card with an 82-69 record.
Lurking just a half-game behind the O’s, one game in the loss column, are the Tigers. The Astros sit two back in the standings and the loss column.
And two more clubs sit just a notch still further back. The Seattle Mariners trail Baltimore by three in the standings and loss column, while the New York Yankees also remain alive. The Yanks are 3.5 game back, but just three in that loss column.
The bottom line is that any quick 2-3 game win or loss streak can completely turn this race on its head, tightening it up even further, or eliminating a couple of the teams by this weekend.
Let’s take a look at each of those six teams involved in the race, breaking down their remaining schedule and sizing up their chances.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (83-68)
Toronto may lead the race, but they have a particularly interesting and difficult schedule the rest of the way. It all starts on Wednesday late afternoon, as they wrap a pivotal series out in Seattle.
The Jays have taken the first two games of this series, putting a serious dent in the M’s chances. This is pretty much becoming must-win time for the host Mariners.
Following an off-day on Thursday, the team returns to Canada, where they will host the Yankees in a huge four-game wrap-around series that could well make or break the season for the visitors.
After that, the Orioles come in for a three-gamer that will likely prove crucial to both club’s playoff chances.
Finally, the Blue Jays finish out the regular season with a three-game visit next weekend to Fenway Park, where they will take on a Boston Red Sox club that is likely to have clinched the division.
Of course, there are a week’s worth of games between now and then. A sudden Bosox rough patch, and some winning by Toronto, and it remains possible that next weekend could be for all the divisional marbles.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (82-69)
The Orioles control the second Wild Card slot, which is always a hairy situation to be in when there are only two spots to begin with, and when four teams are breathing down your neck.
The O’s play host to division-leading Boston over the next two nights following consecutive 5-2 defeats at the hands of the Bosox over the last two.
After that it’s an unusual late-season Interleague matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camden Yards to end the home game portion of the regular season for Baltimore.
Arizona has gone 27-48 since the end of June, and has lost 10 out of their last 15, so the Snakes would appear to be a great opportunity for the Orioles. Of course, it’s also a great chance for the Dbacks to play spoiler.
Baltimore ends the season next week with a huge six-game road trip, with three games each up in Toronto and at Yankee Stadium.
The Yanks took three of four back in July, and then two of three in August, during the last two visits by the Orioles.
So Buck Showalter‘s club may have to demonstrate that they can actually win a series in the Bronx if they want to get into the postseason.
DETROIT TIGERS (80-70, 1.5 GB)
Detroit sits just a game behind the Orioles in the loss column, with Baltimore having 11 games remaining and the Tigers still having a dozen games left.
The Tigers were seriously stumbling, losers of eight of 11 games, before catching themselves and winning their last two at division rivals Cleveland and Minnesota.
They’ll continue a current series with two more in the Twin Cities before returning home for a crucial seven-game homestand against a pair of tough AL Central divisional rivals.
First will be the two-time defending American League and the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals for three games.
While the Royals have disappointed here in 2016, they remain dangerous, and would relish a shot at knocking the Tigers out of contention.
Then the Tigers will welcome in the division-leading Cleveland Indians, who could have clinched by that point, or who might be trying to celebrate in Tiger Stadium.
Detroit then closes out the regular season next weekend in a weird way, with a trip to Atlanta for a three-game Interleague series with the host Braves. Atlanta has gone 16-12 over the last month, and could prove a tough spoiler.
HOUSTON ASTROS (80-71, 2 GB)
The talented young Astros are attempting to reach the AL Wild Card Game for a second consecutive season.
A year ago, Houston downed the Yankees in that contest before dropping a heart-breaking ALDS to the Royals.
To get back this season, the Astros will have to rally from behind in the standings. They may be in the process of doing just that, having won five of their last six games.
Houston will finish up a series at Oakland on Wednesday afternoon before coming back to the Lone Star State for a seven-game homestand.
First in will be the disappointing Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and superstars Mike Trout and Albert Pujols for a four-game long weekend series beginning on Thursday.
The Seattle Mariners, who will likely be playing for their own playoff lives, follow the Halos in early next week.
The Astros then wrap up the regular season next weekend with a trip back out to California to take on those same Angels.
SEATTLE MARINERS (79-72, 3 GB)
The Mariners have to do some climbing to get into a spot, but they remain close enough that all it takes is a short winning streak and a couple stumbles in front, and they’re right back in it.
Seattle has fallen into this situation because they are failing to win when it matters here at crunch time, at least so far.
The M’s have lost three of their last four games to the Astros and Blue Jays, two of the clubs now in front of them in the AL Wild Card race.
On Wednesday afternoon they finish up a series at Safeco Field against the Jays. They’ll then head out on the road for three game swings through Minnesota and Houston.
The Mariners will close out the regular season back in the Pacific Northwest with a long four-game weekend series against the division rival but last place Oakland Athletics.
NEW YORK YANKEES (78-72, 3.5 GB)
If it’s crunch time for the Mariners, then it is doubly crunch time for the Yankees. New York trails Baltimore by the same three games in the loss column, however.
The Yanks will be at Tampa Bay the next two nights, then head up to Toronto for a huge four-game wrap-around series with the Jays. That could prove to be the Yankees last stand.
If they come out of Toronto still alive, maybe even having fought their way back towards the top of the Wild Card race, it would make next week’s return home to Yankee Stadium that much more interesting.
The Yanks close the 2016 MLB regular season out with three games each against division rivals Boston and Baltimore in the Bronx.