Houston Astros: The ideal playoff scenario to repeat as World Champions

A few days ago, the Boston Red Sox became the first team in the league to clinch a 2018 playoff berth. The next team to probably do so will be the Cleveland Indians, which isn’t a surprise or that much of an accomplishment because their division is atrocious. The Houston Astros likely won’t be able to clinch until the last series of the year but, it could happen sooner.

This has nothing to do with what the Astros are doing on the diamond this year. This team has, frankly, been phenomenal this year. They have a great shot at tying last year’s record and a good shot at setting a new franchise record in wins. However, it has everything to do with what the A’s have accomplished this year.

The A’s have surprised everyone outside of their clubhouse this season, heck, maybe even inside their clubhouse. They have been very, very good and are still playing excellent baseball. One thing is for sure, they’re going to make sure the Astros play their best baseball till all 162 have been played.

As it stands, the A’s and Astros have the tightest divisional battle in the AL. Both the Astros and the A’s had a battle on Friday night. The Rays took the A’s to extra innings and it took a Khris Davis home run to seal the win. The Astros fought with the Diamondbacks but could not come out on top. So, the A’s are now only 2.5 games back of the Astros.

So, let’s dive further into one the first round of the playoffs could look like in the American League.