NEW YORK -- Before the playoffs can start, the regular season must finish. And in the American League, that's not as easy as it seems.

With AL teams bunched closely and home-field advantage at stake, the commissioner's office has rescheduled two rainouts for Monday.

The Florida Marlins, long eliminated from postseason contention, must go to New York to play the Yankees at noon EDT, making up a July 15 washout.

Oakland, competing for the AL West and a wild card berth, will play at Tampa Bay at 6:05 p.m. That makes up for the game missed Sept. 17 because of Hurricane Gordon.

If it turns out the makeups have no effect on either playoff teams or home field, baseball probably would decide this weekend to call them off.

"That's fine with me," Marlins manager John Boles said Thursday. "The only problem is I've got a dentist appointment Monday. But I'm a firm believer that you play the entire schedule if you can. It would be nice to go up there and play a meaningful game in front of a packed house."

First baseman Derrek Lee wasn't as eager for the road trip, which would require the Marlins to charter a flight following Sunday afternoon's game against Philadelphia.

"That wouldn't be any fun unless we had a chance to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs," Lee said. "Hopefully we won't have to go."

The Marlins can figure on paying between $50,000 and $75,000 to charter the plane, plus the cost of about 50 hotel rooms on short notice -- including a few extra ones because of the expanded roster -- and per diem for the players.

"All we need are some hotel rooms and an airplane and we'll be all set," said Bill Beck, the Marlins' traveling secretary. "I guess I have a few phone calls to make."

The Athletics have perhaps the most difficult potential schedule of all. It's theoretically possible Oakland could finish its series with Texas on Sunday, play at Tampa Bay on Monday night, return to Oakland for a tiebreaker game on Tuesday to determine the wild card team or AL West -- and then open the playoffs on the road Wednesday.

"There's a lot of things that could happen, but I think if we just take care of our end, we won't have to worry about any of that," Jason Giambi said. "We win three games this weekend and I think you'll see things working out in our favor. If we've got to go to Tampa, we'll do it, but we'd probably prefer not to."

Oakland traveling secretary Mickey Morabito told reporters he couldn't give them any of his customary help finding hotel rooms on the Athletics' potential travels. He was too busy planning for every contingency for his team.

"That's what makes this time of year exciting," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "You'd rather be wondering where you're going than knowing you're going home."

While Chicago has clinched a playoff berth and home field in both rounds of the AL playoffs, Seattle (89-70), Oakland (88-70) and the Yankees (87-71) are tightly bunched, with Cleveland (87-72) still in contention for the wild card and Boston (84-75) still alive in the AL East.

"I guess you could look at it as our postseason," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said.

New York, which needs one win or a Boston loss to clinch the AL East, intends to pitch Denny Neagle against the Marlins, while the Devil Rays plan to start Cory Lidle against Oakland.

"We'll do what we have to do, whatever we're told to do, and go from there," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "I don't want to hear it any more. I've heard too many scenarios, and it's interfering with what we need to do, win a ballgame. I just shut myself off. Wherever they tell me to go, I'm going to make sure I'm at the end of the line getting on whatever plane."

The AL playoffs are scheduled to start Tuesday at Chicago and at the home park of the division winner with the second-best record. If a tiebreaker game is needed Tuesday to decide the wild-card berth, the start of the AL playoffs would be pushed back.