Eye Toward October: Sept. 9

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Trouble Brewing: Could it be happening again to Milwaukee? The Brewers collapsed down the stretch last season, and after a ninth-inning implosion by Salomon Torres last night against Cincinnati, fears of deja vu have to be creeping back in for Milwaukee fans.

The Brewers' edge over the Phillies in the wild-card race is down to three games, and a month that seemed like it would be a relative breeze at the start now has the potential to be a real nail-biter.

Milwaukee has two games left with the Reds at home then embarks on an 11-day, 10-game road trip that will take them to Philadelphia, Chicago and then Cincinnati. The Brewers have been very good on the road this season, but their bullpen problems are not going away over the final weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs.

Buckle up, Brewers fans. The next road trip could make or break Milwaukee's season.

- Royal Advantage: I talked yesterday about how the Blue Jays will play the role of spoiler in the next few weeks. That role starts Tuesday. Toronto will play three with the AL Central-leading White Sox in the next two days, while the Twins, the team chasing Chicago, faces the cellar-dwelling Royals.

The South Siders must wrangle with A.J. Burnett and Roy Halladay, while Minnesota gets a chance to tee off on Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies and Brandon Duckworth. If the Twins can't pick up a game or two on Chicago in the next few days, they might have trouble catching them at all.

- Houston, We Have Liftoff?: The Astros were left for dead a long time ago, but they're currently only five games back of the Brewers. They're still an enormous longshot, especially with St. Louis, Philadelphia and Milwaukee to climb over, but give them credit for hanging in the race and not packing it in for the year.

- More Questions Ray-sed: B.J. Upton will miss a few games after straining his left quad in Monday's loss to Boston. It's yet another injury concern for a team that is having its depth stretched just as their closest rival is getting its full complement of players back. The Rays have been in first place since July 17 -- a total of 54 straight days -- but their grip on the division seems more perilous than ever right now.

- Keep the Champagne on Ice: With a win tomorrow and a Rangers loss, the Angels will lock up the AL West title for the second straight year. Los Angeles has been on cruise control for the better part of a month, but it is hoping this will be the first of several celebrations in the coming weeks.