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No young MLB prospect is more intriguing than Billy Hamilton, who in a month has gone from struggling in Triple-A to becoming a huge asset to the Cincinnati Reds. The playoff-bound Reds need more of the same come October for a World Series run.

The 23-year-old was brought up for his world-class speed more so than his production at the plate—he was batting .256 for Triple-A affiliate Louisville upon being called up on Sept. 2. 

However, that didn’t stop Hamilton from breaking out when he donned the big “C” on his hat. 

Through 11 appearances, Hamilton has made just two starts but has notched a .429 batting average and has reached base in seven of his 14 at-bats. 

By the time he started his first MLB game on Sept. 18, Hamilton had scored four times through pinch-running despite having not garnered a single hit. That changed quickly, as he went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in his first game as a starter.

Obviously, that’s a small sample size. But here’s what is important: 13 stolen base attempts, 13 stolen bases. He’s stolen a base in nine of the 11 games in which he’s appeared.    

Think that’s a fluke? Let me direct you to the below video, which shows Hamilton stealing four bases in one game—Cincinnati’s Sept. 18 contest against the Houston Astros.

Hamilton’s speed is truly something you have to see to believe. 

You can’t put too much in his batting average. Still, while his bat may still need time to develop and isn’t ready for three at-bats a game, his legs are one of the most dangerous assets on the Cincinnati roster.

In fact, Hamilton’s speed made him an urban legend before even stepping on a major league field, shattering the minor league stolen-bases record that had remained for nearly 30 years. It’s obviously paid off in the diamond, given his perfect record thus far. 

We’ve seen how valuable an unstoppable baserunner can be in the MLB playoffs. Case in point came in the historic 2004 American League Championship Series, when Boston Red Sox runner Dave Roberts almost single-handedly kept Boston’s cause alive with his stolen base. 

Having a speedster on the bags gives pitchers even more of a headache than they already have, and impose mismatches in fielding situations. 

When the game is on the line in the playoffs and a team needs a game-tying run, the last thing it wants is for its slowest slugger out on first base. 

While roster spots on the 25-man lineup may be hard to acquire, manager Dusty Baker must use his vast experience in the game to realize the value Hamilton brings to his team and the added danger it poses for opponents.

If the right scenario presents itself, Hamilton could end up deciding the Reds’ season. And considering he does what he does—run fast—better than nearly anyone else in the game, that bodes well for Cincinnati. 

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The Miami Marlins made a sizable move to acquire Los Angeles Dodgers prospect pitcher Angel Sanchez on Saturday, and he brings a lot to the table that should excite Marlins fans.

The official MLB Twitter account reported the done deal, which involved Sanchez as one of three minor leaguers moving for right-hander Ricky Nolasco: 

Although Miami is already 17 games back from the NL East lead before the All-Star break, it has still been able to build a solid factory of high-profile prospects who should blossom into a decent team in a number of years.

Sanchez will be the newest addition to that future list of stars, as the 23-year-old looks to come in and make it to the MLB sooner rather than later. 

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about the Marlins’ newest addition, Angel Sanchez. 

*All stats, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Baseball America.

1. The Specs

A long-limbed pitching prospect, Sanchez uses the most out of his 6’3″ frame. This right-hander is from the Dominican Republic and will turn 24 in November, so he has plenty of seasoning.

With long arms and a wide wingspan, Sanchez is able to sprawl out and cover a lot more ground with his wind-up. This allows him to throw a deadly fastball and also offer up deception on more signature pitches. 

Despite his tall frame, Sanchez has a bit of filling out to do. He only weighs 177 pounds, and his lankiness is evident out on the mound.

Simply put, a couple of seasons in a major league weight program could do wonders for Sanchez’s power on the mound.

2. He Almost Threw a No-Hitter

It’s not too often at all that you hear about an MLB player throwing a no-hitter, much less a minor league player in single-A.

But Sanchez almost joined that elite group of players, and it was not too long ago. According to Hugh Bernreuter of MLive.com, the 23-year-old entered the seventh inning of a May 6 game with a no-hitter intact. 

He would end up giving up a hit to lead off the seventh, and his team actually lost the game after a reliever came in and gave up three runs. But that doesn’t take away the achievement that it is to toss a no-hitter throughout two-thirds of a contest.

3. Emergence in 2011

The Dominican Republic slinger wasn’t highly touted as one of the Dodgers’ best minor league prospects, but that all changed after he emerged as a big-time threat in 2011.

