The AL Wild Card Race still looms, with the Yankees completing a three-game sweep of the Red Sox in Boston. While Boston sits one game behind Toronto, the Blue Jays are battling for second place. They hope to turn the striped New York team cold again. The A’s are in Seattle to face the Mariners, but they aren’t out of it, either.
Red Sox clinch home-field advantage in AL Wild Card Game
If the Red Sox win the AL Wild Card Game on Sunday, they will host the other team in the next round. That means Boston will have home-field advantage in that round over the Yankees, Blue Jays and Mariners. Even if Boston loses the game, the losing team would go home. However, if the Red Sox lose that game, they will have to play on the road.
The Yankees’ short porch is out of play. That means Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will have to settle for singles and doubles. With the Red Sox’s power bats, it means taking away the long ball. Devers always talks to himself before a big at-bat, and it is no different tonight. That’s an advantage Devers will have in the Wild Card Game.
The Astros have the chance to clinch home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Game if they win their remaining games. They’re just 2.5 games better than the Astros, so they have the magic number of three. But, if the Astros win today, they’ll still need to win their remaining games. That’s not as easy as it seems. The Astros, on the other hand, have five games left before they’ll have home-field advantage.
The Red Sox have the best chance of winning the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday. But, if they fail to do so, they could have to travel to Seattle, New York or Toronto, which have three games left in the season. If they fail to do so, the Red Sox will likely lose two of those games, which would give them trouble. So, clinching home-field advantage on Tuesday night may be the best thing to do for your team.
If the Red Sox win the AL wild card game, they will host the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. Boston clinched home-field advantage with this win, and it is possible that the Yankees will lose the game on Wednesday. With this victory, Boston will have a home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Game. The Red Sox have clinched home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Game.
While Boston and the Yankees share the top spot in the AL wild card race, the other two teams are close behind. One of those two teams needs to lose and the other two have to win. If either team wins, they can clinch one of the two spots. In the event of a tiebreaker, the Red Sox will have home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Game.
In the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the second-place team. They are four games ahead of the second-place team in the AL Wild Card Game. If the Yankees win the AL Wild Card Game, they will face the Houston Astros. With home-field advantage, they would face the Houston Astros in the Division Series. If the Red Sox lose the game, they would face the Chicago White Sox.
Blue Jays lose to Rays
The Toronto Blue Jays have fallen rapidly this season, with the team losing six of its last seven games and falling out of the AL wild card race for the first time since 2000. The Jays averaged 3.62 runs per game in their last 10 games, and have dropped four of six in their last 10 games. As a result, they are essentially out of the race for the AL wild card, but they can still win the division with a strong finish.
The Toronto Blue Jays won the series 7-1, but the loss to the Rays in the AL wild-card race puts them out of the picture. Now, the Blue Jays are four games out of the last wild card spot. The loss to the Rays was the final blow for the Blue Jays, who enter the final 10 games of the season without any margin for error. On top of that, their bullpen almost boiled over in the late innings.
In the wild card race, the Rays are the favorites. The Rays have a relatively easy schedule. After beating the Yankees on Wednesday, the Rays have three games remaining against the Red Sox and the Mariners. In the game against the Rays, Tampa Bay had the edge. The Rays took the lead after Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer in the first inning, his 32nd of the season. Nestor Cortes gave up two runs and five hits in 4.2 innings, but the Rays held onto the lead through a string of relievers.
If the season ended today, the Blue Jays would face the Rays in the Wild Card game, and the Yankees would host the Red Sox. The Rays, on the other hand, would be the outsiders. If the season ended today, the Blue Jays would be hosting the Red Sox, while the Rays would host the Yankees. However, the Blue Jays would face the Rays in the second round of the playoffs. The Yankees are one game behind the Rays in the AL wild card race.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation is another bright spot for the team. While the team’s rotation has been a concern for years, it is leading the AL in fWAR since the All-Star break. The bullpen is pitching well, striking out 30.2% of hitters. And the lineup is led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with three homers in eight games.
The Rays are a team to watch out for this season. While the Blue Jays aren’t the best team in baseball, they are a good bet to win the wild card. The Rays, on the other hand, don’t need to win their division to win the AL wild card. That leaves the Yankees and the Red Sox to play each other in a wild card game.
Los Angeles Dodgers advance to postseason in seven of 14 years
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the final stretch of the regular season, and a win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday would seal the playoff berth for the team. After winning the World Series last year, the Dodgers have won 93 games and reached the postseason in seven of the past 14 years. The team has won nine straight postseason appearances, and it would be their sixth consecutive appearance in the NLCS.
While the Dodgers’ offense failed to capitalize on the mistake, the team was able to get their offense going and defeat the Cardinals in the wild-card game. Pitcher Julio Urias was forced to come out of the bullpen for the second time in seven games, and he ended up pitching four innings. He struck out four, but still managed to earn a win. After the third inning, the Dodgers got three runs on the bases, and Betts’ RBI double put the Dodgers in front 3-0.
The Dodgers were a game back on Monday after trailing the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the National League Championship Series. However, the Dodgers were able to win three straight games and won 4-3 in the seventh game. The team will now face the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series next season. This season, the Dodgers have advanced to the postseason in seven of 14 years, a record that is second only to the Chicago Cubs.
The Dodgers have a stellar rotation this year, led by Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer. However, the rotation hasn’t been at its best in the postseason despite having 31 games in 30 days. Its five-man rotation has allowed just three earned runs in 31 1/3 innings of work. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in their final stretch of the regular season, and the team’s ace, Clayton Kershaw, hasn’t missed a start.
The defending World Series champions are not going to get a repeat of their last postseason appearance. The Dodgers won their last NL Division Series against the Giants, and the NLCS was the Dodgers’ seventh trip in 14 years. It took them three games to win it, but they came back and won Game 6 to send the team to the World Series for the first time since 1988.
Brusdar Graterol is set to pitch the sixth. Mookie Betts robbed Freddie Freeman of an extra-base in the fifth inning. Freeman was trying to hit a home run but failed to do so. After Ian Anderson left the game, Tyler Matzek entered to relieve him and quickly walked Chris Taylor and Justin Turner.
