Three MLB teams whose remaining schedules could help them in the playoff hunt and three whose could hurt — SkimNews
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- White Sox open a critical three-game series at Cleveland holding a half-game AL Central lead and a 6-4 season-series edge; one more head-to-head win secures the tiebreaker that could mean an ALDS bye instead of a road Wild Card Series.
- Seattle Mariners went 2-5 against the A's in their last seven games, including two walk-off losses while leading by a run, dropping them five games behind the Astros; 10 of their final 12 games now come against the Angels and Rockies.
- Toronto Blue Jays sit one game behind Cleveland for the third wild card and hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians but not the White Sox, so they're actively rooting for a Chicago sweep in Cleveland this week.
- Boston Red Sox are six games up on the Guardians for the third wild-card spot but face series remaining against the Rangers, Guardians, Rays, and Cubs — every opponent still playing for something.
- New York Yankees trail the Rays by four games with four head-to-head matchups left Sept. 22-24 (including a doubleheader), and their gauntlet runs through Minnesota, Arizona (a desperate D-backs squad), and that four-games-in-three-days Rays showdown.
- Philadelphia Phillies are just four games up on a postseason berth and face a red-hot Mets team (22-14 since the trade deadline) for four games at Citi Field, then Brewers and Rays series that could determine whether a likely Cubs wild-card matchup is played in Philadelphia.
Why it matters: The White Sox can clinch the AL Central with one Cleveland win, while the Yankees essentially need a Rays sweep to grab the AL East. Every remaining series affects wild-card seeding, home-field advantage, and which teams draw each other in October — the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Phillies all sit within striking distance of changing their October fates.
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