Who is MLB’s luckiest playoff team? Where all the contenders sit

On Aug. 30, the Tampa Bay Rays trailed the San Diego Padres by two runs with two outs in the ninth when Jonny DeLuca lifted a fly ball down the left-field line that looked like the final out of the game. Padres left fielder Samad Taylor ran it down at the short fence near the foul pole and had the ball in his glove − but then he slammed into the wall. The ball came loose, tumbling over the wall. What would be a routine out anywhere else became a two-run home run off Mason Miller, one of two the closer has given up this year.

Tampa Bay won it in the 11th on a bases-loaded single from Jorge Mateo. Nobody remembers that game as anything more than a win, and that's the point. The Rays have had a lot of luck this season, but the bottom line is they have been piling up wins this year, a lot of them. In fact, they have been collecting more than their own numbers can explain.

Tampa Bay was 90-59 heading into Tuesday night's games, but its run differential projects to an 82-67 team, an 8-win gap that's the largest of any…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/