#Phillies magic number 2021 series

#Phillies magic number 2021 series

Oakland lost its first game with the Royals in June but then beat them three times in a row to grab a 3-1 season series lead. They play the Giants, who beat them Saturday and have the best record in baseball, today, then have three games remaining with each of two division leaders-the White Sox and Astros-and four with the Yankees, a whopping nine against division and Wild Card rival Seattle, and three with surprising Detroit.Ĭompetition that stiff renders the A’s three game, mid-September series in Kansas City vital. But the A’s have 37 games left, and it won’t be a cakewalk. If the season had ended Saturday, Oakland would be one of the AL’s two Wild Card teams and playing postseason ball for the fourth straight year. The Athletics need to win their three games with the KC Royals next month.

The Mariners must do at least that well against KC this season: their margin for error is thin. The Royals travel to Seattle for four games, the M’s to Kansas City for three.īecause the teams aren’t in the same division, they didn’t play under last season’s unique schedule and haven’t seen each other since 2019. The Mariners haven’t played Kansas City yet, which means the two clubs have their entire 2021 slate yet to play. That they’re behind Houston and Oakland in the AL West means the M’s will most likely have to land a Wild Card berth, and their chances of doing so aren’t bad-entering today’s play, Seattle is only four games behind in that race. Some might scoff at the notion of Seattle playing October baseball, but the Mariners aren’t out of the race. The Mariners can’t be too careful in their seven games with the KC Royals. Even splitting 10 games or going 4-6 against the Royals could harm Cleveland’s playoff plans KC is simply a team the Indians have to beat. And because the 2021 Indians are a wobbly team with losing July and August records, and are without long-time manager Terry Francona (health) for the rest of the season, they’re vulnerable. So, why might Kansas City, a team Cleveland has beaten eight times out of nine this season, pose a problem?īecause the Indians have to face the Royals 10 more times-they host KC for four games, and play six more at Kauffman Stadium. But they’re just 8.5 games back in the Wild Card, a manageable deficit given the 41 games remaining on their schedule. Heading into their game with the Angels tonight, the Indians are a disappointing 60-61 and 10.5 games behind Chicago in the AL Central. Who are those clubs, and how might Kansas City hurt them? The KC Royals may pose their biggest threat to Cleveland as 2021 winds down.

They may turn out to be a team serious and marginal contenders mustn’t overlook. Who might the spoilers be? Five teams are, per mlb.com’s Brian Murphy, worth keeping an eye on-the Angels, Twins, and Tigers in the American League, and the Rockies and Diamondbacks in the National.īut don’t count out the KC Royals. Perhaps even this year, with only one divisional race, the American League Central where the White Sox hold a 10.5 game lead, all but decided, and six National League and five American League teams within eight games of Wild Card spots entering today’s play.