Pitching for the Great Lakes Loons of the Low-A, Sanchez went 8-4 on the season with a formidable 2.82 ERA. He also gave up just 72 hits in 99 innings. 

Perhaps the most amazing statistic from his 2011 breakout campaign was the fact that he held opponents to a .198 batting average. 

Just 21 years old at the time, people started talking more and more about Sanchez’s ability to become a big-time MLB pitcher after this breakout year.

4. 2012 Struggles Carried Into 2013

After putting lofty expectations upon himself from such a great opening season in the farm system, Sanchez struggled to get back to that talent level in 2012.

Spending the whole season with Rancho Cucamonga of High-A, Sanchez went just 6-12 on the season. Also, his ERA ballooned to 6.58, almost four runs higher than what he averaged the previous year.

The season was also a bigger sample size, as he tossed 130 innings in 27 appearances for the year. He gave up more hits (157) than innings pitched and almost gave up one run per inning. 

He was demoted back to Low-A with Great Lakes to start 2013, but it didn’t turn around his performances as he went 2-7 before going back to Cucamonga.

Really, he’s been struggling to emerge as a major league pitcher ever since the end of the 2011 season. Other than his near no-hitter, Sanchez needs to turn it around and use his skill set to emerge as a member of the Marlins. 

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The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game rosters were announced Saturday night, and there are a handful of studs who will stand out on the big stage.

With the stakes high as the winner gets home-field advantage in the 2013 World Series, these world-class players will be giving it their all during the July 16 event despite all of the fanfare and entertainment. 

There’s no shortage of stars in each starting lineup, with some of the game’s best names on the list. However, some up-and-coming guys are sprinkled in. 

Let’s take a look at the players who will shine in Queens, N.Y. at Shea Stadium for the exciting 2013 All-Star Game.

MLB All-Star Game Roster

American League

National League

* = Starter

^ = Injured, will not play

Rosters courtesy of MLB.com

Players Who Will Dominate All-Star Game

David Ortiz, American League

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz deserves his name to be in the conversation of best designated hitters of all time, and that was solidified after garnering an All-Star starter selection as a 37-year-old.

After slumping in recent seasons with his Sox, Ortiz has been a major cog in their resurgence during this 2013 season. Without him, Boston wouldn’t be five-and-a-half games up on the Yankees for the top spot in the AL East (something almost nobody could’ve predicted three months ago).

A now-nine-time All-Star, Ortiz has had his fair share of experiences with the big-time event and is ready for the moment. In a game that has often relied on offensive firepower, pitching has taken center stage as of late—and it takes an experienced bat like Ortiz’s to put out a hot pitcher. 

The New York crowd may not be huge fans of the Boston slugger, but with the fourth-best batting average and third-best slugging percentage in the AL, that won’t matter. 

With so many first-time All-Stars in the mix (29 of them, to be exact), experience and seasoning is key. Ortiz has plenty of that. 

Mike Trout, American League

The 21-year-old Los Angeles Angels phenom didn’t get off to a high-flying start in 2013, but he turned that around very quickly and has turned this year into another jaw-dropping one.

As if last year’s AL Rookie of the Year could improve at all following an inaugural campaign for the ages, Trout seems dead set on having another great season. He’s batting .314 on the season, with 13 homers and a whopping 55 RBI to go along with it. 

His batting average has slightly dipped but is still very good, and meanwhile, he’s projected to hit the century mark in runs batted in. So, he’s doing more with less hits. 

The fact that a player in his first two seasons in the majors is likely going to surpass 180 hits in each season is absolutely baffling. And now that he’s been selected for his first All-Star starting lineup selection, you can bet he’s even more ready to seize the moment.

The Angels haven’t had a season to remember thus far, but Trout has. And he’ll continue to assume superstar status in baseball by having a big performance against MLB’s best players. 

Carlos Gonzalez, National League 

The only reason that CarGo won’t have a big game on July 16 is if his body simply shuts down from the gaudy production he’s put up through the first half of 2013.

Carlos Gonzalez has his fingerprints all over the National League statistic leaderboards, leading the NL in homers (23), slugging percentage (.605) and tied for the runs lead (65). The 27-year-old has been a huge driving force for the Colorado Rockies’ resurgence, and they’ll need more of the same throughout the latter half of the season as they sit 3.5 games back of Arizona in the NL West. 

The two-time NL Gold Glove winner knows he can help out the cause both offensively and defensively, and that could prove to have an added impact. Although World Series advantages are on the line, it’s still primarily an exhibition where extra effort seems to stick out. That’s definitely the case in the field.

