Major leagues
The Phillies lost their fifth straight game and dropped into a tie for the National League’s final wild card berth as the Chicago Cubs swept the season series from Philadelphia with a 2-0 victory Thursday.
Philadelphia was tied with Milwaukee at 83-72, pending the Brewers’ game against Miami later Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.
Seeking their first playoff berth since 2011, the Phillies have lost the first three games of a season-ending 10-game trip and 10 of 13 overall since peaking at a season-best 80-62. Philadelphia has scored three runs or fewer in nine of those 13 games.
The Phillies were 22-29 on June 3 when Rob Thomson replaced Joe Girardi as manager.
Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker against Milwaukee, winning the season series 4-2. The Phillies go to major league-worst Washington for four games, then close with three at AL-best Houston. The Brewers finish with three games at home against Arizona.
Bryce Harper had three of six hits for the Phillies, who are 1 for their last 21 with runners in scoring position. J.T. Realmuto went 0 for 4 and struck out twice in his 1,000th game.
American League
Cleveland 2, Tampa Bay 1: Rookies Oscar Gonzalez and Steven Kwan drove in runs in the eighth inning as the Cleveland Guardians kept Tampa Bay from clinching one of the AL’s three wild-card spots, rallying to beat the Rays, 2-1.
The Central champion Guardians took two of three in a tight series – and maybe a playoff preview. Two games went to extra innings and all three were decided by one run.
After Baltimore lost in Boston earlier, the Rays took the field needing a win to make the postseason for the fourth year in a row. But they couldn’t hold off a Cleveland team that has fought back all season.
The Rays will go to Houston to try and lock up a spot in the postseason field.
Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota 3: September call-up Mark Payton had two hits and an RBI and scored the go-ahead run for Chicago in the eighth inning in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins that stopped an eight-game losing streak for the White Sox.
Liam Hendriks pitched a perfect ninth for his 34th save for the White Sox, who moved one game ahead of the Twins for second place in the AL Central. Cleveland clinched the division last weekend.
Boston 5, Baltimore 3: J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer to break an eighth-inning tie, Zack Kelly earned his first career victory and the Boston Red Sox beat Baltimore 5-3 to drop the slumping Orioles to the brink of postseason elimination.
Baltimore led 2-0 before falling behind, then tied it at 3 on Kyle Stowers’ seventh-inning homer. But Dillon Tate (4-4) walked the leadoff batter in the eighth and one out later Martinez sent a ball over the Green Monster and onto Lansdowne Street.
It was the fifth loss in six games for the Orioles, who entered the day 4½ games behind Seattle for the third and final AL wild-card berth. Baltimore’s loss meant the Blue Jays are heading into the playoffs, clinching an AL wild card spot.
Detroit 10, Kansas City 3: Willi Castro and Javy Báez homered to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 10-3 for a three-game sweep that moved the Tigers out of last place in the AL Central.
Detroit (63-92) has won six straight, matching its season high and ensuring the Tigers will not lose 100 games. Detroit went 10-9 this year against the Royals (63-93), who dropped into the division cellar.