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Coco Crisp boosted the Oakland A’s early on, giving them a lead four pitches into the game. Then, the A’s couldn’t do anything right on offense.

Despite struggling to keep his pitch count to a minimum, Justin Verlander struck out 11 through seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the A’s 3-1 in Game 1 of the ALDS. Verlander picked up the win, while Jarrod Parker, who allowed three runs (two earned) in over six innings, took the loss.

Parker made an error that brought home a run for the Tigers, and he allowed a home run to Alex Avila. Despite having decent stats for the game, he didn’t pitch well. A lot of good contact was made, and his defense made some nice plays behind him. Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t make a great play on the ball that Avila hit, though. Parker made one of many mistakes, and Avila pounced.

He threw a high fastball, and Avila hit it the opposite way. It was a first-pitch meatball, right in Avila’s wheelhouse (it was right over the plate, too). The ball went over the left field fence for a home run, doubling Detroit’s lead.

Parker allowed two early hits to Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry to start the game, before inducing a double play to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. However, it brought home the tying run and negated Crisp’s home run.

Verlander woke up after his mistakes, although it took him a lot of pitches. He made some mistakes early, but he took advantage of a large strike zone, got ahead of counts and finished off hitters. He settled in during the middle innings, striking out five batters total in the sixth and seventh innings. More than half of the outs he got were by way of the strikeout, which isn’t rare for Verlander.

Joaquin Benoit came in during the eighth, and he struggled. Cespedes singled and Brandon Moss hit the first pitch he saw to deep right field. However, Andy Dirks caught it at the warning track, as Moss just got under the pitch.

Jose Valverde, who is known as an exciting but erratic closer, located his pitches and struck out two batters while jamming George Kottaras on a pop-up to finish off the game.

In the third, Berry hit a slow grounder to the right side, and Parker fielded it. He flipped the ball to first base only to realize no one was there.

Omar Infante rushed home with the go-ahead run, although a spectacular running catch by Cliff Pennington allowed Parker to escape further damage. Parker got a lot of help from his defense, as they made three great plays behind him.

It wasn’t enough for the A’s to win, though. There weren’t many bright spots aside from the defense in this game, but Pat Neshek was one of them. His son lived less than 24 hours and died suddenly Wednesday night, which deeply saddened Neshek, his family, the A’s, MLB and the baseball world. However, he bounced back and was able to pitch.

He did well, too, which was great for the team. Unfortunately for the A’s, it wasn’t enough. They failed to figure out Verlander, who was able to throw heat in the later innings and stop the A’s while keeping his bullpen fresh. They couldn’t capitalize on a chance against Benoit, and they couldn’t start a rally against Valverde, who isn’t known for 1-2-3 innings.

They’ve been doing it all year, but they couldn’t do it against the Tigers. Will it matter? Will they learn from their mistakes? What’s next for the A’s?

Those are all reasonable questions, and they will probably be answered in Game 2. However, if the A’s can’t start capitalizing on chances, if they can’t stop striking out (they went down 14 times by way of the strikeout) and if they can’t figure out Verlander (who will start Game 5 if there is one), this magical season may come to an end.

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

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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.

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Of the four Division Series matchups, this one probably featured the most different teams.

The Athletics exceeded almost everyone’s expectations with rookies and other youngsters, while the Tigers were on the outside looking in for most of the season despite their high expectations with superstars like Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on the roster.

In Game 1, pitching ruled the day. Justin Verlander bounced back from a shaky beginning to strike out 11 in seven innings and Jarrod Parker gave up three runs in six and a third in his first career postseason start.

Both bullpens were effective and the Tigers earned a nail-biting 3-1 victory in the first game of the best-of-five Division Series. Here are Game 1 grades for each team.

Begin Slideshow

Last night, October 1, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies played at Chase Field. It was not a game where a lot was on the line in terms of the playoffs. The game went 13 innings with the Rockies winning 7-5.

But the game did feature some of the best and most loyal fans in all of baseball.

First of all, attending a Diamondbacks and Rockies game at this point in the year shows a level of devotion from these Arizona fans. The Diamondbacks are trying to get a winning record but they have been eliminated for a long time.

