Wildcard Race Heats Up: One Thing From Each MLB Game

The Diamondbacks swept the Guardians and grabbed a hold of the top wildcard spot in the NL as the race for the playoffs marches on. One thing from each MLB game yesterday.

Diamondbacks 7 Guardians 3

• Three Diamondbacks hit two-run homers in game one of the doubleheader to clinch their seventh straight series win. Arizona regained the top spot in the NL wildcard race and sit three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

Cubs 8 Twins 2

• Chicago took the final two games of the series thanks to home runs from Ian Happ and Michael Bush. Six Cubs pitchers held the Twins to six hits. The Twins are a half-game above the Royals for the second AL wildcard spot and second place in the AL Central.

Astros 6 Rangers 4

• Yusei Kikuchi struck out eight and allowed two runs in five and a third to help the Astros clinch the season series against their Texas rivals. Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead, including a Yordan Alvarez homer that was 117 mph off the bat, which led the Astros to win in their final meeting with the Rangers.

A’s 3 White Sox 2

• Three runs by the A’s in the seventh, capped off by a sac fly by Lawrence Butler, gave the A’s the lead and the series win. Chicago lost their tenth straight series a day after they ended their AL record-tying 21st consecutive loss.

Marlins 6 Reds 4

• Miami scored five in the first inning, including a grand slam from Derek Hill, and the Marlins held on to avoid their third straight loss from the Reds. Valente Bellozo allowed five hits in five and two-thirds to pick up his first career win.

Yankees 5 Angels 2

• Aaron Judge reached base three times and drove in one run, and the Yankees extended their winning streak to three games after winning the first game of the doubleheader. Rookie Luis Gil threw five innings and allowed one for his MLB-leading 14th start, allowing one or fewer runs.

Diamondbacks 5 Guardians 3 

• Josh Bell homered twice and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks to guide the team past the Guardians in game two of the day. Eduardo Rodriguez allowed three runs in five and two-thirds in his first start of the season to push Arizona’s win streak to four and help sweep Cleveland.

Giants 7 Nationals 4 

• Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman gave San Francisco the lead in the fifth after breaking the 3-3 tie with two solo home runs. Blake Snell allowed three runs and struck out eight in six innings coming off his no-hitter. The Giants have won nine of their last 12 and sit three and a half games out of the third NL wildcard spot.

Orioles 7 Blue Jays 3 

• Anthony Santander hit two home runs and reached a career-high with 34 on the year as the Orioles took game two of the series in Toronto. Jackson Holiday provided a two-run homer of his own in the seventh for his third straight game with a home run. Baltimore regained the top spot over the Yankees in the AL East.

ANTHONY SANTANDER WITH AN INCREDIBLE PLAY AND 2 HOME RUNS TONIGHT FOR THE @Orioles pic.twitter.com/bGoxTWkXNH

— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) August 8, 2024

Padres 9 Pirates 8

• The Padres tied the game in the ninth on a Jackson Merrill home run before scoring three in the tenth, which was capped off by Xander Bogaerts scoring on a flyout from Merrill. San Diego has been 13-3 since the All-Star break. They are owners of the second wildcard spot in the NL, and they are just four games behind the Dodgers for the division lead.

Brewers 8 Braves 5

• Milwaukee had 16 hits to take game two of the series and push the Braves losing streak to four games. Atlanta dropped to the last wildcard spot and is just a half-game above the Mets after leading the wildcard race for much of the season.

Angels 8 Yankees 2 

• Zach Neto hit the first grand slam of his career in a six-run second inning for the Angels to win the second game of the doubleheader. Neto drove in two more runs on a double in the fourth for a career-high 6 RBIs. The Yankees fell to second in the AL East with the loss.

Cardinals 5 Rays 2

• The Cardinals won the second game of the series thanks to Alec Burleson and Nolan Arenado, who drove in two runs. Erick Fedde allowed one run in five innings to pick up his first win as a Cardinal.

Royals 8 Red Sox 4 

• Bobby Witt hit two home runs and doubled to drive in four runs for Kansas City, who avoided the three-game sweep from the Red Sox. Cole Ragans struck out seven, allowing one run in six and a third. The Royals moved to one and a half games ahead of Boston in the wildcard race and crawled within a half-game of the Twins for second place in the AL Central.

Mets 5 Rockies 3 

• The Mets took the lead on a two-run single in the ninth from Francisco Lindor to beat the Rockies after losing game one of the series. Jesse Winker singled two runners in after Lindor’s tie-breaking hit to add some insurance for New York. Paul Blackburn allowed a run and struck out six in his second start since being acquired from Oakland. The Mets are just a half-game out of the final wildcard spot after the victory.

Tigers 6 Mariners 2

• Detroit took the second game of the series in Seattle after Cy Young contender Tarik Skubal gave up two runs and struck out nine in seven innings of work. The Mariners fell out of first place in the AL West and now stand a half-game behind Houston.

Phillies 9 Dodgers 4 

• Kyle Schwarber homered three times, including a sixth-inning shot that capped off a five-run inning that gave the Phillies the lead. The Dodgers lead in the NL West dropped to just three games after losing the series to Philadelphia at home.

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Photo Credit: Corbin Carroll #7 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates after hitting a two-run homer during the fifth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 07, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. MLB. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)