AL Race 2016

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx down 3-1 vs Jays in the 4th, and they're also down one pitcher, one manager, and two coaches after all were ejected following the 3rd beaning of the night: Yanx hit Jays batter, Jays retaliated, Yanx re-retaliated.
Less than friendly hi-jinx ensued.

[Frayed Knot]

I see David Price hasn't forgotten to suck against the Yanx (4.44 career ERA in 34 starts) - a 2R 1st inning HR (to Gary Sanchez of course) and 3 runs on 7 hits thru 5
3-0 Yanx in the 6th

[Frayed Knot]

Y'know, really, WTF Kimbrel?!?

Actually Kimbrel wasn't even the one who served up the Granny to Teixeira, but he set up the whole inning by deciding that the Sox potential division clinching night was the one where he was going to suck. They wound up clinching anyway via the Blue Jay loss, but still ... handed a three-run lead to protect he starts the bottom of the 9th: Single, Walk, WP, Walk, run-scoring Walk
Out he goes, in comes Joe Kelly who gets the first two batters then serves up the game-losing GS


Pretty much doesn't matter in the long run as the Sox got their clincher and the Yanx are dead in the water anyway.
The best they can do is force a play-in game for WC #2 and that's only if they run the table while the O's are losing out. That the O's & Yanx play each other starting Friday makes both those things happening at the same time more possible but not only do they have to win their finale vs the BoSox today then sweep the O's (if and only if Balt loses to Toronto today), but then they also have to have Detroit go no better than 1-3, AND have the Mariners go no better than 2-2, AND have the Astros lose at least once more.



Blue Jays: vs BAL, @ BOS x 3
Yanx: 1 vs BOS, BAL x 3
Orioles: @ TOR, @ NYY x 3
Tigers: vs CLE, @ ATL x 3
Mariners: vs OAK x 4
Astros: off today, @ LAA x 3

[MFS62]

Texieria hits a lot of grand slams. I wonder how may of them he has hit in a major league ballpark.
Those farging bastages just won't die quietly.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Just delaying the inevitable beheading by a day.

[Frayed Knot]

Baltimore's win in Toronto eliminates the Yanx from WC contention even as they lead Boston late in their game.
Always a cause for celebration.

Wonder how Yanx fans feel about all the roster dumping they did in mid-season coupled with being eliminated 4 days from season's end?
I suspect many are going to think it justified because they assume they've set themselves up for a string of pennants that's sure to follow with the haul they got for Beltran/Miller/Chapman, etc.,
but you know what often happens when you assume ...

[Frayed Knot]

Thursday's Tiger - Indians game getting rained could wind up throwing a big ol' hairy wrench into the AL WC race as they'll need a Monday finish to make the game up if it winds up having a say in the final standings.
And if the make-up game forces a tie for one or both of the WCs then That will need to be settled prior to the regularly scheduled AL WC game which is currently slotted for Tuesday.

Tigers start this final weekend 1.5 games behind both Baltimore & Toronto for the two WC slots and 1/2 a game ahead of the charging Mariners.


Tigers are at Atlanta for the weekend
Blue Jays @ Boston
Orioles at Yanx
Mariners @ Oakland

[Benjamin Grimm]

And the messy scenario FK outlined above is still a possibility.

Here's what needs to happen:

Sunday: Boston over Toronto, Yankees over Baltimore, Detroit over Atlanta.
Monday: Detroit over Cleveland.

And since the three-way tie would take two days to break, Tuesday's AL Wild Card game would have to be postponed to Thursday, which is when the ALDS is supposed to start. So if you like seeing chaotic schedule disruptions, you may actually want to see the Yankees win today.

I'll bet the Indians, who are playoff bound themselves, would hate the idea of having to play a game on Monday.

[Frayed Knot]

Too bad Seattle losing late last night (to pitiful Oakland, in 10 innings, leaving the tying run on 3rd) eliminated them or else there'd be one more team in the mix and even more opportunities
to throw everything into a YUGE mess.


Cleveland's injury situation to what had been a strong starting staff is in almost as bad a shape as ours so they definitely don't want any part of an 'extra' game on Monday and probably wouldn't go all out if forced into one.
There's also the matter of a 1/2 game gap between them and the BoSox (Cleve 1/2 game better) for potential HF advantage down the road to be settled, but I assume MLB will just allow the incomplete record to stand and not play the extra game simply for purposes of settling that score.