It’s time to check back in on the American League’s second Wild Card race, which is basically the only playoff spot up for grabs in either league.
There’s still a slim chance that the Rangers could self-destruct and go from winning the AL West division to grabbing the second Wild Card spot, but short of that happening it’s a three-team race among the Astros, Angels, and Twins.
Yesterday the Twins split a doubleheader with the Indians, the Angels lost to an AL-worst A’s team that started Barry Zito in his career sendoff, and the Astros escaped Seattle with a win against the Mariners.
Standings!
Astros: 84-75, --- GB
Angels: 83-75, 0.5 GB
Twins: 82-76, 1.5 GB
Here’s where FanGraphs sees the current Wild Card odds with four days to go in the regular season:
Astros - 65%
Angels - 25%
Twins - 4%
That leaves 6% remaining, which belongs to the Rangers in case they tumble out of the division lead. And that’s still possible because the Rangers finish the season with a four-game series versus the Angels, in Texas.
Here are the remaining schedules:
Astros: 3 at Diamondbacks
Angels: 4 at Rangers
Twins: 1 at Indians, 3 vs Royals
They’re all fighting for a chance to play the Wild Card game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the winner of which goes on to play the AL-best Blue Jays or Royals in the ALDS.
