AL Post-Season Picture Far From Settled

Orioles earn first postseason berth since 1997

While the National League post-season picture is almost completed – aside from the second wild card spot – drama awaits in the American League as teams prepare for the final series of the regular season.

Fresh from a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles are tied with the New York Yankees atop the American League East with three games remaining.

On Monday, the Orioles open a three-game set at Tampa Bay, which is three games behind the Oakland A’s for the second wild card spot. The Yankees finish the regular season at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox, which would like nothing more than to put a cap on a dreadful season by at least sending their heated rival to the one-game wild card clash instead of an AL East title.

In the American League West, the Texas Rangers won the finale of a Sunday doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels. That means the Rangers have a two-game over the A’s as the two teams finish the 2012 regular season campaign with a three-game set in Oakland.

Like the Rays, the Angels are 88-71 and trail the A’s by three games. Los Angeles concludes the season with a three-game series at Seattle.

There are no wild card implications in the American League Central. The Detroit Tigers have a three-game advantage over the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers finish the season at Kansas City while the White Sox play three at Cleveland.

When the final game is played on Wednesday, the possibility exists for a tie with Baltimore and New York in the AL East and a deadlock between Texas and Oakland in the AL West. Other scenarios involve the Angels, Rays and A’s finishing in a three-way tie for the final wild card spot.

Post-season drama is about to debut, but beforehand there will be playoff atmospheres across the AL in the final three games of the regular season.