October baseball is right around the corner and pennant races are in full swing. Some teams have created distances in their divisions, and are practically a shoo-in for the playoffs, others are battling for a Wild Card spot. Here’s a look at the American League playoff race.
In the AL East, the 89-59 Boston Red Sox have created quite the lead as they sit nine and a half games above the second place Tampa Bay Rays. There won’t be a September collapse for the Sox like there was in 2011. This team will make the postseason and make a good run at it all. David Ortiz is hitting the ball ridiculously well with his .308 batting average, and Dustin Pedroia is also having another terrific year as the second baseman is batting .297, as well as making plays with his glove. They have 14 games remaining and have a magic number of eight. Look for the Sox to finish the season strong and be a big threat in October.
The Detroit Tigers lead the AL Central by six games as they are in first over the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers have 16 games left in the regular season and have a fairly easy schedule as they play the Royals, Mariners, White Sox, Twins, and Marlins. Detroit will bring home the AL Central crown once again and their magic number is 11. Last season, the Tigers made to to the World Series, but couldn’t get it done against the San Francisco Giants. This year, they look to win it all, and with guys like Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer they definitely could.
Onto the AL West which is the most intriguing division in the AL right now. The defending AL West Champs, the Oakland A’s, currently lead the Texas Rangers by three and a half games with 16 to play. The A’s are currently 85-61 and have a magic number of 14. Starting Friday, the A’s and Rangers will battle it out in Texas in what could very well wrap up the AL West race. Earlier this month these two teams played and the A’s took the series; they’ll look to do that again to extend their lead in the division and take over as the clear AL West Champs for the second year in a row. The A’s are getting hot at just the right time. 2013 Homerun Derby Champ, Yoenis Cespedes is swinging a hot bat this month as he’s batting .439 in September, Jarrod Parker is pitching like an ace, rookie Sonny Gray has lived up to the hype, and Jed Lowrie and Josh Donaldson continue to be great assets to the team this year. The A’s have a fairly easy schedule to finish September, so some playoff baseball is definitely in their future. Now, there’s a very good chance that both teams make the playoffs this year, as the Rangers currently lead the Wild Card by two and a half games.
The AL Wild Card race is exciting as ever as two teams will battle it out in a one game playoff elimination. Right now, the Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays lead the Wild Card, but there are some teams that are very close behind them.
The Rangers have 17 games remaining and currently hold a two game lead in the Wild Card race as they are the number one Wild Card team. They also have a tough schedule ahead. The Rangers will play the A’s, Rays, Royals, Astros, and Angels to finish this season. They will have to keep pace in order to make the playoffs this year.
The Rays have a one game lead over the Yankees in the Wild Card. They also have 17 left to play and have some tough series ahead in the Rangers, Orioles, and Yankees. The Rays will have to take advantage of the struggling Twins and Blue Jays to improve their record and their run for the playoffs.
The New York Yankees have resurfaced and find themselves only a game behind the Rays in this race. Alfonso Soriano has sparked a fire in the Yankees as they have been on a hot streak lately and have gone 6-4 in their last 10. They have 15 games left to play and a few key series include the three games in Boston this weekend, as well as the three game series against the Rays in New York at the end of the month. The Rays series will be key as they may be able to overtake them in the Wild Card at that time. Other than those two series, the Yankees play the Blue Jays, Giants, and Astros; all of which should be easy wins for this Yankees club if they want to play October baseball.
The Cleveland Indians are a game out of the Wild Card. The Indians have 16 to play, and much easier schedule than other teams in the hunt as they play the Astros, White Sox, Twins, and Royals.
The Baltimore Orioles are two and a half games out of the Wild Card. The Orioles have 16 left to play including some key series’ against some good teams in the Red Sox and Rays.
The Kansas City Royals are also right in the middle of this Wild Card race as they are only two and a half games out. They also have 16 games left, but have a tough schedule playing the Tigers, Indians, and Rangers. Those series will be key for them to make a serious run at winning a Wild Card spot.
The AL playoff race is a fun one and will provide some exciting games as most of these teams in the hunt for October will go head to head in the next couple weeks. These teams all have a lot of talent, but only the best of the best will be playing October baseball.