25 Biggest Questions in MLB's Final Month
From sorting out the Matt Harvey drama in New York to wondering if the Texas Rangers can complete their season turnaround, many questions remain to be answered in the MLB's final month.
For many teams, uncertainty looms as they get ready for the postseason—whether they actually make the playoffs, what their roster will look like come October and who needs to player better by then.
And for those teams already out of contention, burning questions center on what this final month means in regard to their offseason plans.
Our rankings depend on which issues are the most immediate and necessary to be addressed while also taking into account the questions surrounding relevant, contending clubs.
We'll sort it all out and try to bring some clarity to the biggest questions yet to be answered with the end of the MLB season nearing.
25. Sleepless in Seattle
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Can the Mariners figure out their problems before 2016?
After Seattle parted ways with general manager Jack Zduriencik on Aug. 28, the search has been on to find his replacement. Team president Kevin Mather expressed his desire early on in getting a new GM on board by October, according to Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle.
Well, it seems the search has amped up in recent days.
"Jerry Dipoto is expected to be the first candidate outside the Seattle organization to interview this week for the #Mariners GM position.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 8, 2015"
"Sources: #Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler will interview with both #Mariners and #Angels. Permission requested and granted in both cases.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 9, 2015"
The Mariners have the talent and resources to contend in 2016—as they were expected to do this season—and the right GM could be the missing piece. They have Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Felix Hernandez and Nelson Cruz all signed through 2018 or later and promising prospects in Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker.
A few additions, whether through trade or free agency, could push a club with that core into the postseason next year. We'll see what the next GM does, but the first step for Seattle is finding one.
24. Padres Fire Sale
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Who will be gone from San Diego over the winter?
The Padres were supposed to trade way all their stars in July—but that never happened. Then they made just one deal during the August waiver period.
With a losing record and 14 games out of the second wild-card spot, San Diego is limping to the finish line with all its big-name assets still on the roster, including Matt Kemp, James Shields, Craig Kimbrel and Tyson Ross.
General manager A.J. Preller missed out on dealing Justin Upton—he'll be a free agent after this season—but there are plenty of moves to make over the winter. The question remains: Will Preller actually trade anyone?
This month will be nice little showcase for any player in a Padres uniform who might be gone in 2016.
23. Battle for First...in the Draft
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Who will get the first pick in the 2016 draft?
Two years ago the Atlanta Braves finished first in the NL East, and two years before that the Philadelphia Phillies had the majors' best record. In 2015, the franchises are in an intense battle to finish as the league's worst team.
The prize? The first overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. It may seem like small cookies, but there's a quantifiable difference between choosing first and second in any major draft.
As of this writing, the Phillies are "winning." At 54-88, they have the worst record in the entire MLB. Not far behind them—two games to be exact—are the Braves with a 56-86 record.
The epitome of each team's season comes in the form of an Atlanta win over Philadelphia on Sept. 7 in front of just 15,125 fans—the smallest crowd in Citizens Bank Park history. It gets better. The victory snapped the Braves' 12-game losing streak, which is the franchise's longest since 1988.
The Sixers aren't the only team in Philly that is tanking.
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22. NL Central Dominance
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Are the majors' three best teams all in the NL Central?
As of Sept. 10, five major league teams had at least 80 wins on the year, and three of them hail from the NL Central—the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
It's really a shame that we'll see only two of those clubs in a postseason series, as the other will be the unlucky loser in a one-game playoff. As it stands, the Pirates and Cubs sit comfortably ahead in the NL wild-card race, while the Cardinals own first place in the division.
If you put either the Cubs or Pirates in any other division besides the AL Central, it would claim the top spot right now—that's how good these teams are. And with the Kansas City Royals' recent struggles in September, it's possible the top three teams in the entire league will hail from the same division.
This month, the Pirates, Cubs and Cardinals play one another in four different series. We should get some clarity as to who's for real come October—and if the league's best records all come from the NL Central.
21. Starting SS in L.A.
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Who should start at shortstop for L.A.: Corey Seager or Jimmy Rollins?
