At the All-Star break, I made a similar article on the N.L. Wild Card race. Since then, the A.L. Wild card race has heated up with the Yankees getting swept and the A’s continuing success. Here is how the Wild Card race looks like today.
Yankees: 69-42 +3
A’s: 67-46 —
Mariners: 65-48 2
With only two months left in the season, this race will be very intense in late September.
The Mariners
The Mariners have the most work to do, but to be honest, they can do it. James Paxton has been brilliant down the stretch, Dee Gordon and Nelson Cruz have been producing, Mitch Haniger has come up to be an elite player, and Edwin Diaz has shut down opponents out of the ‘pen with ease. This team is built for success. The one problem is their remaining schedule. They have two more games against Texas, but then they travel to Houston for four games and fly to Oakland for three games that we will all be watching. Then they host the Dodgers for three games and then the Astros for three more games before they go to Arizona for three more tough games. That is a brutal schedule. If there is any team that can escape this stretch with a decent record, it’s the Mariners.
The A’s
The A’s have come out of nowhere. The success of Steven Piscotty and Jed Lowrie has really been a pleasant surprise to the baseball world. I believe this team is not a one-year wonder and that they will make it back here soon. They have to protect the spot they have control of now. Just like the Mariners, the A’s also have a tough remaining schedule, but it isn’t as bad. They face the Dodgers tonight at 9 and again tomorrow. Then they go to Anaheim for three games, then they host the Mariners for three games as stated earlier. Then they get the Astros for three and the Rangers for three. Just like the Mariners, the A’s can get through this.
The Yankees
The Yankees are currently shell-shocked. In a series vs the Red Sox that they needed to win to stay in the division race, they got swept. Now I think a division win is out of the picture. They also allowed Oakland and Seattle to sneak up on them, and now they are only in control by 3 games. With that all being said, there are some positives. Judge and Sanchez will be back soon. The biggest point of brightness is the CUPCAKE schedule they have to finish out the season. They play two more games versus the White Sox, then they have Texas for four, Tampa for three, Toronto for three, Miami for two, and Baltimore for four. By FAR their schedule is much easier than the A’s and Mariners. They should hold on to the wild card spot if they don’t absolutely choke.
In conclusion, the teams I see in the 2018 A.L. Wild Card game are…
Yankees vs Mariners
This is no slight to the A’s, I just see the Mariners holding on in the long run. But it’s really going to depend on those two matchups the teams have later this season.
