The American League Wild Card race is incredibly tight, with five teams separated by just four games in the standings. Oakland holds the top spot by one game over Kansas City with Seattle, Cleveland and New York bringing up the rear. The A’s have fallen from their perch atop the AL West with a dismal two months of baseball, allowing the Angels to win the division title and open a 9.5-game lead. Oakland won the first game of this series on Monday and we like them to win game two tonight.
Athletics still have a long way to go before playoffs
Oakland is still not safe atop the AL Wild Card. They have just a one-game lead on the second-place Royals. With three other teams looking for a spot in the Wild Card game, the A’s cannot afford to drop any games the rest of the way if they want to secure a playoff spot. That task will be difficult as the Angels are trying to prevent the Orioles from clinching home-field throughout the AL playoffs.
Angels closing in on home-field advantage in AL playoffs
With the AL West title in their back pocket, the Angels have shifted their focus to grabbing the best record in the American League as the playoffs near. Los Angeles is 2.5 games ahead of the Orioles for the best record in the AL with just a handful of games remaining on the schedule. Los Angeles has lost two straight, but have not lost more than that since a four-game losing streak from August 5-8.
Wade LeBlanc takes on Sonny Gray in Oakland on Tuesday night as both teams still have goals to meet prior to the playoffs. We will place our bet at the sportsbook found at Bovada.lv, where the A’s are home chalk to win this game. We will drop 10 percent of our bankroll on the A’s and the -190 money line.
Chris Wassel
AA, AAS
CURRENTLY
Sports Writer and Journalist
RESIDES IN
Rahway, NJ
EDUCATION
Union County College, Montclair State University
EXPERTISE
Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more
Summary
Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups.
Works on injuries for a variety of sites. Edits articles from NASCAR to football and beyond.
Occasionally runs sites like mynhltraderumor.com and Full Press Hockey/Bets.
Does a podcast for Full Press Hockey and a few other sports too.
Experience
Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.
His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too.
Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza.
Since 2013, Chris does focus on things like fitness, fishing, and sports. One would be surprised that Chris runs, hikes, and rock climbs. There are even those occasional mini-triathlons. One truly can pack a lot in a small package. Chris can lift things over his body weight with ease. Also, if there is a NASCAR rain prop, Chris can tell you if there will be a Monday race.
Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a wide range of places from Amazon to USA Today to a variety of rumors and fantasy sports sites.
Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of high-stakes fantasy trophies and rings that Chris sports in his house.
Education
Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams.
Quote from Chris Wassel
"Shut up and play.”