As the 2015 MLB regular season continues to reach its final verdict, the action and drama have intensified even further with each game bearing major playoff implications. Currently, the race for the two wild card slots in the American League has been the most fun to watch with the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins locked in a neck-to-neck bout for a postseason berth.
Read on below as we take a close look at these top four contenders in the American League Wild Card race. While you’re at it, you can also check out our National League Wild Card update.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The New York Yankees are beginning to get their groove back, winning seven of their last 11 games. However, they still remain a half-game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the No. 1 seed in the American League East. The Yankees will need to stay on the winning track to ultimately give them a chance to reclaim the division crown.
As of now, the Yankees hold the first wild card spot in the American League with a 68-55 record and still have a very strong chance of making the playoffs this year. For this to become a reality, the 27-time champions will hope that Alex Rodriguez can provide better contributions at the plate in this final stretch of their 2015 campaign.
Rodriquez has unfortunately lost his rhythm since the beginning of the second half of the season, holding a lowly .220 batting average compared to batting .278 with 18 homers and 55 RBIs before the All-Star break. If he does manage to regain his old form, it might just be enough for the Yankees to ignite one more run in them that would ensure their fans some postseason baseball at Yankee Stadium.
Good things have been happening for the Texas Rangers, who have won eight of their last 10 games and have gone 22-13 in this second part of the season. As a result of this, they now hold the second wild card spot in the American League and are within just 4.0 games of the Houston Astros for the division championship. But it would be way too early to say that the Rangers have secured a postseason appearance, as the Angels, Twins, Orioles and Rays are all within 5.0 games from claiming their current position.
In order for the Rangers to avoid losing hold of the final wild card seat, they’ll need the hard-hitting duo of Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland to continue delivering on offense. Fielder holds a team-best .320 batting average and 71 RBIs this season. Moreland, meanwhile, leads the team with 18 homers to his name and is batting .303 thus far in August. And as of now, the Rangers have a 21.5% chance of making the postseason via the wild card route.
Knocking at the Rangers’ door are the Los Angeles Angels, who are 1.5 games behind them for the second wildcard spot in the American League. But don’t expect the Angels to catch up or lessen the gap anytime soon, as they have been struggling lately. They’ve lost four straight games, during which they allowed a staggering 44 runs and have fallen to third place in their division standings.
Luckily though, Los Angeles still has more than enough time to recover and put themselves back in the playoff picture once again. In order to do this, expect the Angels to heavily rely on Mike Trout (.297) and Albert Pujols (.253) to lead them to victories. Both these players have been the team’s best hitters, as they’ve combined for a major league-best 66 home runs and 144 RBIs this season. Currently, the Angels have a 9.0% chance of winning the AL West title and an 18.3% of earning an AL Wild Card spot this year.
The Minnesota Twins are undoubtedly one of the hottest teams right now after completing an impressive four-game sweep of the Orioles. Those four-straight triumphs have bolstered their record to 63-61, putting them just a 1.5 games short of tying the Rangers for the final wild card spot in the American League. A big reason for this success is their first baseman Joe Mauer, who’s hitting .333 (7-for-21) over the last five games.
But don’t get your hopes too high on the Twins, who own a 7.5% probability of winning the AL Wild Card, to sustain this run for long, as their upcoming schedule are highlighted by numerous tough matchups against playoff contenders. They will be facing the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals in their next 15 games. The result of this stretch of games will highly dictate their chances of making the playoffs this year.
