Wild Card Contenders remaining schedules

[O's84]

On 9/5/2022 at 12:22 AM, getfoul said:

I’m a White Sox fan. We suck and have had a shit season. The AL Central is an absolute joke and you guys deserve the 6-seed, and the winner of this atrocity of a division certainly doesn’t deserve the 3-seed. Next year, divisions should not exist. Stack the 15 teams. Top 6 make the postseason. Period. 

Way back when there were no divisions, it was just the top AL team would face the top NL team in the World Series.  In your situation, just eliminate the divisions and the top 6 teams from each League would make the playoffs.  I like it, alas I don't think it's going to change, at least not a time soon.  Until then, were just going to have weak division winners go over better teams in a tougher division sometimes.

Thanks you though for the shout out.  I hope your White Sox turn it around next year.

Edited September 8, 2022 by O's84

[Sports Guy]

The Rays have a really tough closing schedule.

 

[sportsfan8703]

25 games left. We probably have to go 18-7 to get in. Maybe 16-9. This was a tough series. Toronto is just a better team than us. They have more top end SP, and a better lineup 1-9. Those two things really take the bullpen out of the game. 

[ScGO's]

I know Lyles getting sick was the main catalyst in this weeks pitching woes, but I really don't like how the pitching was managed overall during that 4 game series.

[DrungoHazewood]

On 9/5/2022 at 12:22 AM, getfoul said:

I’m a White Sox fan. We suck and have had a shit season. The AL Central is an absolute joke and you guys deserve the 6-seed, and the winner of this atrocity of a division certainly doesn’t deserve the 3-seed. Next year, divisions should not exist. Stack the 15 teams. Top 6 make the postseason. Period. 

I would love setup like that, and really hype up winning the league.  Separate the idea of the regular season League Championship from the post-season playoff tournament.  Make the pennant a big deal, cash money prizes, and you get it for winning the league, not the ALCS or NLCS.

[Sports Guy]

Yea I’m all about no divisions too.  Be great to get rid of inter league play to go with that.

[clapdiddy]

It seems that divisions only make sense if you are playing the teams in your division more often.   With a "balanced" schedule, the "no divisions" idea makes a lot more sense.

[DrungoHazewood]

35 minutes ago, clapdiddy said:

It seems that divisions only make sense if you are playing the teams in your division more often.   With a "balanced" schedule, the "no divisions" idea makes a lot more sense.

When they were expanding and discussing how to handle larger leagues in the 1960s someone (Joe Cronin?) had a famous quote  like "nobody will root for a 14th place team" and it stuck.  I don't think it's based on anything.  Give fans something meaningful to root for and they'll will show up no matter where they are in the standings.

But whether you have one division or six you still have the problem of one overarching goal of winning the World Series, but half or more of the teams have almost no realistic chance of that by May.  There needs to be something else for non-contenders to fight for like a secondary cup competition, a NIT-style tournament for the top draft pick, something.  People will push back, they'll say bad teams have always had nothing to play for except pride.  Well, it's not 1935 anymore and nobody cared about the 60, 70-win teams then either. That's not a feature, it's a bug.

[GoldGlove21]

21 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

When they were expanding and discussing how to handle larger leagues in the 1960s someone (Joe Cronin?) had a famous quote  like "nobody will root for a 14th place team" and it stuck.  I don't think it's based on anything.  Give fans something meaningful to root for and they'll will show up no matter where they are in the standings.

But whether you have one division or six you still have the problem of one overarching goal of winning the World Series, but half or more of the teams have almost no realistic chance of that by May.  There needs to be something else for non-contenders to fight for like a secondary cup competition, a NIT-style tournament for the top draft pick, something.  People will push back, they'll say bad teams have always had nothing to play for except pride.  Well, it's not 1935 anymore and nobody cared about the 60, 70-win teams then either. That's not a feature, it's a bug.

Why not do what every other major sport seems to do and just increase the number of playoff spots? Give the 2-4 best teams a first round bye or something. Let say MLB lets the top 16 teams in with 4 getting first round byes. If you can't finish in the top 16 you do not have any business being in the playoffs.  

[DrungoHazewood]

31 minutes ago, GoldGlove21 said:

Why not do what every other major sport seems to do and just increase the number of playoff spots? Give the 2-4 best teams a first round bye or something. Let say MLB lets the top 16 teams in with 4 getting first round byes. If you can't finish in the top 16 you do not have any business being in the playoffs.  

That's really what they've been doing for a while, but I think it's reached the point of being kind of silly and you still have almost half the league giving up by the All Star break.  You have a 162-game seeding tournament followed by a month of short series that are often decided by randomness.  The regular season doesn't really mean anything, and the playoffs are designed so that even a epic, dynastic .700 team has far less than a 50/50 shot at the championship.  It's the worst of both worlds, except that there are a lot of revenue-generating opportunities.

