AL Wild-Card Contenders Swing Momentum Back in Tightening Race

Wins were back on the menu Sunday in the American League wild-card race, as a cluster of contenders halted recent slides and, in several cases, flipped series narratives that had been running against them.

After two straight days that sent a number of wild-card hopefuls to losses, the Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins all emerged victorious to close out their respective series. With Cleveland currently sitting in the third wild-card spot, its win meant that, for the first time since Thursday, no ground could be gained on the holding position in the American League chase.

The Guardians, Rangers and Twins all avoided sweeps on Sunday, fighting off the brooms of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. Toronto and Baltimore, meanwhile, completed weekend sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and the Athletics – results that reshaped the short-term pressure points in a field governed by the three wild-card berths administered under the framework of Major League Baseball’s postseason format.

The Mariners and Detroit Tigers were the lone clubs in the race to lose on Sunday, slipping further back in the post-season picture at the end of a day that largely stabilized the positions of the current leaders rather than creating new movement.

Standings Snapshot and Monday Night Schedule

Here’s how the standings looked after Sunday’s results:

Several of the same clubs are immediately back in action in a set of games that will further define the margins around the wild-card cut line:

• Houston: vs. Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.
• New York Yankees: at Angels, 9:38 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
• Boston: vs. Seattle, 6:45 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
• Baltimore: at Rockies, 8:40 p.m.
• Texas: vs. Athletics, 8:05 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
• Minnesota: vs. Detroit, 7:40 p.m.
• Seattle: at Boston, 6:45 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
• Detroit: at Minnesota, 7:40 p.m.

For clubs like Baltimore and Texas, these quick turnarounds offer a chance to build on Sunday’s resets, while Seattle and Detroit are pushed immediately into must-respond situations if they intend to remain realistic postseason factors.

Blue Jays Ride Scherzer Gem to Statement Sweep

TORONTO – Max Scherzer and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto homered and the Toronto Blue Jays thumped the Seattle Mariners 7-0 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

The Mariners have now lost four straight, a damaging slide for a club trying to remain aligned with the wild-card pace.

Scherzer (2-7) struck out a season-high 10, moving him past Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry and into ninth place on the career strikeouts list. The three-time Cy Young Award winner reached the mark by striking out Cal Raleigh for the second out of the seventh inning, the 3,535th strikeout of his career.

Scherzer walked one and allowed one hit in a season-high seven innings to earn his first win since his season-opening start on March 31 against Colorado. He threw 97 pitches, 67 for strikes, providing Toronto with precisely the kind of veteran anchor performance that can recalibrate a pitching staff heading into September.

For Seattle, being shut down in this fashion by a veteran right-hander and dropping all three games in Toronto now increases the urgency of their upcoming series in Boston, where they face both the Red Sox and the standards of the American League wild-card tiebreak frameworks, which determine places when records are level at the end of the regular season.

Ramírez Milestone Keeps Guardians in Control of Third Wild Card

CLEVELAND – José Ramírez homered, recorded his 1,000th career single and drove in four runs while Parker Messick struck out five and allowed one run in six innings to lead Cleveland past Kansas City.

Cleveland (69-68) holds the third American League wild card, and Ramírez’s production helped the Guardians protect that status on a day when their closest pursuers were largely winning as well.

Ramírez’s RBI single in the sixth inning plated Jac Caglianone, making him the 11th player in Cleveland history to register 1,000 career singles. His two-run home run in the fourth extended the Guardians’ lead to 9-1 and was his first at Progressive Field since May 17 – a timely return to power at home in the context of a tightening race.

After a 30-minute weather delay, Ramírez opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 1 before Nathaniel Lowe sent his 15th homer of the season over the left-centre field wall for a 3-1 Cleveland lead. Jo Adell later added a two-run double in the third and Lowe contributed an RBI sacrifice fly as Cleveland’s lineup built an advantage that gave Messick margin to work efficiently.

For the Guardians, a day that combined an individual milestone with a stabilizing win also ensured that the pack behind them could not close in, maintaining a critical buffer as the calendar moves into the season’s decisive stretch.

Twins Halt Skid Behind Matthews’ Near-Perfect Outing

MINNEAPOLIS – Zebby Matthews took a perfect game into the sixth inning and pitched a career-high 8 1/3 innings as Minnesota beat Chicago to avoid being swept by the American League Central leaders.