And unless there is bad blood in Arizona over the 2007 NLCS, it is a stretch to call this a rivalry game.

Diamondbacks fans were treated to a solid start by Wade Miley and a ninth inning game-tying home run by Paul Goldschmidt.

Then the game kept going. It was a Monday night, the proverbial school night. Two teams going nowhere and playing out the string faced off.

According to Baseball Reference, 24,123 were in attendance. Probably only one-tenth of that number remained to the end of the game.

Those are the most loyal fans in baseball. To stay all 13 innings with nothing on the line except the chance to see a walk-off win and be denied is almost cruel.

The Diamondbacks should have rewarded the fans who were there until the very end. Free tickets for a 2013 game or a chance to have Juston Upton show up at a birthday party.

The Diamondbacks are a franchise that have had trouble finding a fanbase.

In 15 seasons, the Diamondbacks have had eight winning seasons, won five division titles, played in two NLCS and won the 2001 World Series.

And yet they have not cracked the top 10 in attendance for the National League since 2004. When you consider they play indoors and it is air conditioned during the summer in Phoenix, that is a staggering statistic.

They need to reward the fans they have and build up some good will. If a fan stayed 13 innings to see their team lose a meaningless game on a Monday, that fan earned a free ticket.

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All but two divisions have been decided, but that doesn’t erase the intrigue surrounding the final two days of baseball season.

The American League East is still up for grabs, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees battle it out for the crown.

The same goes for the AL West. The Texas Rangers hold a one-game lead over the Oakland Athletics, but the underdog A’s can clinch the crown with two wins over Texas, beginning Tuesday night.

As far as the National League goes, a tiny sliver of competition in the wild-card race leaves the door open, but things on that side of the league are mostly decided.

Only two nights of regular-season baseball action remain. Check back here for all of Tuesday night’s recaps as they come in.

*All times p.m., ET 

American League

Boston 3, NY Yankees 4 – F/12

The Yankees had two hits—including two from league leader Derek Jeter—to earn an extra-innings win over their heated rival.

With Baltimore’s win earlier in the night, this victory became even more important. Now, the two teams head into the regular season’s final day separated by one game.

Raul Ibanez’s game-winning single scored Francisco Cervelli to give New York the win and Derek Lowe the victory in relief.

Yankees: 94-67 (first in AL East)

Red Sox: 69-92 (out)

Baltimore 1, Tampa Bay 0 – F

Miguel Gonzalez pitched like the AL East was on the line for the Orioles, which is good, because it was.

Through 6.1 innings, the right-hander struck out seven. He was picked up by the Baltimore bullpen, with Jim Johnson eventually earning his 51st save of the season.

The Orioles’ lone run came in the fourth inning via a Chris Davis solo shot.

Orioles: 93-68 (second in AL East, first in AL wild card)

Rays: 89-72 (out)

Detroit 2, Kansas City 4 – F

Detroit lost the game, but good news Detroit fans: Miguel Cabrera still leads the Triple-Crown race. At least until Josh Hamilton finishes up tonight, he does.

Jeremy Guthrie earned the win for the Royals, but Cabrera did pick up one RBI in the losing effort.

The Tigers clinched the AL Central last night, giving any loss less meaning.

Tigers: 87-74 (clinched AL Central)

Royals: 72-89 (out)

Texas 1, Oakland 3 – F

Well, folks, it all comes down to this. One night, one game for the AL West title. Oakland’s win Tuesday night sets up a one-game showdown for all the marbles on Wednesday.

Travis Blackley earned the win for the As, allowing one run through six innings. He outdueled Matt Harrison  and was fueled by a Derek Norris single that scored two runs.

Jonny Gomes’ solo shot in the sixth inning was just gravy.

Tune in Wednesday; you don’t want to miss it.

Rangers: 93-68 (tied for first in AL West, tied for first in AL wild card)

Athletics: 93-68 (tied for first in AL West, ties for first in AL wild card)

National League

Atlanta 1, Pirates 5 – F

The Braves’ playoff spot isn’t in jeopardy, and the Pirates aren’t going to make .500 (again), but Atlanta would prefer to stay hot entering the playoffs.

