Playoff Positioning Pushes: One Thing from Each MLB Game

Several win streaks continued to grow, and teams battling for wildcard position faced off. Here’s everything you missed from yesterday in the MLB.   

Guardians 5 Tigers 4 

• Home Run Derby participant Jose Ramirez hit his first home run in July to help the Guardians end their three-game losing streak. Cleveland took game two of the four-game series against the Tigers and won just their third game in the last ten. The Guardians remain the only team in the MLB without a four-game losing streak. 

Cardinals 2 Pirates 1 

• A single by Alec Burleson broke the tie for Louis and gave Paul Skenes his first career loss as an MLB pitcher. The All-Star starter allowed two runs in eight and a third and dished out eight strikeouts. The Cardinals took game two of the series in a battle of teams contending for a wildcard spot in the NL.

Marlins 6 Orioles 3  

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon drove in two runs for Miami in game one against the Orioles. The Marlins bullpen held Baltimore scoreless for four and a third innings after starter Kyle Tyler allowed three runs. The Orioles slid into a tie with the Guardians for the best record in the AL at 60-40 after dropping two straight. 

Padres 4 Nationals 0 

• Jurickson Profar and Luis Arraez homered on back-to-back pitches in the fifth to open the scoring for the Padres. San Diego slowed the Nationals, who had won five of six and shut them out for the 11th time this year. The Padres have won three straight. 

Mets 3 Yankees 2 

• Jeff McNeil hit a two-run homer in the sixth, which gave the Mets the lead and proved the winning run. Jose Quintana and the Mets bullpen slowed the Yankees offense and pushed their record to a season-high four games over .500. The Mets are 3-0 in the Subway Series this season. 

Rays 4 Blue Jays 2 

• The Rays have won three out of four thanks to Brandon Lowe’s two-run homer to lead the charge on offense. Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit home run No. 17 on the year for Toronto in the loss.

Phillies 3 Twins 0 

• The Phillies scored all three runs in the ninth and concluded with a two-run double from Nick Castellanos. Zack Wheeler pitched seven scoreless innings in his first start since July 9. Minnesota continued their struggle since the second half began, dropping to 1-3 since the All-Star break.

Rangers 3 White Sox 2 

• Rangers starter Jon Gray retired the last 15 batters he faced to hand the White Sox their ninth straight loss. Josh Smith provided the winning run for Texas in the eighth on a double to right field. The Rangers have three straight.

Diamondbacks 6 Royals 2  

• All-Star starter Keyes Marte hit a two-run homer and scored three times for Arizona. Jordan Montgomery allowed just one run over his five innings to collect the win for the Diamondbacks.

Red Sox 6 Rockies 0 

• The Red Sox four-game skid ended thanks to two home runs from Tyler O’Neil. Cooper Criswell pitched the longest outing of his MLB career, dealing seven shutout innings for Boston. 

A’s 8 Astros 2 

• Oakland hit five home runs, including one from Lawrence Butler, to win their fifth game of the last six. The Astros have lost three straight after winning the first two games out of the All-Star break.

Angels 5 Mariners 1  

• The Angels continued their solid stretch, winning their sixth game in the last eight. Luis Rengifo drove in two runs on a single in the fifth in his return from the injured list. The Mariners are now second in the division after losing seven of eight. 

Dodgers 5 Giants 2 

• Shohei Ohtani drove in three runs on two hits for Los Angeles to extend their win streak to five. Giants rookie Tyler Fitzgerald hit a home run for the fifth straight game, the first Giant rookie ever to accomplish that feat. 

Photo Credit: Jeff McNeil #1 of the New York Mets celebrates on the base paths his two-run home run in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)