Josh Bell had a pair of RBI singles and Luke Keaschall homered for the Twins, who had lost four in a row and entered Sunday 8 1/2 games behind Chicago and four games behind Cleveland in both the division and the race for the third wild card. The team also placed star centre-fielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list before the game as he deals with a lingering hip impingement.

Trevor Larnach’s two-run double in the first inning supplied Matthews (9-8) with a 3-0 lead, and the 26-year-old right-hander took over from there. He faced the minimum until Drew Romo broke up the perfect game and no-hitter with a soft single to right with two outs in the sixth.

Matthews was chasing his first career shutout and complete game, but Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas singled in the ninth, prompting Twins manager Derek Shelton to turn to Jeff Hoffman, who allowed one of the inherited runners to score.

Even with the late blemish, Minnesota’s ability to avoid a sweep and to pair a standout start with timely hitting keeps its campaign within reach of the expanded postseason structure. Hosting Detroit next, the Twins have an immediate opportunity to consolidate the gain against another team attempting to stay relevant in the same race.

Dodgers’ Arms Extend Tigers’ Offensive Struggles

DETROIT – Tyler Glasnow gave up two hits and one run in seven innings and Freddie Freeman scored three runs as Los Angeles beat Detroit, reinforcing the difficulty of the Tigers’ current stretch.

Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer and scored twice for the Dodgers. Detroit, which has scored nine runs in its last six games, has lost 12 of 15, a run of results that is increasingly at odds with staying within realistic contention for a wild-card position.

Glasnow (4-0) allowed one walk while striking out six. Detroit starter Framber Valdez (8-10) gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in six innings, striking out five.

The Dodgers, who left 21 batters on base in the first two games of the series, again struggled early to convert opportunities on Sunday. They had runners on second and third with one out in the second, but Valdez struck out Kyle Tucker and Kiké Hernández to end the inning. Even so, Los Angeles ultimately found enough offence to support a dominant outing by Glasnow, deepening Detroit’s recent run of low-scoring defeats.

Durán Leads Rangers’ Recovery in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE – Ezequiel Durán homered, doubled and drove in three runs to help Texas avoid a sweep with a win over Milwaukee, snapping both their own four-game losing streak and the Brewers’ four-game winning run.

Joc Pederson added a solo shot as the Rangers steadied themselves in the wildcard mix. Milwaukee’s Gary Sánchez hit his 200th career homer, a milestone for the veteran catcher in a game that still tilted decisively toward the visitors.

Durán tied the game with a two-out solo homer in the third and then put the Rangers ahead for good with a ground-rule double in the fifth that drove in two runs. Both his hits came off Brewers starter Dustin May (6-9).

May was pitching four days after he was hit in the upper back by a 106-m.p.h. line drive off the bat of the New York Mets’ A.J. Ewing, a comebacker that caused him to leave that earlier game with a bruised right scapula after throwing just one pitch. His return cemented his availability, but the day belonged to Durán and a Rangers offence that needed a result to keep pressure on Houston in the AL West and within the overlapping wild-card picture.

Astros Stay Clear in AL West With Late Punch in New York

NEW YORK – Pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr.’s go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning helped power Houston to a win over New York, preserving the Astros’ two-game cushion over Texas in the AL West.

With Houston trailing 3-2, Wade launched a pitch from Jonathan Pintaro (0-1) for the third pinch-hit homer of his career and his first since April 2, 2025, when he was with San Francisco.

Jeremy Peña hit a leadoff homer and had two RBIs for the Astros, who overcame consecutive homers by Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto – the Mets’ first two batters – in the first inning. Houston scored twice in the seventh to build out a three-run advantage. Isaac Paredes scored on Daulton Varsho’s bases-loaded groundout to first and Jose Altuve raced home when Jared Young threw wide of the plate.

Ethan Pecko overcame a difficult opening frame to earn his first big league win. Pecko (1-0) gave up three hits, including homers on consecutive pitches to Lindor and Soto, and struck out four over five innings. Josh Hader, the Astros’ fifth pitcher, recorded his 21st save with a one-hit ninth inning.

The result not only strengthens Houston’s positioning at the top of its division but also has implications across the National League race, as the Mets absorb another loss in a tightly contested environment that mirrors the pressure of the AL race.

Henderson Powers Orioles’ Charge Back Toward .500

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gunnar Henderson hit two homers and drove in five runs, Coby Mayo added a three-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles scored seven unanswered runs to rally past the Athletics and complete a three-game sweep.

