Milwaukee moved closer to securing their second straight NL Central championship and third in four seasons, as their magic number dropped to three following a 15-8 win against Arizona and the Cubs’ 6-5, 10-inning defeat to Colorado on Saturday night.
Holding a 10-game lead over the Cubs with 14 games remaining, and owning the tiebreaker, Milwaukee could clinch the division as early as Monday night when they host the Phillies to kick off a seven-game homestand at American Family Field.
Meanwhile, Saturday proved unfavorable for both New York teams. The AL East-leading Yankees lost ground to the second-place Orioles, and the Mets slipped into a tie with the Braves for the final NL wild card spot.
The Yankees, coming off three straight wins, were defeated 7-1 by the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. After leading 1-0, the Yankees gave up three runs in the fourth inning when ace Gerrit Cole issued an intentional walk to Rafael Devers while throwing a no-hitter.
However, the Orioles ended a two-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Tigers, marking only their second win in their last six games. The Mets squandered a 4-0 lead, eventually losing 6-4 to the Phillies in an afternoon game. Later, the Braves secured a dominant 10-1 win over the Dodgers, fueled by Matt Olson’s two doubles and four RBIs.
The NL East-leading Phillies now have an eight-game advantage over both the Mets and Braves, with their magic number for their first division title since 2011 down to seven. In other news, the Twins fell 8-4 to the Reds but maintained their 2.5-game cushion for the final AL wild card spot.
Rookie lefty Joey Cantillo delivered five scoreless innings in the AL Central-leading Guardians’ 6-1 triumph over the Rays. The Guardians remain three games ahead of the second-place Royals, who secured a 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh, further solidifying their 2.5-game edge over the Twins for the second AL wild card.
In the AL West, the Astros retained their 4.5-game lead over the Mariners, who are just 2.5 games behind the Twins for the final AL wild card. The Tigers also trail Minnesota by the same margin.