Kevin Correia earned his 12th win of the season for Pittsburgh, allowing one run through 6.2 innings, while Tommy Hanson continues to struggle for Atlanta.

Braves: 93-68 (second in NL East, first in NL wild card)

Pirates: 79-82 (out)

Philadelphia 2, Washington 4 – F

The Nationals sewed up the NL East with Atlanta’s loss on Monday, but it never hurts to ride out a little momentum.

Washington used six pitchers and nine total hits to earn Tuesday night’s victory. Zach Duke wound up earning his first decision of the season, as the squad halted their two-game losing streak.

Nationals: 97-64 (clinched NL East)

Phillies: 81-80 (out)

Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 1 – F

St. Louis is in the playoffs, unless it loses its final two games and the Dodgers snag their final two contests against the Giants. Well, St. Louis is one step closer to disappointment.

Chris Carpenter allowed three runs through six innings, and the Cards could not solve Mat Latos and the Reds bullpen.

With Clayton Kershaw set to go for Los Angeles tomorrow, a Dodgers win on Tuesday could make things very interesting.

Reds: 97-64 (clinched NL Central)

Cardinals: 87-74 (first in NL wild card)

San Francisco at LA Dodgers, 10:10

The Dodgers must win Tuesday night if they want to have a chance at an NL wild-card berth. If they can’t, it’s over.

Chris Capuano will take on Barry Zito in the Tuesday nightcap.

On Deck for Wednesday

*All times p.m., ET

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 12:35

Philadelphia at Washington, 1:05

Texas at Oakland, 3:35

LA Angels at Seattle, 6:40

Boston at NY Yankees, 7:00

Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 7:00

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 7:05

San Francisco at LA Dodgers, 7:15

Detroit at Kansas City, 8:10

Cincinnati at St. Louis, 8:15

American League Standings

*AL Central title has been decided 

National League Standings

*NL West, NL Central and NL East titles have already been decided 

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As I first wrote back in July for Bleacher Report, the Oakland Athletics are the best show in baseball. Seriously, if the A’s are playing, watch them. Win or lose, it will be a spectacular show.

Take the game played today, Sept. 29. It looked like the A’s were going to go quietly and let the Seattle Mariners get the best of them. Going into the bottom of the 8th inning, Seattle was up 4-1 and cruising to a win.

Jason Vargas pitched seven strong innings and Seattle manager Eric Wedge handed the ball to the bullpen.

Then the A’s gave whichever fans stuck around for the end a show.

First baseman Brandon Moss, whose error led to the first Seattle run, doubled home Coco Crisp to make the score 4-2, but Stephen Drew was thrown out at home on the same hit to end the inning.

See, even their inning ending plays are worth watching.

In the bottom of the 9th, still down 4-2, Jason Donaldson launched a game tying home run over the center field fence off of Tim Wilhelmsen.

Then in the bottom of the 10th, it was Moss again. This time he hit a walk-off three-run shot to give the A’s a 7-4 victory.

The Athletics scored one run in the first seven innings and six runs in the last three.

The team that was supposedly in a rebuilding mode has won its 90th game and are, as of this writing, 2 1/2 games out of first place going into the last day of September.

And of their 46 home wins, 14 have been a walk-off victory. More than 30 percent of their home victories ending with the winning run crossing the plate in the final inning.

You may not know the names, you may not have any emotional attachment to the Oakland Athletics, but trust me. Watch their games. If you like baseball, you will not walk away bored.

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The hunt for October continues to develop as many playoff spots remain up for grabs as September comes to a close.

All three American League divisional races are far from over as teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics continue to scale the mountain to close the gap between their respective division leaders.

In the National League, the race for the NL West and the final wild-card spot have stolen the show, as teams continue to fight hard to snag the remaining spots and a chance at a World Series berth.

Here’s a look at today’s slate of games as team’s make a final playoff push. Keep checking back for updated scores and recaps throughout the evening as the games go final.

