The Indians are half a game ahead of the Athletics in the wild-card standing.
But the Oakland Athletics are right there, too, only two games behind the Mariners and a game behind the Angels in the wild-card standing.
Even though the Braves enjoy a seven-game bulge over the Mets, FRED WILPON said his team should not gaze at the wild-card standing.
The Cubs, who would have been eliminated from the N.L. Central race with a loss, stayed five games behind St . Louis which leads the wild-card standing.
An article on Monday about the New England Patriots' 59-24 victoverover the Indianapolis Colts the previous day misstated the Colts' lead in the American Football Conference wild-card standing.
If the Mets seek some incentive despite their lagging position, they should know that 10 days after the All-Star Game break last season, the St . Louis Cardinalswere six games back in the wild-card standing.
Only one game behind the Braves when they arrived, they lost each game of the three-game series there, then lost their next four and what had been their three-and-a-half-game lead in the wild-card standing.
When Duquette fired Jimy Williams on Aug. 16, the Red Sox were five games behind the Yankees in the American League East and two behind Oakland in the wild-card standing.
Even though the Yankees begin a three-game series here on Friday, the Red Sox will be better served focusing on the wild-card standing instead of the division standing.
Jim Thome dribbled home the go-ahead run and Jolbert Cabrera hit his second career homer for the Indians, who began the night trailing the Athletics by one and a half games in the wild-card standing.
The Astros, who had been in first place in the N.L. Central since Aug. 17, tumbled to second with their sixth consecutive loss, one game behind the charging St. Louis Cardinals, but they assumed the lead in the wild-card standing.
