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With the minor-league season (essentially) over and our typical 8:00 AM slot suddenly open, I figured it would be worthwhile to take a quick daily look at how the playoff picture has changed in the American League on a day-to-day basis. This will be nothing fancy. Just a look at how playoff contenders did on the day, how it affected the standings and what it means for the Red Sox. I’ll consider any team within five games of a playoff spot as a postseason contender.
Scores
CLE 5, DET 3
NYY 3, TB 2
CHW 5, KC 3
OAK 7, BOS 3
BAL 2, TOR 1
SEA 8, TEX 1
MIN 3, SD 1
LAA 9, HOU 1
Division odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 87.40% | 76.40% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100% |
| Yankees | 12.60% | 23.60% |
| Twins | 0.00% | 0% |
| Angels | 0% | 0% |
| Mariners | 0% | 0% |
| Royals | 0% | 0% |
| Rangers | 0% | 0% |
| Orioles | 0% | 0% |
| Rays | 0% | 0% |
Playoff odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 100.00% | 99.90% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Yankees | 98.40% | 99.60% |
| Twins | 59.80% | 66.20% |
| Angels | 25.10% | 17.60% |
| Mariners | 6.10% | 5.80% |
| Royals | 4.30% | 1.90% |
| Rangers | 3.20% | 5.90% |
| Orioles | 1.30% | 1.10% |
| Rays | 1.80% | 2.00% |
Playoff Picture
Not a whole lot changed after Wednesday’s games. The only team that picked up ground that really mattered was the Yankees, who of course picked up a game on Boston and moved the divisional lead down to three. With the Twins also winning, nobody else could pick up ground in the wildcard race. The Angels remain the first team out in the American League, and with their win they stay two games out of the wildcard. Seattle is the next closest at 3.5 games back. Meanwhile, in the divisions, the Indians have now won twenty one games in a row. That is stupid. Houston also lost, giving Cleveland a 2.5 game lead for the top seed in the AL. The Astros still lead Boston by five games for home field in the ALDS, a race that is becoming less and less important as the Red Sox fail to put the Yankees away.