Rays-yankees: Speak now
Funny thing about the unbalanced schedule: It seems division rivals constantly play each other but then you look up, and they’re almost done for the year.
So it is with Tampa Bay and New York, who will play just two more games – Sept. 24-25 at Tropicana Field – after this week’s four-game set.
They played the Yankees virtually to a standstill – a 9-10 mark, 6-4 at Tropicana Field – in winning 90 games last year. This year, they’ve lost nine of 13, essentially the difference in the standings right now.
Most notably, Snell had perhaps the worst start of his career – four walks, six earned runs, just one batter retired – in a 12-1 loss at Yankee Stadium on June 19. He was set to get another crack Monday night.
“I know he’s had his struggles in New York,” Rays manager Kevin Cash says of Snell’s 6.34 ERA in 10 career starts in the Bronx, “but he’s totally equipped to go in there and have really really good outings for us.”
Dodgers-phillies: Don’t look down
For the moment, the Phillies hold the second wild-card berth, and in a perfect world would use this week to gain ground on both the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, who play four games in Atlanta next weekend.
It seems more likely the Phillies’ myriad flaws will only get further exposed.
They are just 20-25 against winning teams and now welcome the world-beating Dodgers to Citizens Bank Park for four games. L.A. will send three All-stars to the mound – Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and 2018 honoree Ross Stripling – and the Phillies will counter with several question marks.
Zach Eflin posted a 2.76 ERA in his first 10 starts, but a 5.45 mark in his last seven. Vince Velasquez’s role seems to change with the month. Nick Pivetta has been serviceable – a 4.84 ERA in eight starts – since a six-week banishment to Class AAA, but a matchup with the deep, dangerous Dodgers lineup is probably the last thing he needs to remain on firm ground.
Aaron Nola will start the finale for the Phillies and he’s approaching his 2018 Cy Young form. But an injury-ravaged bullpen and a lineup thinned by Andrew Mccutchen’s loss make the Phillies’ margin for error thin.
That goes for their grip on the second wild card, too: A half-dozen teams are within 3 ½ games, including the Pirates, who they meet next weekend.
Braves-brewers: Go time?
The Braves’ seven-game lead in the NL East is the largest in baseball, forged by a 24-8 run in which they’ve mostly pounded opponents into submission.
Astros-angels: Wild West
Let us pause momentarily and praise the AL West: Four teams are above .500 and in the black in run differential. The Houston Astros are expected to reign supreme a fourth consecutive year – but their performance this week may frame how some of their pursuers approach the final two months.
First up: Four games at Anaheim, where the Angels have played on in the wake of Tyler Skaggs’ death on July 1. While they’re 11 games behind Houston, the Angels are five games out of a wildcard spot and could be swayed to make moderate deadline improvements if a playoff berth remains within reach.
They’re two games behind the Texas Rangers, who finish the week by hosting the Astros for three. A disastrous week for the Astros could open the door for everyone in the West, most notably Oakland, which holds a wild-card spot and lurks six games back in the division.
It seems likelier they’ll push at least one club closer to reality by week’s end.