As the Dodgers prepare for the postseason—they currently sit 8.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West—they must figure out who will start at the 6 down the stretch.
Jimmy Rollins, 36, has been the Dodgers' starting shortstop all season long until he was recently sidelined with a jammed knuckle. Despite hitting just .220 on the season, he has been the guy in Los Angeles while the top prospect at the position, Corey Seager, lit it up in the minors.
September call-ups and Rollins' injury have allowed the Dodgers to give Seager a look at short for the past week or so. The 21-year-old has nine hits, including four doubles, in 25 at-bats so far and is playing exceptional defense in his elder's stead.
It's likely the Dodgers will roll with Rollins once he's healthy. The veteran did win a World Series with the Phillies in 2008 and has invaluable postseason experience. Nevertheless, a recent Twitter search of Seager's name shows you how the national media feel about L.A.'s prized prospect.
"pretty sure corey seager is here to stay. as advertised. #dodgers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) September 8, 2015"
"Corey Seager has played in all five #Dodgers games (four starts) since he was called up. Hard to sit him down now, right?
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 8, 2015"
"Corey Seager should have been up a month ago, but whatever. It is ok. The Giants imploded.
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) September 9, 2015"
20. The Future in Philly
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What other changes will Andy MacPhail make in Philadelphia?
Ever since Andy MacPhail came to Philly on June 29, change has been in the air. Manager Ryne Sandberg's resignation preceded the eventual team president's arrival just two days earlier. Then, the team traded away Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and Chase Utley during a busy July and August. Finally, on Thursday, it parted ways with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
The moves beg the question: What's next?
The Phillies plan on finding a new GM immediately, someone handpicked by MacPhail. As for other changes, that remains to be seen. MacPhail did say in a press conference Thursday that the rest of the team's baseball operations staff, outside of Amaro, will return in 2016, per CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury.
Once MacPhail gets a new GM in place, the tandem will have to make a decision at manager. In the interim, Pete Mackanin has done a credible job—considering the low-level of talent he has to work with—and even led the Phillies to the best record (15-5) since the All-Star break at one point.
This next month should give us some clarity as to the future of a franchise that is desperate to return to prominence.
19. Chicago's Ace Dilemma
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Who would pitch in a one-game playoff for the Cubs?
The Cubs have two pitchers who could be an ace on most major league pitching staffs right now. It's not a bad problem to have—except when it comes to deciding who to throw out there in a one-game Wild Card playoff with your season on the line.
Do you go with the guy who's won two World Series titles and owns a 2.57 ERA in 84 career postseason innings? Or do you hand the ball to someone who hasn't thrown a pitch in the playoffs yet sports a 2.03 ERA on the season and has tossed 15 consecutive quality starts?
It seems Chicago is preparing to start Jake Arrieta if it reaches the National League play-in game—the team is nine games ahead of the Giants for the second wild-card spot. "(Arrieta) would be able to pitch in the wild-card game," manager Joe Maddon said recently, via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Gonzales reports that the Cubs adjusted Arrieta's schedule two-and-a-half weeks ago to line him up for the probable Oct. 7 start.
"He's the best pitcher on this team right now," Jon Lester said of Arrieta, via ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers. "He's probably the best pitcher in the league right now."
Keep in mind that Lester got lit up in last year's American League play-in game as a member of the Athletics—he allowed six runs over 7.1 innings in the loss.
18. Royal Threat
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What are the Royals' chances of repeating as American League champs?
Kansas City may have been the American League's first 80-game winner, but are the Royals the AL's best team? That's the big question as October baseball nears.
If the season had ended on Sept. 10, the four other playoff-eligible teams in the league—the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers—all would enter the postseason with a winning record against the Royals in 2015. Together, they have a combined 16-10 advantage over last year's AL champs.
All season long, the Royals have been the favorite to reach a second straight Fall Classic. In this final month, though, we could see the gap—if there is one at all—get smaller and smaller. Kansas City has just a 3-6 record in September so far and recently lost five of six to the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins.
17. Chris Sale's Historic Season
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Where will Chris Sale's season rank among the best ever?