American League

Toronto Blue Jays 3, New York Yankees 2: F

The Yankees dropped an important one in Toronto as they would have had an opportunity to clinch a spot with a win and a Los Angeles Angels loss. However, the Yankees struggled to produce runs and the Blue Jays bullpen combined to blank the Yankees from the fourth inning on.

New York now holds the slimmest of leads in the East, as the Orioles are only a half-game back. The Yankees will need to start producing some offense if they want to secure their position. They now have two runs in two games against the Blue Jays.

Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers: Rain Delay

The Los Angeles Angels get a key opportunity to keep their divisional hopes alive while gaining ground on the AL Wild card chase when they take on the division leading Rangers. This game is currently in rain delay.

Detroit Tigers 6, Minnesota Twins 4: F

Justin Verlander made another strong case for a Cy Young Award, notching his 17th win on the year to help the Tigers take another step toward clinching the AL Central title.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead early and added to that lead with a four-run eighth inning that was promptly matched by the Twins before Jose Valverde effectively closed out the Minnesota rally in the ninth. The Tigers appeared to be running on all cylinders as October approaches.

Oakland Athletics 7, Seattle Mariners 4: F/10

It took extra innings, but the A’s showed that they have the poise to make some noise in the playoffs. It’s these types of games that makes September baseball so exciting. The Athletics were battling a deficit nearly the entire game before tying the game up 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, and eventually scoring three runs in the 10th on a walkoff homer from Brandon Moss.

The Athletics are now only 2.5 games ahead of the Angels for the second wild-card spot.

Tampa Bay Rays 10, Chicago White Sox 4: F

In a true do-or-die game, the Tampa Bay Rays came up big in keeping their wild-card hopes alive while effectively eliminating Chicago from the running for the second wild card.

The Rays’ offensive explosion was spearheaded by Matt Joyce, as he drove in four runs as a pinch hitter for Ben Francisco on two hits. Tampa now moves within three games of the Athletics for the second wild-card spot.

Baltimore Orioles 4, Boston Red Sox 3: F

The Orioles came up huge against the Boston Red Sox with a one-run victory at home that officially has the Orioles tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL East.

The Sox got a great effort from starting pitcher Felix Doubront as he threw seven innings and fanned 10 Baltimore batters while allowing only three earned runs. However, Baltimore was able to show the resolve that will serve them well as they fight for the playoffs, coming up with two clutch home runs from Chris Davis and Manny Machado that propelled the offense.

American League Standings

AL West

AL Central

AL East

AL Wild Card

National League

Milwaukee Brewers 9, Houston Astros 5: F

The Brewers absolutely needed to win this game and they kept their chances alive and they did just that with an offensive barrage that gave them a nine-run cushion heading into the final frame.

Turns out the Brewers would need that cushion as the Astros offense came alive—Houston generated five runs in the final frame before the Brewers were able to retire the side and secure the victory. The Brewers are now 4.5 games away from a wild-card spot.

Atlanta Braves 2, New York Mets 0: F

The Braves tightened their vice grip atop the NL wild card race with a 2-0 shutout of a New York Mets team that is now 6-4 in their last ten games.

The Braves got an exceptional start from Mike Minor who went 6.1 innings while only giving up three hits and no walks. If the Braves can get those kind of numbers from deep in their rotation, they’ll be a very legitimate threat in the playoffs.

Washington Nationals 6, St. Louis Cardinals 4: F/10

The Cardinals were unable to pull out a game that would have been a huge boon to their playoff chances, dropping a 6-4 game to the Nationals in extra innings.

The Nationals broke open an early 4-0 lead in the first frame but the Cardinals didn’t give up as they slowly chipped away at the lead before scoring a tying run in the bottom of the ninth. However, it was the Nationals that came through when it mattered most, taking a 6-4 lead in the tenth off of a Kurt Suzuki double.

The Cardinals failed to answer in the home half as they leave the door open for the Dodgers to take the final spot in the wild card race.

Los Angeles Dodgers 3, Colorado Rockies 0: F

The Dodgers successfully seized the opportunity to put some more pressure on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL wild card race as posted a shut out over the Rockies 3-0. The Dodgers rode a huge start from starting pitches Joe Blanton who gave them six innings of scoreless baseball before turning it over to the bullpen who continued the shutout effort.

