Indians' makeup vs. Tigers set for Oct. 5 -- if necessary
Game will only be played if it has playoff implications
CLEVELAND -- With time running out on the regular season, the American League Wild Card race continues to feature a crowded field. The Indians have done their part to make things interesting down the stretch, and the schedule has the potential to become even more intriguing.
On Friday, the Tribe announced that it will make up its postponed game against the Tigers on Oct. 5 in Cleveland, if the contest has any postseason implications. Cleveland and Detroit had their tilt on Sept. 12 rained out at Progressive Field, but were unable to play the game during that series due to a doubleheader in the same weekend.
After Friday's 12-1 win over the White Sox, the Indians held a 73-73 record and trailed Houston (77-71) -- currently situated in the American League's second Wild Card spot -- by two games in the loss column. The Tribe face three-game deficit in the Wild Card race, with the Twins (75-71) and Angels (74-72) above them in the standings.
As of Friday morning, Baseball Prospectus gave Cleveland a 7.7 percent chance of claiming a Wild Card spot.
The Indians have seven games remaining against the Twins and three games apiece left against the Royals and Red Sox, and two with the White Sox. After this weekend's set with Chicago, Cleveland heads to Minnesota (three games) and Kansas City (three games) before returning home for a seven-game, season-ending homestand against the Twins (four games) and Red Sox (three games).
The Indians' final regular-season game is scheduled for Oct. 4 at home against Boston, barring the need to play the Oct. 5 game against Detroit. The potential game time for that makeup game remains to be determined. If Cleveland continues to close ground in the standings, the makeup date could also throw a wrinkle into potential tiebreaker scenarios for the Wild Card race.
The American League Wild Card Game is scheduled for Oct. 6 and, as of now, the Yankees would host the game.