The Boston Red Sox won their 100th game on Wednesday night. It was the first time since 1946 the organization has reached that milestone. They did so on the backs of the pitching staff as David Price tossed seven shutout innings, striking out seven batters, allowing three hits and no walks. Since July 20th, David Price has a 1.56 ERA, a 9.36 K/9, and a 1.40 BB/9. It’s mid-September and the Red Sox are still on pace to win 111 games. They now have a ten-game lead over the division rival New York Yankees.

 

Other Playoff Chasers

The Yankees are not exactly hitting their stride as we approach October. They’re just 7-9 in their last 16 games. They just dropped two out of three to the Minnesota Twins who are 11 games under .500 and the Bronx Bombers have seen their lead on the first wild card spot shrivel to just one game. Since August 24th, in 83 plate appearances, Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .096 with just one home run and 31 strikeouts. While Luis Severino did have one of his better outings recently he still took the loss last night. Heading into last night’s game Severino carried a 6.83 ERA and a 2.11 HR/9 since July 7th. Over his last 12 appearances overall he’s had six outings where he surrendered at least four runs. That’s not exactly what you want out of your ace. Gary Sanchez has returned to the lineup, but there’s no official timetable for Aaron Judge’s return, although he’ll more than likely be available for New York’s wild card matchup against Oakland.

And speaking of Oakland, the Athletics put up a ten-spot in the third inning of last night’s game against Baltimore. It truly was the return of Andrew “The Trashner” Cashner as he allowed eight earned runs in two innings of work. The A’s are arguably the hottest team in baseball right now as they’ve won six straight games and eight of their last nine to pull within a game of the Yankees. The remainder of Oakland’s schedule features teams outside of the playoff picture against the Rays, Angels, Twins, and Mariners.

The NL East has virtually been won by the Atlanta Braves at this point. They’ve won five straight and six of their last seven after last Wednesday’s demoralizing loss to the Red Sox. But the team has bounced back admirably. The Phillies have lost five straight games and eight of their last ten to now sit 7.5 games behind Atlanta for the division lead and according to ESPN the Phillies now have just a 2.7% chance of making the playoffs. About a week ago when Philadelphia sat just two-to-three games behind Atlanta, a run at the division title still seemed feasible with the Braves and Phillies set to play seven games against each other later this month, but unfortunately that seems unlikely at this point for the Phils.

The Milwaukee Brewers are making a late season push for the NL Central division title. Milwaukee is 11-3 over their last 14 games, while the Cubs are just 6-7 over their last 13 games. The Brew Crew has taken four of the last six games in this division rivalry, but unfortunately these two don’t face each other again the rest of the season. Regardless of who wins the division, both teams will likely make the playoffs as well as their division foe, the St. Louis Cardinals, who currently have a two-game lead over a couple of NL West teams fighting for October.

And finally to the previously-mentioned NL West where three teams (Colorado, Los Angeles, and Arizona) are currently in contention for the division crown. As of right now the Rockies sit atop the leaderboard with a 1.5-game lead over L.A. and a 3.5-game lead over Arizona. Additionally, the Dodgers are two games back of the second NL wild card spot, while Arizona is four games back. So while they’d prefer the division title, both teams are still in the wild card hunt as well. And this is easily the most exciting division race to watch.

 

Notes from Last Night

  • Francisco Arcia went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI on the night.
  • Christian Yelich swiped two more bases. He’s now one steal away from his first official 20/20 season in the majors.
  • Despite injuring his shoulder, Nolan Arenado still has some pop in his bat as he registered his 33rd home run of the season last night.
  • Juan Soto might be heating up again after clubbing his third home run in his last two games.
  • Ramon Laureano finished a home run shy of the cycle last night, but still went 3-for-5 at the dish while also stealing a base.

 

What’s on Tap?

12 teams find themselves with a day off, but there are plenty of storylines worth following today:

  • Clayton Kershaw’s 8.78 K/9 is the lowest since his rookie season ten years ago, and he’s also given up four home runs in his last three starts. Can he turn back the clock and pull out a dominant start in a crucial game against fellow NL wild card contenders, the St. Louis Cardinals?
  • Eduardo Rodriguez has 16 strikeouts in nine innings of work since coming off the DL, but he did give up five earned runs in 3.1 innings of work in his last start against Houston. Can he right the ship tonight against Toronto for Boston’s 101st win?
  • Arizona and Colorado play a crucial afternoon game in Coors Field. The Diamondbacks need a win to stay alive in the NL West hunt. Can Clay Buchholz avoid getting lit up in one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in baseball?

Check back later out to see how everything unfolds!