With the win the Dodgers are now just two games away from the Cardinals and appear poised to make a run as they extend their record in the last ten games to 7-3.

National League Standings

NL East

NL Wild Card

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The team that is leaving the National League for the American League broke the heart of the team that left the American League for the National League.

The Houston Astros, led by catcher Jason Castro’s two home runs, all but destroyed the postseason hopes of last year’s NL Central Division champion Milwaukee Brewers.

When the Brewers were on such a terrific run last week, no doubt they looked ahead on the schedule and expected the Astros to be an easy win.

But home runs by Castro, Brett Wallace and Jose Altuve gave Houston a lead it would hold onto.

The pitching matchup of Houston’s Edgar Gonzalez versus Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo looked like a mismatch in the Brewers’ favor.

Instead it was Gonzalez and the Houston bullpen who got the job done as Gallardo got shelled in six innings of work.

The Brewers had the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate in the form of Norichika Aoki. But he hit into a double play, ending the game and lowering the elimination number for the Brewers to one.

The Brewers had a recent run where they won eight of nine. But they would need to be perfect throughout the rest of the season and hope their nemesis from 1982 and 2011, the Cardinals, lose some games as well.

Meanwhile, the Astros were the ones getting the good hitting and timely pitching. One more outing like this and the Brewers will be gone from the playoff picture.

The Astros might not be going anywhere this year, but if any team circled the Astros on the schedule as an easy win, beware. The Astros can beat a team that is not exactly expecting a fight.

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With just nine days remaining in Major League Baseball’s regular season, postseason races are in full tilt.

Two division champions have already been decided, with two others all but over. Everything else is wide open, including each league’s wild-card spots.

Tuesday gives us 13 games with playoff implications. Check back here for recaps and updated standings as each game comes to a close.

*All times p.m., ET 

American League

Cleveland 4, Chicago White Sox 3 – F

Paul Konerko hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to keep Chris Perez from earning his 37th save of the season. Chicago is in a dogfight with Detroit at the top of the AL Central, and every loss is a big deal.

White Sox: 82-72 (tied for first in AL Central)

Indians: 64-91 (fifth in AL Central)

Toronto 4, Baltimore 0 – F

Aaron Laffey combined with five other pitchers to shutout the Baltimore offense on Tuesday night. Joe Saunders struggled on the bump for the Orioles, and they couldn’t take a step forward in their race for the AL East title.

Blue Jays: 68-86 (fifth in AL East)

Orioles: 88-67 (second in AL East, first in AL wild card)

Detroit 2, Kansas City 0 – F

Anibal Sanchez hurled a complete game shutout when Detroit needed it the most. He only allowed three hits and struck out 10. Prince Fielder and Delmon Young each supplied an RBI.

Tuesday night’s win was massive, with Detroit tying the White Sox for the AL Central lead.

Tigers: 82-72 (tied for first in AL Central, tied for fourth in AL wild card)

Royals: 70-84 (third in AL Central)

Tampa Bay 5, Boston 2 – F

David Price tied Jered Weaver for the AL’s league lead in wins with his 19th victory on Tuesday. Jeff Keppinger’s three-run shot in the second inning set the pace for the Rays’ offense.

Rays: 84-70 (third in AL East, third in AL wild card)

Red Sox: 69-86 (fourth in AL East)

Oakland 3, Texas 2 – F

Josh Hamilton started Tuesday night’s scoring with a two-run single in the first inning, but the Athletics closed the job, George Kottaras and Christ Carter each supplied home runs.

Athletics: 87-67 (second in AL West, second in AL wild card)

Rangers: 91-63 (first in AL West)

Minnesota 5, NY Yankees 4 – F

The Yankees’ offense was given three home runs, including a solo shot by Andruw Jones in the ninth inning, but they couldn’t take advantage of the Orioles’ loss on Tuesday. Phil Hughes started the game, but gave up four runs in 6.2 innings.

