After months lagging behind the pack, the Toronto Blue Jays have climbed their way back into a playoff spot.
The Blue Jays won their sixth series in a row after taking down the New York Yankees 4-1, and losses from the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins let them stake their claim for the final wild-card spot in the tight American League as the playoff race heats up down the stretch.
Here’s a look at how the AL standings look after Saturday’s action:
TORONTO — Charles McAdoo had two hits, including a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning, and Toronto beat New York for its 13th win in 19 games.
McAdoo also had an RBI single and Brett Bateman reached base three times as the Blue Jays inched closer to the final AL wild-card spot.
Spencer Miles (5-2), the fifth of seven Blue Jays pitchers, went one inning for the win and Louis Varland struck out the side in the ninth for his 28th save in 29 opportunities.
The Yankees had four hits, all singles, and lost their third straight game. New York has scored two total runs in those games.
Pinch hitter Ernie Clement singled on the first pitch he saw from Brent Headrick (6-2) to begin the seventh. McAdoo followed with an RBI double off the wall.
McAdoo and Nathan Lukes had RBIs off Tim Hill in Toronto’s two-run eighth.
McAdoo started in place of six-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went on the seven-day IL earlier Saturday because of concussion symptoms. Guerrero left Friday’s 3-1 victory following a collision with Yankees rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. at third base.
DETROIT — Andrew Benintendi had two hits, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning, and Chicago defeated Detroit for the second straight day.
Chicago (64-58) has won five of seven and now leads the AL Central by a season-best 4 1/2 games over the Tigers (60-63) and Minnesota Twins.
Jordan Hicks (2-1) picked up the win for Chicago with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Bryan Hudson pitched the ninth for his fifth save of the season.
The teams traded runs in the first, with Braden Montgomery’s RBI single for the White Sox in the top of the inning being answered by one from Eduardo Valencia in the bottom of the frame.
Chicago wasted chances to add on — former Tigers player Jake Rogers bunted into a double play and first baseman Spencer Torkelson threw out Munetaka Murakami at the plate on a ground ball — but Colson Montgomery’s two-out, two-run double gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead in the third.
Valencia led off the fourth inning with his sixth home run in 50 career at-bats, pulling the Tigers within a run.
Chicago got a runner to third with one out in the fifth, but Drew Sommers replaced starter Troy Melton and struck out Braden Montgomery and Colson Montgomery to end the inning.
MINNEAPOLIS — Alec Bohm had five hits, Jesús Luzardo pitched 6 2/3 dominant innings and Philadelphia beat Minnesota.
Bohm doubled in the second, fourth and ninth innings and singled in the fifth and seventh for his first career five-hit game.
Bryce Harper had two hits and Bryson Stott homered for the Phillies.
Luzardo (11-5) struck out nine and walked two while allowing just one run to continue his outstanding season. The first-time All-Star has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of his last 17 starts dating to late April.
Connor Prielipp (4-5) allowed eight runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out six over five innings.
Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis doubled in the sixth for the Twins’ only run.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tyler O’Neill drove in the go-ahead run with a 10th-inning single, Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered, and Baltimore beat AL-best Tampa Bay.
While the Orioles (60-63) remain last in the AL East even after winning the first two of a four-game series at Tropicana Field, they are one of several teams chasing the final AL wild-card playoff spot.
Encarnacion-Strand led off the 10th against All-Star closer and former Oriole Bryan Baker (1-1) with a line-drive single to center to score automatic runner Colton Cowser.
Cam Sanders worked the bottom half for his third save in six appearances for Baltimore, striking out Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios with two men on to end it.
The Rays tied it in the ninth against Andrew Kittredge (2-3). With two outs, Junior Caminero hit a slow roller on a 1-2 slider that third baseman Encarnacion-Strand could not field cleanly for a run-scoring infield single.
Alonso was checked by trainers after his single in the 10th and appeared to be limping but stayed in the game. He homered in the fifth off Ian Seymour, his 27th of the season.
CLEVELAND — Joey Cantillo and three relievers combined on a one-hitter and José Ramírez had an RBI in one of his best games since undergoing hand surgery, leading Cleveland to a win over San Diego.
Cleveland became the third AL franchise to reach 10,000 victories, joining the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Cantillo (9-7) went six innings and cooled off the Padres, who had won six straight and 16 of 20 since July 24. The left-hander allowed only a single in the first inning on a ball that hopped over first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
Colin Holderman, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski finished up.
