The A.L. Wild Card is getting interesting by the day. Let's not even around the bush with the New York Yankees, they are playoff contenders as head into the weekend. They are 3.5 games behind in the A.L. Wild Card and as their offense clicks, they are becoming a huge threat, not only to take second or third place in the East, but to win the entire division.
It's a bit hard to believe that an injury-plagued Yankee squad is still alive and kicking this late in the season. They are winners of five consecutive games after sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series and they are getting hot at the right time. Who are the other players in the A.L. Wild Card race?
The Tampa Bay Rays are the head honchos, followed by the Oakland Athletics, who are in second place. The Cleveland Indians trail the A's by 2.5 games, the Baltimore Orioles trail the A's by three games and then the Yankees are right there, ready to attack, 3.5 games behind the A's. The Yankees don't have to worry much about being chased because the Kansas City Royals are 3.5 games behind them in the Wild Card standings.
But wait, the A.L. Wild Card isn't the only way for the Yankees to get into the postseason.
The Yankees and second-place Tampa Bay Rays are in the only teams in the A.L. East with a winning record. The Yankees are 8-2, while the Rays are a respectable 6-4 in their last 10 games. The first-place Boston Red Sox and third-place Baltimore Orioles are 4-6, while the last-place Blue Jays are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
The Yankees are threatening to make a run in the A.L. East. They trail the Red Sox by six games, but don't look that far ahead. They are half a game behind the Orioles and five games behind the Rays. September is right around the corner and all of these teams will be facing off frequently. As a matter of fact, Friday-Sunday, the Yankees and O's go head-to-head in a battle for third place.
If the Yankees can find a way to win, it will not only make the A.L. East standings interesting, but it will shake up the A.L. Wild Card as well. The last thing you want is for Yankee magic to start building, especially as October is right around the corner.