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The Houston Astros stay inevitable within the American League after clinching their eighth straight postseason berth.
Houston punched its ticket with Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Along with clinching a playoff berth, the Astros additionally clinched the AL West for the fourth straight season.
FOX Sports activities: MLB @MLBONFOX
INEVITABLE! 🫰
The @astros have gained the AL West for the 4th straight season! 💫 pic.twitter.com/geXN74j3AM
Listed below are the up to date playoff standings and potential matchups by Tuesday’s video games (as of 10:40 p.m. ET).
Projected American League Playoff Matchups
- First-round bye: No. 1 New York Yankees, No. 2 Cleveland Guardians
- Wild Card Sequence: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Detroit Tigers, No. 4 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Kansas Metropolis Royals
Projected Nationwide League Playoff Matchups
- First-round bye: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
- Wild Card Sequence: No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 New York Mets, No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Present Standings
AL East
- New York Yankees (92-65)*
- Baltimore Orioles (87-70, 5 GB)*
- Boston Pink Sox (80-78, 12.5 GB)
- Tampa Bay Rays (78-79-78, 14 GB)
- Toronto Blue Jays (73-85, 19.5 GB)
AL Central
- Cleveland Guardians (91-67)**
- Kansas Metropolis Royals (83-74, 7.5 GB)
- Detroit Tigers (83-74, 7.5 GB)
- Minnesota Twins (81-76, 9.5 GB)
- Chicago White Sox (36-120, 54 GB)
AL West
- Houston Astros (86-72)**
- Seattle Mariners (81-77, 5 GB)
- Texas Rangers (74-82, 11 GB)
- Oakland Athletics (67-89, 18 GB)
- Los Angeles Angels (63-93, 22 GB)
AL Wild Card
- Baltimore Orioles (+4 Video games)*
- Detroit Tigers (-)
- Kansas Metropolis Royals (-)
- Minnesota Twins (2 GB)
- Seattle Mariners (2.5 GB)
- Boston Pink Sox (3.5 GB)
- Tampa Bay Rays (5 GB)
NL East
- Philadelphia Phillies (93-65)**
- New York Mets (87-70, 5.5 GB)
- Atlanta Braves (86-71, 6.5 GB)
- Washington Nationals (69-88, 23.5 GB)
- Miami Marlins (58-99, 34.5 GB)
NL Central
- Milwaukee Brewers (90-67)**
- Chicago Cubs (81-77, 9.5 GB)
- St. Louis Cardinals (79-77, 10.5 GB)
- Cincinnati Reds, (76-82, 14.5 GB)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (73-84, 17 GB)
NL West
- Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63)*
- San Diego Padres (90-66, 3 GB)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (87-70, 6.5 GB)
- San Francisco Giants (78-79, 15.5 GB)
- Colorado Rockies (60-96, 33 GB)
NL Wild Card
- San Diego Padres (+3 Video games)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
- New York Mets (-)
- Atlanta Braves (1 GB)
*Denotes clinched playoff spot
**Denotes clinched division
This season was extra of a wrestle than the Astros have had since this run of success started in 2017. They seemed to be in hassle for many of the first half with a 33-40 file and dealing with a 10-game deficit within the AL West on June 18.
Since then, the Astros have regarded like arguably the perfect group within the AL. They surpassed the Seattle Mariners atop the division on July 20 and have not regarded again.
Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Jose Altuve have carried many of the load for the lineup. They’ve mixed for 78 homers. Tucker’s return on Sept. 6 after lacking three months as a consequence of a fractured bone in his shin got here at an ideal time for his or her playoff push.
Regardless that the rotation does not have the depth it has in earlier years, the highest stays an issue for opposing groups in a playoff sequence. Framber Valdez has a 2.91 ERA. Ronel Blanco, a 30-year-old who had a complete of 24 MLB appearances previous to 2024, has a 2.88 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.
Hunter Brown, who posted a 5.09 ERA in 29 begins final 12 months, has a 3.49 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 170 innings.
The formulation is in place for the Astros to make one other deep postseason run. They’ve made it to the ALCS in every of the previous seven years, with 4 World Sequence appearances and two titles throughout that span.
