Red Sox fans will have been singing this for quite a while now. 8.5 games ahead of Tampa on September 1st. 6-19 since then, including a 3-0 series loss at Tampa and a 2-1 series loss at Fenway Park to Tampa, is really not good enough. Now with just 2 regular season games left, against Baltimore away, they have to make them count. Surely against the team with the 4th worst record in the whole league (68-92), and the 2nd worst home record in the AL (38-41), Boston can do the business. Last night seemed to suggest they cannot.
A 6-3 loss summed up BoSox's September really. It was a nervy start, but they did settle down. Even so, it was slowly going downhill for Boston, but they were holding on. Just. Until the 6th innings. Baltimore had 1 out left, when Andino went for it. It looked for all the world like Ellsbury had made the catch, but as he caught the ball he flew straight into the wall and it jumped out. This gave Andino and inside-the-park 3-run homer and gave Orioles the game.
Tampa meanwhile, have gone 15-10 in September and done extraordinarily well to claw back the 8.5 game deficit to be level with 2 games left. Now they face their 2nd biggest challenge of the season; to beat New York Yankees and win the AL Wild Card slot. Even at home where they have a solid record (45-34), Tampa may struggle. Yankees have the best away record (45-34) in the American League, and the 2nd best overall. But once again, last night was key.
The Rays went down 2-0 early on in the game, but they showed why they're joint-leaders on the Wild Card race as they rallied back to take the game 5-2. In the bottom of the 3rd, Upton doubled to bring Brignac and Jennings through to tie the game, and then Damon secured his 2,721st career hit (which lifted him above Lou Gehrig to 57th in the list of All-Time Career Hits) hit to bring Upton in for the lead. Another run in the 4th and another in the 7th gave Tampa victory, and the joint-lead in the Wild Card standings.
As for what I think will happen. Sox will win tonight and lose tomorrow, whereas Tampa will lose tonight and win tomorrow. If this happens, or another scenario of the like, a playoff game will take place at the home of Tampa, Tropicana Field, on Thursday. In that game, anything could happen. I reckon Sox will win if it gets to that stage, but it'll be close.
As for the National League, 2 teams also remain. Atlanta Braves are 1 game up on Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals. Braves face Phillies at home, who have the best league-wide record (100-60), whilst Cards face Houston away, who have the worst league-wide record (56-104). Cards had the chance to go level at the top last night when Atlanta lost 4-2, but they also lost, their score being 5-4, with the killer blow coming in the 10th innnings.
I'm going to opt for Cardinals winning their remaining games, and Braves winning 1. Ordinarily I would say that Cards would win it outright, but Phillies have been struggling recently, so I think they will only win 1. If there was to be a playoff game, as my prediction suggests, it will be held at the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium.
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