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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
BOS 6, OAK 2
NYY 13, BAL 5
CLE 3, KC 2
SEA 10, TEX 4
MIN 3, TOR 2
HOU 5, LAA 2
Division Odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 88.40% | 76.70% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100% |
| Yankees | 11.60% | 23.30% |
| Twins | 0.00% | 0% |
| Angels | 0% | 0% |
| Mariners | 0% | 0% |
| Royals | 0% | 0% |
| Rangers | 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 | 99.10% | 99.60% |
| Twins | 71.30% | 66.20% |
| Angels | 17.10% | 17.60% |
| Mariners | 7.00% | 5.80% |
| Royals | 2.10% | 1.90% |
| Rangers | 1.60% | 5.90% |
Playoff Picture
It was a tough day for those of us who are looking for chaos in the American League wildcard race. The Orioles losing and the Rays not playing, combined with the Twins winning in extras knocked those two outside of the five-game threshold for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Angels, Royals and Rangers all lost to move back a game. The only wildcard team to keep pace was Seattle, and they’re still 3.5 games back. Meanwhile, Cleveland won their 22nd in a row, this time needing extra innings to do so. This is leading to semantic arguments as to whether or not they have the record now. Clearly, whether or not the 1916 Giants tied a baseball game is an important discussion worth much of your time and energy. Certainly don’t focus on the fact that winning 22 straight games is bananas regardless of whether or not it’s a record. As for where the Red Sox stand, nothing really changed on Thursday with Boston, Cleveland, Houston and New York all winning.