Baltimore (68-69) moves to one game under .500 for the first time since April 30 and sits one game back of the third and final AL wild-card spot, an important benchmark for a club that had been drifting away from contention earlier in the season.

Henderson opened with a line drive over the centre-field wall for a 1-0 first-inning lead. The Athletics responded with five straight runs before Mayo pulled Baltimore back with his 15th home run off a left-handed pitcher this season, breaking a tie with Atlanta’s Matt Olson for most in the majors.

Henderson hit his second home run 413 feet to drive in the go-ahead runs in the fifth before capping the scoring with an RBI triple in the eighth as Baltimore completed the sweep. He is the third player in MLB this season to record a triple in a multihomer game and the first to do so for Baltimore since Nelson Cruz on Sept. 7, 2014, underlining the scale of his all-around performance.

Chris Bassitt (6-4) gave up five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for Baltimore while striking out four. Yennier Cano worked a hitless ninth for his third save of the year.

On the Athletics’ side, Lawrence Butler extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-run double in the first to give Oakland a 2-1 lead. Jeff McNeil added an RBI double in the third and Brian Serven lifted the lead to 5-1 in the fourth before Baltimore’s lineup turned the game decisively in its favour.

Marlins Stun Nationals With Six-Run Ninth

WASHINGTON – Otto Lopez’s two-run homer capped a six-run ninth inning as Miami rallied past Washington, a late-inning surge with significant psychological weight even for a club working outside the current AL race.

Esteury Ruiz bunted for a hit leading off the ninth against Max Kranick (0-1), and Griffin Conine and Leo Jiménez each walked. Tom Cosgrove replaced Kranick and hit Jakob Marsee to force in a run.

Joe Mack hit a sacrifice fly to centre, bringing Conine across to tie the game. As Andrew Pinckney threw wildly to third trying to get Jiménez, the ball went into the dugout and Jiménez advanced to make it 3-2.

Heriberto Hernández walked, Marsee stole home on a double steal and Lopez then hit a 400-foot homer into the Marlins bullpen to push the lead to 6-2. It was a sequence that underscored how quickly leverage can shift in late innings across a schedule where every game has implications for seeding, draft positioning or internal evaluations.

Braves Walk Off Rockies for Seventh Straight Win

BRAVES 3, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

ATLANTA – Matt Olson’s single past first base drove in Brewer Hicklen with the winning run in the 10th inning as Atlanta recovered from relinquishing an early lead to beat Colorado for its seventh straight win.

Sean Murphy homered for Atlanta. Ronald Acuña Jr. opened the 10th with a single to left field off Ryan Feltner (5-9) that moved designated runner Brewer Hicklen to third base before Olson followed with the walk-off hit down the right-field line, the seventh walk-off hit of his career.

Braves players streamed out of the dugout to surround Olson near second base, a familiar scene for a club that has combined high offensive output with late-game resilience. Victor Mederos (4-1) pitched a perfect 10th inning, extending the Braves’ form as one of the most consistent sides in the National League field.

Yankees’ Late Explosion Strengthens AL Wild-Card Grip

NEW YORK – Austin Wells homered twice in a nine-run eighth inning, Heliot Ramos hit a three-run homer in the fifth and New York widened its lead in the AL wild-card race while clinching the season series against Boston.

Wells opened the eighth with a homer off Jovani Moran and later in the inning connected again, this time against infielder Andruw Monasterio’s 49.8 mph slider, for a three-run shot.

Paul Goldschmidt also homered after starting New York’s five-run fifth with a two-run single off Ranger Suarez (5-4). Jose Caballero started at shortstop for rookie George Lombard Jr. (right knee discomfort) and launched a three-run drive off Monasterio’s 49 mph slider.

Ramos hit his first homer since being acquired from San Francisco at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. It was his first overall since July 20 and came in his first multi-hit game with the Yankees. Ramos entered Sunday 7-for-59 in his first 20 games for New York, and his breakthrough helped the Yankees (78-59) move four games ahead of the Red Sox (74-63) and secure the head-to-head tiebreaker, winning seven of 13 meetings – a significant advantage if the clubs finish with identical records in the race structured under MLB’s tiebreak regulations.

Pirates’ Ashcraft Reaches 14 Wins as Cardinals Mark RBI Milestone

ST. LOUIS – Esmerlyn Valdez and Jared Triolo homered, Brandon Lowe added an RBI single and Pittsburgh beat St. Louis in a game that offered contrasting markers for both clubs.

