Race to the playoffs: the Rays are on fire and enter the discussion

Did you know that if the Rays make the playoffs, they'll play their home games at Steinbrenner Field, where they're playing this year?

The subject was the talk of the town a few months ago, because to see playoff games in such a stadium would be… special. After all, it's a pretty small venue for playoff games.

In recent weeks, however, the subject has been less of a buzzword. Why was that? Because the Rays were slipping in the standings.

But now, with only a few weeks left in the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are back in the race. They've won their last seven games, a little in the shadows.

https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1963787998182453717

Looking at the American standings, we see that four teams can realistically and/or mathematically aspire to dislodge one of the teams currently in the playoff picture.

The Rangers (1.5 playoff games), Royals (2.0), Rays (2.0) and Guardians (3.5) are the clubs in question. Anything below that, starting with the Angels, nobody really believes in.

The Rangers have a chance of qualifying, but they have so many injuries that it will be difficult. Same thing for the Guardians… if you replace the word “injured” with “important pitchers who are under investigation in a huge sports betting case” in my sentence.

The Royals? Don't rule them out too quickly.

But right now, the Rays are fine. Junior Caminero continues to break things down, and I'll be curious to see if the Rays, who have never stopped coming out of nowhere to win for the past 7-8 years, pull off a minor miracle.

Given that the Mariners have lost the North, I think a club like Tampa Bay can sneak into the playoffs.

Note that this weekend, the Rays will face the Guardians, which could shatter the playoff race. The Rangers, for their part, will have a good challenge on their hands: the Houston Astros.

And while we're on the subject of America, let's not forget the duel between the Yankees and the Blue Jays. If the Bombardiers are to win their division, it's got to be by winning the series this weekend.

This content was created with the help of AI.