Playoff Push: Twins in trouble, Braves stay in race

The playoff races in both leagues are coming down to the wire but some answers were found on Tuesday night.

The Guardians officially clinched a bye in the first round of the playoffs while the Orioles guaranteed themselves a spot with a win and some help. The red-hot Tigers won again, while the Royals snapped their losing streak, leaving the Twins and Mariners on the outside looking in in the wild-card race after losses.

In the National League, the Braves kept pace with the Mets as the two rivals clashed in Atlanta.

Here is where things stand with five days left in the regular season.

MARLINS 4, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Cratering Minnesota took another step backward in the American League wild-card race, as Jonah Bride homered to spark a four-run second inning off Bailey Ober for the loss to Miami.

Bride had three hits, while Nick Fortes and Xavier Edwards each had two and helped fuel the defining rally in the second against Ober (12-8), who failed to finish six innings for just the second time in his last 17 starts.

The Twins (81-76), who have lost 23 of their last 34 games and 14 of 20, dropped to two games below the postseason cut behind both Detroit and Kansas City. The Tigers and Royals occupy the last two of the three wild-card spots, tied at 83-74. The Twins hold the tiebreakers after winning the season series against both of them, but there are only five games to go.

BRAVES 5, METS 1

ATLANTA — Michael Harris II had three more hits, including a solo home run and an RBI double, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach shut down New York again as Atlanta cruised to a win in the opener of a pivotal three-game series.

Atlanta trails the Mets by one game in the National League playoff race with five remaining. New York began the night a half-game ahead of Arizona for the second of three wild cards, while the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.

Schwellenbach (8-7) threw seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits while striking out four. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters over 14 innings in two wins against the Mets this season.

PADRES 4, DODGERS 2

LOS ANGELES — San Diego clinched a playoff spot when they turned a triple play to preserve a 4-2 victory over the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

With the Padres leading by three runs in the ninth inning Tuesday night, Kiké Hernández hit an RBI single that cut it to 4-2 and put runners at first and second.

Miguel Rojas hit a bouncer to Machado at third base, and he stepped on the bag before going around the horn for a game-ending triple play.

GUARDIANS 6, REDS 1

CLEVELAND — Lane Thomas hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Josh Naylor had a pair of RBIs and the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians clinched a first-round bye in the postseason with a 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Tanner Bibee (12-8) allowed one run on four hits in seven innings to win for the first time at home since July 19. The right-hander struck out seven in what could be his final outing until Game 1 of the ALDS.

Thomas and Kyle Manzardo both went deep against Carson Spiers (5-7) in a three-run first inning as the Guardians improved their AL-best home record to 49-28.

Cleveland will get five days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the division series on Oct. 5 at Progressive Field.

TIGERS 2, RAYS 1

DETROIT — Tarik Skubal allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings and Detroit took another step toward an improbable postseason appearance with a victory over Tampa Bay.

Skubal (18-4), a leading candidate to win the AL Cy Young award, struck out seven batters while walking only one. He will get a chance for a 19th win on Sunday if the Tigers need him to beat the Chicago White Sox on the final day of the regular season to make the postseason.

The Tigers (83-74) began the day tied with Kansas City for the second and third wild-card spots — the Royals hold the tiebreaker — and one game ahead of the Minnesota Twins. Sellers at MLB’s trade deadline, Detroit is an MLB-best 28-11 since Aug. 11.

Reliever Beau Brieske retired the first five batters he faced before Brandon Lowe homered with two outs in the ninth, pulling the Rays to within 2-1, but he struck out Josh Lowe for his first save.

ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 3

NEW YORK — Baltimore clinched their second straight playoff berth, overcoming Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 56th home run to beat New York.

The Orioles’ win combined with Minnesota’s loss to Miami nine minutes later assured Baltimore at least an American League wild card.

Anthony Santander hit his 44th home run and Ramón Urías and Colton Cowser also went deep for Baltimore (87-80), which closed within five games of the AL East-leading Yankees (92-65) with five games left. The Orioles’ win clinched the season series and the tiebreaker against the Yankees, but Baltimore would have to finish 5-0 while New York goes 0-5 for the Orioles to finish atop the division.

New York, which clinched a playoff berth last week, would win the AL East with one more victory.

ASTROS 4, MARINERS 3

HOUSTON — Jason Heyward hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and made a dazzling defensive play as Houston beat Seattle to clinch their fourth consecutive AL West championship.

Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker each added a solo home run for the Astros, who are headed to the postseason for the eighth year in a row.

The Astros trailed by one with no outs in the fifth inning when Victor Caratini singled before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jeremy Peña.

Heyward, who wowed on defence in the top of the inning, launched his home run to the second deck in right field off Logan Gilbert (8-12) to put Houston on top 4-3.

Heyward, who signed with the Astros last month after his release by the Dodgers, is filling in for Yordan Alvarez, who is out with a knee sprain.

CUBS 10, PHILLIES 4

PHILADELPHIA — Cody Bellinger tripled, singled twice and drove in four runs, and Chicago routed Philadelphia.

Kyle Schwarber hit his 38th homer of the season and Bryce Harper hit his 30th for the Phillies, who clinched their first NL East title in 13 years on Monday night. Manager Rob Thomson played his regular lineup, minus catcher J.T. Realmuto, as Philadelphia seeks to secure home-field advantage in the NL playoffs.

The Phillies (93-65) have four games remaining and need to finish at least tied with the Brewers to get a first-round playoff bye. Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to move within 2 1/2 games of the Phillies.