If Gonzalez can continue his all-around effectiveness, big hitting numbers and huge-play potential, he’s a lock to have a solid All-Star Game.

David Wright, National League

Every All-Star Game has its hometown hero, and David Wright will assume that role in 2013 (along with Matt Harvey).

The New York Mets’ only starter in the spectacle, Wright is sure to be a fan favorite—and he won’t let down a packed house in Shea Stadium.

Wright hasn’t topped the stat sheets like so many of his counterparts and his numbers won’t overwhelm you, but he has efficiency and leadership written all over him. That’s exactly what the Mets need.

Also, that’s a big boost in an All-Star Game if you have a player the fans love with leadership potential on your side.

The 30-year-old is also entering his seventh Midsummer Classic, which further proves that he’s experienced enough for the moment and will be able to have a positive impact on incoming All-Stars who will need guidance and some tips.

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Now that the 2013 MLB draft is in the books, we can finally figure out which teams made the most improvements to their organization in the long haul, and which teams failed to do so. 

While the biggest picks came off the board on Thursday, the 40-round spectacle carried on until late Saturday when the 40th and final round was completed. 

It takes a ton of research and knowledge to properly execute such a long draft, and some general managers deserve credit for adding the proper pieces and making the right selections in an action-packed draft. 

Players drafted this weekend have no guarantee of making it to the MLB level, as they’ll have to work their way up their respective farm systems before the possibility of being called up to the majors. According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, less than 40 percent of the top 100 picks make it to the big leagues. 

That only complicates the draft process for front-office decision-makers who are faced with 40 long rounds of picks, most of which won’t even make it in the major league clubhouse. 

This makes the draft even more crucial, as it can either be a big-time boost for your organization’s future or a big swing-and-miss. And while it’s too early to tell as of now, there’s still enough to judge from to get a solid grasp of how each team did. 

Let’s take a look at grades for each team’s decisions in the 2013 MLB draft. 

For any individual team’s picks, click on the respective team’s grade or check out MLB.com.

Notable Draft Performances

Boston Red Sox: A-

While the Red Sox might be overachieving and contending in 2013, they made it clear in the draft that they’re looking forward.

With seven of their first 10 picks being pitchers, the Sox are making sure they boost the potential in their farm system, and it all begins with Trey Ball, a high school left-hander who was picked seventh overall. 

Ball will be a long-term project for Boston, but if low signability doesn’t cause any problems, he’ll become a fine prospect in the organization and one who will reach the majors in just a few seasons.

It continued its successful draft in Day 2 with the selection of Jon Denney. This catcher is also straight out of high school, but is arguably the best high school slugger in the class with the type of potential that will immediately respond to a MLB structure.

The Sox answered many questions about their future roster in this draft and made some safe selections with high-potential stars. 

Miami Marlins: B+

Sitting at pick No. 6 in the first round on Thursday, it was no guarantee that the Marlins could make a safe pick that would pay off sooner rather than later. But they still managed to.

Luckily for Miami, North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran fell in its lap. Quite possibly the most polished hitter in the class, Moran comes in with a heap of experience in playing with the Tar Heels. He’s had one of the hottest bats in college baseball over the last two years and is just about as safe as you can get.

This pick works perfectly for the poor-hitting Marlins, too. Ever since its overhaul, Miami has been hapless offensively with a constant battle to score runs, and the acquisition of Moran will allow for it to get some quick help in that department.

The Marlins had two other picks in the first 44 of the draft, and they added two pitching prospects in the process. It has a bit to do with their talent right now, but it looks like the 2013 draft will pay off for the Marlins quicker than it will for most teams. 

San Francisco Giants: C

In a first round that wasn’t filled with too many surprise picks, the Giants made perhaps the most head-scratching move in selecting high school shortstop Christian Arroyo. 

Arroyo was picked 25th overall and wasn’t even in MLB.com‘s rankings, which says all you need to know about how much of a shocker this pick was. 

With only one more pick in the top 100, it was tough for the defending World Series champions to make up for a dud of a first-round pick. 

The MLB is unpredictable, thus Arroyo could turn out to be a great prospect and develop into a solid major league player. But the Giants could’ve received much better value if they had looked at some of the pitchers available here. 

Los Angeles Angels: C+

It hasn’t been a season to remember for the star-studded Angels thus far in 2013, which is all the more reason to regain some fan hype with a solid draft. If the current players aren’t getting it done, the first thing fans look to is their prospect base. 

