Playoff snapshot: A's head to the Bronx

Here's a look at where we stand heading into Friday's action, with less than two weeks left in regular-season play.

By Matt Snyder

Sep 21, 2012 at 9:48 am ET • 1 min read

Two teams clinched playoff berths on Thursday, and the march goes on.

Playoff Picture page | Friday scoreboard | Three-day schedule

Here is a quick glance at the top five games on Friday.

1. Athletics at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

The A's have lost three of four and now head to the Bronx to face the Yankees, who have won five straight. AL East and wild-card implications hang in the balance.

2. White Sox at Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET

With the Angels being 4 1/2 games out of the last wild-card spot with 12 games to go, they are desperate. The White Sox, meanwhile, still have that two-game lead in the AL Central.

3. Brewers at Nationals, 7:05 p.m. ET

Milwaukee brings in a five-game winning streak, yet still trails the Cardinals by 2 1/2 games in the wild-card race. The Nationals have clinched a playoff berth but still haven't nailed down the all-important -- especially in this new format -- division title.

4. Cardinals at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. ET

The Cardinals have a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL wild-card race, but the big news here is Chris Carpenter's return to the mound.

5. Braves at Phillies, 7:05 p.m. ET

With the Phillies four games out of a playoff spot with 12 games to play, the Braves have a shot this weekend to bury their division rival for good in 2012.

Magic Numbers (listed in ascending order)

NL Central: Reds, 2
NL West: Giants, 3
NL WC1: Braves, 5
NL East: Nationals, 8
AL WC1: Orioles, 9
AL WC2: Athletics, 9
AL West: Rangers, 10
NL WC2: Cardinals, 11
AL Central: White Sox, 12
AL East: Yankees, 13

Grim reaper watch

The Royals will be mathematically eliminated on Friday with either a loss or a White Sox win.

Playoff chances, via coolstandings.com

AL East champion

Yankees 76.3%
Orioles 23.5%
Rays 0.2%

AL Central champion

White Sox 74.8%
Tigers 25.2%

AL West champion

Rangers 88.2%
Athletics 11.8%

AL wild card

Athletics 81.1%
Orioles 67.8%
Yankees 22.7%
Rangers 11.7%
Angels 9.4%
Rays 5.5%
Tigers 1.2%
White Sox 0.6%

NL East champion

Nationals 97.8%
Braves 2.2%

NL Central champion

Reds 99.9%

NL West champion

Giants 99.9%

NL wild card

Braves 97.8%
Cardinals 73.3%
Brewers 17.5%
Dodgers 5.9%
Nationals 2.2%
Phillies 1.5%
Diamondbacks 1.4%
Pirates 0.5%