Playoff Chances Slim For Yankees As Final Road Trip Begins

Had Clayton Kershaw stuck around to be the winning pitcher in yesterday's game against the Dodgers, there would have been no shame in losing it. However, Kershaw was gone by the sixth inning, and by the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees were scrambling, unsuccessfully, to come back after a very shameful top of the inning. 

It goes without saying that, with so few games left to play, things like yesterday's top of the ninth cannot happen. Yet, they did. All you can do is turn the page and look at what's left in the book: 17 games, all against AL East opponents.

Here's the schedule:

9/15 - 9/18: 4 games at Boston Red Sox

9/20 - 9/22: 3 games at Rays

9/23 - 9/26: 4 games at Blue Jays

9/27 - 9/29: 3 games against Red Sox

9/30 - 10/2: 3 games against Orioles

Looking just at the first series, while it will be generating fireworks at Fenway Park, games in the rest of the AL East will be worth following as well: the Blue Jays will be in Anaheim playing the Angels, and the Rays will be in Baltimore playing the Orioles.  As is common to say these days, it's all right there in front of the Yankees.

The same cannot be said about the other teams in the Wild Card race. The Astros and Mariners, who are still very much in the race, will be playing each other this weekend, while the Tigers will be playing the Indians. 

So here's where we stand: the Yankees are four games out in the AL East with two teams (Baltimore and Toronto) in front of them, and just two games out in the race for the second Wild Card with two teams (Detroit and Seattle) in front of them.

You've got the schedule, you've got the scenarios. Can the Yankees do it? Mathematically, yes. Realistically, probably not.

Probably not. Well, at least it's not definitely not.