Hall of Fame third baseman and Baltimore Orioles icon Brooks Robinson has died, the team announced in a statement Tuesday. He was 86 years old.

The smooth-fielding third baseman was so iconic to the Baltimore franchise that he was nicknamed “Mr. Oriole.”

An 18-time All-Star selection, Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, the most ever by a position player, and was voted the AL’s Most Valuable Player in 1964. He was named the World Series MVP in 1970 after the Orioles defeated the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds.

The Robinson family and Orioles released a joint statement reading, “We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Brooks Robinson. An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of baseball.”

An 18-year-old Robinson made his MLB debut for the Orioles in 1955 but continued to spend some of his time in the minor leagues until July 1959. He won his first Gold Glove in 1960.

Robinson played his entire career in Baltimore until 1977, when he retired mid-season after hitting .149 in 24 games. The Orioles retired his iconic No. 5 jersey later that year.

On Sept. 29, 2012, the Orioles unveiled a statue of Robinson outside of Camden Yards.

“Brooks Robinson truly was Mr. Oriole,” the club said in a statement. “He played the game for 23 years with a childlike spirit, earning MVP awards in the American League, All-Star Game and World Series. Third basemen from all levels of the game will forever look to Brooks for inspiration.

“Off the field, there was not a kinder, more giving person who embraced the Baltimore community and gave his time and energy to support causes large and small. He embodied everything great not only about the Orioles, but the game of baseball and the city of Baltimore.

“The Orioles were blessed to have Brooks as a player and broadcaster for 39 years and, for the past five years, as a Special Advisor and Community Liaison.”

Robinson’s case as a Hall of Fame player was cemented in the 1970 World Series, during which he dazzled spectators and his Cincinnati opponents alike with remarkable defensive plays and delivered timely hits as the Orioles avenged their loss in the 1969 Series to the Mets.

“I’m beginning to see Brooks in my sleep,” Reds manager Sparky Anderson said during the Series. “If I dropped this paper plate, he’d pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.”

Anderson later added, “He can throw his glove out there, and it will start 10 double plays by itself.”

Robinson crucially hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning of Game 1 and finished the 1970 Series batting .429 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs, making him an obvious choice for World Series MVP.

Robinson played in four World Series and helped the Orioles win two of the franchise’s three championships.

He accumulated 2,848 hits in his 23-year career while batting .267, adding 268 home runs and 1,357 RBIs.

Robinson was at his best when the stakes were highest, batting .303 in 39 career playoff games.

After hearing of Robinson’s passing, the baseball community was effusive in its praise of an all-time great.

“Today is an incredibly sad day for Baltimore and baseball fans everywhere,” fellow O’s Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. said on social media. “Brooks was Mr. Oriole. He was beloved and rightfully so. His historical career on the field pales to the impact he's made on so many of us.”

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, who was Robinson’s teammate for 13 years, commented on MASN before the Orioles’ game on Tuesday. “I think as a young player you make a decision early in your life – who do I want to emulate? Who do I want to be like? Brooks was that guy.”

Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 18, 1937. He is survived by his wife Constance, their children Brooks David, Christopher, Michael and Diana, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Adolis Garcia, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe hit consecutive solo home runs in the sixth inning to rally the Texas Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday that extended the American League West leaders' winning streak to six games.

Marcus Semien added a solo homer in the seventh inning to help back six sharp innings from Jon Gray as Texas reduced its magic number to win the division to four. The Rangers maintained a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Houston with less than a week remaining in the regular season.

Garcia, Garver and Lowe's back-to-back-to-back homers off Jimmy Herget erased a 1-0 deficit, and Semien belted his third homer in two games an inning later to increase the lead to 4-1.

Texas had a season-high six homers in Sunday's 9-8 win over AL West rival Seattle and now has 227 for the season, surpassing the Angels' 225 for the most in the AL.

Gray ended a seven-start winless drought by holding the Angels to one run on five hits while recording seven strikeouts. The right-hander had gone 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA during that stretch.

Logan O'Hoppe finished 2 for 4 and accounted for Los Angeles' lone run with a solo homer in the second inning.

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval threw three scoreless innings before exiting with tightness in his right oblique. The left-hander walked the first two hitters of the fourth prior to departing.

Verlander dominates Mariners as Astros increase gap in AL wild card race

Justin Verlander took a shutout into the ninth inning in his best start since rejoining the Houston Astros, who increased their lead on the Seattle Mariners for the AL's third wild card with Monday's 5-1 win.