Instead, they went with high school pitcher Hunter Green with the 59th pick to kick things off poorly. Green’s signability is a concern, and although he has loads of potential, it’s hard to see that far down the road for a player who may not even sign.

Green isn’t a bad pick in the second round by any means. It’s more of the fact that their best pick to work with was No. 59. The commitment to the draft and filling their prospect base isn’t there, so why should we think Green will succeed?

The Angels must put a bigger focus on the draft in future years and add to their farm system, or they’ll be in short supply after players like Albert Pujols leave L.A. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Just like any draft class, the 2013 MLB draft offered many high-end prospects who are a long-term plan. But there’s no shortage of players who are on the fast track to the big leagues.

Some first-round picks will ease their way through their organization’s farm system, while some may not even reach Major League Baseball. 

However, others are generational talents who MLB general managers have been eyeing for years. 

Let’s take a look at the players who will make a quick jump to the MLB after being selected in the first round.

Colin Moran, 3B, Miami Marlins

The worst-kept secret in the MLB last season was Miami’s terrible offensive production, and they were undoubtedly looking in the direction of immediate help when they drafted Moran.

Moran’s loyalty to North Carolina over his college career is admirable, and while he was there, he asserted himself as one of college baseball’s most lethal sluggers. There’s not a better prospect at making contact, but don’t let that take away from his ability to knock in runs with power. 

He’ll immediately become one of Miami’s most MLB-ready prospects and they’ll look to advance him up the system as quickly as possible, so he can come in and help turn around their hitting issues.

Mark Appel, RHP, Houston Astros

The Astros are no strangers to pulling up young players into the majors a little too quickly, but this No. 1 overall pick has the stuff to make the move worth it. 

Appel is one of the best pitching prospects in some time and likely would’ve gone No. 1 overall in years prior if his signability wasn’t a concern. He went eighth overall in 2012 to Pittsburgh before choosing to return to Stanford for his senior season.

While it obviously wasn’t easy to turn down a MLB contract, Appel will benefit from the move despite joining one of baseball’s most putrid rosters. He has the pitching ability to make the jump early in his first year with the club and could very well make an impact as a rookie. 

Jonathan Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies

Once a candidate for the top overall pick, Jonathan Gray’s ascendance from a high schooler to a first-round pick has been unprecedented, and there’s nothing in his game that leads me to believe he’ll struggle to reach the MLB.

His quick transformation into an elite pitching prospect reminds me of Stephen Strasburg’s, and he may very well prove he’s worthy of that comparison if and when the Rockies call him up in the next year. 

His once low-90s fastball now reaches over 100 mph without much of an effort and has shown the ability to save his best pitching for late in the games. This will help Colorado’s bullpen to notch fewer innings when Gray takes the mound every fifth day. 

His slider and changeup have improved from average to lethal, and these three pitches combined make him one of the league’s best pitching prospects in recent memory.

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Even though it’s a tough decision for manager Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees, the decision to bench Alex Rodriguez for Game 3 of the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers was the correct one.

New York’s decision came just hours before Tuesday’s 8 p.m. ET game, and the Yanks are desperate to pull out a victory, as they trail the series, 0-2, with the series heading to Detroit for Game 3.

ESPN SportsCenter’s Twitter account broke the news about A-Rod’s benching:

BREAKING: Alex Rodriguez not in @yankees‘ lineup for Game 3 vs @tigers

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 16, 2012

Rodriguez hasn’t exactly been hitting the cover off the ball this series, as he’s batted 1-for-7 through the first two games of the ALCS.

That hasn’t been his only problem, apparently. News broke out early Tuesday that A-Rod engaged in some flirting with females in the stands quickly after being taken out in the eighth inning of New York’s 3-0 loss at home, according to Emily Smith of the New York Post.

A-Rod came into this series with enough problems, as the 37-year-old has shown major signs of decline all season long. That trend only became more severe in the Bronx Bombers’ opening series against Baltimore, where A-Rod was benched for the decisive Game 5 that his team eventually won.

It was enough of a problem for the $275 million man to be struggling so badly through a critical stretch, but now it’s obvious that his head just isn’t in the game, instead focused on getting girls to scratch their phone numbers on a baseball for him. 

Maybe A-Rod should take the so-called baseball with his new friends’ phone numbers to the batting cage and see if he can get out of his slump.

To make things worse, fellow team leader Derek Jeter is now out of the lineup and Girardi’s club certainly misses his production.

A-Rod is one of the first players who should be stepping up in this Jeter-less scenario, and he’s instead stepping out of the equation entirely.

