Taking a look at American League postseason contenders

As the final month of the season arrives, the Orioles' chances of winning the American League East amount to an uphill battle.

The Orioles are trying to overtake the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in the division. All three teams have an ability to score runs, but the Blue Jays and Red Sox have more pitching, especially in the rotation.

But, two teams can make the October postseason as wild cards.

Here's what the Orioles are up against with the wild card contenders:

BOSTON: After struggling in the first half, the Red Sox are getting it together. Their offense, a perfect blend of young and old, lead, since the All-Star break, the American League in runs and on-base percentage while placing second in home runs and team average. Mookie Betts has 30 home runs and is the third Red Sox player - joining Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro - as the only Red Sox players to reach 30 before age 24. The biggest surprises in the Red Sox lineup are catcher Sandy Leon, a former Nats prospect who hit so well for average (.305 since the break), he's taken over the No. 1 job, and outfielder Andrew Benintendi. The Red Sox's face-of-the-franchise leaders, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, 40, are as dangerous as ever. Ortiz is in his final season and could be setting up for a magical October finish. The starting pitching has done a complete turnaround. Rick Porcello has 18 wins. David Price has been consistent since the break. Eduardo Rodriguez has recovered nicely after struggling with a knee injury. Drew Pomeranz was a good pickup from San Diego. The rotation's biggest surprise is Clay Buchholz, former starter who went to the bullpen and fixed mechanical flaws. He's back in the rotation. The Red Sox have an almost impossible schedule. They have 10 home games after Sept. 1 with two three-city trips. One trip takes them to Oakland, San Diego and Toronto, the other to Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox and Blue Jays play the final weekend of the season in Boston.

DETROIT: The Tigers, who play the Orioles at Comerica Park Sept. 9-11, have the schedule advantage. The Tigers, who last had a wild-card spot on Aug. 8, have seven games against the Minnesota Twins and three against the Atlanta Braves, the two worst teams in baseball. They play the Braves on the final weekend of the season. But, the Tigers also have seven games left with Cleveland, the leader in the AL Central, giving the Tigers hope that they can win the division. The Tigers are inconsistent and here's a perfect example: They have back-to-back shutouts on the road against AL West-leading Texas and then lose two of three games at home to the Los Angeles Angels. Pitcher Justin Verlander, who has been lights-out since the All-Star break, leads a rotation that is strong and youthful, with Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd. Fulmer, a leading candidate to win the AL Rookie of the Year, is pitching on five days of rest to keep him fresh throughout September. The rotation also has Anibal Sanchez and former National Jordan Zimmermann is expected to be back from the disabled list and ready to go in the final month. The Tigers are usually a powerhouse offense, but their run production ranked in the bottom third of the league with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez the only consistent hitters.

HOUSTON: If the Astros stay in the race, they will be doing it despite an unforgiving schedule: Starting Friday, the Astros play in Texas and Cleveland and then come home and play the Chicago Cubs and Rangers again. Then, they play home-and-home series against the Seattle Mariners in the final weeks of the season. The Astros' lineup is weak after Jose Altuve, an AL MVP candidate, and catcher Evan Gattis. And, the Astros lack rotation depth. Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young winner, and Doug Fister lead the rotation, but Mike Fiers and Collin McHugh have rising ERAs. And, the Astros aren't sure if Lance McCullers, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 2 because of elbow complications, will have enough time to return. The bullpen is thin because Luke Gregerson has been injured and Tony Sipp, the Astros' $18 million reliever, has been vulnerable to the home run.

KANSAS CITY: There's new energy in the Royals' clubhouse, but will it be too late? The Royals hope to beat the odds and make the postseason for the third consecutive year. In 2014, their come-from-behind win against Oakland in the wild-card game started them on the road to the World Series. In 2015, the Royals beat the odds and won the World Series. After going 7-19 in July of this season, they were 51-58 on Aug. 5. But, their August turnaround includes a 20-7 record in August. Another win against the Yankees this week and the Royals will have won eight consecutive series. They've had the best pitching in the AL since the beginning of August, led by Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy. The bullpen has been without injured Luke Hochevar (out for the season) and Wade Davis (due back for September), but Kelvin Herrera has handled the closer's role well and lefty Matt Strahm, a rookie with a 97 mph fastball, has worked his way into high-leverage situations and done well. He had a 0.68 ERA in his first 10 games. The Royals have won 18 of their last 22.

NEW YORK: Who would have thought that relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller and outfielder Carlos Beltran were a drag on the Yankees' postseason chances? All three were traded before the July 31 deadline, and the Yankees followed with a strong August. At the start of the month, they were 52-52, seven games behind the Orioles. Catching prospect Gary Sanchez's power is all the rage, but he's not going to continue to hit like Babe Ruth. The Yankees' bullpen, with Adam Warren and Tyler Clippard setting up Dellin Betances, but the rotation is the question: CC Sabathia's August ERA is 5.35 and two of the pitchers in the rotation - Chad Green and Luis Cessa - were the mid-level prospects the Yankees got from Detroit last winter for relief pitcher Justin Wilson. The Yankees have six games left with the Orioles, including the final series of the season in Baltimore.

SEATTLE: Which Mariners team is going to show up for September? The Mariners were one of the best teams in the AL the first two months of the season, holding a 28-18 record on Memorial Day. They fell a part in June, but have been a solid team since the All-Star break. The Mariners have been re-making their bullpen all season and now they are relying on a rookie closer, Edwin Diaz. Hishashi Iwakuma and Felix Hernandez anchor the top of the rotation, although Hernandez, 30, isn't the power pitcher he once was. Iwakuma has been consistent after an offseason where the Dodgers almost signed him. The key for the Mariners is how strong the back of the rotation - James Paxton and Taijuan Walker - will be. The Mariners have the potential to score runs with Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Nelson Cruz and the recent emergence of catcher Mike Zunino. The Mariners have legitimate power. Consider that they are the fourth-best home-run hitting team in the majors and play in the spaciousness of pitching-friendly Safeco Field. The Mariners have hit .313 with runners in scoring position during August. Cruz and Cano are the first Mariners to have at least 30 home runs in the same season since Richie Sexon and Raul Ibanez each hit 30 in 2006.