Philadelphia can also clinch home field through the NL Championship Series by ending the season tied with or ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ROYALS 1, NATIONALS 0, 10 INNINGS

WASHINGTON — Kyle Isbel snapped Kansas City’s 27-inning scoreless streak by sprinting home on a throwing error in the 10th inning, Cole Ragans gave up three hits in six innings, and the Royals held on to the second American League wild card with a victory over Washington.

Isbel, the Royals’ automatic runner to begin the 10th, reached third on Bobby Witt Jr.’s infield single to short and crossed the plate on Nasim Nuñez’s low throw to first to end Kansas City’s seven-game slide.

Kansas City and Detroit are both 83-74 but the Royals own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams are 1 1/2 games up on Minnesota.

Kyle Finnegan (3-7) escaped the 10th without further damage.

GIANTS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 0

PHOENIX — Michael Conforto and Brett Wisely each hit three-run homers in San Francisco’s six-run third inning, and the Giants won their fifth straight against playoff contenders by crushing Arizona.

The Giants have nearly perfected the role of spoiler recently, going 7-1 against Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona. San Francisco stretched its season-high winning streak by bashing five homers against the Diamondbacks, including three off Brandon Pfaadt (10-10) in the first three innings.

Patrick Bailey hit a solo homer in the second inning, Conforto launched his 20th in the third and Wisely followed with his three-run homer to put the Giants up 7-0.

Tyler Fitzgerald hit a two-run homer and Heliot Ramos added a solo shot among his four hits. Logan Webb (13-10) allowed four hits in six scoreless innings.

The Diamondbacks lost their third straight and had their lead over Atlanta, a 5-1 winner over the New York Mets, drop to a half-game for the final NL playoff spot with four games remaining.

WHITE SOX 3, ANGELS 2

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox remained tied with the 1962 New York Mets for the modern major league record of 120 losses in a season, rallying to score three runs in the eighth inning and beat Los Angeles.

Andrew Benintendi hit a tiebreaking, two-out single to help the White Sox (37-120) stave off infamy for at least one more night.

Fans voiced their displeasure with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf by chanting “Sell the team!” throughout the game and booed when Los Angeles’ Eric Wagaman grounded out to end it, apparently unhappy they didn’t get to witness history.

Jonathan Cannon pitched three-hit ball over six scoreless innings for Chicago. The White Sox have five games left to set a record no team wants: two more against the Angels and three at Detroit.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 4

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jacob Wilson’s single with one out in the ninth inning gave Oakland a victory over Texas in the opener of their final series at the Coliseum.

Zack Gelof stole second after leading the inning off with a single, and Wilson hit the first pitch he saw off Josh Sborz (2-2) into center field to win the game. A’s closer Mason Miller (2-2) escaped a first-and-third jam with one out in the top of the ninth to keep the game tied.

Jonah Heim evened the score with a solo homer in the eighth after Gelof had given the A’s a 4-3 lead in the sixth with a sacrifice fly. Brandon Lowe’s solo home run cut a 3-1 deficit in half in the fourth, and Texas tied the game in the fifth when Heim was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Tyler Soderstrom had a pair of doubles for the A’s and scored a run.

RED SOX 6, BLUE JAYS 5, 10 INNINGS

TORONTO — Trevor Story hit a tiebreaking double in a three-run 10th inning, and Boston rallied past Toronto.

Vaughn Grissom reached base four times, scored once and drove in a run as the Red Sox won their fourth straight.

Boston trailed 3-0 after six innings, scored two in the seventh and tied it in the eighth.

Story gave Boston its first lead with a one-out double off right-hander Tommy Nance (0-3) that began a three-run 10th. Pinch-hitter Connor Wong drove in a run with a grounder and Grissom added an RBI single.

Chris Martin (3-1) worked a scoreless ninth.

CARDINALS 7, ROCKIES 3

DENVER — Masyn Winn homered, doubled and drove in four runs, Lars Nootbar scored twice, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 7-3 on Tuesday night.

St. Louis rallied to spoil the beginning of the last homestand of Charlie Blackmon’s career with a run in the seventh and four in the eighth. Blackmon tripled and doubled.

The Cardinals tied it in the seventh when Colorado’s mistake on a comebacker to reliever Victor Vodnik loaded the bases, and Nootbar scored from third on shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s wild relay throw on a potential inning-ending double play.

St. Louis scored four runs in the eighth of Angel Chivilli (1-3) on RBI singles by Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II and Winn’s two-run double.

Andrew Kittredge (5-5) pitched the seventh inning for the win.

BREWERS 7, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH — Willy Adames secured his first 30-20 season in Milwaukee’s win over Pittsburgh.

Adames stole second after an infield single, his first of two hits, with one out in the second inning. It was the 20th stolen base for the seven-year veteran to go along with 32 home runs. He and 20-year-old rookie Jackson Chourio (21 homers, 21 stolen bases) are the first Brewers teammates to go 20-20 in the same season.

Hoby Milner (5-1) pitched a perfect fifth inning for the win in relief of Tobias Myers, who allowed two runs and six hits in the first four.

Adames was the first of four straight batters to reach against Bailey Falter (8-9) with one out in a three-run second. Rhys Hoskins walked after Adames’ single and ahead of an RBI double from Sal Frelick. Joey Ortiz then dribbled a two-run single past a diving Nick Yorke at second base.

Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the bottom half. Jared Triolo hit an RBI single; Bryan De La Cruz scored on Yorke’s sacrifice fly.