2nd AL wild card may be worst ever

Of the seven teams in contention for the second AL wildcard spot, none has played better over the last 10 days than the Royals. And they went just 6-4. But that illustrates just how loony the race has been. No team has been able to get hot and take charge.

The Twins hold the second spot at the moment, but they are 4-6 over the last 10 and on pace to win just 84 games.

In 2016, the Orioles and Blue Jays tied for the wild-card spots, and each team won 89 games.

A year earlier, the Astros won 86 as the second wild card.

Since baseball expanded the playoff field to include two wildcard teams in 2012, the Astros’ 86 victories are the fewest for a team to make the playoffs.

So we could see a record-low number of wins for the second wild-card team this season.

The Yankees are leading the wild-card chase in the American League. Heading into Monday night’s game against the Rays, they were 77-65, which gave them a 3 1 ⁄ -game cushion over 2 the Twins.

Will a team begin to separate from the pack this week in the race to earn the second wild card? Here is how each team stacks up heading into Monday’s games.

Twins (74-69): This week: 2 vs. Padres, 4 vs. Blue Jays

Angels (73-70): This week: 3 vs. Astros, 3 vs. Rangers

Royals (71-71): This week: 3 vs. White Sox, 4 at Indians

Rangers (71-71): This week: 4 vs. Mariners, 3 at Angels

Orioles (71-72): This week: 3 at Blue Jays, 3 at Yankees

Mariners (71-72): This week: 4 at Rangers, 3 at Astros

Rays (71-73): This week: 3 vs. Yankees, 3 vs. Red Sox