If A-Rod hadn’t made this decision easy for Girardi before with his subpar play, he has with this latest rumor. 

The Yankees are a deep team, and it’s safe to say that they have enough firepower to make this a series again. But it won’t be easy against reigning AL MVP Justin Verlander, who is on fire this postseason and seems to be an unstoppable force.

Follow @steventerrycook

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The Detroit Tigers gutted out a crucial 3-1 victory in Game 1 over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night in a tight matchup that went down to the wire.

Justin Verlander opened his 2012 playoff run with a bang and proved his reigning AL MVP status with a dominating performance on the mound, giving up just three hits and one earned run on a first-inning home run from Coco Crisp.

That home run would end up being the only scoring play for the A’s on the day.

The Athletics also received a solid pitching performance from Jarrod Parker, but he gave up two earned runs and committed a fielding error that gave the Tigers their other run.

Alex Avila notched Detroit’s only RBI of the game on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning off Parker.

The Tigers now lead the crucial five-game series, 1-0.

Twitter Reaction

ESPN’s Buster Olney made an impressive prediction after the first two innings, when the Tigers were tied 1-1 with the A’s.

Verlander at 42 pitches through two innings, but he looks like he’s beginning to settle in.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 6, 2012

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game, this series got some notable publicity prior to the first pitch, as popular ESPN hothead Skip Bayless picked the A’s to win it all.

Heart over head pick: Oakland A’s win it all.Know/respect Billy Bean. Love to see “Moneyball” with a real happy ending. Movie misleading.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 6, 2012

Hometown favorite and Lions head coach Jim Schwartz gave his local baseball team some love on Twitter, noting his team’s bye week as an opportunity.

With Bye weekend, really glad to be watching @tigers for entire game for the first time since before training camp.

— Jim Schwartz (@jschwartzlions) October 7, 2012

It sure was Verlander’s game, and ESPN Stats & Info gave us a nice statistic on his recent dominance.

Justin Verlander is the 1st pitcher with 11 or more strikeouts in 7 IP or fewer in an AL postseason game since Pedro Martinez in 1999.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2012

Grades for Key Tigers Players

Miguel Cabrera: C

Cabrera is certainly a cog in the Tigers’ lineup after his Triple Crown season that broke numerous records, but he didn’t have a great start to his 2012 postseason.

The Tigers slugger finished 0-for-3 but got on base with a walk.

Detroit will need more production from Cabrera when it doesn’t have a pitcher of Verlander’s caliber to back it up.

Justin Verlander: A

You don’t get much better than Justin Verlander’s Game 1 on Saturday.

Detroit’s ace pitched a three-hit game and shut the A’s out after the first inning, when he gave up a home run to Coco Crisp. That’d be the only blemish on an otherwise seemingly perfect game.

If Verlander keeps this up, you can pencil in an automatic win every game that he’s on the mound this postseason.

Prince Fielder: C-

Fielder didn’t do much with his opportunity to appear in his first postseason game as a Detroit Tiger.

He finished 0-for-4 on the day and couldn’t get his bat going.

Just like Cabrera, Fielder is a crucial component of this offense, and the Tigers will suffer if he continues to go hitless. 

Grades for Key A’s Players

Jarrod Parker: B-

It’s not easy to keep sluggers like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hitless, but Jarrod Parker did just that on Saturday.

However, he still gave up two earned runs and committed a costly error that would end up giving the Tigers a run.

Parker’s performance would garner a win in most games, but unfortunately, he had to face Justin Verlander.

Coco Crisp: B+

Coco Crisp’s first-inning home run did a lot to set the stage for the rest of the game, but his teammates couldn’t convert on the early momentum swing once Verlander heated up his arm.

However, hitting a home run on Verlander when he’s pitching at this caliber is grounds for a round of applause, at the least.

Yoenis Cespedes: B-

The Oakland slugger finished with a hit and a walk in four plate appearances but couldn’t do much against the dominating pitching performance of Verlander.

It’s early in this series, but Cespedes needs to right his wrongs and help be the productive cleanup hitter that Oakland thrived on throughout the regular season.

What’s Next?

The A’s will stick around in Detroit for Game 2 on Sunday, which will start at 12:07 p.m. ET.

After going down 1-0 on the road, Oakland will be thirsty to get the win and even the series at one game apiece.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2012 MLB Playoffs are shaping up to be among the best ever.

The road to the World Series isn’t easy for any team, especially since the MLB playoffs is set up so only five teams are allowed in. But these teams will have an increasingly difficult time when they look ahead and see who they’ll be facing.

