While some first-place teams are worried about shrinking their magic numbers, others are trying to prevent their elimination numbers from dipping. Here are all the elimination numbers and magic numbers as Tuesday baseball rolls along and teams attempt to make a run at October baseball. We start with a list of those teams already eliminated.
Running on E
Plenty of teams around baseball knew they weren't going to compete in 2013. Teams like the Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros are in rebuilding mode, giving them very little chances to compete against the top dogs in their divisions. As a result, all of these teams are no longer in contention as we enter September's second week of baseball. Other surprises include the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. The Colorado Rockies are also no longer competing in the N.L. West.
On Respirators
These guys are pretty much in ICU, sort of stuck in no-man's land. Their season isn't over yet, but they have no chance as they have yet to be officially eliminated from divisional contentions. The Los Angeles Angels' elimination number is down to four. The Seattle Mariners' and Minnesota Twins' elimination number is down to one. The San Diego Padres are two losses or two Dodger wins away from being eliminated. They have been a surprise in 2013, though they are 65-77, but at least they are not in last place like the Giants. The Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks are eight games away from being eliminated. Right now, they can only hope for the Dodgers and Braves to collapse in the final three weeks of baseball.
Contenders & Magic Numbers
The Atlanta Braves' and Los Angeles Dodgers' magic number is eight. You can do a number of combinations that would help the Braves and Dodgers clinch their division. Both teams are hoping they can just do it the easy way, winning all their remaining games and head into October playing great baseball.
The Boston Red Sox' magic number is sitting on 12 as the Tampa Bay Rays have yet to go away. In fact, the A.L. East is very much alive and well as we head into the final month of the season. The Rays' elimination number is 12, the Baltimore Orioles' is 10 and the New York Yankees' is eight. There is still plenty of baseball to be played, meaning the A.L. East should provide plenty of entertainment in the final weeks of the season.
Detroit Tigers: Their magic number is 15, so they are far from celebrating in the Motor City. Worse of all, they have the Cleveland Indians chasing, just 4.5 games behind and the Kansas City Royals' elimination number is also in double digits, sitting on 12.
The Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals' clinching numbers are far from magical. The A's magic number is 18 as the Texas Rangers are two games back in the standings. The Cardinals' is 19 as the Pittsburgh Pirates are just one game back in the standings. The Cincinnati Reds' elimination number is 17 and they are the third-place team in the N.L. Central. Like the A.L. East, the Central will provide baseball with an entertaining race in the last weeks of the season.
Click here for all the listed elimination and magic numbers*** As of Wednesday morning
