review Page 293 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Reeling Astros must recover against Athletics
The Houston Astros were 20 games above .500 on July 6 and seemingly ready to skate to their ninth straight playoff spot.,Yet with six games remaining in the regular season, the Astros are in a big battle to keep their postseason streak alive.,Houston (84-72) needs to rack up victories in the final w...

Diamondbacks' wild-card charge must go through Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks begin a three-game series on Tuesday facing varying degrees of postseason certainty.,The Dodgers (88-68) clinched a playoff spot on Friday, and their magic number to win the National League West for the 12th time in 13 seasons sits at three before the...

Mariners juggle magic numbers; Rockies joyous they can't lose 122
The Seattle Mariners are thinking magic numbers. The Colorado Rockies are just glad they avoided a tragic number.,The teams open a three-game interleague series Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.,The Mariners (87-69) have won four straight games and 14 of their past 15 to surge into first pl...

Royals visit Angels seeking a miracle
Six games out of the final American League wild-card spot with six games to go, the Kansas City Royals are still mathematically alive in the playoff race but in need of a minor miracle.,Make that a major miracle.,Kansas City (78-78) concludes its regular season with a six-game road trip starting Tue...

After Fever's Game 1 upset, Aces out to level semifinal series
Kelsey Mitchell appears to be on a mission to prove that the longer her season lasts, the stronger she gets. On Tuesday, she's out to give the Indiana Fever a commanding lead in the WNBA semifinals., ,A finalist for the MVP award, Mitchell outplayed the actual MVP winner on Sunday to get a jump on A...

Rangers cling to miniscule playoff chances as Twins arrive
The final week of the regular season will almost certainly come and go with little stakes for the Texas Rangers, starting with Tuesday's opener to their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins in Arlington, Texas.,But it didn't have to be this way. One week ago, the Rangers were riding high af...

Plenty at stake for skidding Cubs and Mets
The New York Mets have lost 11 of their last 15 games to put their postseason plans in peril.,The Mets (80-76) will look to change their fortune on Tuesday when they begin a season-ending six-game road trip with a three-game series against the host Chicago Cubs (88-68).,Although New York has the sam...

Courtney Williams leads Lynx into Game 2 battle with Mercury
The Minnesota Lynx's smallest player might provide their biggest spark.,The Lynx will look to lean on 5-foot-8 Courtney Williams once again when they tip off against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of the best-of-five WNBA semifinals Tuesday night in Minneapolis.,Williams scored a game-high 23 points ...

Blue Jays and Red Sox set for series with postseason stakes galore
The Toronto Blue Jays' postseason ticket officially has been punched.,Their next goal is to win the American League East as they close out the regular season with a six-game homestand that opens Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox.,The Blue Jays (90-66) clinched a playoff berth with an 8-5 vict...

Reds on cusp of playoffs, set for series with Pirates
The playoff-hungry Cincinnati Reds are playing their best baseball at the right time, and they hope that continues Tuesday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates as the two teams open a three-game set.,It marks the final three home games for the Reds (80-76), who have won five straight and ha...

Phillies' quest for first-round bye continues with streaking Marlins
If the Philadelphia Phillies are going to go deep into October, they know they'll need to lean heavily on Cristopher Sanchez., ,Sanchez takes the mound for a key postseason tuneup Tuesday when the Phillies welcome the Miami Marlins to town for the opener of a three-game set., ,Sanchez (13-5, 2.66 ER...

Rays, Orioles to finish off season series out of spotlight
Two teams entering the final week of disappointing seasons can commiserate with each other starting Tuesday when the Baltimore Orioles play host to the Tampa Bay Rays to begin a three-game series.,The Rays and Orioles hold the bottom spots in the American League East and already have been eliminated...

'This is what you play for': Tigers, Guardians clash with division on line
First place in the American League Central is on the line as the Cleveland Guardians host the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.,Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (13-5, 2.23 ERA) takes the mound opposite Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (11-5, 3.06) in the three-game series...

Yankees face White Sox, intent on chasing down AL East lead
The New York Yankees not only are doing enough to close in on a playoff berth and home field advantage in the wild-card round, they have the lead in the American League East firmly in their sights.,The Yankees can make further progress in their bid to catch the first-place Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesd...

Little margin for error as Cardinals open series vs. Giants
Two teams hanging onto their wild-card hopes by a thread get an opportunity to eliminate one other when the St. Louis Cardinals and host San Francisco Giants meet in a three-game series that begins Monday.,Slumping of late but unwilling to give up the fight, both the Cardinals (76-80) and Giants (77...

Padres' Xander Bogaerts to return for opener vs. Brewers
Just in time for the regular season's final week, the San Diego Padres appear to be getting an important piece of their puzzle back in the lineup.,When the Padres start a three-game home series Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Padres expect to have veteran Xander Bogaerts return at sh...

Playoff-less Braves look for 9th straight win
The Atlanta Braves will not be making the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but they will bring a league-best eight-game winning streak into Monday's three-game home series against the Washington Nationals.,The Braves (73-83) beat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep...

Red Sox rookie Connelly Early gets key start vs. Rays amid tight wild-card race
Boston Red Sox rookie Connelly Early has taken a simple approach in his young career, and it's working.,The left-hander is set to make his third career start Sunday night for the Red Sox in their series finale against the host Tampa Bay Rays. ,"I'm trying to go out there and attack guys and let the ...

Red-hot Mariners 'take care of business' ahead of finale vs. Astros
On the strength of 13 wins in their last 14 games and back-to-back victories over the Astros, the Seattle Mariners clinched the season series with Houston and opened a two-game lead in the American League West with seven games remaining.,The Mariners' 6-4 win on Saturday inched them closer to their ...

Giants, with faintest wild-card hopes, in must-win situation vs. Dodgers
One night after he authored a little piece of franchise history, Bryce Eldridge will be shooting to help the San Francisco Giants keep their longshot playoff hopes alive when they seek to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.,The organization's top...