Let’s take a look at the teams who will have the toughest roads to the World Series.

Baltimore Orioles

After battling the New York Yankees all season in the AL East leader boards, you can bet that the Baltimore Orioles would’ve hoped to avoid the Yanks in the ALDS.

Well, they weren’t so fortunate.

They beat the odds by grinding out a tough win in the Wild Card play-in game against the Texas Rangers and stifled a scorching offense.  Now they’ll have to turn around and face C.C. Sabathia. 

Sabathia is 16-4 all-time against the O’s, but two of those losses came this season. 

No one is doubting that the Orioles have a big chance to make some noise and win the World Series, but it’ll be a tough.

St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis had to start the playoffs in as bad of a situation as anyone; a single-elimination game on the road against the Atlanta Braves.

Now, they’ll have to face a Washington Nationals team that was, undoubtedly, the NL’s best team throughout the course of the season.

The Cardinals may have received some help from the gods of baseball, as a controversial infield-fly call played a role in their 6-3 win.

But there’s no doubting that they were the better looking team that day, despite an electric atmosphere in a city that wasn’t ready to let Jones play his last game.

After the type of season that they went through in 2011 and the adversity that they overcame, don’t expect this rough road ahead of them to phase them one bit.

They’ll be ready to play.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds looked like they were going to run away with the National League during many moments of the season, but they still have their work cut out for them to get out of a tough NL pennant race.

They open up against the San Francisco Giants, who look ready and willing to put their 2011 woes behind them and get back to the team that won the 2010 World Series.

Even if they get through the pesky Giants, the Reds have to face either the Cards or the Nats, who both look like they’re shaping up for a big-time run.

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The MLB is gearing up for yet another exciting end to the regular season as Cinderella teams are sprinkled in with some World Series favorites in many tight races for playoff spots. While we may not get the type of regular-season finale that we were blessed with last year, there’s still plenty of intriguing storylines and teams right on the cusp of playoff berths. 

With one more playoff spot up for grabs in each league this year for the first time ever, the madness is certainly not going to end when the regular season comes to a close.

Let’s take a look at Tuesday’s games that have major playoff implications.

American League

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Rays 5 – F

Coming off two straight losses to the AL East leading Yankees, the Rays may have thought they were facing a slumping Red Sox team at the perfect time. It’s turned out to be the opposite effect, as the Sox have taken two straight games in Tampa to push the Rays’ chances of making the playoffs even further from reality.

The Rays are now in fifth place in the Wild Card after a 7-5 loss at home to the Red Sox.

Tampa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third, but four straight scoring innings for Boston helped them pull out to a lead that the Rays couldn’t battle back from. 

Errors played a part in their loss. The Rays committed three in the game, including a throwing error that led to the final go-ahead run for Boston.

Red Sox: 68-81 (Last place in AL East, eighth in Wild Card)

Rays: 78-70 (Third place in AL East, fifth in Wild Card)

Detroit Tigers 12, Oakland Athletics 2 – F

The Oakland A’s kept things interesting during the early going, but couldn’t silence the Tigers’ bats, as Detroit pulled out a big-time home victory.

The scorching-hot Athletics got off to a good start and took the lead off a Brandon Moss single, but they wouldn’t lead for long, as the Tigers notched a run in each of the first three innings. 

Five combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings and a four-run eighth inning put it away for the Tigers, who couldn’t pull any closer to the White Sox after their victory over Kansas City. 

A’s: 84-63 (second in AL West, first in Wild Card)

Tigers: 78-69 (second in AL Central, fifth in Wild Card)

Chicago White Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 2 – F

The White Sox needed to win Tuesday to keep their distance from the Tigers, whose bats came alive against the streaky A’s and hung up 12 runs.

They did just that in a closely-contested battle with the Royals. 

Kansas City led early after scoring two runs to Chicago’s one run in the first inning, forcing the White Sox to trail for much of the game. But Gordon Beckham tied the game up for Chicago in the sixth inning with a solo shot, which was followed by an Alex Rios homer that gave the White Sox the lead for good. 

White Sox: 81-66 (first in AL Central)

Royals: 66-81 (third in AL Central, ninth in Wild Card)

Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels: 10:05 p.m. ET

The Texas Rangers have done enough through the season to give them the best record in the AL, but they still haven’t locked up a playoff spot. However, it’d take nothing short of a total collapse if they were to miss the postseason.