Chris Sale has been the one bright spot on a team that is three games under .500. The southpaw somehow improved his Cy Young-caliber numbers from a year ago and has set some strikeout marks we haven't seen from an MLB pitcher for a while.
The White Sox ace had a streak earlier this season where he struck out at least 10 hitters in eight straight games—tying Pedro Martinez's MLB record from 1999. What's even more impressive is that only four pitchers have had such a streak last at least five games, per Baseball Reference's Play Index—Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Martinez are the others. That's some rare company.
During that streak, Sale blanked at least 12 hitters while allowing no more than one run in three consecutive starts, which is just the second time any pitcher has done that since 1900—Sandy Koufax also did it in 1965.
ESPN's Buster Olney points out another mark Sale set during his historic run:
"FROM ELIAS: Chris Sale is the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2002 to induce at least 20 swings and misses in four straight starts.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) June 9, 2015"
16. Mortality in St. Louis
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What's going on with the Cardinals lately?
After going 19-9 in August, the Cardinals are just 3-6 since. The team with the majors' best record isn't looking the part lately. Four of their six losses this month came at the hands of division opponents—two each by the Pirates and Cubs.
When you consider St. Louis has to play its NL Central rivals one more series each before the postseason, its division lead isn't looking too comfortable right now. The Pirates sit 4.5 games back of the Cardinals, and the Cubs are seven back.
What's even more worrisome is the team's normally dominant pitching staff. Cardinals starting pitchers had a combined ERA under 3.00 all season long before entering this final month.
In the eight starts since the beginning of September, the rotation has a 6.64 ERA during the stretch while allowing 29 runs to score in just 39.1 innings. Yikes!
15. Miami's Leadership Issues
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What will the Miami Marlins do with Dan Jennings?
Dan Jennings, Miami's former general manager, took over as the team's acting manager on May 18 when he replaced Mike Redmond. Since then, the Marlins are 43-59, albeit mostly without their two biggest stars in Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Jennings is aware he won't return as the Marlins manager in 2016. Instead, the team is hoping to retain him in his old general manager role. Jackson is quick to point out, though, that Jennings has been rumored as a possible candidate for the Seattle Mariners GM job.
However, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that Jennings is a "long shot" to join the Mariners and thus will probably end up back in the Marlins' front office—in what capacity is the question.
The dynamics of the front office have changed significantly since Jennings became manager, according to Rosenthal. He laid out the current situation in Miami:
"The Marlins reassigned one of Jennings' allies, vice-president of player personnel Craig Weissman, and fired another, pro scout Mickey White.
Meanwhile, assistant GM Mike Berger, director of pro scouting Jeff McAvoy and assistant director of pro scouting David Keller have gained influence with Loria, sources say. McAvoy is said to have played a key role in the three-team, 13-player trade in which the Marlins dumped right-hander Mat Latos and first baseman Michael Morse and saved more than $12 million.
"
This final month should bring some clarity as to where Jennings ends up and what his role will be come 2016.
14. NL MVP Race
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Who can challenge Bryce Harper for NL MVP?
Bryce Harper dominated NL MVP talks for much of the year, as he's been at the top of the league in almost every major offensive category. He's still the favorite to win the award, but he's quickly losing an edge on the other candidates.
A lot of noise has been made recently for Yoenis Cespedes. The New York Mets' new outfielder is the NL's hottest hitter—he's amassed 14 home runs, 36 RBI, 33 runs scored and a 1.032 OPS since joining New York on Aug. 1.
ESPN.com's David Schoenfield points out that Cespedes changed the dynamic of the entire Mets offense, which has scored a major league-high 6.14 runs per game with him in the lineup. Although he's had a good overall season, the fact remains that the former Detroit Tiger played the first 102 games of his 2015 campaign in the American League.
When you consider that Nationals' second-half collapse and unlikely shot at the postseason, Harper's credentials seem a little less attractive. This opens the door to other candidates whose teams also will miss the playoffs. There's the Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado, who leads the NL in both home runs (37) and RBI (102). Or how about the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen? He has the most wins above replacement (5.6) of any player on a playoff-bound team, according to FanGraphs.