Verlander yielded just two hits and struck out eight until permitting a leadoff double to Josh Rojas to begin the bottom of the ninth. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner was then removed after 96 pitches.

Rojas ended up scoring Seattle's lone run on a sacrifice fly from Julio Rodriguez.

Verlander helped the Astros to two World Series titles over four-plus seasons before signing with the New York Mets in December. The 40-year-old was traded back to Houston on Aug. 1.

Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker had solo home runs to help Houston win the opener of this important three-game series. The Astros are now 1 1/2 games up on the Mariners for the final wild card and trail the first-place Texas Rangers by 2 1/2 games in the AL West.

Martin Maldonado went 2 for 3 and delivered an RBI double during a three-run second inning that staked Verlander to an early lead. Mauricio Dubon and Jose Altuve added RBI singles during the frame.

Luis Castillo struck out eight over six innings for Seattle, which has now lost four in a row, but allowed all five Houston runs.

Diamondbacks fall to Yankees, drop into tie for NL's second wild card

Oswald Peraza, Estevan Florial and Everson Pereira had eighth-inning RBIs as the New York Yankees rallied for a 6-4 win over Arizona that dropped the Diamondbacks into a tie for the NL’s second wild card spot.

The loss sent the Diamondbacks into a tie with the idle Chicago Cubs in the wild card standings with both teams one game ahead of the Miami Marlins. 

The Yankees, who overcame deficits three times in the game, trailed 4-3 entering their half of the eighth but tagged Kevin Ginkel for three runs to take the lead for good. Clay Holmes then pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save of the season.

Youngsters Peraza and Austin Wells homered to help the Yankees earn two wins in the three-game series.

Arizona’s Merrill Kelly needed 96 pitches to navigate five innings, but allowed just two runs while striking out five and leaving with the game tied.

Alek Thomas knocked in two runs for the Diamondbacks, while Corbin Carroll finished 3 for 5 with an RBI.

Marcus Semien had two of a season-high six home runs for the Texas Rangers, who held on for a 9-8 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday to extend their lead atop the American League West.

Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Leody Tavares and Evan Carter also homered to help the Rangers complete a three-game sweep of their division rival and fellow playoff contender. Texas has now won five in a row overall to increase its lead over slumping Houston to 2 1/2 games, with the Mariners now three games back in the AL West race.

The Astros were dealt a 6-5 defeat to Kansas City as the 102-loss Royals finished a stunning three-game sweep in Houston. The defending World Series champions did remain a half-game ahead of Seattle for the AL's final wild card spot. 

Seager's 33rd homer of the season, a two-run shot off Bryan Woo, gave Texas a 3-2 lead in the third inning. The Rangers went deep three more times in the bottom of the fourth, which Garcia led off with his 36th home run before Tavares later launched a two-run blast to chase Woo and extend the margin to 6-2.

Semien, who led off the bottom of the first with a home run, connected again later in the fourth to increase Texas' lead to five runs.

Seattle scored three times in the top of the sixth before Carter's two-run shot in the bottom of the inning put the Rangers up 9-5, but the Mariners closed the gap once more as Teoscar Hernandez, Jarred Kelenic and Eugenio Suarez delivered consecutive RBI singles in the seventh to cut the lead to one.

The Mariners weren't able to score off relievers Jonathan Hernandez, Brock Burke and Jose Leclerc in the final two innings, however, despite putting the tying run in scoring position in both frames.

Hernandez and J.P. Crawford had solo homers for Seattle, while Hernandez, Kelenic and Suarez each drove in two runs.

Blue Jays take series from Rays to strengthen playoff hopes

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered twice and George Springer added a three-run, inside-the-park shot that helped the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bo Bichette also homered as the Blue Jays took two of three from the playoff-bound Rays in the weekend series and increased their lead in the race for the AL's second wild card. Toronto now holds a two-game advantage over Houston and leads Seattle by 2 1/2 games.

Toronto scored five times in the second inning, highlighted by Springer's third career inside-the-park homer, to take a 5-2 lead. The Rays got a run back in the fourth before Guerrero restored the three-run margin with a solo blast off Tampa starter Taj Bradley in the sixth.

Isaac Paredes' 30th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh, cut the Rays' deficit to 6-5, but Daulton Varsho's RBI triple in the eighth gave Toronto some insurance before Bichette and Guerrero connected on back-to-back homers in the ninth.

Whit Merrifield added a two-run single for Toronto, which has won seven of its last nine to boost its chances for a second straight postseason appearance.

Paredes finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs to lead the Rays offensively. Bradley pitched a career-high seven innings but surrendered six runs. 

