As season hits home stretch, answers to some pressing questions around the majors

With less than a month to go in the baseball season, here are the most-asked questions about September:

Q: Which 2015 World Series team - the Royals or the Mets - has the best chance to return to the Fall Classic?

A: Both are long shots to return to the World Series, but of the two, Kansas City has a better chance because of a deeper rotation and an airtight bullpen. The Mets, who had the fourth-best run production in the National League during August, have had rotation issues and their two most reliable pitchers are Bartolo Colon and Noah Syndergaard - not even close to the dominating rotation of a year ago. The Royals won 18 of 23 to get back into the race, but they are cooling off. The Royals' problem was July, when they had seven wins.

Q: Will the Tigers catch the Indians in the American League Central?

A: It's not likely. The Indians are in first place thanks to a 22-6 record during June. Otherwise, they've been a .500 team. Their strength is the rotation and, of course, getting Andrew Miller for the bullpen didn't hurt. It appears that their weakest position will get a boost: Catcher Yan Gomes, who has been out since July with a separated right shoulder, has been cleared to go on a rehabilitation assignment. The Tigers have six games left with the Indians, but Cleveland has owned the Tigers this season. They are 11-1 versus Detroit this year.

Q: How important is the Orioles' series in Detroit this weekend?

A: Critical, but all games are critical at this stage. Still, considering the Tigers' soft September schedule, the Orioles need to knock them off while they have a chance. The Tigers have 10 games left in September against baseball's two worst teams, seven against Minnesota and three against Atlanta.

Q: Where is the best race?

A: The AL East. All three teams - the Blue Jays, Orioles and Red Sox - could be in the postseason. And all three teams are going to be playing against each other during the final month. The Orioles have home-and-home series against Boston and one against Toronto on the road. The Red Sox have home-and-home series with the Blue Jays, including the final weekend in Boston. The Orioles are 6-6 against the Red Sox and 7-9 versus the Blue Jays. The Red Sox and Blue Jays have split 12 games.

Q: What about the Yankees? Are they close enough to make a run?

A: The Yankees go into Tuesday with 71 wins with 26 games left. If they win 19 of those games, they'll have 90 wins, about the number of wins a team is going to need. But it's difficult to believe that will happen. Also, it's difficult to think the teams in front of them will fall a part enough to help the Yankees.

Q: How about the NL?

A: The wild card races, as well as the National League West, could come down to the final days. The Pirates and Cardinals are wild card contenders and play each other in two series, including the final weekend at St. Louis. The Giants and Dodgers could be playing for the NL West title on the final weekend in San Francisco, which, by the way, will be the end of regular season work for legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Q: Is the Orioles' Ubaldo Jimenez for real?

A: Nothing - good or bad - is surprising about Jimenez, who threw a complete-game win Monday at Tampa Bay, retiring the last 17 batters he faced. Chris Tillman is injured, so Jimenez, 32, has to help Kevin Gausman pick up the slack. Jimenez, who was relegated to the bullpen and wound up back in the rotation because the Orioles didn't have anyone else, has a 2.70 ERA in his last four starts. He's pitching much like did in the second half of 2013, when he pitched Cleveland into the postseason with a 1.82 ERA after the break, including a 1.90 in four September starts, when he was arguably the top right-handed pitcher in the league. For Orioles fans, Jimenez is maddeningly inconsistent, but he can be one of the best in the league, too, and it appears he has picked a good time to start winning.

Q: How are the Blue Jays and Red Sox looking these days?

A: Each team has a dangerous offense, so the Orioles don't have any advantage in that department. The Orioles need to find a consistent stream of pitching and hope the bullpen pulls it together. Boston has a week bullpen, but starter David Price has a 2.93 ERA in his last five starts. The Blue Jays have had the best rotation in the league since the All-Star break, but their most consistent pitcher, J.A. Happ, might be wearing down. And closer Roberto Osuna is coming off a tough stretch.

Q: Will Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer be lifted from the Rays rotation sometime during September?

A: Archer leads the American League with 211 strikeouts, but he also has 17 losses and a chance to become the first starter to lose 20 games in a season since Detroit's Mike Maroth in 2003. The Rays play a good portion of their schedule against AL East contenders; they probably can't take Archer out of the rotation.

Q: How will Clayton Kershaw's return from a back injury help the Dodgers rotation?

A: It will be huge. Kershaw was on his way to his fourth NL Cy Young when he suffered a herniated disk. His last game was June 26 against Pittsburgh. He was 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA at the time. The Dodgers were expected to fall apart with Kershaw down, but instead went 34-24. The Dodgers have had pitching injuries all season, but they are looking at Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda as their top three starters in September. The only concern about Kershaw is that he had only one rehabilitation start in the minors.

Q: Do the Cubs have a chance to win 100 games this season?

A: It's been an incredible season for the Cubs and a triple-digit win season seems to be within reach. They have 89 victories going into Tuesday. If the Cubs reach 100, it will be the first time since 1935, back when Franklin Roosevelt was the president overseeing 48 states.

Q: There's a good chance baseball is going to see some team end a long World Series victory drought this season, right?

A: No question. Washington hasn't had a World Series winner since 1924 and hasn't had a team there since 1933. The Cubs, of course, haven't won since 1907. Texas has never won the World Series and the Cleveland hasn't won since 1948.

Q: Who are the favorites to get to the World Series?

A: The Cubs and the Nationals are the certain favorites in the NL. The AL is wide open, but look out for the Rangers and Tigers, especially if Detroit gets former Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann back strong from the disabled list.

Q: Does it make a difference how early the Cubs and Nationals clinch division titles?

A: The challenge for Cubs manager Joe Maddon and Nationals manager Dusty Baker will to be to keep their players sharp while trying to give them rest. That's not easy to do, and then have the players ready for the postseason. It doesn't help that the last regular season game is Sunday, Oct. 4, and that neither team will play again until the following Friday, Oct. 10.

Q: When does the World Series start?

A: Not for a long time. It starts Oct. 27 and if it goes the full distance, Game 7 will be Nov. 4. That means a sizzling September with a lot of momentum might not mean a thing for a team trying to win through the chill, rain and marathon October/November postseason.