The A.L. Wild Card is only getting tougher. All three teams won on Thursday, leaving virtually no room for error heading into the final weekend of baseball. With the Tampa Bay Rays sitting on top of the Wild Card, the Cleveland Indians were able to keep pace, while the Texas Rangers also remained behind both teams' tails after winning a very close ball game. Here are the standings entering Friday, which is the final weekend of regular season baseball.
Rays Shutout Yankees (Record: 90-69)
The Rays went no mercy on the New York Yankees despite Thursday being Mariano Rivera' last appearance in the Bronx as a pro. With a 4-0 victory, the Rays swept the three-game series, keeping their top spot in the Wild Card. The victory also gave them their seventh consecutive win. If there was any time for the Rays to catch a hot streak, it was definitely now because the Indians are not settling for second place.
Tribe Holds On Against Twins (Record: 89-70)
The scoreboard was 6-1 in favor of the Indians when the Twins decided to come alive in the bottom of the ninth inning. They hacked away at the lead and the Indians found themselves with sidearm righty, Joe Smith, on the mound. He recorded the save, helping the Indians grab their seventh consecutive victory.
Make no mistake about it, one slip from the Rays and the Indians look primed to win the Wild Card. Still, they have to win all of their remaining three games to ensure they qualify for the playoffs. The Indians control their own fate and the last thing they want to do is expect the Rangers to lose. Those guys are also hot.
Rangers Rescued by Profar (Record: 88-71)
The Los Angeles Angels did not go easy on the Rangers, but Jurickson Profar helped his team get the walk-off win Thursday night. The Angels rallied numerous times to take the lead. They opened up the scoreboard in the first inning, saw the Rangers take a 3-1 lead, then they came right back, scoring three of their own runs to take the lead. The Rangers scored two in the sixth inning, only to see the Angels tie it again in the next half inning.
However, the night belonged to the Rangers as their rookie got a hold of one and sent it to the seats in right field.
The Rangers and Indians face the same opponents while the Rays travel to Canada to face their division rival Toronto Blue Jays.