They only hold a three-game lead over the A’s and they need to play their best ball if they want to avoid squandering their slim division lead to one of the hottest teams in baseball. Oakland is 8-2 in their last 10 games. 

The Los Angeles Angels have been one of the biggest victims of the A’s hot streak, as they’re now 7.5 games back of the division lead and three games back from the wild card. Their wins need to come now if they want to remain relevant in this race.

Two aces will face off on the mound when Ryan Dempster (11-6) takes the stage for Texas and Jared Weaver (17-4) looks for his 18th win in a game his team needs big-time. 

Rangers: 87-59 (first in AL West)

Angels: 80-67 (third in AL West, third in wild card)

Baltimore Orioles at Seattle Mariners: 10:10 p.m. ET

The Orioles are fortunate enough to play Seattle late in the season with a playoff spot on the line, and they took advantage Monday night with a 10-4 victory. They look to do more of the same Tuesday.

Baltimore is tied with Oakland atop the AL wild card and, due to the new rule, they would face each other in a one-game playoff at the end of the season if it were to end today. 

The Orioles are one of the big Cinderella stories of the MLB this season and they look to Wei-Yin Chen (12-9) to notch them another victory. The Yankees game was postponed, so the Orioles can tie up the AL East with a win.

Orioles: 84-62 (second in AL East, T-first in wild card)

Mariners: 70-78 (last in AL West, sixth in wild card)

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: Postponed

Tuesday night’s game between the Yankees and Blue Jays has been postponed. They’ll play a double-header on Wednesday.

Yankees: 83-63 (first in AL East)

Blue Jays: 66-79 (fourth in AL East, seventh in wild card)

National League

Miami Marlins 4, Atlanta Braves 3: F/10

The Braves had a major chance to pick up a game against one of the MLB’s worst teams, but they squandered it when Jose Reyes hit a walk-off single for the Marlins, who won 4-3 in a 10-inning spectacle.

Atlanta pulled a noble comeback to even give themselves a chance. Being down 3-0 heading into the ninth inning, the Braves pulled off three straight runs to send it into extra innings thanks to a RBI single by Dan Uggla and a double by Brian McCann that scored Uggla and Chipper Jones.

It was enough to get out of the early hole, but not enough to come out with a much-needed win. The Marlins bats came alive in the 10th inning to come away with the W.

Braves: 85-64 (second in NL East, T-first in wild card)

Marlins: 65-83 (last in NL East, 10th in wild card)

Cincinnati Reds 3, Chicago Cubs 1 – F

The Cincinnati Reds are just one of a few teams who don’t feel the pressure of winning due to their massive division lead, but that didn’t stop them from taking care of the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday by the score of 3-2.

Neither team scored until a three-run sixth inning by the Reds that Chicago could never rally back from. 

Homer Bailey picked up his 12th win of the season for the Reds, who seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time and are undoubtedly one of the favorites to come out of the National League.

Reds: 89-59 (first in NL Central)

Cubs: 58-90 (fifth in NL Central, 12th in wild card)

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Houston Astros 1 – F

The Cardinals put a stop to their most recent bleeding with a win over a bottom-tier MLB team Tuesday night with a 4-1 victory at home over the Houston Astros.

St. Louis held Houston scoreless until the eighth inning and was never seriously contested by the hapless Astros, who became the first team in the MLB to reach 100 losses. 

Cardinals ace Kyle Lohse picked up his 15th win of the season.

Astros: 48-100 (last in NL Central, last in wild card)

Cardinals: 78-70 (second in NL Central, T-first in wild card)

Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants: 10:15 p.m. ET

The Giants are looking to make 2011 a distant memory and bring back the warm feelings of their 2010 World Series.

With an eight-game lead in the NL West, they look to be in prime position to make a deep playoff run. Meanwhile, the Rockies have faded into the shadows in the NL and have their sights set on 2013.

One of the disheartening storylines for San Francisco this season has been the recession of Tim Lincecum. “Big Time Timmy Jim” is just 9-14 on the season and needs to turn it around before the playoffs begin.

Giants: 84-63 (first in NL West)

Rockies: 58-88 (last in NL West, 11th in wild card)

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals: Postponed

Tuesday night’s game between the Dodgers and Nationals has been postponed. They’ll play a double-header on Wednesday.

