The Toronto Blue Jays swept the Boston Red Sox this past week, giving them a two and half game lead over the Mariners for the AL’s top wild card spot. The team currently sits in second place in the division with a record of 90-69, behind the New York Yankees who seem destined to take the top spot in the AL East with a record of 97-61.
The Jays have already clinched a playoff spot but are jockeying to ensure they can keep home field in the first round. After the most recent win, Toronto can finish no worse than second in the wild-card race thanks to a Seattle Mariners loss. The Blue Jays are now officially on the Houston Astros’ side of the AL bracket if they can advance past the first round. This may not be the best position to be in as the Astros have been extremely hot since the All-Star Break, with an AL leading 104-55 record. If the Jays were able to make it past the first round they will most likely need to play out of their skins to make it past the Astros.
If Toronto can stay ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the wild-card standings they will host all three games of its AL wild-card series, which will start this Friday. If the Mariners were able to catch them, the Blue Jays would be on the road. The bad news for the Jays is that the Mariners hold the tiebreaker if both teams would somehow finish the regular season with the exact same wins and losses.
There are only three games left for the Blue Jays in the regular season, all against the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles have been having a resurgence in the back end of the season, sitting currently with a record of 82-77. There isn’t much on the line however for the Orioles as it won’t be possible for the team to catch up with the Tampa Bay Rays or Seattle Mariners to steal a wild card spot. Looking into Blue Jays playoff position as they try to lock in the AL’s top wild card spot and home field advantage.
Given what’s on the line, it’s fairly likely the Jays will be able to win the three-game series against Baltimore and start their playoff campaign at the Rogers Centre.
