Five teams are safely into October: the St. Louis Cardinals, the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Nationals, and both the Dodgers and the Angels from Los Angeles are in the fight for the World Series.
Meanwhile, the AL Central remains tight and up for grabs. The Detroit Tigers have had repeated chances to grab it by the throat, but they can’t seem to take the bull by the horns and just run with it. Like former Tigers catcher and current Tigers radio announcer Jim Price likes to say, Detroit can’t seem to find the art of pitching and the Kansas City Royals won’t go away.
For the teams that didn’t make it, they have an opportunity to play the role of spoilers and turn the playoffs upside down. One example is the Minnesota Twins, who play the Tigers four times at Comerica at the end of the season. This series could be crucial to the Tigers’ hopes of the playoffs, given their current state of affairs and considering the Royals are breathing right down their necks.
The National League has everything pretty much locked up, but the Milwaukee Brewers could still play a role in the playoffs if they start winning. It isn’t likely, however, because they were just shut out two nights ago by the Pittsburgh Pirates – the number one team in the Wild Card.
