The Toronto Blue Jays have almost no margin for error remaining.
With a 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday, they fell three games back of the Chicago White Sox for the final American League wild-card spot.
The White Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Blue Jays, meaning Toronto needs four more wins than Chicago over the final seven games to overtake them.
Moreover, the Rangers overtook the Houston Astros for the top spot in the AL West with the win, meaning the Astros are now one game ahead of the Blue Jays in pursuit of the White Sox.
Toronto entered play Saturday with 4.6 per cent FanGraphs playoff odds. They'll be slimmer now.
Here is where the standings sit after Saturday's games:
Cleveland: vs. Athletics, 1:40 p.m., Sportsnet+
Chicago White Sox: vs. Detroit, 2:10 p.m.
Houston: vs. Atlanta, 2:10 p.m.
Toronto: at Texas, 2:35 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+
Baltimore: vs. Brewers, 7:20 p.m.
RANGERS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Five relievers held Toronto to six hits after Cal Quantrill left 12 pitches in because of right lat tightness, and the Rangers moved into sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time since late August with a win over the Blue Jays.
Texas (78-77) has won six of seven and moved a half-game ahead of Houston (77-78), which holds the tiebreaker. The Rangers have a winning record for the first time since before play on Aug. 11.
Jordan Montgomery (1-0) got his first win since Aug. 14, 2024, pitching 3.2 hitless innings. He returned from Tommy John surgery this past Aug. 9.
Davis Schneider hit a pinch-homer for the AL champion Blue Jays (76-79), who have lost eight of 12. They trail the Chicago White Sox by three games for the AL’s final wild card.
WHITE SOX 3, TIGERS 1
CHICAGO — Sean Burke pitched six effective innings, Miguel Vargas homered and the Chicago White Sox topped the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Saturday for a sorely needed victory.
Chicago dropped into second in the AL Central after it blew a six-run lead in an 11-8 loss to Detroit on Friday night. Heading into Saturday’s action, the White Sox were one game behind Cleveland in the division and third in the wild-card standings, one game better than Texas.
The White Sox (79-76) dropped at least 101 games in each of the last three years. They could become the first big league team to make the playoffs after finishing with at least 100 losses in each of the previous two seasons.
Burke (10-7) allowed one run and five hits in his second straight win. Grant Taylor got four outs for his 10th save.
BRAVES 6, ASTROS 3
HOUSTON — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat Houston 6-3 Saturday night to drop the Astros out of the AL West lead.
Houston (77-78) fell one game behind Texas (78-77) and trails the Chicago White Sox (79-76) by two games for the last AL wild card. The Astros had held at least a share of the division lead each day since Aug. 25.
Atlanta assured its eighth playoff berth in nine seasons on Friday and is in position to clinch its first NL East title since 2023 on Sunday.
Trailing 2-1, Atlanta loaded the bases against AJ Blubaugh (5-3) and Acuña homered off Bryan Abreu for his second grand slam this season and the fifth of his big league career.
Acuña singled and walked twice in his first three plate appearances. He has homered in three of his last four games.
Mike Yastrzemski added a solo homer in the eighth inning.
Grant Holmes (10-5) allowed two runs and eight hits over six innings.
Yainer Diaz hit an RBI double in the eighth off Dylan Lee, who struck out pinch-hitter Nelson Velázquez to end the inning.
Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 34th save in 37 chances.
Jose Altuve had three hits for Houston, while Isaac Paredes was 2 for 3 with a home run, walk and two RBIs.
Christian Walker had two hits after entering the game hitless in his previous 23 at-bats.
Hayden Wesneski allowed one run on four hits over 5.1 innings.
GUARDIANS 12, ATHLETICS 6
CLEVELAND — Angel Martínez homered from both sides of the plate as part of his second career four-hit game, Chase DeLauter had a three-run homer, and Cleveland remained in first place in the AL Central with a victory over the Athletics.
It is the second time this month a Guardians’ hitter has homered from both sides of the plate. Brayan Rocchio did it on Sept. 4 against Detroit.
Martínez, who also drove in four runs, had a two-run homer during a five-run first inning and a solo shot in the fourth as the Guardians won their fourth straight. Cleveland (80-75) has a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox, who defeated Detroit 3-1.
The Guardians also scored five runs in the third on the strength of four doubles, including David Fry’s two-run line drive.
Cleveland had five players with at least two hits. Slade Cecconi (5-7) worked the last two innings to get the win.
