This weekend, the A’s host the Mariners for a four-game series. Now, nothing with respect to the postseason will be settled with that, or any, series that takes place this week. The calendar will be flipping to September, and every team in the league will still have 25-plus games left on the schedule. Still, the AL postseason picture is taking on an air of inevitability, and that may only intensify depending on the outcome of the three games in Oakland over the weekend.
The Red Sox, Indians, Astros and Yankees have clear roads to the playoffs. The Yankees may still chase down the Red Sox in the AL East, and the Astros lead the West by just 1.