Diamondbacks eliminate Yankees, keep hold on NL's second wild card

Zac Gallen threw six scoreless innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks maintained their grasp on the National League's second wild card spot with a 7-1 win over the New York Yankees, who will now officially miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Gallen yielded just three hits and struck out eight to notch his 17th victory of the season and keep Arizona a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the second wild card. The Cubs earned a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday to maintain a one-game edge on the Miami Marlins for the No. 3 wild card.

Christian Walker and Evan Longoria each drove in two runs to back Gallen, while Gabriel Moreno went 2 for 5 with an RBI double to help the Diamondbacks (82-73) secure their first winning season since 2019.

The Yankees, who have lost four of six and are now just one game over .500 (78-77), did not score until Jake Bauers doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and later crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk to Aaron Judge. 

New York starter Carlos Rodon was charged with five runs - three earned - over 6 1/3 innings. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates erased a nine-run deficit for the first time in their 133-season history in a wild 13-12 victory over the playoff-hopeful Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

The Reds built a 9-0 lead with three runs in the first, five in the second and one in the third before the Pirates scored the next 13 runs.

Cincinnati rallied to get within one but stranded the potential tying run at third in the ninth.

It was the fourth straight loss for the Reds, who dropped 2 ½ games behind the final NL wild-card spot with six games remaining.

Cincinnati squandered a nine-run lead for the first time since a 10-9 loss at Milwaukee on April 28, 2004.

Pittsburgh’s Alfonso Rivas tied a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run double in the seventh that tied the score at 9.

The Pirates scored four runs in the eighth against closer Alexis Diaz when Jack Suwinski and Rivas hit run-scoring singles and Ji Hwan Bae followed with a two-run double.

Christian Encanacion-Strand, Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl homered off Pirates starter Bailey Falter, who allowed eight runs and nine hits in two innings.

Montgomery pitches Rangers past Mariners

Jordan Montgomery pitched seven scoreless innings for the second time in three starts and Jonah Heim drove in another run to lead the Texas Rangers to their fourth straight win, 2-0 over the Seattle Mariners.

Montgomery scattered five hits, struck out six and walked two to improve to 4-2 in 10 starts since joining Texas in a trade with St. Louis.

The Rangers extended their AL West lead to 1 ½ games over Houston, which lost to Kansas City.

Mitch Garver had an RBI single in the second inning and Heim singled home a run in the fourth.

Heim has seven RBIs in his last four games and 15 in his past 11.

Seattle remained a half-game behind the Astros in the West and in the wild-card race.

Rays rally late again, beat Blue Jays

Josh Lowe hit a three-run homer and a walk-off single to cap a two-run ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays got past the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6.

Toronto entered the bottom of the ninth with a 6-5 lead but Yandy Diaz had a leadoff double, took thirde on Harold Ramirez’s single and scored on Curtis Mead’s hit.

After Isaac Paredes struck out, Junior Caminero – in his big league debut - grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play.

But the call was reversed in a video review and Lowe ended it with an opposite-field single down the left-field line.

The Rays remained 1 ½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore, while Toronto, which rallied from a 5-0 deficit, holds the second wild card, one game ahead of Houston.

Ronald Acuna Jr. joined an exclusive club with his 40th homer of the season and the Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals 9-6 on Friday.

Acuna’s 40th home run came off starter Patrick Corbin in the first inning for the 34th leadoff homer of his career and eighth this season.

He joins Alphonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996) and Jose Canseco (1988) as the only players with 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season.

The Atlanta superstar has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, with eight homers and 15 RBIs during that span.

Braves starter Charlie Morton walked the two batters in the first inning and left due to right index finger discomfort after throwing 24 pitches.

He will have an MRI on Saturday but hopes to be ready for the postseason.

Austin Riley hit a two-run homer and Marcell Ozuna added a three-run shot to increase the Braves’ major league-leading home run total to 296.

Twins hold off Angels to clinch AL Central

The Minnesota Twins clinched their third AL Central title in five seasons with an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Alex Kirillof homered and Pablo Lopez pitched six strong innings as Minnesota held on in the ninth for their 82nd win, assuring it of being a division champion with an over .500 record.

The Twins locked up their 15th trip to the postseason since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.

The Twins have lost 18 straight playoff games since their last win in 2004.

Judge hits 3 home runs in Yankees’ win

Aaron Judge became the first Yankees player to hit three home runs in a game twice in one season in a 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Judge hit a three-run homer in the third, a two-run shot in the fifth inning off starter Brandon Pfaadt and went deep again in the seventh off Slade Cecconi.

