On a day when as many as five teams could have clinched a playoff spot, no team was able to on September 23. It was a tough day for several of those teams on the cusp, including the Cleveland Guardians, as they were shut out in Boston. Plus, the reigning American League champions have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Blue Jays swept in doubleheader

Baltimore notched two 4-2 victories over the Blue Jays in a day-night doubleheader.

Max Scherzer struck out seven over five innings but was bested his two of his former teammates. Pete Alonso hit his 41st home run off Scherzer, a two-run shot, in the fourth. Chris Bassitt outdueled Scherzer, as he allowed just two earned runs over five innings.

In the second game, rookie Trey Gibson struck out seven over 6.2 IP. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a home run and drove in three.

The Blue Jays were eliminated after the first game of the doubleheader. As for the Orioles, Baltimore still has some hope. Since the O’s have the tiebreaker over the White Sox (Chicago lost on the 23rd), Baltimore can make it by winning out & getting some help.

Boston shuts out Cleveland

The Red Sox won 1-0 in Boston over the Guardians.

Andruw Monasterio provided the lone run via an RBI single in the sixth. That was all Sonny Gray needed, as he tossed six scoreless innings to notch his 18th win of the season. On the other side, Foster Griffin allowed 10 hits. Yet, he struck out seven and allowed just the one run over six innings.

As noted earlier, the White Sox lost. Thus, the Guardians remain ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central.

Brewers are one win away from 100

The Brewers defeated the Phillies 4-1 for their league-leading 99th win.

Brice Turang and Christian Yelich hit solo home runs off Aaron Nola in consecutive innings, in the first & second frame respectively. Nola struck out eight but had trouble keeping the Brewers off the board, including in the third. William Contreras drove in two with an RBI single.

Logan Henderson allowed one run over five innings for his 11th win of the year.

D-Backs keep hopes alive

Arizona is still in it, as the Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 5-3.

An error from Zac Veen opened the door for a four-run first inning for Arizona, capped off by a two-run triple from Corbin Carroll. Later in the game, Tim Tawa tallied a solo home run for his 11th of the season.

Merrill Kelly did his job, as the right-hander allowed just two earned runs over 5.1 IP.

Padres jump in Wild Card race

The Padres defeated the Dodgers 5-1.

San Diego’s bullpen had to do some heavy lifting in this contest, as Robbie Ray couldn’t make it through four innings. The offense came to play, though. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits, while Manny Machado logged his 29th home run of the season.

As for the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani picked up a hit in his first game back from the IL. Kyle Tucker had two, while Teoscar Hernandez & Andy Pages notched three.

Everything else

• Nationals def. Tigers 4-2
• Twins def. Giants 4-2
• Cardinals def. Pirates 5-1
• Yankees def. Rays 9-2
• Braves def. Reds 3-2 (10)
• Royals def. White Sox 5-4
• Marlins def. Cubs 3-2
• Mets def. Rangers 7-2
• Athletics def. Angels 7-3
• Mariners def. Astros 6-5 (10)

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