Braxton Ashcraft (14-5) held St. Louis without an extra-base hit over five innings to become the first Pirates pitcher since 2018 (Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams) to reach 14 wins. He allowed two runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one.

In the second inning, Valdez hit a two-run home run off Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (5-13) that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole. Triolo drilled a 412-foot blast into the left-field stands in the fifth to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-0.

Thomas Saggese singled three times and scored twice after moving into the St. Louis lineup when infielder JJ Wetherholt was placed on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis. Alec Burleson achieved his first 100-RBI season when he and Iván Herrera delivered back-to-back run-scoring singles with two outs in the fifth, a personal landmark set against the backdrop of a Pirates win that underlines their progress in the National League picture.

Rays Complete Extra-Inning Sweep of Padres

RAYS 5, PADRES 4, 11 INNINGS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jonny DeLuca hit a two-out, two-run homer off Mason Miller to tie the game in the ninth inning and Jorge Mateo singled in the winning run in the 11th as Tampa Bay beat San Diego to finish a three-game sweep.

Miller appeared to have closed it out when Samad Taylor chased down DeLuca’s drive to left field, but the ball fell out of Taylor’s glove when he hit the wall and landed on the other side to tie it 3-3.

Miller has now allowed home runs in back-to-back games after not conceding any in his first 53 appearances. It was only his second blown save in 34 opportunities, a notable development for one of the game’s most reliable late-inning arms.

Automatic runner Manny Machado took third on a wild pitch from Rays reliever Tyler Wells (3-2) to start the 11th and Ty France followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 Padres lead before Tampa Bay answered once more. For the Rays, the sweep supports their pursuit of National League opponents and improves their standing within the broader wild-card chase governed collectively by MLB’s league-wide seeding provisions.

Phillies’ Depth Carries Sweep of Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Zack Wheeler allowed one run in six strong innings, Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh and Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep with a win over Los Angeles.

Sosa, whose pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth had given Philadelphia a 5-3 win on Friday night, led off the seventh with a solo shot off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (0-5) to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

Philadelphia added two insurance runs in the eighth on Luis Arraez’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Brandon Marsh’s pinch-hit RBI single for a 4-1 lead. Bryce Harper added an RBI double in the ninth to make it 5-1.

Alex McFarlane threw a scoreless seventh and Orion Kerkering gave up a run on Mike Trout’s ninth-inning RBI double while recording the final four outs for his second save.

The Phillies won for the 13th time in 15 games. The Angels have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season, and remain under sustained scrutiny as they seek to rebalance a roster built around marquee talent within the same postseason framework that has currently placed the emphasis on depth and rotation stability across both leagues.

Wheeler (11-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked three to outduel Kikuchi, who surrendered two runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.

Reds Take Rubber Game Despite Crow-Armstrong Power Surge

CHICAGO – Rookie Sal Stewart homered for the third straight game to help offset two more home runs by Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Cincinnati beat Chicago after rain delayed the start by 25 minutes.

Dane Myers hit a go-ahead homer off Shoto Imanaga (8-10) leading off the fifth inning and Tyler Stephenson followed with a two-run shot after a single by Elly De La Cruz for a 6-3 lead. De La Cruz left after that with left quad tightness.

Stewart homered for the 31st time, taking Trent Thornton deep for the Reds’ final run in the seventh.

Crow-Armstrong homered leading off the first against Chase Burns (15-3) to give the Cubs the lead. It was his fourth homer in seven at-bats after hitting three on Saturday in a 17-5 victory over the Reds. The National League MVP frontrunner hit his 38th homer with a solo shot off Reds closer Emilio Pagán in the ninth before Pagán completed his 19th save.

Burns allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in 5 2/3 innings as Cincinnati won the rubber game of the series after previously losing six of seven matchups against the Cubs. Michael Conforto contributed an RBI single in the second to push Chicago ahead 2-0 before the Reds’ offence overhauled the deficit, a pattern that reflects the volatility and opportunity inherent in a league-wide system where series edges can carry significant implications over a 162-game schedule.

Across both leagues, Sunday’s results highlighted how quickly trajectories can swing within the structure of the modern MLB postseason, where expanded wild-card access keeps more teams mathematically alive deeper into the season but also sharpens the consequences of every losing streak, bullpen collapse or milestone performance.