Possible spoilers for play-off contending teams
This is the time of the year when teams that are closing in on the play-offs begin l*****g their chops, anticipating a trip to the post-season and eagerly awaiting easy opponents down the stretch to close out their season. There are teams that are well out of play-off contention that no one will be paying any attention to. That may make them dangerous.
Having no pressure in making the play-offs has usually helped teams perform better down the stretch. With the fate of their season already decided, teams feel relieved by the lack of pressure on them and begin to play good baseball. They start challenging the elite teams of the league and make life difficult for them heading into October.
Just because it’s getting a little more obvious as to what teams will make the post-season, doesn’t mean they can’t be given a scare by teams under their radar or worse get bounced out of the play-offs. There are certainly teams in both leagues that are capable of playing a great spoiler role.
As it stands in the American League, smart money would say that the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and the Minnesota Twins will make the play-offs. In the National League, the same can be said about the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. While there are some teams closing in on the elite eight, there are some teams out there who are out of the race but will still help or hurt teams’ chances of making the play-offs.
In the majors, there are some teams whose spirits are broken and will likely have no will to fight until the end. The Cubs, Tigers, Mets and Dodgers are teams that appear to be in no shape to challenge others down the stretch.
Some teams who can fit the billing include the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, and even the Baltimore Orioles.
The Blue Jays for starters are not completely out of the play-off race, but it would take a miracle for them to overtake the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays in the tough AL East. Their role down the stretch will likely be to spoil it for one of those three as the other two should make the play-offs. The Jays have hit the most home runs in the majors and that can create some nightmares for teams that win games due to great pitching.
The Oakland Athletics have primarily alternated from second to third in the AL West while the Rangers have sat comfortably on top. The Athletics’ pitching staff is among the best in the league. They have allowed the lowest ERA in the American League and are still capable of upsetting some teams in September.
The Baltimore Orioles have experienced a big turnaround since the hiring of Buck Showalter. They went 12-8 in their first 20 games under their new skipper, the best record of any AL team in that span. Showalter may have arrived a couple of months too late to save their season, but not too late to build for next season and crash the party for teams looking to play in October. Like the Jays, the Orioles can wreak some havoc on their division’s kingpins.
The Milwaukee Brewers had some experience playing spoilers last year. They hurt the play-off hopes of the San Francisco Giants. The Brewers will be gunning for their division’s leader, the Cincinnati Reds, come late season, and looking to avenge what the Reds did to them last year, as Cincinnati swept the Brewers in September damaging their play-off hopes.
It will be intriguing to see who can step up to the plate (no pun intended) and give play-off-bound teams a scare as we head into fall. Teams sitting on top can’t get too comfortable as they may face their toughest and most unexpected test in the coming month.
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