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September baseball is different. But the last two weeks of an MLB regular season? The intensity ramps up to playoff-level intensity. What happens in these final 14 days of games will determine whether someone is fired or earns a contract for next season. One huge series begins today, with the Texas Rangers visiting the Houston Astros. The in-state rivals met last weekend, with the Rangers taking two of three at home. Another big series will be the Philadelphia Phillies visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle of NL division leaders. One more series to watch to begin the week is the San Diego Padres going across the country to play the reeling New York Mets, a series that begins Tuesday with major NL wild-card implications.
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Today’s Headlines
Raleigh Ties Mantle With 54th, Mariners Alone In First
This is how an MVP campaign gains steam. Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 54th homer of the season, tying Mickey Mantle for the most in MLB history by a switch-hitter, and George Kirby struck out 14 as the Seattle Mariners took sole possession of first place in the AL West with their ninth straight win, an 11-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. The M’s entered the day tied for the division lead with the Houston Astros, but benefited from the Astros’ 8-3 loss to Atlanta. That put the Mariners in first place this late into the season for the first time since 2001. Raleigh’s 54th homer not only tied Mantle’s 1961 record, but it gave him 43 homers while playing catcher (11 have come as either a DH or pinch-hitter), breaking Javy Lopez’s record set in 2003. Raleigh is also two shy of the Mariners’ club record, done twice by Ken Griffey Jr. (1997, 1998). Kirby, meanwhile, was in shutdown mode, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks in 6.1 innings while matching his career best in strikeouts and reaching 14 Ks for the second time this season.
Alonso’s Walk-off HR vs. Rangers Ends Mets’ Freefall At 8
The long nightmare for a small section of New York is over. The New York Mets have finally won a game. Pete Alonso hit a three-run walk-off homer with no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as the New York Mets halted an eight-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers. The skid saw the Mets temporarily lose their sole grip on the third and final NL wild card. They now have a 1.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants, two over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and 2.5 over the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets were on track to break the losing streak without needing extra innings before their bullpen let them down again. Leading 2-0 in the top of the seventh, left-hander Brooks Raley allowed a leadoff single and a two-out hit by pitch before Reed Garrett gave up a walk and a two-run single to Joc Pederson to tie it. After the Rangers failed to score in the top of the 10th and with the automatic runner on second, Juan Soto was intentionally walked by Luis Curvelo before Alonso smashed his 34th homer of the season, an opposite-field blast to right, his fifth career walk-off homer. The Rangers are three games behind the AL West-leading Mariners and two behind the second-place Astros, who hold the No. 3 AL wild card.
Backdoor Clinch For Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies became the second team to clinch a postseason berth. The only problem is that it didn’t happen the way they wanted. The Phillies were likely on a plane heading for Los Angeles when their playoff ticket was punched. That is because their next opponent, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, beat the San Francisco Giants 10-2 to officially put the Phillies in. The Phillies could have done it themselves earlier in the day, but Philadelphia lost to the Kansas City Royals 10-3 as Salvador Perez drove in five runs, including hitting a three-run homer. The Phillies are closing in on back-to-back NL East titles and are two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers — the other team to have clinched — for the best record in the NL.
Dodgers Reassert Themselves Against Giants
When you start questioning the Dodgers, that is when they seem to provide answers — at least for the moment. With the NL West seemingly ready to be plucked from them, the Dodgers won their second straight against the rival Giants 10-2. Teoscar Hernández had four hits and Tyler Glasnow allowed just one run over 6.1 innings as the Dodgers kept their NL West lead over the second-place San Diego Padres at 2.5 games. The Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6. The Giants briefly had co-ownership of the final NL wild-card spot Saturday, but have dropped two in a row to trail the Mets by 1.5. The Dodgers, who seem to perform better when facing contenders, now welcome the NL East-leading Phillies for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium, while the Giants face the Diamondbacks.
Crochet Ks 12, Red Sox Foil Yankees’ Sweep Attempt
Left-hander Garrett Crochet doesn’t need much in order to get the Boston Red Sox a victory. So when his teammates gave him a six-run lead after the first inning, you knew he was going to cook. Crochet struck out 12 over six innings, and Carlos Narváez capped a six-run first inning as the Red Sox avoided being swept by the New York Yankees with a 6-4 victory. It was the final regular-season meeting between the two AL East rivals, who hold down the top two AL wild-card spots, meaning they are likely to square off in an AL Wild Card Series. The second-place Yankees, who trailed the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays by four games, have a 1.5-game lead over the third-place Red Sox, but Boston holds the tiebreaker with its 9-4 advantage in the season series. Crochet gave up three runs on five hits and a walk. He did yield Aaron Judge’s 48th homer of the season, a solo shot in the fifth to pull the Yankees within 6-3. Aroldis Chapman bounced back from a couple of shaky outings to pitch a perfect ninth for his 30th save.
More Playoff Implications
⚾ Right-hander Shane Bieber won for the third time in five starts, while George Springer and Alejandro Kirk each had three hits as the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-2. Springer homered as the Jays completed the three-game sweep and remained two games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the AL.
⚾ Jackson Merrill hit a three-run homer as the Padres jumped out to a big lead and turned back the Rockies 9-6. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits and scored three runs for the Padres, who have been unable to take advantage of the inconsistent Dodgers in the NL West race. The Padres are comfortably the No. 2 NL wild card, 3.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs, whom they would match up with in the first round of the playoffs.
⚾ The Reds gave up four homers as the A’s overcame an early 3-0 deficit to complete a three-game sweep of Cincinnati 7-4. Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Colby Thomas, and Brent Rooker homered for the A’s.
By The Numbers
⚾ Right-hander José Urquidy, making his first appearance since his second Tommy John surgery, pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in the Tigers’ 2-0 win over the Marlins. It was the 17th shutout for the Tigers, tying the Pittsburgh Pirates for the MLB lead.
⚾ Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates was charged with his 11th error, the most by any center fielder, on a go-ahead double by Daylen Lile in the Washington Nationals‘ 4-3 win. Cruz has three more errors than any other center fielder had entering Sunday.
⚾ After allowing two runs in three innings during a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins relievers have allowed 42 earned runs over 37 innings in their last 10 home games.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Picking Up 52
Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber kept pace with Cal Raleigh in the MLB home run chase by hitting his NL-leading 52nd of the season.
Waiting For Leon
What do you do when you are a career backup catcher who is making his first start in two years after spending this season in the minors? If you are Atlanta’s Sandy León, you go deep.
Thinking Of Others
Phillies players and other on-field personnel wore shirts during the pregame to bring attention to the team’s 10th annual Domestic Violence Awareness Day.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Milwaukee Brewers left-handed starter Jose Quintana left the 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals with a calf injury. Quintana was scheduled for further evaluation.
⚾ Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was held out of the lineup with a sore right foot. He was removed from Saturday’s game due to the issue.
⚾ The Rangers got a key piece back earlier than expected when outfielder Adolis García was activated from the 10-day IL following a strained right quadriceps.
⚾ Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado will be activated from the 10-day IL today after recovering from a strained right shoulder.
⚾ Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Shawn Dubin went on the 15-day IL with right elbow discomfort.
⚾ The Cubs put outfielder Owen Caissie on the seven-day concussion list.
Articles You Should Read
Yesavage and his effortless swagger ready for Blue Jays debut — Keegan Matheson, MLB.com
Friedman’s October test is looming for Dodgers — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
Giants’ Chapman derides Oracle Park’s hard infield, affecting way he plays — Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle
How Johnson went from scapegoat to savant in 1986 World Series — Tyler Kepner, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
