Baltimore loses their All-Star closer for the year.

Just when the Yankees offense seemed to be picking up steam, they ran into Tyler Glasnow and the back end of the Rays bullpen. New York managed just two hits in their shutout loss at the Trop, but the big story out of the AL saw confirmation that Baltimore will lose their All-Star closer Félix Bautista for the rest of the season after he ruptured the UCL in his pitching elbow. We have recaps from that game as well as the rest of the action from the contenders in the AL.

Wild Card Mix:

Toronto Blue Jays (71-59) 8, Cleveland Guardians (61-69) 3

Hyun Jin Ryu continues to shine since his midseason return from Tommy John rehab, holding Cleveland to two earned runs in five innings. His offense meanwhile scored in bunches. Second baseman Davis Schneider homered with two men on in the first to get things started, all part of a 3-for-3 night for the rookie, who is slashing .424/.525/.848 with four home runs, nine RBI, and a 271 wRC+ in his first ten games in the bigs.

Toronto scored another pair in the fourth before wrapping things up with three in the seventh. José Ramírez and Tyler Freeman each launched solo shots for the Guardians while Daulton Varsho drove in a pair for the Blue Jays as they cruise to an 8-3 victory.

Boston Red Sox (69-61) 8, Los Angeles Dodgers (79-49) 5

Neither starter did well, with Julio Urías serving up six runs in six innings while James Paxton was only marginally better, allowing four runs in 4.1. This game was back and forth through the early innings until Boston cracked it open with a four-run sixth highlighted by an Adam Duvall three-run bomb.

Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner also homered for the Red Sox while Max Muncy launched a two-run shot for the Dodgers. Mookie Betts went 3-for-6 in the second game of this first series back in Boston since his trade to LA, and had a chance to win it with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, but flew out to end the game.

Seattle Mariners (73-56) 15, Kansas City Royals (41-90) 2

Seattle annihilated Kansas City starter Jordan Lyles with a seven-run third that included home runs by Josh Rojas, Teoscar Hernández, and Mike Ford. They continued to pour it on from there, ending the day with seven home runs between six batters.

Hernández stole the headlines with his two taters, the second a grand slam to give him six RBI on the contest. Julio Rodríguez also left the yard, becoming the fastest Mariner to 50 home runs in franchise history. He achieved the feat in his 256th career game, ahead of the likes of Alex Rodriguez (339 games) and Ken Griffey Jr. (401 games).

Houston Astros (73-58) 9, Detroit Tigers (59-70) 2

Every starter in the Astros’ starting lineup except Jake Meyers had a hit, with the day belonging to Alex Bregman and his two doubles, home run, and four RBI.

Houston scored three in the fifth on Bregman’s two-run shot and a José Abreu RBI single, two in the sixth on a Bregman RBI double and Yordan Alvarez RBI single, and three in the eighth on a Kyle Tucker RBI double and RBI singles from Chas McCormick and Abreu as they waltzed their way to a 9-2 win over the Tigers and former manager A.J. Hinch.

Division Contenders:

Baltimore Orioles (81-48) 5, Colorado Rockies (48-81) 4

Baltimore barely outlasted the Rockies but suffered a massive loss in the process, with news coming in that closer Félix Bautista had suffered a torn UCL after exiting last night’s contest immediately after throwing a 102 mph fastball. It ends a historic season for The Mountain, who had a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 61 innings, striking out almost half the batters he faced. They hung onto victory in a game where starter Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in six innings striking out eight, but will enter the playoffs with a huge hole in their bullpen.

Texas Rangers (73-56) 6, Minnesota Twins (67-63) 2

The Rangers managed to halt the losing streak at eight games, but not before allowing the Astros to come back and tie them for the division lead. Max Scherzer struck out 10 in seven innings holding the Twins to two runs on four hits — a Jorge Polanco solo shot and Max Kepler RBI double. Adolis García and Mitch Garver went yard for the Rangers as they win this one, 6-2.

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