Five years after the Braves won the 2021 World Series in Houston, Atlanta clinched a playoff spot in the 2026 MLB postseason in the city. The Braves defeated the Astros on September 18, which also had a trickle-down effect on the AL West playoff race.
Braves lock up playoff spot
The Braves became the third team to clinch a postseason, joining the Brewers and Dodgers on September 18. Atlanta defeated the Astros 6-2 to lock up a spot for the playoffs.
Atlanta’s offense hit three two-run shots. Michael Harris II broke up a scoreless tie with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Ronald Acuna Jr. pulled a two-run line-drive home run in the seventh. Then, in the ninth, Matt Olson went to the backside for his 40th home run of the year.
Tyler Mahle struck out six over six innings for Atlanta, picking up the win.
Rangers tie Astros for AL West
With that loss, the Rangers were able to tie things up in the AL West. Texas defeated the Blue Jays 7-1 in Arlington, dealing a big blow to Toronto along the way.
All but three players in the Rangers’ lineup had at least one hitting, knocking around Dylan Cease, who has lost some velocity over the past few weeks. Wyatt Langford and Nicky Lopez each had two hits, while Trevor Williams tossed four scoreless innings in bulk relief to notch a win.
As for Cease, this was the first time since June 27 that the Blue Jays’ ace didn’t make it through five innings. His 2.2 IP marked his shortest outing of the 2026 campaign. The Blue Jays are now two back on the final AL Wild Card spot, now held by the White Sox.
Guardians defeat A’s
Cleveland defeated the Athletics 5-3, pushing the White Sox down after Chicago lost to Detroit.
Travis Bazzana and Jose Ramirez each hit home runs. Brayan Rocchio picked up two hits, and in fact, every player in the starting lineup for the Guardians aside from Steven Kwan had a hit.
Joey Cantillo did not start the game. But he did toss six scoreless innings to pick up his 10th win.
Orioles lose in extras
The Brewers won their league-leading 96th game, defeating the Orioles 6-5.
Baltimore was able to tie things up in the ninth, as sacrifice flies from Samuel Basallo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand off Trevor Megill tied it up. It wound up being Megill’s first blown save since June. However, Milwaukee was able to get a run across in the 10th inning.
A Sal Frelick RBI single broke the 5-5 tie.
Padres win against Miami
Thanks to the Cubs and Phillies losing, the Padres had a shot at tying both clubs in the race for the first NL Wild Card spot. San Diego did, as the Padres defeated the Marlins 8-2.
Ty France and Jackson Merrill both continued their strong seasons with home runs on the 18th. France, along with Dustin Harris, Samad Taylor, Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenworth, each had two hits.
Nick Pivetta allowed just one run over five innings, picking up the win.
Everything else
- Reds def. Cubs 6-4
- Pirates def. Royals 8-5
- Red Sox def. Rays 4-2
- Mets def. Phillies 6-3
- Tigers def. White Sox 11-8
- Mariners def. Rockies 5-4
- Nationals def. Cardinals 9-1
- Twins def. Angels 3-0
- Yankees def. Diamondbacks 9-2
- Dodgers def. Giants 8-2
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