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There are just weeks to go in the regular season, which is going to end up either being too many or not enough for one of the Astros and Rangers. As of Monday morning, Houston is only up on Texas by 1.5 games thanks to a ninth-inning comeback against the Angels. While the Rangers lead the race for the second Wild Card, their lead over the Twins is even slimmer at a single game. Throw in that the Angels are just three back of the Rangers and 4.5 back of the Astros with 20 games left to go for all but Houston, and these last few weeks could be madness.
Both Houston and Texas could make the playoffs, but one of the two would be sent to Baseball Thunderdome, the one-game Wild Card playoff that can end a season in three hours. So, the preference is obviously for the division, where entry into one of the two American League Division Series’ is guaranteed. Figuring out which of the two will be victorious in that regard is basically impossible right now, though, but we could get a sense of it this week, as the Astros and Rangers are starting a four-game set.
The two teams have one more series after this, so seven games in all, and both clubs have a series remaining against the Angels as well. There is a chance that neither of the Astros or Rangers make the postseason, with the Angels jumping ahead with timely head-to-head victories and the Twins grabbing on to the Wild Card in the process, but for now, the odds are in favor of the state of Texas. If either the Rangers or Astros sweep this series, that could change, but that’s a question for Friday morning.
- Ruben Amaro could very well be the next Ed Wade for the Phillies, the guy whose building blocks help lead to a future winner.
- Let's not forget that Amaro still made mistakes that led to his exit from the organization, though, and his handling of the rotation was his last great one.
- Troy Tulowitzki is out for 2-3 weeks with a cracked shoulder blade, so the Blue Jays pried Darwin Barney from the Dodgers to help them fill out the infield these last few weeks.
- The Jays took the first two games of the series from the Yankees but dropped Sunday's finale, leaving them 3.5 games up in the AL East.
- The Reds are willing to trade Aroldis Chapman this offseason, but it would reportedly require a "blockbuster package" in return for his final season under contract.
- Rich Hill last made a major league start in 2009 for the Orioles. He returned to a big league rotation on Sunday, and threw seven one-hit shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and a lone walk for the Red Sox. Baseball!
- Hill might have stolen the essence of Johnny Cueto somehow, because Cueto has allowed 29 runs over his last five starts, including four homers on Sunday.
- The Tigers are a mess, but hey, there are some positives to take away from 2015.
- The Pirates' general manager is expecting even more front office departures, which is what happens to your organization when you rebuild a joke into a perennial contender.
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