Cleveland hasn’t had a no-hitter since 1981 — the longest current drought in the majors.
Cantillo had pitched just one inning since Aug. 4 because his last outing was cut short by a lengthy rain delay.
Ramírez has struggled since returning from having his left hamate bone removed on June 16. He was given Friday off and the rest helped. The star third baseman collected his first extra-base hit since the operation and delivered a sacrifice fly.
It was a much-needed win for the Guardians, who are just 3-8 since the trade deadline and were sliding back in the AL playoff race.
HOUSTON — Cole Young homered and tied a career high with four RBIs to lead Seattle to a win over Houston.
Emerson Hancock (7-7) allowed two runs and five hits in a career high-tying seven innings to help Seattle to its second win in three games following a six-game skid.
Brendan Donovan added three hits and drove in three runs on a night the Mariners had 15 hits.
The AL West-leading Astros were up 1-0 when Young, who had three hits, tied it with an RBI single with no outs in the second. The Mariners took a 3-1 lead with one out when Victor Robles tripled for a second straight game to drive in two. There were two outs in the inning when Donovan’s RBI single made it 4-1.
Christian Vázquez hit a solo homer for Houston and Isaac Paredes cut the lead to 7-4 on a two-run shot with two outs in the eighth.
Young pushed the lead to 10-4 with his three-run shot with no outs in the ninth.
Houston starter Hayden Wesneski (2-1) allowed seven hits and five runs while striking out six in four innings.
PITTSBURGH — Sonny Gray worked seven innings for his career-best 15th win of the season, Wilyer Abreu hit a home run, and Boston beat Pittsburgh.
Gray (15-3) struck out seven and allowed six hits while walking one. He had won 14 games in three other seasons, most recently in 2025 with St. Louis.
He is just the third Red Sox starter since 2019 to win 15 or more games, joining Garrett Crochet (18 in 2025) and Eduardo Rodriguez (19 in 2019).
Abreu hit his 22nd homer in the second inning to put the Sox ahead 1-0, sending a fastball from Jared Jones (2-5) 420 feet over the right-field wall.
Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida left the game in the third with left hamstring tightness, coming up limping as he came into second with a double. He was replaced by Anthony Seigler.
Andruw Monasterio drove in two more with his ninth-inning RBI double, and Jahmai Jones drove in Monasterio. Despite the win, the Red Sox went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
CHICAGO — Joshua Báez became the first player to hit three home runs in his first three at-bats in the major leagues, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
The 23-year-old left fielder, called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day, hit the first pitch he saw into the Wrigley Field bleachers, then homered in his next two at-bats. He also drove in five runs.
Blaze Jordan and Alec Burleson added solo home runs to help the Cardinals win a day after dropping the opener of the three-game series.
Báez is the first St. Louis player to homer in his first career plate appearance since Lane Thomas in June 2019.
Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer for the Cubs, who had won nine of 11.
Michael McGreevy (5-9) allowed three runs — all unearned — on five hits and two walks while striking out six in the first six innings to win for the first time since July 8.
Báez tagged Matthew Boyd (8-2) for all three homers. He drove his first, a two-run shot, deep into the left-center field bleachers in the first inning.
SAN FRANCISCO — Logan Webb gave up four hits and one run in six innings, Drew Gilbert had three hits including a home run and three RBIs, and San Francisco beat Colorado.
Webb (8-7) struck out seven and did not issue a walk and secured his 1,100th career strikeout when he fanned Zac Veen swinging on a four-seam fastball in the second inning.
Gilbert got San Francisco on the board in the third with a home run just over the right field wall.
The Giants scored six runs in fourth inning. Turner Hill, in his major league debut, got the rally started with a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. Gilbert hit a two-run single, prompting Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer to pull starter Michael Lorenzen (3-11).
Lorenzen allowed four hits, six earned runs, and walked three batters in 3 2/3 innings. He threw 82 pitches.
Rafael Devers knocked in a run on a ground-rule double down the left field line, Gilbert scored on a wild pitch by reliever Parker Mushinski, and Bryce Eldridge batted in one more run for a 7-1 lead.
Webb took a hit to the right shoulder area on a comebacker in the fifth but continued pitching after the Giants’ medical staff came to the mound to check on him. The righty was relieved by Carson Seymour after the sixth inning. Seymour only allowed one more hit in two innings. Dylan Smith closed out the ninth.