Twins: 65-90 (fourth in AL Central)

Yankees: 89-65 (first in AL East)

Seattle at L.A. Angels, 10:05

The Angels sit two games back in the AL wild-card race, even though an AL West crown is virtually out of the question. Zack Greinke seeks his sixth win with Los Angeles in a Tuesday nightcap.

National League

Philadelphia 6, Washington 3- F

Darin Ruf, Carlos Ruiz and Dominic Brown all went yard for the Phillies in Tuesday night’s win, and Cole Hamels earned his 16th win of the season. Washington still has a firm hold on the NL East lead, but they didn’t get closer to clinching.

Phillies: 78-76 (third in NL East, fourth in NL wild card)

Nationals: 93-61 (first in NL East)

Atlanta 4, Miami 3 – F

Kris Medlen wasn’t as sharp as normal, but he still struck out eight over seven strong innings. The Braves continue their torrid pace, winning eight of their last 10 games, and this win meant the most. Freddie Freeman’s two-run walk-off homer in the ninth clinched them the NL wild card.

Braves: 89-65 (second in NL East, first in NL wild card)

Marlins: 66-88 (fifth in NL East)

Cincinnati 4, Milwaukee 2 – F

Johnny Cueto snagged his 19th win of the season Tuesday night, throwing seven strong innings. The Reds had nine hits as a team, and the Brewers couldn’t take grab a game in the NL wild-card race.

Reds: 93-61 (first in NL Central)

Brewers: 79-75 (third in NL Central, third in NL wild card)

St. Louis 4, Houston 0 – F

Jaime Garcia earned his sixth win of the season behind seven shutout innings on Tuesday. Garcia received nine hits worth of support from the Cardinals offense as they try and secure a NL wild card spot.

Cardinals: 84-71 (second in NL Central, second in NL wild card)

Astros: 50-105 (sixth in NL Central)

L.A. Dodgers at San Diego, 10:05

The Dodgers are 3.5 games out of a wild-card spot with time running out. Josh Beckett is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA since joining the Dodgers in August, and he will battle 10-game winner Edinson Volquez in Petco Park. 

Arizona at San Francisco, 10:15

The Giants already locked up the NL West crown, but it wouldn’t hurt to get Tim Lincecum back on track before postseason play begins. Lincecum will seek to improve on his 4.91 ERA as the Giants battle the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

On Deck for Wednesday

*All times p.m., ET

NY Yankees at Minnesota, 1:10

L.A. Dodgers at San Diego, 6:35

Washington at Philadelphia, 7:00

Toronto at Baltimore, 7:05

Kansas City at Detroit, 7:05

Tampa Bay at Boston, 7:10

Miami at Atlanta, 7:10

Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 7:10

Oakland at Texas, 8:00

St. Louis at Houston, 8:05

Cleveland at Chicago White Sox, 8:10

Seattle at L.A. Angels, 10:05

Arizona at San Francisco, 10:15

American League Standings

National League Standings

*NL West and NL Central titles have already been decided 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Major League Baseball’s playoff picture is being hashed out night by night, with each day’s games becoming more and more important.

Some races have been tied up. The National League’s division races are in the bag, and terming them “races” would be misleading. Everything else, on the other hand, is coming down to the wire.

Saturday’s action will bring us another step closer to the end.

Game recaps will be available as each game ends.

*All times ET

American League

NY Yankees 10, Oakland 9 – F

Five different pitchers for each team allowed at least one run on Saturday in this 14-inning extravaganza. Eventually, Corey Wade was able to close the door in the 14th to earn the victory.

Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 16 games, and the Yankees remain on top of the AL East.

Yankees: 88-63 (first in AL East)

Athletics: 85-66 (second in AL West, first in AL wild card)

Baltimore 9, Boston 6—Final

Fifteen runs, 28 hits and 12 innings later, the Orioles have defeated the Boston Red Sox. Baltimore’s offense was paced by Adam Jones and Manny Machado, and four relief pitchers threw shutout baseball after Pedro Strop blew the lead late in the game.