When the dust settles, though, Harper may still come out on top. He leads the National league in batting average (.336), runs scored (104), OPS (1.124) and WAR (8.6) and is second in homers (36).
13. CarGo's Rising Value
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What will Carlos Gonzalez be worth by the end of the season?
With two years and $37 million left on his contract, Carlos Gonzalez might still be one of the hottest commodities this winter. The Rockies hung onto their star outfielder at the trade deadline despite much speculation of his departure following the Troy Tulowitzki deal.
Colorado, clearly in rebuild mode after already trading away its franchise player, would be foolish not to field offers this offseason for CarGo. The 29-year-old is in the midst of the hottest offensive outburst of his career—24 home runs, 53 RBI and a 1.074 OPS since the All-Star break. During the streak, he also became the first player to hit 25 homers in a 50-game span since Ryan Howard in 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (h/t Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post).
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick suggested Gonzalez's price at July's trade deadline may have been affected:
"Gonzalez's torrid July and 2 years of contractual control (at total cost of $37M) have driven the price sky high. #Rockies
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 28, 2015"
If Gonzalez continues his hot hitting in September, he could drive his price even higher than it was a month ago.
12. New Boss in Beantown
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Who stays and who goes in Boston as Dave Dombrowski takes the reins?
The culture in Boston has changed drastically since Dave Dombrowski was hired on Aug. 18 as the president of baseball operations. Since his arrival, general manager Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell (albeit with Stage 1 lymphoma) are both gone. Dombrowski has all the control in the world while he tries to decide the future of the Red Sox.
This final month represents an extended job interview for every player, executive and coach in Boston as Dombrowski makes his final evaluations. Recent veteran additions to the club, such as Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, may have reason to worry about their status on the roster.
In an interview last month, Dombrowski gave some insight to MLB Network Radio into the core players he intends to keep for 2016, via Ricky Doyle of NESN.com:
"The quality of the young players is really good. It doesn’t totally surprise me, but when you start looking at the young outfielders here, with (Mookie) Betts and (Rusney) Castillo and Jackie Bradley’s been playing phenomenally. You look at (Xander) Bogaerts up the middle and (Blake) Swihart behind the plate. And then you look at Eddie Rodriguez pitching-wise.
You’re in a position where you start saying with those our young players just starting at the big league level and having them all break in at one time, I think it puts you in a position where you can have a real foundation going into the future that can be very positive.
"
This next month of play could give us an insight into who stays and who goes in Boston. The team has already removed Ramirez from the outfield and begun teaching the former shortstop how to play first base.
11. AL MVP Race
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Can Mike Trout catch back up to Josh Donaldson?
For much of the season, Mike Trout looked to be the favorite for his second straight AL MVP award and cement himself as the best player in baseball. Well, Josh Donaldson is on a mission to prove that Trout isn't even the best player in the American League—at least this year.
Donaldson, Toronto's third baseman, leads the AL in runs (109), RBI (117) and slugging percentage (.596) and is third in both home runs (38) and hits (167). And if you want to make the sabermetrics argument for Trout, Donaldson leads the league in WAR (8.0) too—a full run ahead of anyone else, no less.
Trout, on the other hand, relinquished his lead in the MVP race sometime in August. Over 29 games in that month, the Angels outfielder hit just .218 with more strikeouts (31) than hits (22). There's still a full month left to play in the regular season, and if Trout can single-handedly play Los Angeles into the playoffs with a torrid September, this race could be tighter than we all think when it's all said and done.
10. Twins Hanging Around
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Can the Twins stay in the AL wild-card race?
With intense divisional races ongoing in the West and East, it's a team from the American League Central that's quietly staying relevant.
Minnesota sits just a game out of the second wild-card spot as of Sept. 12. The Twins have no chance of catching the Royals in the division—Kansas City has a 10-game lead—but the wild-card race is up for grabs.
It's a little surprising that the Twins have held onto contention this late in the season. Most baseball pundits tabbed them as bottom-feeders in the Central back in April, and they haven't had a winning month since going 20-7 in May.
Yet here they are in September on the cusp of making the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
9. Mets' Young Arms
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How will New York's young arms handle October?
