Four Teams, Three Spots
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by Tyduffy
Four teams. Three Spots. The Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, and Tigers are all clamoring to claim a place in October. With two months and less than 60 games remaining, each game will be infused with a sense of urgency. Fans of these clubs will not need Dane Cook's theatrics to fire them up. Here are the schedules for each team during the stretch run, and how they can influence the division and Wild Card Races.
Boston Red Sox: BAL (13) SEA (3) LAA (6) TB (12) CWS (4) NYY (6) TOR (6) OAK (2) MIN (4)
Home: 27, Above .500: 22, Against Other Three: 6
New York Yankees: CWS (3) KC (6) TOR (9) CLE (3) BAL (9) DET (8) LAA (3) BOS (6) TB (6) SEA (3)
Home: 29, Above .500: 32, Against Other Three: 11
Cleveland Indians: TEX (3) MIN (10) CWS (9) NYY (3) DET (8) TB (3) KC (9) SEA (4) LAA (4) OAK (3)
Home: 23, Above .500: 29, Against Other Three: 11
Detroit Tigers: OAK (9) CWS (9) TB (4) CLE (8) NYY (8) KC (6) SEA (3) TOR (1) TEX (2) MIN (6)
Home: 30, Above .500: 26, Against Other Three: 16
The Red Sox have a commanding 9 game lead, but on top of that, they also have a significantly easier schedule. The Yanks have two more home games, but Boston has 10 fewer games against .500 or above clubs, and, crucially, does not have to play any games with Detroit or Cleveland. They have almost half their remaining games (25) against Baltimore and Tampa Bay. New York has a harder schedule and a lot of ground to make up. Unless they sweep the two three game series with Boston, it is hard to see the Yankees being able to to win it.
The AL Central race should be a bit more interesting. The Tigers and Indians are virtually tied. They have 8 games remaining with eachother. Detroit has the edge in home games 30 to 23, though the Tigers have actually been a better road team this season. The Indians have more games against .500 or above teams 29 to 26, although the Tigers have five more games against the Yankees. The difference could be how well they can rack up wins against the bad teams. The Tigers have 8 games against Oakland, who have been awful coming out of the chute in the 2nd half. The Indians have 9 games against the lowly Royals. With 8 games between the clubs still remaining, this race is too close to call.
The Wild Card should be very interesting. The Yankees need to pick up five games on either the Indians or the Tigers. The schedule doesn't give them much of an advantage, they have the most games against .500+ teams (32) and 14 games against Boston and Detroit. Though, if their lineup is clicking they will be a scary proposition for anybody. The team who will probably determine the race will be the Tigers. They have 16 games against the Indians and the Tigers, 14 in a row from August 14-27. If they hit a hot-streak they can start selling playoff tickets. However, if they falter during that stretch, they may be the ones watching on TV in October.
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