(Note: If you carry the decimal place out a while, then the Yankees are still narrowly, narrowly, narrowly in first place in the AL East. So we'll leave them there. For now.)
Blame it on the rain: Seventeen games are on the schedule for Wednesday, and postseason implications abound.
Playoff Picture page | Tuesday scoreboard | Three-day schedule
Here's a quick rundown of the five most important games you'll see today (two doubleheaders!) ...
1. Blue Jays vs. Yankees (doubleheader), Game 1 start time: 1:05 pm ET
The stakes are high in the AL East, as the Yanks and O's (as mentioned above) are separated by mere decimal points. Win the division, avoid the play-in game. The Yanks will start Andy Pettitte in Game 1 (he'll be making his first start since suffering a broken leg on June 27), and David Phelps will make his 10th start of the season in the nightcap. It goes without saying that the Yankees are hoping doubly for good things from Pettitte.
2. Dodgers vs. Nationals (doubleheader), Game 1 start time: 4:05 pm ET
In play: the second NL wild-card berth, the top seed in the NL and, to a lesser extent, the NL East title. This double-dip features Aaron Harang against Jordan Zimmermann in the opener and Josh Beckett against John Lannan in the second game. Sub-plot? Can Lannan, replacement for the shut-down Stephen Strasburg, continue pitching well despite his middling stuff?
3. A's vs. Tigers, 7:05 pm ET
The A's still have a puncher's chance at the AL West title, and the same goes for the Tigers and the AL Central. Each trails its respective division leader by 3.0 games. The difference, of course, is that the A's hold the second AL wild-card bid at the moment, while the Tigers are 5.5 games out of wild-card position. Want a compelling pitching match-up? It's Brett Anderson against Justin Verlander.
4. Astros vs. Cardinals, 8:15 pm ET
It seems unlikely that the Astros could be one-half of a key match, but they're here largely because the Cardinals control their own destiny in terms of the second NL wild card. Their remaining schedule is as easy as it gets, so the story is whether the Cardinals can take care of business. If they do, then what the Dodgers, Brewers and Pirates achieve doesn't matter. Lance Lynn goes for the hosts.
5. Orioles vs. Mariners, 10:10 pm ET
Will we see Dylan Bundy make his major-league debut? Can tonight's tilt possibly match Tuesday night's marathon drama? The most compelling team in baseball has its work cut out for it, as Cy Young contender Felix Hernandez goes for Seattle.
Playoff chances, via coolstandings.com:
AL East champion
Yankees 69.9%
Orioles 29.7%
Rays 0.5%
AL Central champion
White Sox 83.0%
Tigers 17.0%
AL West champion
Rangers 79.0%
A's 19.9%
Angels 1.0%
AL Wild Card
A's 68.9%
Orioles 48.6%
Angels 30.2%
Yankees 22.9%
Rangers 19.8%
Tigers 4.4%
Rays 3.6%
White Sox 1.6%
NL East champion
Nationals 97.3%
Braves 2.7%
NL Central champion
Reds 99.9%
NL West champion
Giants 99.8%
Dodgers 0.2%
NL Wild Card
Braves 97.3%
Cardinals 67.0%
Dodgers 13.4%
Brewers 11.5%
Pirates 3.7%
Diamondbacks 3.1%
Nationals 2.7%
Phillies 1.1%
Giants 0.1%
Grim Reaper Watch (i.e., teams that could be mathematically eliminated today)
Royals - KC will be out of the playoff chase if they lose or the White Sox win.
Marlins - Mathematical elimination occurs for Miami if they lose and the Cardinals win.
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