Not everyone was playing on September 3. However, there were several notable games with playoff significance. The Blue Jays, Rangers, and Orioles all tried to make up ground on the Guardians. Meanwhile, the Cubs had the chance to do the same against an idle Phillies team.
Blue Jays take series from Cleveland
The Toronto Blue Jays finished off their series with Cleveland on a high note, winning 6-3 to move a half-game behind the Guards in the Wild Card race.
Toronto’s top part of the lineup came through in a significant way. Rookie Brett Bateman raised his batting average to .330 with three more hits, while Nathan Lukes picked up two. Lukes also drove in two runs.
Starter Jose Soriano allowed three runs over 4.2 IP but the bullpen picked him up. Four relief pitchers were charged with no runs allowed.
Texas gains ground in Wild Card race
Cal Quantrill continued his resurgence with seven scoreless innings as the Rangers shut out the Rays 6-0. That win moved the Rangers to half a game behind the Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Quantrill limited the Rays to just two hits. And with those seven innings, the right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.79.
Corey Seager hit a two-run shot off Shane McClanahan, which was his 14th home run of the season.
Adley torches Orioles
For the first time, Adley Rutschman walked into Baltimore as an opposing player, as he returned to Camden Yards one month after the trade to Boston. And he made the Orioles pay in a 6-5 win for the Red Sox.
Rutschman hit a solo home run off Brandon Young in his first at-bat of the game. He added a second in the sixth, making it 3-2 Baltimore. In between, the Orioles picked up one run from a Pete Alonso sac fly, and two from solo shots by Alonso and Luis Robert Jr., respectively.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa tied it with an RBI single in the seventh. In the eighth inning, Nick Sogard continued his tear with a two-run shot to give the Red Sox the game-winning run.
Cubs inch closer to Phillies
The Cubs completed their four-game series with the Brewers on a high note, defeating Milwaukee 2-1 to split the set.
It was a pitchers’ duel, as Kevin Gausman and Logan Henderson each went seven innings and struck out 16 combined batters. However, all the Cubs needed was a two-run shot from Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first. It was his 39th homer of the year.
With that win, the Cubs are now half a game behind the Phillies in the first NL Wild Card spot race. Chicago will start a series with the Marlins on September 4, while the Phillies get the Atlanta Braves for four in Philadelphia.
Everything else
- Pirates def. Giants 5-2
- Astros def. White Sox 6-2
- Royals def. Marlins 7-3
- Athletics def. Mariners 7-4
- Dodgers def. Cardinals 3-2
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