Judge, who had his first career three-homer game against Washington on August 23, is the sixth player in franchise history with multiple three-home run games.

The others are Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Lazzeri and Bobby Murcer.

Manuel Margot singled to cap a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Trailing by one entering the ninth, the Rays rallied against Angels closer Carlos Estevez.

Pinch-hitter Harold Ramirez and Yandy Diaz opened the inning with singles and runners were at the corners after Curtis Mead’s fly ball.

Isaac Paredes singled home the tying run and after Randy Arozarena struck out and Josh Lowe walked to load the bases, Margot flared a single to right to win it.

Tampa Bay already holds the top AL wild card and pulled within 1 ½ games of AL East-leading Baltimore after the Orioles’ 5-2 loss in Cleveland.

The late rally kept the Rays from losing consecutive games to the Angels, who stopped a six-game skid with an 8-3 win on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin failed in his bid to become the AL’s first 16-game winner, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings.

Cole sharp as Yankees cool Blue Jays

Gerrit Cole boosted his Cy Young Award resume with eight stellar innings and the New York Yankees snapped the Toronto Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak, 5-3.

Cole retired the first 16 batters and allowed a run and two hits in his longest start since pitching a two-hit shutout against Minnesota on April 16.

He struck out nine without a walk and lowered his AL-best ERA to 2.75.

Jake Bauers gave Cole all the offense he needed with a three-run homer in the first inning.

Toronto is one-half game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three AL wild-card spots.

Acuna, Olson power Braves

Matt Olson hit his major league-leading 53rd home run and Ozzie Albies homered for one of his four hits as the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

Atlanta totalled 18 hits with every member of the lineup reaching base at least once.

The Braves need only two wins in their final nine games to reach 100 wins for the second straight season.

Olson’s solo homer in the eighth inning gave him 132 RBIs, matching Gary Sheffield in 2003 for the most by a Braves player since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966.

Ronald Acuna Jr. tripled and scored in the third inning for his 140th run, making him the first player to reach that total since Alex Rodriguez had 143 in 2007.

Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a pair of home runs to reach 39 and stole his 67th base as the Atlanta Braves ended a four-game losing streak with a 9-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Acuna is one home run shy of becoming the first player with 40 homers and 60 steals in a season, much less 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.

The Braves' superstar is batting .386 with 11 home runs, 26 RBIs, 23 runs and eight steals in his last 20 games.

Acuna’s first home run was his seventh leadoff blast this season and 33rd of his career. Of his 205 hits this season, 51 have come in the first inning.

His performance overshadowed Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 18th win.

The right-hander allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings with 11 strikeouts to raise his MLB-best total to 270.

Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs with three hits, including a two-run double in the fifth, as Atlanta avoided its first five-game skid since September 2017.

Bryce Harper hit a three-run home run for the Phillies, who hold the top wild-card spot in the NL.

Padres lose combined no-hitter in 9th, walk-off Rockies

Blake Snell threw seven no-hit innings, and the San Diego Padres lost a combined no-hitter in the 9th before Xander Bogaerts hit a walk-off two-run homer in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Snell struck out 10 with four walks over the first seven innings and threw 104 pitches but was replaced by Robert Suarez, who worked a perfect eighth.

Closer Josh Hader gave up a leadoff single to Brendan Rodgers in the ninth before getting three outs.

Bogaerts homered off Tyler Kinley with two outs in the ninth to give San Diego its season-high sixth straight win.

Hays hits 2 homers as Orioles defeat Astros

Austin Hays went deep twice and Ryan O’Hearn added a two-run shot to lift the Baltimore Orioles to their fourth straight win, 9-5 over the slumping Houston Astros.

Hays hit a three-run shot off starter Hunter Brown in the third inning to snap a 2-2 tie and put Baltimore ahead for good.

O’Hearn’s two-run homer in the first opened the scoring and rookie Heston Kjerstad connected for his second career home run in the seventh, one batter after Hays’ second of the game gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead.

Baltimore maintained a 2 ½-game lead over Tampa in the race for the AL East title, while Houston’s lead in the West was trimmed to one-half game over Texas and Seattle.

Adam Wainwright recorded his 200th career victory with seven brilliant innings as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0, on a historic Monday night at Busch Stadium.

Wainwright, pitching in his 18th and final season in a Cardinals' uniform, yielded just four hits and two walks to become the 38th pitcher in NL history to reach the milestone.

The 42-year-old had gone 0-10 over an 11-start stretch before picking up an elusive career win No. 199 last week, when he allowed two runs over five innings to beat the Baltimore Orioles.