Dodgers: 76-71 (second in NL West, third in wild card)

Nationals: 89-57 (first in NL East)

On Deck for Wednesday

Toronto at NY Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET

LA Dodgers at Washington, 4:05 p.m. ET

Oakland at Detroit, 7 p.m. ET

Toronto at NY Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

LA Dodgers at Washington, 7:05 p.m. ET

Atlanta at Miami, 7:10 p.m. ET

Boston at Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m. ET

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m. ET

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m. ET

Houston at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m. ET

Texas at LA Angels, 10 p.m. ET

Baltimore at Seattle, 10:10 p.m. ET

Colorado at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m. ET

American League Standings

National League Standings

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The American League playoff race is heating up, and there is no shortage of star power and top-quality baseball despite some surprising teams in the hunt.

We saw how crazy this race can get last year, on what some of the nation has dubbed the best day in MLB history (according to ESPN’s SportsNation). It’d be foolish not to tune in to these massive games that will have major implications on this year’s World Series.

Now that the grueling, 162-game season that began in late March is finally coming close to an end, it’s time to gear up for what should be an exciting conclusion to the season that will likely come down to the final game. 

Boston Red Sox 4, New York Yankees 3 – F

The Red Sox season may be nearing it’s end, but they proved Tuesday night that they’ve yet to give up on what many people see as a lost cause. 

After the Yankees went up 1-0 early thanks to a Robinson Cano groundout, Boston rallied in the third inning to take the lead, 2-1. Early-rotation hitters Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia each earned RBIs on singles to put the Sox ahead.

It wasn’t for long, as a Derek Jeter ground-rule double would score two runners and put the Yanks up, 3-2. 

Then, Pedroia came up big for the Bobby Valentine’s squad once again to tie the game. Ellsbury ended things in the bottom of the ninth with his walk-off single, and Boston’s 2012 woes were put on hold for at least the night. 

Yankees: 79-62 (first in AL East)

Red Sox: 64-78 (last in AL East, ninth in AL wild card)

Baltimore Orioles 9, Tampa Bay Rays 2 – F

The Baltimore Orioles should send a thank you note to their Boston rivals after Tuesday night’s action.

With a Yankees loss to the Red Sox and this Baltimore victory, the Orioles are once again in a tie for the AL East lead with the Bronx Bombers. 

The Orioles, like usual, came up with a big-time win. J.J. Hardy hit two home runs for Baltimore, who had the happy bats compared to a cooled-off Rays team that had just five hits. Hardy finished 4-for-5 for the day.

The Rays now sit two games back of both teams.

Rays: 77-64 (third in AL East, third in AL wild card)

Orioles: 79-62 (second in AL East, tied for first in AL wild card)

Texas Rangers 6, Cleveland Indians 4 – F

The Texas Rangers are still uncomfortable at the top of the AL West with the Oakland A’s on their heels, but they were able to beat one of the MLB‘s worst teams at home, 6-4, in a game they needed.

Texas started things off with a bang as they tallied four second-inning runs and they got a significant contribution from winning pitcher Matt Harrison, who tallied his 16th win of the season.

Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, once a Cy Young candidate with the Colorado Rockies, now has the most losses in the MLB with 16. 

Rangers: 84-57 (first in AL West)

Indians: 59-83 (tied for last in AL Central, tied for last in AL wild card)

Detroit Tigers 5, Chicago White Sox 3 – F

The Tigers took a big bite out of their AL Central deficit Tuesday night by beating the division-leading White Sox, 5-3. 

The series is tied at one game apiece with two games remaining after a strong performance by Tigers centerfielder Austin Johnson, who finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI’s. 

Starting pitcher Doug Fister got the much-needed win for Detroit, who are now just two games back from Chicago. They’ll have a chance to tie up the division before leaving the Windy City.

Tigers: 74-67 (second in AL Central, fifth in AL wild card)

White Sox: 76-65 (first in AL Central)

Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET

The A’s are one of the major surprise teams in the hunt for a playoff spot, and they’ll turn to a rookie in one of their biggest games of the season when they face the star-studded Los Angeles Angels.

Dan Straily (1-0) will make the fourth start of his young career against Jerome Williams (6-7), who’s making a spot start with Jered Weaver being pushed back to Thursday.

With Brandon McCarthy out day-to-day and perhaps longer, the Athletics will need Straily to become a regular contributor to the rotation. His bid starts Tuesday night.

Athletics: 80-60 (second in AL West, tied for first in AL wild card)

Angels: 77-64 (third in AL West, fourth in AL wild card)

On Deck for Wednesday

New York Yankees vs. Boston, 7 p.m. ET

Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore, 7 p.m. ET

Cleveland vs. Texas, 8:05 p.m. ET

Detroit vs. Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. ET

Oakland vs. Los Angeles Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET

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