The MLB regular season concludes on Sunday, with a number of teams still needing victories in the final game to secure or improve their playoff position. The AL Wild Card is still a tight race, with three clubs within one game of each other battling for two spots.
AL Wild Card, NL top seed could be decided Sunday
There are five games Sunday that could have an impact on the MLB postseason.
Hannah Foslien
If Cleveland wins their 10th straight game, they will clinch the top seed in the AL Wild Card. The Indians have already won 20 games in September, their best month since Aug. 1995. Ubaldo Jimenez, who has a 1.76 ERA since July 28, will take the mound for the Indians.
Tampa Bay needs to win their final game of the season to secure at least one more game this season. The Rays entered the series with a seven-game winning streak, but have surrendered 13 runs in two losses against the Blue Jays. Matt Moore, 16-4 with a 3.23 ERA, will start for Tampa.
Texas has won six straight, pulling into a tie with Tampa Bay for the second AL Wild Card spot. Yu Darvish will try to lead the team to victory to guarantee at least a one-game playoff. Darvish is 13-9 this season with a 2.89 ERA and 269 strikeouts.
The NL is mostly set after the Pirates took two from the Reds to secure home-field advantage in the one-game playoff, but the top two teams have yet to decide who will have home-field advantage in the chase for a pennant.
Atlanta's loss on Sunday caused them to fall one game behind St. Louis for the best record in the NL. The Braves hope to get another strong start from Julio Teheran, who enters with a 13-9 record and a 3.07 ERA.
St. Louis needs to simply win their regular season finale to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NL. Jake Westbrook will pitch a few innings for the Cardinals, then will be replaced by Joe Kelly. Westbrook will likely make his last appearance with the Cardinals; the team is expected to decline his 2014 option, and he’s not likely to make the post-season roster.
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