The American League East may play a big part in the MLB playoff race with all five teams in the mix. There will be plenty of storylines that come from this division.
Over the next five weeks, pennant and wild card races will be decided. While some teams will make it, others will collapse. It seems the AL East will be right in the middle of these races. Currently, all five teams are around .500 in late August for the first time since 2012. Here is what the division looks like right now, with the potential for at least three of the teams getting wild card spots.
American League East Playoff Race
The Orioles are in the thick of things for the first time in years as they recently were on a ten-game winning streak. They have a record above .500 and are playing good baseball overall. It seems for the last few years. The Orioles have been at the bottom of the standings. They recently took third place in the AL east as they have fought their way back to relevancy. They have a good consistent offense with a nice mix of veterans and young players. They will be an interesting team to follow the rest of the season.
The Blue Jays currently have the top wild-card spot with a small lead. They have a young core of talented players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette. The offense has proven to be one of their biggest weapons as they hit for power and get on base a lot. Also, the pitching has been better than expected. It will be interesting to see if they can hold onto one of the wild card spots.
Also, the Rays are an interesting team as they have quietly got themselves in position for a wild card spot. They are playing good baseball. In fact, they are coming off another winning week. Though they may not have the biggest payroll, they have found ways to utilize their young home-grown players. They have played well in the division, which will help with their wild card run.
More From American League East
The Red Sox have put themselves in a position to make a run as they have won their last three series. One of those was against rival Yankees. This talented team is stacked with stars like J.D Martinez and Alex Verdugo. The schedule is there for the Red Sox to make up ground as they are facing teams ahead of them in standings thirty out of their last forty games. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox can make a surprise run.
The Yankees have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, dominating the division. However, they are going through a tough period where they can’t seem to win a game. In August, they have been shut out five times. The Yankees have some big stars like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, who they have relied on all season. They will need more guys to step up as there will be a lot of eyes on the Yankees for the rest of the season.
The American League East has been an interesting storyline all season. At one point, all five teams had winning records at the same time. It will be interesting to see where all these teams end up. Stay tuned for more on the AL East and other MLB stories.
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