The Tampa Bay Rays were unable to gain ground in their hunt for the AL East division lead, which is currently occupied by the New York Yankees, despite ending the week with a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.
However, the Rays are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs via the Wild Card, but have competition in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
While the Rays are 4.5 games back of the top Wild Card spot, they are 3.5 games back of the newly added second Wild Card spot and four back in the loss column. With just nine games left to play, the odds are against the Rays, and so is the schedule.
After an off-day on Monday, Tampa Bay will play nine straight games and six straight on the road by visiting the Boston Red Sox for a pair of games and then the Chicago White Sox for three.
Depending on what happens in those six games, the Rays could have control of their destiny, if you will, because they will be closing out the regular season at home with a three-game series against one of the teams they are chasing: the Baltimore Orioles.
For more on the Rays, head over to DRays Bay. For more information on all the Wild Card races, read up over at Baseball Nation.