Mlb Tickets - The A.l. East Looks To Go Right Down To The Wire

The best division in baseball only continues to get better

. Not only are the Rays and Yankees probably the best two teams in the entire league, the Red Sox and Blue Jays continue to play pretty good baseball as we head into the final stretch of the season. Though the Red Sox and Blue Jays don't have the overall talent or health to get them into the postseason this year, the Yankees and Rays should both be able to make it to the playoffs. Whichever team doesn't win the division will almost certainly win the wildcard, though the division winner will have the advantage of the first seed in the playoffs and home field advantage in the first couple rounds. But with the Rays and Yanks knotted at 80-50 as of Aug. 30, anything can happen as we enter the final portion of the regular season.

On paper, it certainly seems that the Yankees should win not only the division but the World Series, as they have all-stars at nearly every position and have players that have already proven they can perform in crucial situations. The problem right now for the Pinstripes, however, is that Alex Rodriguez is nursing a calf injury and they currently have unknowns like Ivan Nova and Dustin Moseley filling in for injured Andy Pettitte and the ineffective Javier Vasquez. Even though C.C. Sabathia has put together another fine season as their number one starter, Phil Hughes has faded a bit down the stretch and A.J. Burnett remains a fairly volatile number two starter. Pettitte should be able to come back by the end of the season but he's also a 38-year-old battling back from another nagging injury.

The other potential downside for the Yankees in terms of beating out the Rays is the strength of their schedule the rest of the year. In addition to seven matchups with the Rays the final month, the Yankees also have to play two series with the Red Sox in the final two weeks of the regular season, including a tough three-game set in Boston to wrap up the year. Even if the Red Sox are out of playoff contention, something that is not yet solidified, the Red Sox aren't going to roll over for the Yankees if they can play the role of the spoiler. Out of their final 22 games, the Yankees play just three against an opponent currently under .500, a three-game series in Baltimore in the middle of September.

The Rays, on the other hand, have a much more fortuitous schedule from now until the rest of the season. While the Yankees finish the year with series against the Red Sox, the Blue Jays then the Red Sox again, the Rays wrap up the year with the Mariners, the Orioles and the Royals - three of the worst teams in the entire league. Instead of playing a tough three-game set in Texas, as the Yankees have to do the final month of the year, the Rays have a home series with the Anaheim Angels.

Overall, the Rays are also playing very inspired baseball heading into the final stretch. Just when it seemed that the Yankees were going to pull away with the division, the Rays swept the A.L. East-leading Rangers and won a big series against the Red Sox just this past weekend. Even if David Price has come back to Earth a little bit, and likely taken his name out of consideration for the Cy Young, he's still having a great season and the Rays also just got back fourth starter Wade Davis. James Shields has also won his last three starts and seven out of his last 10 and Matt Garza has finally settled down with a 1.27 ERA in August. Everyone knows the Rays can score runs and their pitching is coming back together at the right time to wrap up the season.

Division Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yanks have more talent and probably have a better chance of actually winning the World Series, but the Rays have more going for them at the right time. With a starting rotation fairly intact heading into September and a very easy schedule the final weeks of the year, the Rays are sure to sell plenty of MLB tickets as they look to take down their second A.L. East title in three seasons. The Yankees certainly won't make it easy on them but the Rays look like the team to beat in September and securing home field advantage in the playoffs will be a tremendous boost to their confidence heading into October.

by: Pat Smith

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