And down the stretch they come...

With the Angels a shoo-in to win the American League West - their magic number for clinching the division title is nine - the rest of the AL looks like a four-horse race for three playoff spots. Tampa Bay, the AL East leader, is being chased by the Red Sox, who hold a slim lead in the wild card race over one of Minnesota or Chicago. Let's assess what the teams face with less than a month from the finish line. (By Matt Porter, Boston.com)