Royals’ win and losses by two teams on Tuesday helped solidify playoff picture
What a difference a day makes.
The Royals defeated the Nationals 1-0 in 10 innings Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and lowered their magic number for clinching a playoff berth to four with five games left in the regular season.
In addition to ending a seven-game losing streak, the Royals were helped when two teams in the American League Wild Card race lost. The Twins fell 4-1 to the Marlins in Minneapolis and are 2 games behind the Royals in the standings.
Seattle was beaten by the Houston Astros 4-3, and the Mariners are 2 1/2 games back of the Royals.
Also of note: the Baltimore Orioles clinched a playoff berth Tuesday and the Astros won the AL West by knocking off the Mariners.
Here are the American League Wild Card standings heading into Wednesday’s games, and things look much better for the Royals than they did 24 hours ago.
Here is a closer look at teams in the playoff hunt with the Royals, who have an 83-74 record.
The Royals
The math is simple for the Royals: win four of their last five games and they will be in the playoffs. They can also clinch with a combination of wins and losses by the Twins.
FanGraphs gives the Royals an 81.6% chance of making the playoffs.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers, 83-74, are the hottest team in the American League and they beat the Rays 2-1 on Tuesday, all but eliminating Tampa Bay from playoff contention. Detroit has won 12 of its last 15 games.
Like the Royals, the Tigers will be in the postseason by winning four of their final five games. But the Royals hold the tiebreaker over Detroit based on winning the season series 7-6.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have stumbled down the stretch with an 8-14 record in September and need help to get in the postseason field. Minnesota holds tiebreakers over the Royals and Tigers, but the most victories they can have this season is 86.
If the Royals and Tigers get to 87 wins, the Twins will be eliminated. And that’s based on Minnesota winning the rest of its regular-season games. Any loss by the Twins this week will be a huge boost for the Royals.
The Twins’ chances of earning a postseason spot are down to 27.5%, FanGraphs says.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners can only get to 85 victories. Because the Royals hold a tiebreaker over Seattle, they only need to win twice to ensure they would get in the playoff field over the Mariners. FanGraphs gives Seattle just a 2.9% chance of making the postseason.
Boston Red Sox
While the Red Sox hold a tiebreaker over the Royals, Boston would need to win out and have the Royals lose four of their last five games to jump KC. The Red Sox, who own a tiebreaker over the Royals, have an 80-78 record.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 9:07 AM.
