If the New York Yankees want to get to the postseason, there are two options for the team: win the AL East or win the AL Wild Card. Neither of which will be easy.

As of this article, the Yankees are 2.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Division lead with 3 head-to-head games left. The Yankees need to get to within 1 game before their series with the Red Sox or risk having to sweep the Red Sox at Fenway just to win the division. If the Yankees are 2 back of the Red Sox with 3 head-to-head matchups, the Yankees must win all 3.

The Yankees Wild Card picture is not so bleak as they are only 1 game behind the Cleveland Indians for the Wild Card lead and 2.5 games ahead of the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics are starting to fade into the background as this is starting to look like a two-horse race.

The Indians are going to be a tough team to catch up to for several reasons. First, they are winning an amazing 70+% of their games spanning their last 51 games (36-15). The Indians also end the season with 7 games against the Royals and 3 games against the Devil Rays. The Royals are going to be a pushover for these hot-streaking Indians. The Devil Rays are tough to beat at home but the Indians have lucked out and have them at home. The Indians also play the White Sox a total of 6 games. We can expect a great effort from the White Sox because the teams are division rivals and because the Indians are only 5.0 games back in the standings for the AL Central.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have division rivalry games against the Orioles, Blue Jays, and most importantly the Red Sox. The Yankees will end the season with 6 road games. The truth of the matter is that the Yankees have a tougher schedule. The Orioles and Blue Jays are much tougher than the Royals and Devil Rays. The Red Sox at Fenway is tougher than the White Sox.

By the end of the season, the Yankees will have had to play 20 games in 20 nights. The Indians, on the other hand, have a nice day off on September 26, 2005 before finishing off the season with 6 home games.

The fact that the Yankees have no days to rest past September 12, 2005 while the Indians have two days off in that span coupled with a tougher schedule and having to end the season with 6 road games, the Yankees will not win the AL Wild Card.

The New York Yankees will most likely have to sweep the Red Sox at the end of the season to win the AL East but I feel their chance at catching up to the Indians is damn near improbable. My suggestion would be to bet on the Cleveland Indians to win the Wild Card at +120 for the maximum allowed at any sportsbook.

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