While the race for the American League Central may not be as exciting as the races in the American League East and West, the Detroit Tigers have still not wrapped up the division.

As of August 27, Cleveland trails Detroit by just 5.5 games. The Indians have had an impressive year in 2013, but their massive failures against the Tigers (including being swept in a four-game series at home) have put them in a hole.

The Kansas City Royals looked to be competitive for a little while, but a seven-game losing streak proved to be detrimental to their playoff hopes as they now sit 10.5 games back.

The Tigers are obviously considered heavy favorites, but it is not over yet for the Indians. The Tigers sit at 77-54 with 31 games remaining, while the Tribe sits 71-59 with 32 games remaining.

After finishing up their four-game series with the Athletics this week, the Tigers will host the Indians, who they have dominated. They will have a tough series afterwards as they head to Boston, but the Tigers close out with a very easy final month.

Detroit will face the Royals six times, the White Sox six times, the Mariners four times, the Twins three times, and the Marlins three times.

If the Tigers play close to .500 ball for the remainder of the year, they would finish at either 93-69 or 92-70. For Cleveland to catch them, the Indians wouuld have to finish the season with a record of 21-11 or better.

Going 21-11 is a tough but not completely impossible task; however, the Tigers will likely do much better than .500 from here on out. This makes the odds of Cleveland winning the division very, very low.

As far as the schedule goes, the very near future is not so kind to the Tribe. Cleveland travels to Atlanta and Detroit this week: two of the top teams in baseball.

Afterwards, it gets much easier. The Indians have a key series at home against Baltimore, but finish up with a huge amount of games against some of the league’s bottom feeders.

The Indians will play three games against the Mets, six against the Royals, six against the White Sox, four against the Twins, and four against the Astros. If they are somewhere near striking distance in a week from now, they have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

The division may be tough to win for Cleveland, but a Wild Card berth is still very much possible.

The Indians will need some immediate help from Detroit of all opponents, as they are chasing the Athletics for the final Wild Card spot. Cleveland sits only two games behind the A’s and has an easier schedule remaining.

The Indians also trail the Tampa Bay Rays for the first Wild Card spot by only three-and-a-half games. It’s bittersweet for the Indians that the Rays and Athletics will square off this weekend, but they could gain some ground if they can win a few games against the Tigers.

Tampa Bay’s schedule is grueling in September, as the Rays have to take on the Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles, and Yankees. Oakland wraps up the year with a good amount of games against the Rangers, but the rest of the A’s schedule is fairly easy.

Right behind the Indians are the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, creating a five-team race for the two Wild Card spots.

It won’t be easy for Cleveland to punch a ticket to the playoffs, but with a solid roster and a friendly schedule, the window of opportunity is open.