Jun 11, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) and first baseman Albert Pujols (5) celebrate with teammates after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
With less than a week remaining in the regular season, most postseason tickets have been punched. That doesn't apply for the AL West, where three clubs are all vying for two spots.
The Texas Rangers enter play Wednesday atop the West with a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels. The Houston Astros are a half-game behind the Halos.
Subsequently, the Angels are the second AL Wild Card club at the moment, behind the New York Yankees.
This weekend will be huge: That's when the Angels will head to Arlington for a four-game set with the Rangers in what will likely bring some clarity to the fuzzy AL playoff picture.
But what if the Angels, Rangers and Astros are all tied in the standings at the conclusion of play Sunday? That scenario is realistic if all three win or lose in their respective games on Wednesday. As Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times broke down, here's what could then happen:
That scenario would guarantee the Angels a postseason spot because they have a better record against both Texas and Houston. Those two clubs would then play a one-game playoff on Monday with the winner advancing to play the Angels on Tuesday. The winner of THAT game would win the West, and the loser would go play the Yankees in the Wild Card game.
It's convoluted, but that's where things are in what's turned out to be a pretty intriguing last week of baseball for the AL West.
Get ready for a pretty hectic next five days or so of high-stakes baseball!
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