Every day that passes by with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles tied for first place is another day both teams run the risk of losing a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
Making matters worse for both clubs are the leaders of the American League Wild Card, the Oakland Athletics. The Yanks and O's caught a break as with the A's loss on Thursday, both AL East teams crept closer to the first spot in the Wild Card.
With a win and sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, the Orioles ensured the Yankees a top spot in the Wild Card even if they are swept by the Rays over the weekend.
The Orioles built a four-game lead over the Rays in the AL East, thus helping the Yanks out simultaneously.
In the battle for the Wild Card spot, aside for the Yankees, Rays, Orioles and A's are the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers.
The Angels simply slipped this season. So much so that the AL West is completely out of reach. They are seven games behind the Texas Rangers and 4.5 behind the A's. As of Friday, they stand just 3.5 games behind the Yankees and Orioles for the second place spot in the Wild Card.
The Tigers have completely disappointed as they are only 75-67 in 2012. They are currently 5.5 games back in the Wild Card and have won two games in a row. However, they stand only a game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Here are the complete WIld Card standings of the 2012 season with their schedule of matchups on September 14.
Wild Card Teams |
W |
L |
PCT |
WCGB |
WCE # |
NEXT GAME |
82 |
61 |
.573 |
- |
- |
||
81 |
62 |
.566 |
- |
- |
||
81 |
62 |
.566 |
- |
- |
||
78 |
66 |
.542 |
3.5 |
16 |
||
77 |
66 |
.538 |
4.0 |
16 |
||
75 |
67 |
.528 |
5.5 |
15 |
||
69 |
75 |
.479 |
12.5 |
7 |
||
65 |
77 |
.458 |
15.5 |
5 |
||
65 |
78 |
.455 |
16.0 |
4 |
||
64 |
80 |
.444 |
17.5 |
2 |
||
60 |
84 |
.417 |
21.5 |
E |
||
60 |
84 |
.417 |
21.5 |
E |