A breakdown of the American League wild-card chase

It’s too early to talk about magic numbers, but there is a numeral that should interest Royals fans.

83.

That is the number of games that the Angels are on pace to win this season. It’s an important to note because they are currently in possession of the second wild-card spot in the American League.

Will 83 wins get a team into the playoffs? That seems unlikely, but there is no denying that wild-card race is a jumble with seven weeks to play in the regular season.

There are nine teams within 4 games of a wild-card spot in the American League. That doesn’t include the three division leaders. Factor in those teams, and that’s 12 of the 15 teams in the AL who are in the playoff hunt. Of course, some are on the fringes (Toronto is in last place in the East), but the craziness should make for a fun final stretch of the season.

Here are the standings from MLB.com:

Starting today, there will be a weekly look ahead for the teams that are in the wild-card chase. It may not always include nine teams, but as long as the Royals are in the hunt, we’ll take a look at what to expect for the teams in the race.

By the way, it’s worth noting that FanGraphs says there is an 18 percent chance there will be a two-way tie for the second wild card in the AL and a 4.2 percent chance of a three-way tie.

Yankees 61-55

This week’s games: 2 vs. Mets, 2 at Mets, 3 at Red Sox

Last week: 2-4 (1-2 at Blue Jays; 1-2 vs. Red Sox)

Season run differential: Plus-110 (598-488)

Playoff chances: 84.3 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 65.4 percent (FanGraphs)

Angels 61-58

This week’s games: 2 at Nationals, 3 at Orioles

Last week: 6-1 (2-1 vs. Orioles; 4-0 at Mariners)

Season run differential: Minus-4 (511-515)

Playoff chances: 22.4 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 32.4 percent (FanGraphs)

Twins 59-57

This week’s games: 3 vs. Indians, 3 vs. Diamondbacks

Last week: 6-1 (2-0 vs. Brewers; 2-0 at Brewers; 2-1 at Tigers)

Season run differential: Minus-50 (543-593)

Playoff chances: 24.0 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 22.2 percent (FanGraphs)

Royals 59-58

This week’s games: 3 at Oakland; 3 vs. Indians

Last week: 2-5 (0-2 vs. Cardinals; 0-2 at Cardinals; 2-1 at White Sox)

Season run differential: Minus-20 (520-540)

Playoff chances: 18.1 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 26.9 percent (FanGraphs)

Mariners 59-60

This week’s games: 3 vs. Orioles; 3 at Rays

Last week: 2-4 (2-0 vs. A’s; 0-4 vs. Angels)

Season run differential: Minus-11 (559-570)

Playoff chances: 13.0 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 12.0 percent (FanGraphs)

Rays 59-60

This week’s games: 4 at Blue Jays; 3 vs. Mariners

Last week: 1-5 (0-2 vs. Red Sox; 1-3 vs. Indians)

Season run differential: Minus-10 (516-526)

Playoff chances: 22.8 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 20.7 percent (FanGraphs)

Orioles 58-60

This week’s games: 3 at Mariners; 3 vs. Angels

Last week: 3-4 (1-2 at Angels; 2-2 at A’s)

Season run differential: Minus-49 (557-609)

Playoff chances: 6.9 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 7.8 percent (FanGraphs)

Rangers 56-60

This week’s games: 3 vs. Tigers; 4 vs. White Sox

Last week: 3-2 (1-1 at Mets; 2-1 at Astros)

Season run differential: Plus-10 (569-559)

Playoff chances: 9.3 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 8.2 percent (FanGraphs)

Blue Jays 56-61

This week’s games: 4 vs. Rays; 3 at Cubs

Last week: 4-2 (2-1 vs. Yankees; 2-1 vs. Pirates)

Season run differential: Minus-78 (503-581)

Playoff chances: 3.9 percent (Baseball Prospectus); 5.7 percent (FanGraphs)

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 9:23 AM with the headline "A breakdown of the American League wild-card chase."