As we enter the final days of the regular season, it’s crunch time for clubs in the hunt for a postseason berth -- particularly in the American League, where two divisions remain up for grabs with just a handful of games remaining.
Those divisions are the AL Central and the AL West, and they involve four clubs either currently occupying first place or within a game of the top spot. Two of those teams will be in action on Wednesday exclusively on ESPN, when the Red Sox host the Guardians at 7 p.m. ET and the Astros take on the Mariners in Seattle at 10 p.m. ET.
Here’s what to watch for in each of these crucial contests:
Guardians at Red Sox -- 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Neck-and-neck with the upstart White Sox in the AL Central, the Guardians are clinging to a one-game advantage over the South Siders entering play on Wednesday. Every win is critical, and Cleveland was victorious in the series opener at Fenway Park on Tuesday, 3-2.
The Guards have won six straight and seven of their past eight, heating up at just the right time as they seek a third consecutive postseason appearance in three years under manager Stephen Vogt. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are looking to wrap up the second AL Wild Card spot behind the archrival Yankees, who clinched the top Wild Card on Tuesday.
Another great pitching matchup is on tap after star rookies Parker Messick and Payton Tolle faced off on Tuesday, with Cleveland sending left-hander Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67 ERA) to the mound and Boston countering with veteran right-hander Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82 ERA).
Astros at Mariners -- 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
With a 7-0 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, the Astros reclaimed the top spot in the AL West, which Houston has won in seven of the past nine years (the Astros and Rangers are tied in the win-loss column, but Houston owns the tiebreaker).
With their destiny in their own hands, the Astros will look to put a little breathing room between themselves and their Lone Star State brethren. Houston is slated to have right-hander Ethan Pecko (1-0, 3.77 ERA) to start Wednesday’s contest, and the Mariners will give the ball to right-hander George Kirby (9-11, 4.24 ERA) as Seattle seeks to muddy Houston’s outlook.
Not only are the Astros in a heated race for the division crown, but their slugging designated hitter is eyeing history. AL MVP frontrunner Yordan Alvarez launched his 41st home run of the season in Tuesday’s victory, tying him for the league lead with Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero.
The two-run shot also gave Alvarez 102 RBIs for the season, which ranks second in the AL to Pete Alonso’s 108. Alvarez is leading the league with a .314 batting average, meaning he has a chance to become only the second player this century to win a Triple Crown.