>>> The playoff hopes for multiple teams were damaged when Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick hit home runs in the eighth inning for the Oakland Athletics, clinching their 5-2 over the Mariners. Oakland's key win puts them in a great situation. One more win (or losses by the Angels and Rays) gets the A's the wild card. And should they sweep the Rangers in their season-ending three-game set in Oakland? They would snatch the AL West title from Texas at the last possible moment.
>>> The Los Angeles Angels won Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers thanks to a clutch two-run double by Torii Hunter against Joe Nathan in the ninth inning. But they really needed to sweep the day and couldn't, losing 8-7 in the second game. The Angels need a miracle--specifically, they need to sweep the Mariners while the Rangers sweep the Athletics. One more A's win or Angels loss eliminates LA from the postseason. The Rangers, meanwhile, clinched a postseason berth with the win. One victory against the A's in their upcoming series gives them the AL West title.
>>> The Tampa Bay Rays are in the exact same boat as the Angels. Even though they won on Sunday, any A's win or Rays loss will eliminate Tampa from the postseason. The Rays and Angels will be the biggest fans of the Texas Rangers the next few days.
>>> Another team on the brink of elimination: the Chicago White Sox. Their 6-2 loss to the Rays, coupled with the Detroit Tigers' 2-1 win over the Twins, drops them to three games back in the AL Central with three to play. One more Detroit win or Chicago loss eliminates the Sox.
>>> The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles remain tied atop the AL East standings when both teams won on Sunday. Both also clinched playoff spots thanks to the Angels losing in Texas. Now the AL East comes down to the next three games: the Yankees at home against Boston, the Orioles in Tampa against the Rays. The loser is subject to a one-game playoff against (likely) the A's; the winner goes straight to the Division Series and might even get home-field advantage, depending on what the Rangers do in Oakland. If the Yankees and Orioles are tied after 162 games, a one-game playoff in Baltimore will determine the AL East winner.
>>> We're finally down to two teams vying for the final playoff spot in the NL, thanks to a loss by the now-eliminated Milwaukee Brewers to the Astros. The Los Angeles Dodgers are finally on a winning streak (they pounded the Rockies 7-1), but it might be too little, too late. The St. Louis Cardinals won too, keeping their lead at two games. The Dodgers have to sweep the Giants and hope the Reds beat the Cards at least twice.
>>> Another win by the Atlanta Braves and loss by the Washington Nationals prevents Washington from clinching the NL East for at least another day. If the Braves win out and the Nationals lose out, there will be a tie for the division. Any other result, and the Braves are starting Kris Medlen in a do-or-die one-game playoff. The Nats are also fighting for home field advantage--they're currently tied with the Cincinnati Reds. A lot is still at stake with three games to go.
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