Cole Carrigg drove in Colorado’s run in the third.
NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor’s RBI single capped a ninth-inning rally, lifting New York to a victory over Washington.
With the Mets trailing 4-3, Brett Baty worked a leadoff walk against Yovanny Cruz (0-1). Jorge Polanco, who was in a 7-for-71 slump since coming off the injured list July 7, singled before Baty scored on Francisco Alvarez’s double.
After A.J. Ewing struck out, Lindor singled over drawn-in right fielder Dylan Crews to complete the Mets’ sixth walk-off win of the season. The winning hit provided redemption for Lindor, who was thrown out at second trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt in the eighth.
Jefry Yan (1-0) threw 1 2/3 perfect innings for the win. He punctuated all three strikeouts with his high-flying leap celebration.
Jared Young had a two-run double in the first off Nationals starter Brad Lord, who walked four and threw 44 pitches while getting just two outs. Carson Benge homered in the sixth and also threw out Andrew Pinckney trying to score from third on Crews’ fly out an inning later.
Mets starter Sean Manaea allowed four runs and struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings.
CINCINNATI — Jakob Marsee and Joe Mack homered and Miami rallied with a four-run eighth inning to beat Cincinnati.
The Marlins improved to 53-13 when scoring four or more runs. They had scored three or fewer runs in 10 of their previous 16 games.
The Marlins trailed 4-3 in the eighth.
Graham Pauley’s sacrifice fly tied it. Heriberto Hernandez singled with the bases loaded off Sam Moll, driving in two runs to put the Marlins ahead 6-4. Griffin Conine made it 7-4 with an RBI single.
Pauley drove in the Marlins’ eighth run with an RBI double in the ninth.
Four Marlins relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Tyler Zuber (2-1) got the win. TJ Antone (2-1) took the loss for Cincinnati.
Marsee homered on Brady Singer’s first offering in the third to put the Marlins ahead 1-0. It was his first homer since July 30 and seventh of the season.
A dropped fly ball by Marlins right fielder Esteury Ruiz sparked a Reds’ rally in the third. Sal Stewart’s two-run single put the Reds ahead 2-1, giving him 91 RBIs on the season.
LOS ANGELES — Jacob Misiorowski gave up five hits and one run in six innings, Joey Ortiz and William Contreras hit two-run homers, and Milwaukee beat Los Angeles in a battle of division leaders.
Misiorowski (12-5) struck out five and gave up one walk. The right-hander topped 102 mph on each of his first six pitches to leadoff batter Shohei Ohtani to get the two-way star to pop out. He also fanned Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning.
Justin Wrobleski (11-5) gave up four runs on four hits and one walk in six innings for the Dodgers.
Ortiz put the Brewers ahead with a 373-foot homer to left in the second to capitalize after Contreras extended the inning with a two-out single. It was the third straight game with an RBI for Ortiz, who is 5 for 13 during a four-game hitting streak.
Ohtani cut the Dodgers’ deficit to 2-1 in the third with a two-out triple over the head of first baseman Gary Sánchez into the right field corner that drove in Alex Call.
Contreras made it 4-1 in the fourth by jumping on a cutter for his 12th shot of the season. He had been hitless in his first 15 at-bats during the opening five games of the Southern California road trip prior to the 2-for-4 outing.
Aaron Ashby got his first save of the season by striking out Call after allowing two runners.
DIAMONDBACKS 10, BRAVES 3
ATLANTA — Nolan Arenado had two home runs and four RBIs, Eduardo Rodriguez threw six strong innings, and Arizona routed the Atlanta Braves.
Arenado reached 20 home runs for the ninth time in his career. Ildemaro Vargas hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, while Gabriel Moreno extended his hitting streak to nine games with three hits, scored three times and drove in a run. Corbin Carroll had a double, triple and run scored, and Tim Tawa was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Rodriguez (12-4) surrendered a leadoff home run to Ronald Acuña Jr. and gave up a second run in the first inning, but settled down after that. He went six innings, giving up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks. The Diamondbacks have not walked a batter in the first two games of the series.
Jonathan Loáisiga and Kevin Ginkel pitched scoreless innings, and Phillip Abner gave up a run in the ninth.
The Braves had won the last seven times Grant Holmes started, but he struggled early and did not get out of the fourth inning. Holmes (7-5) gave up six runs on six hits and walked three. He had 13 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings entering the game.