October baseball is right around the corner. With that said, teams are still jockeying for playoffs spots, and there is still plenty of baseball left in the regular season.
However, contenders can’t endure prolonged losing streaks. Some of the teams that fall in that category are listed below.
Here are three contenders that need to have a good week to stay in the thick of things:
Los Angeles Dodgers
Losing two out of three to the Giants wasn’t a great way to end the week. Not only did Los Angeles lose ground on the first place Giants, but they ultimately lost three days to makeup games in the standings. Simply, time is ticking, and it’s definitely not on the Dodgers’ side.
Matt Kemp missed the final two games of the week with a problem is his throwing shoulder that was suffered while colliding into a wall against Colorado a little more than a week back. To expand, his status is questionable for Tuesday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks.
But it goes without saying that he must return to the lineup soon for the Dodgers to make any sort of run at the postseason. Sure, he hasn’t looked like himself lately, but just his presence bolsters a new look Dodgers’ lineup.
Plus, the main piece in the blockbuster deal with Boston in Adrian Gonzalez, has yet to show his supposed hefty worth. In 15 games in the Los Angeles blue, he’s hitting a mere .262/.304/.371 with just one home run and ten RBIs. Maybe he’s trying to do too much, but the Dodgers need him to revert to All-Star form, and quickly for that matter.
The Dodgers find themselves in a must win situation nearly every time they take the field. They have that huge three game series with San Francisco for the final three games of the year in their back pocket, but if they continue to barely tread water, that series could be meaningless. With that said, they should start to set their sights on one of the two wild card spots.
Oakland Athletics
The A’s have very few advantages in their final games this year. If they end up making the playoffs, they will have definitely earned it given their brutal upcoming schedule.
Let’s take a look at this brutal schedule.
The brutal starts with four against the Angels this week. However, the most important series of the year thus far for the A’s will be against the Orioles this upcoming weekend. That very crucial three game series could potentially decide the final wild card standings.
Next week, Oakland will travel to Detroit for three and New York for three. The series against Detroit could also have some implications on the wild card race. And then, to finish off the torturous schedule, are three games in Texas. Don’t count out the possibility of that series having an impact on the division results.
The A’s can finish strong though. They have beaten all of the above teams before, now the only difference is that these games will decide their season. But, their offense will have to improve. After outscoring the Red Sox 33-5 during their three game sweep in early September, the A’s are hitting just .222 and have only scored 21 since that series ended.
Can the A’s prove the baseball world wrong once again?
We will find out soon enough.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers will get their last shot at the White Sox this week with a four game series. They lost the series opener on Monday night, pushing them back three games behind the White Sox for first place. Monday’s loss also extends their losing streak to four games.
So to sum the situation up, the Tigers, like the Dodgers, are running out of time to catch the division leader.
While time might not be on their side, their schedule is. After wrapping up the series with Chicago on Thursday, Detroit will begin a ten game home-stand. During that lengthy home-stand, the Tigers will draw the A’s, Twins, and Royals. On paper, the results should favor the Tigers. However, no one wants to face the Royals, and the A’s are dangerous as well.
Let’s just say that it won’t be easy.
