The Chicago White Sox are chasing a playoff spot. They're currently 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central title race.
Cleveland has a game against the Twins and then comes to Chicago for a pivotal three-game series.
But if the White Sox can't catch the Guardians, can they sneak into the playoffs with a Wild Card berth?
After all, Major League Baseball changed its playoff standards to allow three wild card teams per league into the playoffs which means an extra opportunity.
That plus the three division champions means both the National League and American League will have six teams in the playoffs.
Unfortunately for the White Sox, the AL Wild Card race is a steeper uphill climb than the AL Central.
To paint a clear picture of the playoff landscape, let's start with the AL Divisional leaders.
MLB
AL Divisional Leaders (as of Monday)
As of Monday morning, the Guardians (AL Central), Houston Astros (AL West) and New York Yankees (AL East) are in as division champions. If the season ended today, the Astros would hold the 1-seed, the Yankees the 2-seed and the Guardians holding the 3-seed.
As the 1- and 2-seeds, the Astros and Yankees would each get a first-round bye. The Cleveland Guardians (as the 3-seed) would host the third Wild Card team, or the 6-seed, in the AL Wild Card Series
If Cleveland were to win and advance to the ALDS, they'd face the Yankees. The Astros would play the winner of the two other wild card teams (the 4- and 5-seed series).
| Seed | Division | Team | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AL West | Houston Astros | 96 | 51 | .653 |
| 2 | AL East | New York Yankees | 88 | 58 | .603 |
| 3 | AL Central | Cleveland Guardians | 79 | 67 | .541 |
The Guardians and White Sox play a three-game series in Chicago this week that will have a huge impact on the AL Central race.
AL Wild Card standings (as of Monday)
But the White Sox are further back from that third and final Wild Card spot than they are the AL Central leading Guardians.
The Seattle Mariners are currently in position to win the third Wild Card spot, and the White Sox sit five games back - 1.5 games further back than they are of the Guardians.
The first two Wild Card spots go to the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays, both from the AL Central. One silver lining for the White Sox, the Guardians play a three-game series against the Rays next week. The Rays will be paying for better seeding in the playoffs and should provide a tough series for Cleveland.
For the wild card, the White Sox have the tie breaker over the Mariners (4-2) and the Rays (4-2) this season. But, they would need to make up a lot of ground in 15 games to activate the tie breaker for the final wild card spot.
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 83 | 64 | .562 | +2 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 82 | 64 | .562 | +1.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 80 | 65 | .552 | - |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 69 | .524 | 21.5 |
| Chicago White Sox | 76 | 71 | .517 | 5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 73 | 73 | .500 | 7.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 71 | 75 | .486 | 9.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 64 | 82 | .438 | 16.5 |
The Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics have all been eliminated from the Wild Card race. The Angels are close to being eliminated as well.