We'll get to the Matt Harvey drama later, but the Mets should be worrying how their other young pitchers will hold up in October. With an 80-61 record and 8.5 games up on the Nationals for first in the NL East, the playoffs are in sight for the Mets, and they'll get there largely with a dominant starting rotation.
The Mets have three 20-something starters—Harvey (26), Jacob deGrom (27) and Noah Syndergaard (23)—who have never thrown more than 180 innings in a season or pitched into the playoffs.
New York's phenom deGrom tossed 178.2 innings between Triple-A and the majors a year ago as a rookie, but he was aided by a brief DL stint of rest. He's nearing that mark already in 2015—currently at 176 frames—with a month still left to play before the postseason.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are already trying to find some rest for deGrom, who at 27 is the oldest starting pitcher in the rotation not named Bartolo Colon.
The Mets have also already decided on using a six-man rotation for the rest of the regular season and might try to give their starters even more rest as the playoffs near, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com.
"We're trying to make sure that we head into that last 10 days and you're where you want to be," Collins said, via Miller. "Your guys are fresh and you can run them out there as you need to. It's hard to do right now."
8. Worry in Washington
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Do the Nationals still have a run in them?
As of Sept. 12, the Nationals sit 8.5 games back of the Mets in the NL East. Winning the division would be the only way to reach the postseason—and even that seems like a long shot for a team in the midst of a late-season collapse.
The Nats were in first place in the division for much of the season but find themselves in a deep hole following a 28-35 record since the beginning of July. Their latest losing streak hurts the deepest. In the beginning of September, the visiting Mets swept Washington at home—a double-whammy of sorts in the division standings.
At least the boys from D.C. have a fairly easy schedule remaining before a season-finale series in New York to potentially decide the East. We'll see if Bryce Harper and Co. have a run left in them, as all six of their opponents outside of the Mets have losing records.
7. Mike Trout's Slump
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Will Mike Trout's struggles cost the Angels a playoff spot?
August was not kind to the Angels or their best player. During the 29-game stretch, Los Angeles relinquished its wild card after a dismal 10-19 record. In that same span, Mike Trout hit just .218 with one home run and seven RBI as the offense around him went cold.
It's clear the Angels depend on their reigning MVP's offensive success for wins.
Now, with L.A. three games out of the second wild-card spot, Trout must catch fire if his team wants any chance of competing into October. If he doesn't, well, we'll see what kind of team shows up around him and if his recent struggles at the plate will cost the Angels a playoff berth.
6. Dodgers' Playoff Rotation
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What will the Dodgers playoff rotation look like?
The Dodgers have two Cy Young candidates in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke—not a bad problem to have in a five- or seven-game postseason series.
As the NL West-leading Dodgers prepare for the playoffs, it'll be interesting to see which ace pulls ahead as the No. 1 starter in the rotation. It's not a huge issue which of Kershaw or Greinke gets a Game 1 nod come October, but Los Angeles would probably want its hottest pitcher to get the most starts possible and go head-to-head against an opponent's ace.
The biggest question mark, though, lies in what follows after Kershaw and Greinke among the starters.
Mat Latos, acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline, was scratched with a stiff neck from his most recent start and has pitched fewer than five innings in his last four starts. Alex Wood, another in-season addition, lasted just 1.2 innings in his latest start and owns a 4.53 ERA in his eight starts as a Dodger.
The most logical choice to start a potential Game 3 in the playoffs would be Brett Anderson, who was impressive early in the year but sported a 4.41 ERA in August.
5. AL East Race
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Who will win the AL East?
The AL East is a two-horse race right now. As of Sept. 12, the Toronto Blue Jays have a 2.5-game advantage over the New York Yankees with less than a month of games to go.
The standings will presumably fluctuate from here on out as the postseason nears and a division title means the difference between sitting comfortably and having to play in the one-game wild-card matchup—the teams both have good enough records that the East's second-place team would earn the first wild-card berth.
