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With the minor-league season 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
NYY 11, MIN 3
BOS 9, BAL 0
KC 15, TOR 5
TB 8, CHC 1
HOU 4, CHW 3
CLE 6, LAA 5
TEX 8, SEA 6
Playoff Odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Yankees | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Twins | 62.40% | 65.00% |
| Angels | 26.00% | 20.40% |
| Rangers | 4.80% | 9.00% |
| Royals | 3.90% | 2.40% |
| Rays | 1.50% | 1.80% |
| Mariners | 1.30% | 1.30% |
Division Odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 91.70% | 87.60% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100% |
| Yankees | 8.30% | 12.40% |
| Twins | 0.00% | 0% |
| Angels | 0% | 0% |
| Mariners | 0% | 0% |
| Royals | 0% | 0% |
| Rangers | 0% | 0% |
Playoff Picture Update
The big game for Red Sox fans last night was that Cleveland-Los Angeles contest, and the right team won. With Boston’s win and the Angels’, the Red Sox have officially clinched a playoff spot. They are still fighting for the division and that is the ultimate goal, but it’s always nice to be guaranteed more than 162 games. Elsewhere, while the Angels aren’t taking advantage of the Twins’ struggles, other teams are. Texas in particular is looking good having won their last three games and pulling within 2.5 games. The Angels trail by 1.5, the Royals trail by 3.5 and both Seattle and Tampa trail by 4. Meanwhile, both Houston and Cleveland are red-hot right now and the latter still leads the race for the top seed by 1.5 games. Any hope of Boston catching the Astros for the two seed is just about gone, too, as Houston holds a 5.5 game lead. For those interested in the National League, the Brewers have pulled within one game for the Rockies for a wildcard berth. St. Louis trails by 2.5 games.