Willson Contreras accounted for the game's lone run with a solo homer in the fourth off Freddy Peralta, who permitted just four hits and struck out six over six innings in a hard-luck loss.

The loss kept Milwaukee's magic number to win the NL Central at seven. The Brewers hold a six-game lead on the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds atop the division.

Orioles rally past Astros in clash of division leaders

Cedric Mullins hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning that lifted the Baltimore Orioles to an 8-7 win over the Houston Astros in Monday's opener of a three-game series between American League division leaders. 

Astros closer Ryan Pressly entered in the ninth to protect a 7-5 lead and gave up consecutive one-out singles to Ryan O'Hearn and Austin Hays before Mullins launched a 2-1 pitch into the right-field seats to send Baltimore in front.

Cionel Perez and Yennier Cano kept Houston scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to extend the Orioles' lead over second-place Tampa Bay to 2 1/2 games in the AL East.

Houston, which is now lost five of seven, maintained a 1 1/2-game edge on Texas and Seattle for first place in the AL West. The Rangers were handed a 4-2 loss by the Boston Red Sox on Monday, while the Mariners posted a 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics to tie Texas for the AL's third and final wild card berth.

O'Hearn's hit in the ninth capped a 5-for-5 night in which he drove in two runs. Mullins added an RBI double in the seventh that tied the game at 5-5, while Gunnar Henderson finished 3 for 5 with three runs scored and Adley Rutschman knocked in a pair of runs.

Houston had taken a 6-5 lead on Jose Abreu's solo homer in the seventh, and Martin Maldonado had a solo shot in the eighth to increase the margin.

Reds top Twins, move into tie for NL's final wild card

There's also now a tie for the NL's final wild card spot after Cincinnati rookie Connor Phillips pitched the Reds to an important 7-3 victory over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins.

Phillips collected his first major league win by holding Minnesota to two runs and three hits while striking out seven in seven innings. The 22-year-old's performance helped the Reds move into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the NL's third wild card berth, a half-game in front of Miami after the Marlins were dealt a 2-1 loss by the New York Mets.

Will Benson homered and drove in three runs to aid Phillips, while Joey Votto had two hits and two RBIs and Spencer Steer finished 3 for 4 with an RBI single.

Both Minnesota runs off Phillips came via solo homers, one from Royce Lewis in the fourth inning and the other from Alex Kirilloff in the seventh.

Twins starter Joe Ryan took the loss after surrendering four runs in five innings. 

The Baltimore Orioles pushed home a run in the 11th inning to earn a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday and split a crucial September four-game series, though both American League East contenders secured playoff spots prior to the outcome.

A 9-2 loss by the Texas Rangers to the Cleveland Guardians earlier in the day clinched postseason berths for both Tampa Bay and Baltimore, which maintained the two-game advantage it held on the Rays for first place in the division entering the series.

The Orioles, who tied for the major league lead with 110 losses just two years ago, are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Rays will be making their fifth straight appearance. 

Tampa Bay was one out away from creating a virtual tie in the AL East, but Austin Hays singled off Rays closer Pete Fairbanks with the Orioles down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth and Adam Frazier followed with an RBI double to force extra innings. 

After both teams scored once in the 10th, Baltimore's DL Hall kept the Rays scoreless in the top of the 11th and Cedric Mullins drove in Adley Rutschman with the deciding run with a sacrifice fly in the Orioles' half of the frame.

Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth on back-to-back solo homers from Tristan Gray and Christian Bethancourt, but Rutschman homered off Fairbanks in the bottom of the inning to cut the Orioles' deficit to one. Baltimore's All-Star catcher finished the day 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Gray's homer was the first of his major league career, while Brandon Lowe also had a solo shot for the Rays.

Chisholm hits another slam as Marlins finish sweep of Braves

Jazz Chisholm hit a grand slam for a second consecutive game, one of four Miami homers as the Marlins cruised to a 16-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves to complete a three-game sweep of the current National League leaders.

Jake Burger added a three-run homer and Jorge Soler and Nick Fortes also went deep in the surging Marlins' 12th win in 17 games. That hot stretch has moved Miami into a tie with the slumping Chicago Cubs for the NL's final wild card spot. 

Miami's 17-hit outburst was more than enough support for starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, who struck out eight over six scoreless innings while yielding just four hits and two walks.

After connecting for his second career grand slam in the Marlins' 11-5 win on Saturday, Chisholm repeated the feat with a drive off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton in the third inning that staked Miami to a 5-0 lead. The center fielder is the first player in franchise history with a grand slam in back-to-back games.