Still, the Yankees haven't owned sole possession of first place since Aug. 22, when they had a 0.5-game lead over Toronto. Since then, the Blue Jays haven't seen the tail lights of their rivals yet. After this weekend, they will face off once more this season when the Blue Jays visit the Yankees Sept. 21-23.
4. Health Concerns in San Fran
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Can the Giants get healthy in time to make a playoff push?
It's possible the Giants could be without three of their key contributors for the remainder of the season. Hunter Pence, Nori Aoki and Gregor Blanco—all sidelined with injuries—may not return in time to help San Francisco make a push for the NL West title.
After all, Giants manager Bruce Bochy isn't optimistic.
"At this point, if you look at Nori, Gregor and even Hunter Pence, now we're down to three weeks," Bochy said, per Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com. "There's a possibility they may not play again. It's getting short now."
Pence hasn't seen the field since he went on the disabled list on Aug. 22 with an oblique injury, while Blanco and Aoki both sit out with concussions.
And then there's second baseman Joe Panik, whom the Giants are slowly working back into their lineup after holding him out with lower back stiffness.
At this point, the Giants—7.5 games back of the Dodgers in the West—need all the help they can get before getting a home matchup with Los Angeles at the end of September.
3. Matt Harvey Drama
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How will the Mets handle Matt Harvey and his surgically repaired arm?
A lot of fuss was made recently when Dr. James Andrews and agent Scott Boras said their client, Matt Harvey, shouldn't exceed 180 innings pitched in the season following Tommy John surgery.
The burden quickly fell to the Mets and general manager Sandy Alderson regarding how they would handle their star pitcher's use for the rest of the season—especially with a potential postseason series looming.
Alderson told reporters this week Harvey will skip at least two more starts in the Mets' new six-man rotation. Right now, Harvey sits at 171.2 innings pitched on the season and would likely exceed the supposed limit of 180 if he pitches in the playoffs.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports even suggested the Mets could listen to trade offers for Harvey: "Those around the team say the pitching prodigy has been quite upset by some things said by some people in Mets management, though he still considers himself a New Yorker and a Met. As of today, who wouldn't want to be a Met?"
When push comes to shove, we'll probably see Harvey pitching for the Mets in October no matter how many innings he's thrown in 2015.
2. Cueto's Troubles
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Will Johnny Cueto figure it out before the postseason?
When the Royals traded for ace Johnny Cueto, the right-hander was supposed to be the savior on a below-average rotation. In the month-and-a-half he's been in Kansas City, he has been anything but.
In eight starts as Royal, Cueto is just 2-5 with a 4.86 ERA. It seems he's nowhere near the dominant pitcher he was in Cincinnati for most of the season—he had a 2.62 ERA before the July 26 trade.
It's not just his numbers that are off. According to Laura McCallister of KCTV 5 News, Cueto reportedly didn't show up to a heavily promoted fan event last week in Blue Springs, Missouri, where Royals fans waited two-plus hours to meet him.
Just look at the baby he left waiting:
"A Cueto baby at @PlowboysBBQ to meet Johnny pic.twitter.com/rLJy8fPvsH
— Bob Fescoe (@bobfescoe) September 8, 2015"
When you consider Cueto's last four starts feature an 0-4 record and a 9.45 ERA, the Reds former ace has to figure it out soon before the postseason creeps up. After all, he's expected to be the No. 1 man in the Royals rotation come October.
1. Surging Rangers
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Can the Rangers stay hot and reach the postseason or, better yet, catch up to the Astros in the AL West?
On Aug. 1, the Rangers were seven games back in the AL West and three behind in the wild-card race. Fast-forward a bit and Texas is just 1.5 games behind the Astros in the division and owns the second wild-card berth as of Sept. 12.
The team went 18-10 in August as it pulled ahead of the Angels as a real contender in a division completely wide open. The Rangers now seem to be a real threat to the Astros in the final month of the season.
Texas' remaining schedule brings many playoff implications to the table. They have seven games left against the Astros—four at home and three on the road—and four against the Angels.
If the Rangers can keep close to Houston until their four-game series at home on Sept. 14, the AL West could be realistically up for grabs—an unthinkable scenario less than two months ago.
Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.
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