5 teams whose playoff destiny lies in their own hands

For most groups, playoff races contain plenty of scoreboard-watching. This has been very true because the implementation of the second and third Wild Cards, which, along with injecting much more chaos into the ultimate weeks of every season, have tended to encourage some uncommon allegiances — as a result of if the Red Sox want the Yankees to win to choose up a recreation within the standings, often, the town of Boston will make an exception.

But a number of groups on the postseason bubble — the Red Sox amongst them — will not be relying too closely on issues they can not management in 2023. Those groups will, in impact, management their very own destinies by advantage of their schedules. Here are 5 golf equipment who will see plenty of their direct competitors down the stretch and the way which may influence their Deadline plans.

*Records as of the tip of play July 24; video games again mirror league Wild Card standings.

Red Sox, 53-47, 2.5 GB
25 video games (7 vs. BAL, 7 vs. HOU, 5 vs. TB, 6 vs. TOR)
For months now, it is appeared just like the AL East may ship 4 groups to the postseason, however up till just lately, the Red Sox have been the apparent odd man out. But their 12-5 report in July has them trying extra like potential patrons, particularly because the Yankees look much less and fewer like respectable contenders.

Because their biggest challengers are inside their very own division, whether or not the Red Sox contend by way of September goes to be virtually totally as much as them. They’ve fared particularly properly towards the Blue Jays (7-0), who hover simply two video games above them. They’ll additionally see the Yankees, with whom they have been tied as of Tuesday, one other seven instances, having gone 5-1 towards them of their first six conferences of 2023. Simplifying issues, for Boston — it is much less a matter of what they will add and extra what they might not subtract — primarily Adam Duvall (.257/.320/.515, 119 OPS+) and James Paxton (3.46 ERA, 1.00 WHIP).

Mariners, 50-50, 5.5 GB
19 video games (3 vs. BAL, 3 vs. BOS, 6 vs. HOU, 3 vs. LAA, 4 vs. TB)
Like the Red Sox, the Mariners are chasing a number of division rivals and may have an opportunity to straight knock not less than one — of their case, the Angels, who nonetheless have not dominated out a attainable earth-shattering Shohei Ohtani commerce — filter out of the race. Furthering the case for them to stay issues out is the way in which their 2022 season unfolded. Last 12 months, the Mariners performed .500 ball by way of early July. We’re previous that time in 2023, nevertheless it’s not unthinkable that with one other key addition — this time to their anemic offense, seemingly within the type of a center infielder or a nook outfielder within the wake of Jarred Kelenic’s harm — they might mount one other comeback within the second half.

Guardians, 49-51, 6.5 GB
24 video games (4 vs. BAL, 3 vs. HOU, 4 vs. LAA, 6 vs. TB, 7 vs. TOR)
The state of the AL Central makes Cleveland an odd match for this record. The Guardians are significantly extra more likely to win their division than they’re to be one of many AL’s three Wild Cards, and so they have six extra video games to play towards the first-place Twins. While that did not appear to be sufficient to cease them from transferring Shane Bieber, now that he is sidelined indefinitely with an elbow harm, the Guardians haven’t got a lot else in the way in which of fascinating commerce candidates. What they do have is a lineup that would actually use an influence bat, ideally one who may man middle area. No one’s saying Cody Bellinger is headed to the Guardians, however they’ve the Minor League expertise to make a transfer like that occur, assuming they’re in any respect keen to half with it.

Padres, 48-53, 6.0 GB
27 video games (7 vs. AZ, 7 vs. LAD, 3 vs. MIA, 3 vs. PHI, 7 vs. SF)
The Padres got here into the season because the favorites to win their division, so there’s an opportunity they might be extra hesitant to formally declare 2023 a bust when it comes all the way down to it, though they’re reportedly taking calls on Blake Snell and Josh Hader.

Plenty of time has been devoted to hardcore evaluation of the Padres’ inexplicably common offense, however on the finish of the day, there are a number of golf equipment with poorly constructed lineups and the Padres aren’t actually amongst them. They even have one in every of baseball’s greatest rotations (their 3.47 collective ERA ranks second in MLB), which is greater than a number of playoff-bound groups can say. Point being, they’ve sufficient to make it work, and so they’ll have extra of a chance than simply about any membership within the race, given their 21 upcoming video games towards the D-backs, Dodgers and Giants.

Mets, 46-53, 7.0 GB
20 video games (4 vs. AZ, 3 vs. CIN, 6 vs. MIA, 7 vs. PHI)
Of all of the golf equipment on this record, the Mets are the most certainly to chop their losses. Their roster skews considerably older than most. At minimal, latest rumors have Mark Canha and David Robertson on their approach out. If they go, it would not make an excessive amount of sense for them to maintain Justin Verlander. Tommy Pham may make for an interesting various to the groups that lose out on Bellinger, and there are virtually actually others the Mets will obtain calls on within the subsequent week.

All that stated, there’s an argument for reinforcing this flawed roster — or, at minimal, leaving it’s — for one last push. The groups that fare greatest in October are sometimes the most well liked, not the very best. The Mets will shut out the season with 20 straight video games towards 4 of the groups straight in entrance of them, assuming the playoff image would not change wildly between now and early September. Even higher, they’ve a mixed 13-6 report towards the D-backs, Marlins, Phillies and Reds in 2023. They’d simply should tread water till then.