Fortes finished with a career-high four hits and four runs scored, while Luis Arraez went 3 for 5 with two RBIs for the Marlins.

Marcell Ozuna had two hits, including his 35th home run of the season, for Atlanta. Morton was tagged for six runs and walked five in 4 2/3 innings.

Diamondbacks leapfrog Cubs in NL wild card race after completing sweep

The Arizona Diamondbacks have now moved ahead of the sputtering Chicago Cubs in the NL wild card standings after completing a sweep of a three-game series between the teams with Sunday's 6-2 victory.

Arizona struck for three first-inning runs against Cubs rookie Jordan Wicks, while four relievers combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings to help the Diamondbacks move a half-game ahead of Chicago and Miami for the NL's second of three wild-card spots.

Ketel Marte tacked on a two-run homer in the sixth inning for Arizona and finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored. 

Luis Frias was credited with the win after throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings after taking over for Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, who allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Wicks struck out five in 4 1/3 innings but issued four walks while permitting Arizona's three early runs.

Ian Happ went 3 for 4 with a run scored for Chicago, which has now lost five straight and eight of 10. That stretch includes losing three of four meetings to the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field earlier this month. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are kings of the NL West once again.

Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez all delivered 11th-inning RBIs and the Dodgers outlasted the Seattle Mariners for a 6-2 win Saturday, clinching their 10th division title in the last 11 seasons.

Neither team scored in the game’s first nine innings, but Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 10th on a Kolten Wong sacrifice fly, but Seattle pulled even again on Mike Ford’s RBI single in the bottom half.

Muncy’s single with one out in the 11th plated Mookie Betts and put the Dodgers (90-57) ahead for good. Taylor and Hernandez followed with two-run singles in the inning for extra insurance.

Jason Heyward had three doubles and finished the game 4 of 5 for the Dodgers.

Seven Dodgers pitches combined to hold the M’s to just seven hits, and neither of Seattle’s runs were earned.

The loss dropped the Mariners (81-67) to 1 ½ games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West.

O’s regain AL East lead with win over Rays

Grayson Rodriguez was nearly unhittable for eight innings, Gunnar Henderson hit a three-run home run and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-0 to take a one-game lead in the AL East.

Rodriguez’s start was the longest and perhaps best of his rookie season. It was certainly the most important as the Orioles (92-56) ended a four-game losing streak.

Fellow Baltimore rookie Henderson went 3 of 5 with two runs scored and delivered the game’s only homer in the second inning off Tyler Glasnow.

Aaron Hicks reached base three times and scored twice, and Ramon Urias had two hits and an RBI as the Orioles seek their first division title since 2014.

D-backs win key matchup with Cubs in 13-inning marathon

Gabriel Moreno plated Evan Longoria with a 13th-inning single and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 7-6 walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs to tighten the NL wild card race.

After Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s single tied the game in the sixth, Arizona fell behind in the 10th, 11th and 13th innings but battled back each time.

The win lifted the Diamondbacks (78-72) into a tie with the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild card spot in the NL and moved them to within a half-game of the Cubs for the second NL wild card slot.

The Cubs (78-71) dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 2-7 in their last nine.

Saturday’s game was the longest in the majors this season, lasting 4 hours, 24 minutes.

Shohei Ohtani won't play again in the 2023 MLB season.

This also means he may have played in his final game for the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels placed the two-way superstar on the injured list Saturday with an oblique strain and said he'll miss the rest of the season.

Ohtani missed his 11th straight game Friday, and while he was at Angel Stadium before his team's game against the Detroit Tigers, his locker had been mostly emptied after the Angels' 11-2 loss.

Almost all of his personal items were removed and a bag that was fully packed sat on the floor in front of his stall.

The cleaned-out locker could signal that Ohtani's time with the Angels is over as the three-time All-Star will be the most coveted free agent in MLB this offseason.

Ohtani hasn't publicly made any comment about his future, but there is speculation he will sign with a new team after never reaching the playoffs during his first six MLB seasons with the Angels.

Ohtani had been shut down from pitching for the rest of this season because of a tear in his right elbow ligament, and his agent Nez Balelo had said he'll need surgery at some point.

He last served as a designated hitter September 3 after straining his obliques in batting practice, but the Angels had remained hopeful he could still return before the end of the season to hit.

Despite being slowed by injuries, Ohtani is still among the favourites to capture his second American League MVP award in three years.

