AL Wild Card picture after Colton Cowser’s incredible pushes Orioles closer to Guardians 

For a brief second, it looked like Jake McCarthy had done exactly what the Guardians needed him to do. After getting a sinker over the middle of the plate from reliever Andrew Kittredge, McCarthy launched a ball to deeper center field that looked destined to clear the fence and give the Rockies a walk-off win. 

But then Colton Cowser happened. At the last second, Cowser leapt at the wall and plucked McCarthy’s ball out of the air right before it cleared the fence to secure a 2-1 lead for the Orioles. 

Cowser’s play pushed the Orioles to .500 (68-68 record) for the first time since April while putting them just a 1/2 game behind the Guardians for the American League’s final Wild Card spot. 

The Orioles are nipping at the Guardians’ heels in the Wild Card race 

The Guardians now sit at 69-68, which puts them three games behind the White Sox in the American League Central while holding that aforementioned 1/2 game on the Orioles in the Wild Card standings. 

It doesn’t stop there, however, as both the Rangers and Blue Jays are 1 1/2 games behind the Guardians for that spot too., 

While the Guardians upcoming series would be important no matter what due to that glut of teams behind them, it’s even more important considering they’re welcoming the Blue Jays to Progressive Field for a crucial three-game series. 

If the Guardians win the series they’ll all but knock the Blue Jays out of the race. But a loss would put the Guardians in a horrible spot, especially since the Orioles still have two more games left in their series against the Rockies. 

But any statements about the race between the Orioles and Guardians will likely have to wait until after next week’s series between the two teams at Camden Yards. 

As we outlined yesterday, the Guardians September schedule is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, they have a golden opportunity to knock a bunch of teams out thanks to their series against the Blue Jays, White Sox, Orioles, Red Sox and Tigers. 

But the flip side of that is that every loss to one of those teams will put them in an even worse position since their opponent would gain a full game on them. 

While the Cowser’s catch meant the Guardians didn’t get a chance to gain a 1/2 game on the Orioles on a day they were idle, they still have the advantage of being able to control their own destiny. It’s just going to be on them to take advantage. 

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