No better chance than now for the Blue Jays to shrink their magic number

"There are 19 games remaining on the schedule for the Toronto Blue Jays and their magic number to win the AL East is down to 18, while the magic number just to clinch a spot in the playoffs is sitting at 11. Barring an absolute chaotic and historic collapse, this team is playoff bound. They enter a crucial section of the schedule with a two-game lead in the AL East division while sporting one of the top two records in the American League."

"A loss by either the Yankees or the Tigers will increase Toronto's chances of just getting to the playoffs. A loss by Detroit means the Blue Jays close in on having the best record overall in the American League, while a loss by the Yankees increases the Blue Jays chances of winning the division. Toronto also holds the tie-breaker over both of those teams, so there's the extra incentive to both of those clubs that they need to play better than Toronto down the stretch to avoid that scenario."

The Toronto Blue Jays (82-61) hold a two-game AL East lead with 19 games remaining. The division-clinching magic number is 18 and the playoff-clinching magic number is 11. A pivotal week features a home series against the Houston Astros while the Yankees host the Detroit Tigers. If Toronto wins its series, the Yankees-Tigers result matters less because Toronto holds tiebreakers over both clubs. A Detroit loss would move Toronto closer to the best American League record; a Yankees loss would improve Toronto’s division odds. Probable starters include Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman for Toronto against Luis Garcia, Jason Alexander and Cristian Javier for Houston.

Read at Jays Journal