With the 2015 MLB regular season about to reach its conclusion, the action in every game has intensified even more as teams persistently battle it out with one another to assure themselves a ticket to the postseason.
The New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels are all in a neck-and-neck bout for the two wild card spots in the American League. Then over at the National League, the wild card race has been pretty fun to watch as well with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants expected to continue making things interesting till the very end.
Now, let’s take a close look below at each league’s wild card contenders as we prepare ourselves for an epic ending to the season. And if you’re yearning for more baseball action, check out our in-depth previews featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals.
[sc:MLBArticles ]
American League and National League Wild Card Race Preview
[sc:MLB240banner ]The New York Yankees have been taking care of business lately as they’ve maintained a 5.5-game advantage over the Texas Rangers for the AL’s first wild card spot and are now just half a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East crown. The Yankees will look to keep this up and eventually reclaim the No.1 spot in their division with their high-octane offense that ranks second overall in runs per contest (4.88), RBIs (633), batting average (.254) and third in homers (182) this season.
Contributing greatly to this success at the plate is none other than their pair of veteran sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, who have combined for 60 homers and 156 RBIs this year.
Teixeira, though, is currently nursing a deep bone bruise on his right leg that has forced the Yankees to put him on the disabled list during this crucial part of the year. His return remains in doubt, which gives his team and fans a reason to worry.
Even with one of their key players missing, New York is still a team to be reckoned with, as long as they continue to play as a team and capitalize on their very capable offensive game. If they succeed in doing so, it won’t be a surprise to see them regain the division lead, or at least remain atop of the AL Wild Card race.
If there’s any team that could overtake the Yankees for the first American League wild card spot, that would be the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are in a good position to make the postseason—whether via wild card or as a division winner—for the first time since 2012. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games, putting them just 5.5 games behind the Bronx Bombers and are within two games of the Houston Astros for the division championship.
Texas wouldn’t be where they are now without their prized designated hitter Prince Fielder. Fielder leads the team in batting (.310), home runs (18), RBIs (73), OBP (.381) and hits (158). He’s definitely been doing it all at the plate and as long as he keeps this up, it’s safe to say that the Rangers, who have a 40.3% chance of winning a wild card spot and an 11.8% chance of winning the division crown this season, will be experiencing some postseason action in October.
Even before the 2015 MLB season began, the expectations for the Minnesota Twins were pretty low. But to everyone’s surprise they’ve proved the doubters wrong. The Twins are now putting the pressure on the Rangers, who are just only hold a slim 1.5-game advantage over them for the second AL wild card spot.
For Minnesota to strengthen their playoff hopes even more, they’ll hope to continue receiving huge productions from Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier at the plate. Mauer holds a team-high .267 batting average with eight homers and 57 RBIs on the year. Dozier, on the other hand, leads his team in the home runs department with a total of 27 despite only batting .240 this season. As of now, the Twins own a 16.9% chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Angels have had a rough second half of the season, during which they have gone 27-50. As a result, they have faltered below the standings, placing third in their division and 3.5 games short of the final AL wild card spot. But luckily, they still have more than enough games remaining (25) for a late surge and ultimately clinch their second-straight playoff appearance.
For that to happen, expect the Halos, who have a 12.7% chance to make the postseason via the wild card route, to rely heavily on their power-hitting duo of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Trout continues to lead the team in batting average (.298), OBP (.397) and hits (144). Pujols, meanwhile, boasts a team-best 35 homers and 81 RBIs thus far this season, among the highest in the AL.
Both Trout and Pujols will need to consistently bring their A-games throughout the remainder of their schedule, which is highlighted by tough matchups opposite playoff contenders, such as, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers.
The Pittsburgh Pirates seem to be well on their way for their third consecutive postseason berth. They are currently 5.5 games short of their division title, while holding a two-game edge over the Cubs for the first wild spot in the National League.
However, it would be foolish for the Bucs to start feeling complacent with a handful of games left in the season for each team. They’ll need to keep their momentum alive, as they will still be facing tough teams like the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels in the coming weeks.
Expect Pittsburgh, who has a 99.8% chance to make the postseason, to heavily lean on Andrew McCutchen in this final stretch. McCutchen has been nothing short of spectacular for his team throughout the year, leading in batting (.302), RBIs (85), OBP (404) and hits (144). His success has mostly happened during home games, registering a solid triple-slash line of .342/.442/.571.
Knocking at the Pirates’ door are the Chicago Cubs, who have gone 32-17 thus far in the second half of the regular season. As of now, they hold a comfy 8.5-game advantage over the Nationals for the final NL wild card ticket. This result is all thanks to their efficient batting and pitching efforts.
Jake Arieta and Jon Lester have been the main culprits for the Cubs’ success. Arieta leads the team with a 2.03 ERA and has an MLB-best 18 wins. Lester, meanwhile, has tried his best to keep up with a 9-10 record and a respectable ERA of 3.59, while delivering a total of 169 K’s this year. Then over on offense, it’s been the Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo show. The duo is 11-for-35 combined in the past 10 games, while contributing together a total of 51 homers and 169 RBIs throughout this year.
However, the Cubs will be greatly tested in the remaining games of their schedule, as they’ll be going up against a number of legitimate contenders: the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. The results in these matches could play a big factor in determining their spot in the postseason.
Time is not on the Washington Nationals’ side as they have fallen 8.5 games behind the final wild card spot in the National League. The Nats need to quickly find it in themselves to ignite one last push to avoid an early exit to their season.
Leading the charge in doing so would be Bryce Harper’s hot batting. Harper holds an NL-best .329 batting average and has been sizzling in his first seven games of September, going 9-for-15 with three homers and six RBIs. If he keeps this up, the Nats, who have a 16.4% of clinching a playoff berth, might just be able to perform well enough to make things interesting until the very end.
The San Francisco Giants, the reigning World Series champions, can definitely relate to the situation that Washington is in right now. The Giants are currently 1.5 games behind the Nats, and are nine games short of the second wild card spot in the National League.
But the Giants, who own just a 2.4% chance of earning a postseason appearance, have a better chance of reaching the playoffs by winning the NL West, as they trail the Dodgers by 7.5 games. This deficit is still very possible to overcome considering that the remaining games on their schedule include bottom-feeding teams like the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.
If the Giants manage to capitalize on this relatively easy stretch of games to eventually make it to the playoffs, they’ll have a strong chance of defending their title through their ace in Madison Bumgarner (17-7, 3.05 ERA) and their power-hitter in Buster Posey, who boasts a team-high .330 batting average along with 17 homers and 82 RBIs to his name.
