Wacky wild card: Twins inch closer to playoff spot with late win
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
With just a few days left in the regular season, there’s only one major race still going on. The Minnesota Twins added to the American League wild-card drama Thursday, picking up a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.
With the victory, the Twins are just one game behind the Houston Astros for the second wild-card spot. They pulled into a tie with the Los Angeles Angels, who also remain a game out.
Minnesota needed a late rally in order to gain ground in the race. The club managed to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning, and then fought to try and score the go-ahead run in the ninth.
After Miguel Sano flew out to open the frame, Trevor Plouffe reached on a throwing error. He was replaced by pinch runner Eduardo Nunez.
Nunez showed off his speed during the next at-bat. Eddie Rosario singled to right, and Nunez went from first to third on the play. Rosario advanced to second on the throw.
With Torii Hunter up, reliever Cody Allen threw a wild pitch, allowing Nunez to score the go-ahead run. Hunter brought in Rosario on a sac fly, giving the team a two-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
Kevin Jepsen entered at that point, and worked around a two-out single for the save. With the win, Minnesota improved to 83-76 on the season.
CUBS CLOSE GAP
There’s still a chance that the National League wild-card game will be held at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs closed the gap Thursday, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 5-3.
With the Pittsburgh Pirates inactive, the Cubs gained a half game in the standings. With just three games left to play, the Cubs are two behind the Pirates in the division. Chicago holds the tiebreaker if the clubs were to finish with the same record.
For Chicago, an unlikely hero led it to victory Thursday. Austin Jackson smacked a three-run homer in the third inning. The team added two runs in the fifth, putting the game out of reach.
While Jackson isn’t one of the Cubs’ marquee offensive players, he has destroyed the Reds during this series.
With the win, Chicago improved to 94-65 on the season.
ROYALS FIGHTING FOR HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Kansas City Royals have already clinched a postseason spot, but they want more. The club picked up a big win Thursday, taking out the Chicago White Sox 6-4.
The win was important, as it pulled the Royals into a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays for the best record in the American League. The Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker.
The game featured a significant achievement for White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu.
Abreu surpassed 100 RBI for the season, becoming only the second player to hit 30 home runs and notch 100 RBI in his first two seasons. The first player to do so was Albert Pujols, so Abreu is in good company.
Despite Abreu’s contributions, the Royals went on to win Thursday. With the victory, K.C. improved to 92-67 on the year.
DODGERS PULL EVEN WITH METS
The Los Angeles Dodgers want to go to New York only once during the National League playoffs. The club took a step closer to accomplishing that goal during Thursday’s 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.
With the win, the Dodgers have an identical record as the New York Mets. The two clubs are set to play each other in the NLDS, and whoever finishes with the better record would have home-field advantage during that series.
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The Mets hold the tiebreaker. The Mets lost on Thursday, giving the Dodgers an opening.
With the win, Los Angeles improved to 89-70 on the season.
Want to see more from Thursday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