As a pitcher, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings in 23 starts. At the plate, Ohtani still leads the AL with 44 homers while his 1.066 OPS ranks second in the majors behind the Texas Rangers' Corey Seager (1.069) - Ohtani's main competition for the AL MVP.

Zach Eflin teamed with two relievers on a two-hitter as the Tampa Bay Rays earned a 7-1 win over the slumping Baltimore Orioles on Friday, creating a virtual tie between the American League East rivals for first place in the division.

Tampa Bay has now taken the first two matchups of this pivotal four-game series to move just percentage points behind Baltimore in the standings. The Rays, who trailed the Orioles by four games just six days ago, have won nine of 11 while Baltimore has tied a season high with four straight losses.

Harold Ramirez belted a three-run homer and Brandon Lowe had a solo shot to back a dominant outing from Eflin, who yielded only a solo homer to Heston Kjerstad and struck out eight over seven innings to collect his AL-leading 15th win of the season. 

Randy Arozarena and Manuel Margot added three hits each for the Rays, with Margot and Lowe both finishing with two RBIs.

Kjerstad's homer was the first major league hit for the 24-year-old, who was promoted from the minor leagues prior to Thursday's series opener.

Orioles starter Jack Flaherty lasted just four innings and yielded three runs despite striking out six.

Rockies no-hit Giants over eight innings, rally to win in ninth

The Colorado Rockies took a combined no-hitter into the ninth inning in their game against the San Francisco Giants, then scored twice in the bottom of the frame to rally for a dramatic 3-2 victory to open a four-game series.

Chase Anderson kept San Francisco hitless before being pulled after throwing 101 pitches in seven innings, and the no-hit bid was extended into the ninth before J.D. Davis led off the inning with a double off Nick Mears.

The Giants later loaded the bases before Rockies reliever Matt Koch walked pinch-hitter WIlmer Flores to force in a run and break a 1-1 deadlock.

The tie was short-lived, however. Charlie Blackmon began the bottom of the ninth with a double off San Francisco closer Camilo Doval, who later walked Nolan Jones with one out to put the potential winning run aboard.

Elehuris Montero then delivered a single in which Giants left fielder Mike Yastrzmeski threw errantly to home as Blackmon slid across the plate, allowing Jones to come in as well with the deciding run.

The loss could prove costly for San Francisco, which fell a game behind Arizona and Cincinnati in the race for the National League's final wild card with both the Diamondbacks and Reds winning their games.

San Francisco also wasted a terrific effort from Logan Webb, who held Colorado to one run on four hits over eight innings.

Giolito fans 12 as Guardians snap Rangers' six-game winning streak

Lucas Giolito struck out a season-high 12 batters over seven scoreless innings to help the Cleveland Guardians snap the Texas Rangers' six-game winning streak with a 12-3 rout.

Giolito permitted just two hits and one walk to record his first win since Aug. 8. The 2019 All-Star, who was claimed off waivers by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 31, had posted a 7.48 ERA while losing each of his previous five starts.

Josh Naylor went 4 for 5 with three RBIs to lead Cleveland offensively, while Andres Gimenez, Ramon Laureano and Kole Calhoun all homered as part of the Guardians' 15-hit attack.

Gimenez finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and put Cleveland up 2-0 with his second-inning homer off Texas starter Jon Gray, who was pulled after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The Rangers remained scoreless until Sam Huff's solo homer in the ninth. Catcher Austin Hedges later added a two-run single after pitching the bottom of the eighth and retiring all three batters he faced.

Texas missed out on a chance to regain first place in the AL West from Houston, which was dealt a 4-2 loss by the Kansas City Royals on Friday. The Astros remain a half-game ahead in the standings. 

Luke Raley hit a tiebreaking home run and Tampa Bay’s bullpen continued its stellar stretch to lead the Rays to a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in the opener of a key four-game series.

The Rays pulled within a game of AL East-leading Baltimore with their sixth win in seven games.

Ryan O’Hearn and Gunnar Henderson homered for the Orioles, who have scored five runs during their first three-game losing streak since late June.

Aaron Civale allowed three runs and four hits over five innings with eight strikeouts before turning it over to Tampa Bay’s bullpen.

Colin Poche, Shawn Armstrong, Robert Stephenson and Pete Fairbanks teamed up to retire 12 straight, with Fairbanks striking out the side in the ninth for his 24th save.

Rays’ relievers haven’t allowed an earned run in 34 consecutive innings.

Raley’s home run with two outs in the seventh off starter Kyle Bradish snapped a 3-3 tie.

The game turned in the fifth inning when Baltimore had bases loaded and no outs.

