Tigers on the Verge of Playoffs: Magic Number Reduced to 3 | playoffs

(*3*)DETROIT — All 4 groups in the hunt for an American League wild-card spot gained their video games on Wednesday.

For some, that meant staying alive. For the Detroit Tigers, it meant one other step towards their first playoff berth since 2014.

After beating the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, the Tigers’ magic quantity is now three. That means any mixture of Detroit wins and Minnesota Twins’ losses including up to three will put the Tigers in the postseason.

Here’s what wants to occur. If the Tigers go:

4-0: They’re in
3-1: They’re in
2-2: Twins should go 4-0 to overtake them
1-3: Twins should go 3-1
0-4: Twins should go 2-2

The earliest doable clinch date for the Tigers is Friday night time.

WILD CARD STANDINGS

(Full standings available here)

The Seattle Mariners (82-77) are nonetheless alive however their margin for error is slim: They should go 3-0; the Tigers or the Kansas City Royals should go 0-4; and the Twins should go 2-2 or worse.

The Red Sox (80-79) and Rays (78-80) have been formally eradicated on Wednesday, in order that they’ve misplaced their place in our charts.

CURRENT PLAYOFF ODDS (wild-card contenders)

The Orioles (88-70) have clinched a playoff berth and can clinch a No. 1 wild-card seed with a win or Tigers’ loss.

The solely situation through which the Tigers may overtake the Orioles, seize the No. 1 wild card and host a Wild Card Series can be by going 4-0 whereas the Orioles go 0-4.

The Orioles may win the AL East by going 4-0 whereas the Yankees end 0-4.

Both eventualities are unlikely. It’s way more probably that the first spherical of the playoffs goes by way of Baltimore.

If the playoffs began as we speak, the AL matchups would appear to be this.

• Byes: No. 1 division winner New York Yankees and No. 2 division winner Cleveland Guardians.
• Tigers (third wild card) at Astros (No. 3 division winner)
• Royals (second wild card) at Orioles (first wild card)

Would the Astros or Orioles be a extra favorable matchup for the Tigers in the Wild Card Series? That’s not fully clear. But if the Tigers soar the Royals in the standings, they’d be despatched to Baltimore as an alternative of Houston.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

The Tigers most likely have the best remaining video games of the season; the Orioles might need the hardest.

Orioles: at New York Yankees (1 recreation), at Minnesota (3 video games)

Royals: at Washington (1 recreation), at Atlanta (3 video games)

Tigers: Tampa Bay (1 recreation), Chicago White Sox (3 video games)

Twins: Miami (1 recreation), Baltimore (3 video games)

Mariners: at Oakland (3 video games)

TIEBREAKERS

There are 11 potential tiebreaker eventualities involving the 4 groups vying for a spot: the Tigers, Twins, Royals and Mariners. However, the possibilities of the extra advanced tiebreakers occurring are distant.

The Twins have gained the season collection towards all three different groups, however that head-to-head benefit might now not be sufficient to save them.

Two-team tiebreaker:

Twins over Royals

Royals over Tigers

Twins over Tigers

Twins over Mariners

Tigers over Mariners

Royals over Mariners

The Royals and Mariners tied the season collection, however the Royals would win the two-team tiebreaker on the power of their intradivisional file.

However, the undeniable fact that the Royals and Mariners tied their season collection would impression the three- and four-team ties, doubtlessly benefiting the Tigers.

Three-team tiebreaker:

Twins, Royals, Tigers

Twins, Royals, Mariners

Tigers, Royals, Mariners

Twins, Tigers, Mariners

Four-team tiebreaker:

Twins, Tigers, Royals, Mariners