Orioles: 87-64 (second in AL East, first in AL wild-card standings)

Red Sox: 68-85 (fourth in AL East)

 Detroit 8, Minnesota 0 – F

Doug Fister earned his 10th win of the season, keeping the Tigers in the thick of the AL pennant race. He was helped by Austin Jackson, Miguel Cabrera and Delmon Young, all of which hit home runs.

Tigers: 80-70 (second in AL Central, fourth in AL wild card)

Twins: 62-89 (fourth in AL Central)

Tampa Bay 11, Toronto 5 – F

The Rays continued their playoff push with a big victory Saturday night. The offense supplied three hits, including three home runs. Seven Rays pitchers took the mound, with Burke Badenhop earning the win.

Rays: 82-70 (third in AL East, third in AL wild card)

Blue Jays: 66-84 (fifth in AL East)

LA Angels 4, Chicago White Sox 2 – F

The Angels rode a solid six-run start from Dan Haren to a four-run lead to start the game. The White Sox tried to come back, but Paul Konerko and company couldn’t make it happen.

The AL Central holds one of baseball’s most interesting races at this point, and Chicago’s loss only adds to that fact.

Angels: 83-69 (third in AL West, second in AL wild card)

White Sox: 81-70 (first in AL Central)

Seattle 1, Texas 0

Blake Beavan threw seven-scoreless innings en route to a Mariner victory Saturday evening. Michael Saunders’ home run was the only run scored in the entire game, but it would be enough to hand Matt Harrison his 10th loss of the season.

Rangers: 89-62 (first in AL West)

Mariners: 72-80 (fourth in AL West)

National League

St. Louis 5, Chicago Cubs 4—Final

This game was back and forth. St. Louis took a 3-0 lead to start the contest, but the Cubs would bounce back with four unanswered runs. The Cardinals would not be denied, however, as Carlos Beltran’s solo shot in the eighth evened the game.

Jon Jay’s double in the 10th scored Matt Carpenter and earned St. Louis the victory.

Cardinals: 81-71 (second in NL Central, second in NL wild-card standings)

Cubs: 59-93 (fifth in NL Central)

Washington 10, Milwaukee 4—Final

The Nationals used another stellar effort from Gio Gonzalez to win their 92nd game of the year on Saturday. Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Laroche all hit home runs to pace the offense.

Gonzalez’s victory made him baseball’s first 20-game winner.

Nationals: 92-59 (first in NL East)

Brewers: 78-73 (third in NL Central, T-third in NL wild-card standings)

Cincinnati 6, LA Dodgers 0 – F

Mat Latos earned his 13th win of the season as the Reds continue running away with the NL Central title. The Dodgers couldn’t get anything going, and a three-run eighth inning put this one out of reach.

Reds: 92-60 (first in NL Central)

Dodgers: 78-74 (second in NL West, third in NL wild card)

 Atlanta 8, Philadelphia 2 – F

Mike Minor allowed two runs in six frames to add to Atlanta’s win total this season. Roy Halladay allowed seven runs in 1.2 innings, and Jason Heyward had three RBI for the Braves’ offense.

Braves: 87-65 (second in NL East, first in NL wild card)

Phillies: 77-75 (third in NL East, fourth in NL East)

Arizona 8, Colorado 7 – F

The Diamondbacks are barely in it, but they are. This game included 27 hits, but David Hernandez and J.J. Putz provided enough pitching out of the bullpen to earn Arizona the victory.

Colorado just wants this season to be over.

Diamondbacks: 76-75 (third in AL West, fifth in NL wild card)

Rockies: 58-93 (fifth in NL West)

On Deck for Sunday

*All times p.m., ET

Oakland at NY Yankees, 1:05

Minnesota at Detroit, 1:05

Baltimore at Boston, 1:35

Milwaukee at Washington, 1:35

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 1:35

Toronto at Tampa Bay, 1:40

St. Louis at Chicago Cubs, 2:20

Arizona at Colorado, 3:10

Chicago White Sox at LA Angels, 3:35

Texas at Seattle, 4:10

Minnesota at Detroit, 7:05

American League Standings

National League Standings

You can look here, but the drama has been taken out of the National League division races.

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