After Adam Frazier’s force play tied it at 3, Civale got Adley Rutschman to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Surging Rangers complete sweep of Blue Jays

The Texas Rangers rolled to their sixth straight victory, as Corey Seager homered and drove in three runs in a 9-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jonah Heim also went deep and Robbie Grossman reached base four times as Texas completed a four-game sweep to pull within one-half game of idle Houston in the AL West.

Seager homered off Kevin Gausman in the first inning and put the Rangers ahead for good with a two-run double in the second.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, but the Blue Jays were outscored 35-9 in the four games.

Toronto dropped 1 ½ games behind idle Seattle for the final AL wild-card spot.

Taylor sparks Brewers past Marlins

Tyrone Taylor had a pair of RBI doubles and a key slide in the fifth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Miami Marlins, 4-2.

With the game tied at 2 in the fifth, Taylor attempted to score on Sal Frelick’s single. The throw from right fielder Jesus Sanchez beat him to the plate, but Taylor managed to avoid the tag from catcher Jacob Stallings to score the eventual winning run.

The Brewers won three of four in the series and increased their NL Central lead to 4 ½ games over the Chicago Cubs.

Miami was limited to five runs in the four-game series and dropped one-half game behind the final NL wild-card spot.

The Atlanta Braves continued their dominance of the NL East with their sixth straight division title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win on Wednesday.

Atlanta leads the majors with 96 wins and locked up another NL East crown in its 146th game, the second-quickest clinch in the divisional era.

The division title was the Braves’ record 26th, two more than the Yankees or Dodgers.

Strider limited the Phillies to one run and four hits in seven innings, striking out nine to raise his MLB-best total to 259.

Brad Hand fanned two in the eighth and Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Austin Riley gave Strider all the support he needed with a two-run homer – his 35th - in the first inning off Christopher Sanchez.

Riley added a sacrifice fly in the third and Kevin Pillar had an RBI double in the fourth.

Sanchez pitched into the eighth inning and struck out a career-high 10.

Philadelphia remained 1 ½ games ahead of the Cubs in the race for the top wild-card spot in the NL.

Montgomery pitches surging Rangers past Blue Jays

Jordan Montgomery and two relievers combined to five-hit the Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers cruised to their fifth straight win with a 10-0 rout.

Montgomery allowed four hits over seven innings before Martin Perez and Ian Kennedy each worked one inning.

Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver hit three-run homers and Robbie Grossman added a two-run shot to help Texas remain one game behind AL West-leading Houston.

The Rangers moved 1 ½ games ahead of the Blue Jays in the wild-card race, sending Toronto to its fourth consecutive loss.

Astros lose combined no-hitter in 9th inning

Hunter Brown and three relievers held the Oakland Athletics hitless for eight innings but the bid for history was broken up with one out in the ninth inning in the Houston Astros’ 6-2 win.

After Ryan Pressly retired Tony Kemp on a groundball to open the ninth, Zach Gelof walked before Ryan Noda grounded a changeup past Pressly and into center field.

Pressly allowed two runs before finishing up the two-hitter as Houston salvaged the series finale against the Athletics, who lost their 100th game.

Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer and Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker had solo shots as the Astros remained one game ahead of second-place Texas in the AL West.

The Texas Rangers' playoff push won't include Max Scherzer.

And should the Rangers make the postseason, it's unlikely the three-time Cy Young Award winner will be able to pitch then, either.

Scherzer is being shut down for the rest of the regular season because of a strained muscle in his pitching shoulder, the Rangers announced on Wednesday.

Texas general manager Chris Young added that should the Rangers make the playoffs, it's still unlikely he'd be able to pitch.

The 39-year-old Scherzer won't need surgery and will be evaluated in two weeks.

The MLB regular season ends in 2 1/2 weeks on October 1.

Scherzer exited Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays with one out in the sixth inning with what was then described as a right triceps spasm. The eight-time All-Star had not allowed a run while scattering three hits and striking out two.

With the win, the Rangers moved a half-game ahead of the Blue Jays for the second wild-card spot in the AL. Texas entered play Wednesday one game behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.

Acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Mets, Scherzer went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 45 innings in eight starts for Texas. He finishes his 16th season in the majors with a 13-6 record to go with a 3.77 ERA in 27 starts, striking out 174 in 152 2/3 innings.

Scherzer is in the second year of a three-year, $130 million contract he signed with the Mets in November 2021. The contract includes an opt-out after the current season. If he declines to opt out, then he’ll be under contract for 2024 at a salary of $43.3 million.