Having seen how soccer around the world works I'd rather have a shorter regular season with a meaningful pennant race and multiple tournaments and competitions that give you several chances at a trophy.

At the very least I'd like to see:

1) Regular season with league pennants and $bonuses as the big trophy
2) World Series playoff tournament
3) Meaningful World Baseball Classic every X years
4) World Club Competition (i.e. MLB vs NPB vs Korea vs Taiwan vs Everyone else) every Y years
5) Draft pick tournament annually between everyone who doesn't qualify for #2

[eddie83]

 

Real bad week. Frustrating series vs BOS to say the least. TOR lost today to TEX but BAL fails to gain ground. CLE sweeps MINN. 
 

Goes without saying it looks to be over. BAL has to go 9-13 to clinch a winning season. BAL needs to gain 6 games in loss column with 22 games left to win WC. 

NYY now up 5.5 over TB, 4 in the loss column. CLE is up 2.5 over CWS and 4.5 over MINN. CLE who is 73-65 has clinched season series over MINN, up 9-6 over CWS. At this point looks to be playoff seeding battle. 
 

 

ALWC                      W          L         GB             GR

-  TAMPA BAY         78         60      +0.5            24

- SEATTLE               79        61       +0.5            22 

- TORONT0             78        61          ——          23

———————————————————

BALTIMORE               73       67            5.5         22

CWS                           72       69            7.0       21

MINN                          69        70           9.0       23 

BOSTON                    69         72          10.0      21

———————————————————

SCHEDULES

BALTIMORE
 

@WSH  2 @TOR 3    

DET  3      HOU  4

@BOS 4   @NYY  3      TOR  3

 

All other WC contenders 

 

——————————————————-

AL East 

TOR
 

  TB 5    BAL 3        

@PHI   2     @TB   4      

NYY   3      BOS  3        @BAL 3

- - - - - - - - - - -

TB

 

@TOR 5      TEX  3     
 

HOU  3     TOR 4     

@CLE 3     @HOU  3       @BOS  3

- - - - - - - - - - - -

BOS 

NYY  2  KC  3  

@CIN  2    @NYY  4

BAL 4   @TOR  3       @TB  3

 

———————————————————AL Central    Note: 1/3 will win division
 

CLE   

LAA  3  CWS  1   MINN 5  

 @CWS  3    @TEX  3

TB  3    KC   6    

- - - - - - - - - - - 

MINN

KC  3     @CLE  5    

@KC  3     LAA   3  

CWS   3    @DET   3       @CWS   3

 

- - - - - - - -  - - - - - 
CWS 

COL  2   @CLE  1   @DET  3  

CLE   3    DET  3

@MINN  3   @SDP  3      MINN  3

 

———————————————————

AL West

SEA

 SD  2   @LAA  4    

@OAK  3    @KCR  3

TEX  3   OAK  3        DET  4

 

[rm5678]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:08 AM, Sports Guy said:

The Rays have a really tough closing schedule.

 

And the Mariners have a really easy schedule.

[eddie83]

This is truly the last stand week for the Orioles. I’m not implying I think they are going to go on a run but the schedule provides an opportunity. Play WAS twice while TB-TOR play 5 games and then 3 in TOR. 
 

Optimistic but also some level of real possibility is to win both vs WAS while TB wins 3 in TOR and then BAL takes 2/3 in TOR. To be clear I’m not predicting any of this will happen. If it did they would gain 4 games in the loss column.  
 

I just hope they go down fighting and not limping to the finish line like they looked this weekend.  

[Going Underground]

6 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

This is truly the last stand week for the Orioles. I’m not implying I think they are going to go on a run but the schedule provides an opportunity. Play WAS twice while TB-TOR play 5 games and then 3 in TOR. 
 

Optimistic but also some level of real possibility is to win both vs WAS while TB wins 3 in TOR and then BAL takes 2/3 in TOR. To be clear I’m not predicting any of this will happen. If it did they would gain 4 games in the loss column.  
 

I just hope they go down fighting and not limping to the finish line like they looked this weekend.  

Better if Toronto or Tampa Bay sweep and the Orioles sweep the Nationals. 5 game pickup in the loss column.Probably wont hapoen but should have a pretty good idea where the Orioles stand by Friday.

[eddie83]

5 minutes ago, Going Underground said:

Better if Toronto or Tampa Bay sweep and the Orioles sweep the Nationals. 5 game pickup in the loss column.Probably wont hapoen but should have a pretty good idea where the Orioles stand by Friday.

Sure.  I was just trying to have some semblance of a more likely scenario. 

 

No doubt about that. I have been saying for weeks this stretch was huge. Had they just won yesterday would have been in a little better spot. Have to see where they stand on Friday. 
 

Nats have been playing well lately. Very competitive. Orioles continue not to hit they could be swept. 
 

Just win both of these games and see where you stand.