Pennant Race Roundup: Astros manage big, extra inning win and get another game on the Mariners

Meanwhile, the AL Wild Card race gets crazier as the days go by

There were some big wins and even bigger losses yesterday around the league. With three teams all within three games of each other for the second and third WC spot, some of these races are going to come down to the wire.

Let’s check out what happened around the league in today’s Pennant Race Recap

Houston Astros (82-69): 4, San Diego Padres (86-66): 3

Right off the bat, the game was putting viewers at the edges of their seats. In the first three innings alone, there were six men left on base between the two teams. No one crossed home plate until the fourth inning when Houston got their first runs on the board.

The first one came off the bat of Jon Singleton, who got an RBI-double, and then Jeremy Pena, who got an RBI-groundout, putting Houston up 2-0. The Padres didn’t answer back till the sixth with they got their first runs of the game off the bat of Manny Machado, who sent a ball into left-center off Hunter Brown for a two-run bomb and tied the game at two.

Both teams got another run in the eighth, both from wild pitches, bringing the game into the extras. Houston jumped right on the board, scoring the runner on second with a Kyle Tucker RBI-single, putting them up 4-3.

Hector Neris came out in the bottom of the 10^th to finish the game and after a leadoff walk and a two-out hit by pitch, he finished off the game in part due to an amazing play up the middle by Grae Kessinger, leaving two on and securing a 4-3 win. This win, paired with the Mariners loss, gives them now a five game lead in the division, one of, if not, their largest leads of the season.

Seattle Mariners (77-74): 2, New York Yankees (88-63): 11

For a Mariners’ pitching staff that is ranked as one of the best in the league, they did not have their best night last night, surrendering 11 runs on 12 hits to the Yanks. It got started right away when the Yankees led off the game with three consecutive hits, scoring two and giving them the early lead.

They doubled down on this in the next inning when Aaron Judge came to the plate with two-outs and the bases loaded and sent a single into left, scoring two more and giving them a 4-0 lead in the second. The M’s did answer back in the bottom of the second with a homer off the bat of Jorge Polanco, but that was all they managed.

The Yankees just kept pouring it on as the game went on, getting another two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth. While all this was happening, the Mariners’ bats were quiet. Yankees pitchers did give up nine hits, but only two people managed to cross the plate.

The Mariners did get one more run in the eighth off a Luke Raley home run, but that was matched right away by another Yankees run, giving them 11 on the day and bringing the score to its final, 11-2. This loss moves the Mariners to five games back in the division, but more importantly, moves them down to three games back of the Wild Card.

Minnesota Twins (80-71): 4, Cleveland Guardians (87-65): 1

In a must win game for the Twins, they showed out and their pitching staff shut down what has been one of the better offenses this year and got them the run support they needed for the win.

They got the scoring started in the third when Matt Wallner hit a single into right field with two men on, allowing one to score and giving the Twins the early lead. This lead didn’t last very long though as Lane Thomas sent a ball over the center field fence in the next inning, tying the game up.

The Twins then regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on yet another Matt Wallner RBI, putting them up 2-1, and they never lost it the rest of the game. Following that first run, the Guardians only managed five more base hits the rest of the game.

Minnesota added on to their lead in eighth inning on a two-out two-run bomb by Willi Castro, giving them a 4-1 lead. The win keeps them in place in the last Wild Card spot. With two teams within three games of them and not many games remaining in the season, the Twins need every win they can get, even against good teams.

Other games that matter

Detroit Tigers: 3, Kansas City Royals: 1

Only a game and a half back of the Twins, the Tigers are doing whatever they can to earn that playoff spot. Playing a team like the Royals will also help them because with every win they get, they are moving closer and closer to the Royals as well, potentially having the chance to not only catch them, but move ahead of them in standings and move the Royals out of a playoff spot all together.