The sands keep shifting in the race for the final playoff spot in the American League.
asserted
sands → shift → League
With the Chicago White Sox’ 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, the Sox moved back into first place in the AL Central, tied with Cleveland.
asserted
Sox → move → Cleveland
But Chicago holds the tiebreaker, so the Blue Jays and company are once again chasing the Guardians, who fall back into the third wild card.
asserted
who → hold → card
Texas could have moved into first place in the AL West with a win and a Houston loss to Kansas City, but the Astros did not comply, beating the Royals 6-2 on the strength of five home runs, including Yordan Alvarez’s 40th and Daulton Varsho’s 12th.
uncertain
Astros → move → 40th
Boston later came from behind to beat Texas 4-3.
asserted
Boston → come → Texas
Here’s how the race stacks up after Thursday’s games:
asserted
race → ’ → games
Who owns the tiebreaker?
asserted
Who → own → tiebreaker
Need to know: The Guardians are back in the wild-card spot, their stay in first place in the AL Central lasting only a day.
asserted
stay → need → Central
While they sat and watched, the White Sox beat Detroit behind Munetaka Murakami’s three-run homer in the first inning.
asserted
Sox → sit → inning
The rookie came into the game hitting .101 with three home runs and a 43.3 per cent strikeout rate over the past month.
asserted
rookie → come → month
Cleveland welcomes the vagabond Athletics for a weekend series beginning Friday, the Guardians’ final three home games of the regular season.
asserted
Cleveland → welcome → season
They’re scheduled to give rookie Daniel Espino his second big-league start in the opener against the A’s Mason Barnett and his 7.08 ERA in what looks to be a bullpen day for both teams.
asserted
what → schedule → teams
The A’s had won three straight series before getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays this week.
asserted
A → win → Rays
Games left: 9
Home (3): Athletics (3)
Away (6): Red Sox (3), Royals (3)
Texas Rangers
(76-77, tied with Toronto)
How scary are they?
asserted
they → leave → Toronto
Who owns the tiebreaker?
asserted
Who → own → tiebreaker
Texas
Need to know: The Rangers took a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning of their series finale with the Red Sox, and five outs away from completing a sweep.
asserted
Rangers → need → sweep
But Jacob Latz coughed up a three-run homer to Trevor Story and the Sox’ bullpen faced the minimum from there in a 4-3 Boston win that dropped the Rangers a game behind Houston for top spot in the AL West and back into a tie with the Jays in the wild-card race.
asserted
that → cough → race
They’ll throw right-hander Kumar Rocker at the Jays in Friday’s opener of their weekend series, hoping to maintain the dominance they’ve had against Toronto so far this season, having swept the Jays four straight at the Rogers Centre back in June, all but one of them a one-run game.
asserted
all → throw → them
Rocker, the only player of Indian descent in major-league history, has allowed no more than three runs in eight of his last 10 starts.
asserted
Rocker → allow → starts
Games left: 9
Home (6): Blue Jays (3), Mets (3)
Road (3): Twins (3)
Blue Jays
(76-77)
Need to know:
asserted
Home → leave → ?
The Jays caught a bit of a break with the changing of the guard at the top of the turtle race, since they hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland and not Chicago.
asserted
they → catch → Cleveland
But they can’t rely on that, things could change back in a hurry.
uncertain
things → rely → hurry
Since getting over .500 with a win in Kansas City on Sept. 5, they’ve lost six of 10 to fall out of a playoff spot.
asserted
they → get → spot
They spent Thursday enjoying an off-day in Texas while the Rangers were giving up a late lead to Boston, and they’ll throw Dylan Cease in Friday’s series opener of what is likely a must-win series, or at least one in which they can’t afford to get swept.
asserted
they → spend → which
Games left: 9
Home (3): Reds (3)
Road (6): Rangers (3), Orioles (3)
Baltimore Orioles
(75-78, one game behind Toronto)
How scary are they?
asserted
they → leave → Toronto
Who owns the tiebreaker?
asserted
Who → own → tiebreaker
Toronto leads 6-4 with three games left.
asserted
Toronto → lead → games
Synopsis: The Orioles went 4-2 on a road trip through Toronto and New York, finishing with a sweep of the Mets thanks in part to some big swings from former Flushingite Pete Alonso.
asserted
Orioles → go → Alonso
They welcome the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game series before the Jays come to town on Monday.
asserted
Jays → welcome → Monday
Trade deadline acquisition Dustin May, who has a 4.91 ERA since coming to Milwaukee, will start the opener for the 95-win Brewers, who clinched the NL Central title earlier this week.
uncertain
who → have → title
The O’s had not announced their starter.
asserted
O → announce → starter
The Aporia
