Blue Jays playoff odds take huge hit after dreadful series against the Rangers

In hindsight, the four-game set versus the Rangers was arguably the defining series of the season for the Blue Jays. Unfortunately for the team and their fans, just not in the way they would have hoped.

Certainly there's few scenarios worse than getting swept in a four-game series, especially at home. As a result of this terrible turn of events, the Blue Jays now find themselves in an extremely precarious position when it comes to their chances of making the playoffs.

Poor odds following Rangers sweep

The Blue Jays are one of four teams fighting for three playoff places, along with the Astros, Rangers and Mariners. Fans will be disheartened -- if also unsurprised -- to find they have the worst odds as of Friday morning, when it comes to qualifying for the postseason.

As per FanGraphs, the Blue Jays have a 33.8 percent chance of making the playoffs, with just 15 regular season games remaining. Contrast this with the Astros, Rangers and Mariners, who are at 96.5, 88.6 and 80.6 percent respectively.

Even allowing for the fact the Astros, Rangers and Mariners' chances are also helped by all having the AL West to play for, it doesn't make good reading for the Blue Jays. It's also frustrating, when considering they entered the Rangers series with a 79.3 percent chance of a making the playoffs.

Still have a (in)fighting chance

Despite this, all hope is not lost just yet. For a start, consider that the Blue Jays sit only 1.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot, albeit with just the 15 aforementioned games to play.

However, what could really help the Blue Jays, is the remaining games between the three AL West teams. More specifically, the Mariners have seven games left versus the Rangers, and three against the Astros.

Assuming the three teams are all successful in taking games off each other, this opens the door for the Blue Jays. Of course this is dependent on them also taking care of their own business, and this is where things become precarious again.

All about the AL East

The reason for this is because the Blue Jays' remaining 15 games all come against the AL East. In this respect they've performed poorly versus their division so far this year, with a record of just 12-25.

Breaking these remaining games down further, the Blue Jays have three to play versus the Red Sox. Boston has already won their season series with a record of 7-3.

However, there is more hope when it comes to both the Yankees and Rays. The Blue Jays have a 3-4 record versus both, with six games remaining against each team.

Step up or go home

Of course, all the numbers and statistics in the world only mean so much. Ultimately, it comes down to taking care of business on the field.

In this respect, the Blue Jays still control their own fate - at least to a certain extent. However, they need to improve significantly from their showing against the Rangers, or they will be labelled as disappointing underachievers, considering the talent on their roster.