Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
The smell of success
The Red Sox fell to the Orioles on Wednesday to see their lead of the AL East shrink to just one game.
While it’s a tight and unpredictable battle for the division title, one thing is certain: David Ortiz is having one hell of a season. In fact, ESPN’s Jayson Starck argues that Big Papi is having the greatest farewell season ever.
Speaking of the farewell season, The Yankee Candle Company announced a limited-edition “Big Papi’s Retirement Party” candle this week, with $20 from each $27 candle going to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. The scent, which includes notes of patchouli, was apparently picked by Ortiz himself.
Sealing the deal
The Cubs clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday with a decisive 7–0 win over the Cardinals.
On Thursday, if the Cubs can beat the Brewers, they’ll also clinch their first NL title since 2008.
So things are looking mighty good for Chicago—although teams that dominate the regular season don’t necessarily fare well in the post-season. Here’s Chris Bahr from Fox Sports with a few reasons why Cubs fans ought to be terrified.
What a streak
The Mariners pulled out a 2–1 win over the Angels on Wednesday for their eighth straight victory. They’re now just a game and a half out of the second AL wild-card spot.
After a day off, the M’s will take on division-rivals Houston starting Friday. The Astros sit third in the AL West, two games behind Seattle and 10.5 games behind the Rangers.
Here’s some bad news for Seattle fans: according to FiveThirtyEight, even with their current hot streak, the Mariners are still pretty unlikely to make the post-season.
Tempers flare
The benches cleared during the Marlins–Braves matchup on Thursday after Jose Ramirez threw a pitch near Jose Fernandez’s head. Ramirez was swiftly ejected from the game.
Tempers seemed to flare when Fernandez hit Nick Markakis in the sixth inning—which he insisted was not retaliation for a pitch he’d taken from Julio Teheran an inning earlier.
You can watch the whole extended affair here. The Marlins went on to win 7–5.
Still roaring
The Tigers won another game on Wednesday to keep pace in the race for a post-season spot. With the 9–6 victory over the Twins, Detroit moved to 78-67, one game behind Toronto for the second AL wild-card spot.
The Tigers face the Twins again on Thursday, with Mike Pelfrey scheduled to take the mound. The righty is on a 60-pitch limit—he hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 31.