Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The rebound of the Tampa Bay Rays is officially complete now as they have won two in a row over the Baltimore Orioles and seven of their last ten games. The result is that they now once again lead the wildcard race that their long slump made close in the first place. This is no time for celebration however. The Cleveland Indians are only one half game behind them in the second wildcard spot and the Texas Rangers are extremely close to both teams as well. The Rays have to save their satisfaction and keep the pressure on.
It seems like the Rays might be the best team right now among the three that are racing for those two spots. There are other teams of course but those teams are all at least three games back with slim chances thanks to their being so many teams within a game of each other. This all results in a scene where the Rays could lose tomorrow and go from leading the wildcard to being in a tie for the last wildcard spot. Two losses could leave them out of the two wildcard spots trying to get back in. It is just that close.
All of that said, they could also win two games in a row and put the Orioles out of the race. If they were to be able to do that they would still have to hope for losses from both the Rangers and Indians. All of that is very unlikely to happen on the same day. This thing looks like it will be extremely close right down to the very last day of the season. The Rays will have to keep their current play up that long if they hope to have a chance to play in October.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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