AL Wild Card Race Strength of Schedule

The New York Yankees don’t really have a shot at making the postseason this season, I said as much in my game preview earlier today, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop rooting for them. I’m going to go down swinging until the very last game and I hope that the team does the same so with that in mind I wanted to look at something that isn’t really (and shouldn’t really be) looked at in Major League Baseball. Strength of schedule. The Yankees have played 126 games this season as have many teams in the hunt and over the next 36 games they have a lot to prove. A lot of “making” or breaking is about to go down ladies and gents so let’s examine the schedules for the teams still left in the field.

Boston Red Sox: 71-55 record (tied for 1^st place in AL East Division with Toronto)

3 vs. Kansas City Royals

6 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

3 vs. Oakland Athletics

3 vs. San Diego Padres

6 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

7 vs. Baltimore Orioles

7 vs. New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays: 71-55 record (tied for 1^st place in AL East Division with Boston)

3 vs. Minnesota Twins

6 vs. Baltimore Orioles

6 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

7 vs. New York Yankees

6 vs. Boston Red Sox

4 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

3 vs. Seattle Mariners

Baltimore Orioles: 70-56 (leads 2^nd Wild Card by 3 games over Detroit)

3 vs. Detroit Tigers

9 vs. New York Yankees

6 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

7 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

3 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

7 vs. Boston Red Sox

Detroit Tigers: 67-59

3 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

6 vs. Chicago White Sox

6 vs. Kansas City Royals

3 vs. Baltimore Orioles

7 vs. Minnesota Twins

7 vs. Cleveland Indians

3 vs. Atlanta Braves

Seattle Mariners: 67-59

3 vs. Chicago White Sox

7 vs. Texas Rangers

6 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

6 vs. Oakland Athletics

6 vs. Houston Astros

3 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

3 vs. Minnesota Twins

Houston Astros: 66-61

3 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

6 vs. Oakland Athletics

6 vs. Texas Rangers

4 vs. Cleveland Indians

3 vs. Chicago Cubs

6 vs. Seattle Mariners

7 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Kansas City Royals: 65-61

3 vs. Boston Red Sox

3 vs. New York Yankees

3 vs. Detroit Tigers

6 vs. Minnesota Twins

7 vs. Chicago White Sox

4 vs. Oakland Athletics

6 vs. Cleveland Indians

3 vs. Detroit Tigers

New York Yankees: 65-61

9 vs. Baltimore Orioles

3 vs. Kansas City Royals

7 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

3 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

3 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

7 vs. Boston Red Sox

As you can see it won’t be easy for the Yankees, or any team that doesn’t control their own destiny at this point. Judging by these schedules, and of course with as much parity as there is in Major League Baseball that and a buck will get you a Coke these days, the Seattle Mariners may have the easiest road to the postseason while the hardest road may go through the Bronx. The toughest schedule with the most ground to make up and the most teams in front of them. It’s not looking good Yankees family, it’s not looking good at all.

*all standings are at the time of this writing and subject to change

** bolded teams in schedules are under .500