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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. It is entirely possible this threshold will disappear completely as soon as tomorrow.
Scores
TOR 9, BOS 4
MIN 8, CLE 6
HOU 14, TEX 3
NYY 6, TB 1
LAA 9, CHW 3
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 | 99.90% | 99.90% |
| Angels | 0.10% | 0.10% |
Division Odds
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Fangraphs | Baseball Prospectus |
| Red Sox | 95.60% | 94.90% |
| Indians | 100.00% | 100% |
| Astros | 100.00% | 100% |
| Yankees | 4.40% | 5.10% |
| Twins | 0.00% | 0% |
| Angels | 0% | 0% |
Playoff Picture Update
With the Twins winning yet again, it’s now a near-certainty that they will be on the road for the wildcard game next Tuesday, and despite recent events it’s a near-certainty that it will be in New York. The one bit of interest left in the American League is who will take home the top spot. This isn’t only important for the fact of getting home field advantage through the first two rounds but moreso for the fact that they get the advantage of playing the winner of the wildcard game for the first round. Cleveland still has the lead in this race, but with Houston winning and the Indians losing on Tuesday the Astros are within a game. That could make this weekend’s series in Boston one in which the Astros put forth a big effort depending on how much they prioritize that top seed. Over in the National League, the Rockies, Brewers and Cardinals all won on Tuesday. Colorado still leads that wildcard race with Milwaukee trailing by 1.5 games and St. Louis sitting 2.5 games back.