BREWERS 1, ORIOLES 0
BALTIMORE — The Milwaukee Brewers tied a team record with their 97th win of the season, beating Baltimore with the help of a fly ball lost in the sun by Orioles right fielder Rece Hinds.
Already assured of their fourth straight NL Central title and eighth playoff berth in nine season, the big league-best Brewers (97-58) matched the wins total of last year’s team that finished 97-65.
Baltimore (75-80) fell four games behind the Chicago White Sox for the AL’s last wild card with seven to play.
Robert Gasser (5-5) allowed three hits over seven innings, Abner Uribe worked around a leadoff single in the eighth, and Aaron Ashby pitched a perfect ninth for his third save, finishing the Brewers’ 11th shutout this season and first 1-0 win.
RAYS 2, RED SOX 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Richie Palacios dropped a fly ball into shallow right in the ninth inning to score Junior Caminero and give Tampa Bay a victory over Boston.
Tampa Bay, which has three walk-off wins on its current homestand, lowered its magic number to clinch the AL East to five games. The second-place Yankees are in Arizona on Saturday night.
Prior to Palacios’ single, the Rays were 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position over the first two games of the series. The post-season-bound Rays, who’ve won seven of their last eight, capitalized on two fortuitous bounces in the ninth.
First, Caminero’s foul popup bounced off the Tropicana Field catwalk and out of the reach of third baseman Caleb Durbin. Caminero then lined the next pitch from Garrett Whitlock (7-2) into left. Three batters later, after Chandler Simpson singled, Connor Wong’s passed ball moved Caminero to third.
The Red Sox squandered a prime opportunity in the top of the ninth.
METS 10, PHILLIES 3
NEW YORK — Carson Benge had three hits to break Pete Alonso’s Mets season rookie record, homering along with Francisco Alvarez as New York again prevented Philadelphia from gaining ground in the NL wild card race with a win Saturday.
Benge raised his hits total to 156, one more than Pete Alonso in 2019.
Alec Bohm had a pair of run-scoring singles and Bryce Harper delivered a sacrifice fly for the Phillies (85-70), who entered Saturday tied with the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres for the three NL wild cards, five games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Alvarez’s three-run homer off Andrew Painter (3-10) put the Mets ahead for good in the fifth.
Benge doffed his cap to an ovation from the crowd of 37,468 following the record-breaking hit, an RBI infield single in the eighth.
Painter and Mets starter Christian Scott both attended Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Scott was in the class of 2018 and Painter in the class of 2021.
Painter allowed four runs and four hits with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings, leaving him with a 5.59 ERA.
CUBS 5, REDS 2
CINCINNATI — Matthew Boyd ended a six-start winless streak, Dansby Swanson hit his first home run since coming off the injured list and Chicago moved closer to their second straight playoff berth by beating Cincinnati.
Michael Busch hit a tiebreaking home run off Nick Lodolo (3-6) in the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead, reaching 20 homers for the third time in four seasons.
Swanson added a ninth-inning drive against Zach McCambley, Swanson’s home run and first since Aug. 12. Swanson returned Friday from a strained left oblique that had sidelined him since Aug. 16.
Chicago (86-69), which leads the major leagues with 214 home runs, began the day tied with Philadelphia and San Diego for the three NL wild cards.
Boyd (9-5) had been been 0-4 since beating Kansas City on Aug. 9. He allowed two runs — one earned — and two hits in five innings as part of a four-hitter.
Lodolo gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings for the Reds, who have lost nine of 12.
PIRATES 6, ROYALS 5
PITTSBURGH — Brandon Lowe hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth to lift Pittsburgh to a victory over Kansas City.
Lowe jumped on a pitch from Steven Cruz (2-4) and sent it into the seats in right field for his 33rd homer of the season, the second-most by a player in their first year with the Pirates. The two-time All-Star was acquired by Pittsburgh last winter.
The home run was also the 96th at PNC Park this year for the Pirates, a club record for most homers at home in a season. The 1947 club hit 95 round-trippers when the team called Forbes Field home.
Pittsburgh rookie outfielder Ronnie Simon hit his first career homer. Jake Mangum added his fifth of the season as the Pirates won their third straight to improve to 78-77. The franchise is seeking its first winning season since 2018.
Lowe, Rafael Flores and Oneil Cruz had two hits each for the Pirates. Luke Weaver (3-1) picked up the win by pitching a scoreless eighth. Mason Montgomery worked the ninth for his 15th save. Montgomery hasn’t allowed a run in 22.2 innings, the second-longest streak ever by a Pittsburgh reliever.
