Cubs Can't Clinch Against Cardinals
The Chicago Cubs needed a win or a Milwaukee Brewers loss on Tuesday night to clinch the NL Central Division for a second straight season, but did not get either of those things. Multiple comeback attempts were stopped short by the St, Louis Cardinals, who kept their slim postseason hopes alive with an 8-7 win at home. Tommy Pham and Randal Grichuk both went deep and drove in two runs each, as the Cardinals held leads of 5-1 and 8-3 before the Cubs made things interesting. Jason Heyward had a three-run shot, while Ben Zobrist added a solo blast late to keep the Cubs' chances alive to seal the division title. Although, Matt Carpenter and Jedd Gyorko added long balls, giving St. Louis four of them in the victory. Juan Nicassio came on to shut things down in the ninth, striking out Javier Baez to end the game for his fifth save. Jake Arrieta suffered his 10th loss for Chicago after allowing five runs, three of which were earned, in three innings. Tuesday was his second-shortest outing of the season. Zach Duke got the win out of the bullpen for the Redbirds after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings. The Brewers didn't help the Cubs either, as their 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds kept the defending World Series Champions' magic number at 1. Chicago will be back in St. Louis looking to clinch again on Wednesday night, while the Cardinals look to cut into a 2.5-game deficit in the NL Wild Card standings.
Astros, Yankees, Dodgers Record Big Wins
Three teams who have known that they'll be in the postseason picture for a while recorded big victories on Tuesday night. First, the Houston Astros clinched at least the two-seed in the American League with a 14-3 rout of the Texas Rangers. Carlos Correa, Brian McCann, and Cameron Maybin each drove in three, as they slimmed down the Rangers' postseason hopes at Globe Life Park. Dallas Keuchel looked good on the mound, allowing just a run on five hits in six innings, as the Astros now trail the Cleveland Indians by one game for the American League's best record. Cleveland owns the tiebreaker due to them winning the season series. Houston will either face the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, or Minnesota Twins (assuming they hang on to the second Wild Card spot.) Speaking of the Wild Card, the New York Yankees clinched their shot of hosting the Wild Card Game with a 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are still within reach of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox, who fell to the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-4, on Tuesday. That cut their division lead down to three games. Aaron Hicks returned from the disabled list and robbed Wilson Ramos of a grand slam, giving the Yankees early momentum. It was the second grand slam that Hicks has robbed this year, as he also took one away from Luis Valbuena of the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the year. The loss officially eliminated the Rays from playoff contention, as they will be left out for a fourth consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers still found a way to secure home-field advantage in the National League playoffs, despite their recent struggles. The Dodgers did so with a 9-2 win over the lowly San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, and Yasmani Grandal all went deep to support Alex Wood, who allowed just two runs over six innings in his 16th win. The Washington Nationals' loss to the Philadelphia Phillies also played a role in the Dodgers' clinching the NL's best record, as they now sit at 101-57. They will open up the National League Division Series on October 6th against the winner of the NL Wild Card Game, which will be hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Wade Reunites With LeBron in Cleveland
After agreeing to a buyout with the Chicago Bulls, veteran Dwayne Wade is expected to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers after clearing waivers. The former NBA Champion will sign for one year on a veteran's minimum $2.3 million deal. The likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat all made a push to sign Wade, who chose to reunite with his close friend, LeBron James. The 2006 NBA Finals MVP made four straight Finals, winning two of them, in four seasons with James in Miami, before he returned to the Cavaliers. The move makes sense for the defending Eastern Conference Champions after they traded away Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, who will be out until at least January with a hip injury. In 14 seasons in the NBA, Wade has averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He is coming off a season where he averaged 18 points per game with Chicago. The Cavs are hoping that pairing him back up with LeBron will give Cleveland the edge that is needed to top the mighty Golden State Warriors for the NBA Title.
The Chicago Cubs needed a win or a Milwaukee Brewers loss on Tuesday night to clinch the NL Central Division for a second straight season, but did not get either of those things. Multiple comeback attempts were stopped short by the St, Louis Cardinals, who kept their slim postseason hopes alive with an 8-7 win at home. Tommy Pham and Randal Grichuk both went deep and drove in two runs each, as the Cardinals held leads of 5-1 and 8-3 before the Cubs made things interesting. Jason Heyward had a three-run shot, while Ben Zobrist added a solo blast late to keep the Cubs' chances alive to seal the division title. Although, Matt Carpenter and Jedd Gyorko added long balls, giving St. Louis four of them in the victory. Juan Nicassio came on to shut things down in the ninth, striking out Javier Baez to end the game for his fifth save. Jake Arrieta suffered his 10th loss for Chicago after allowing five runs, three of which were earned, in three innings. Tuesday was his second-shortest outing of the season. Zach Duke got the win out of the bullpen for the Redbirds after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings. The Brewers didn't help the Cubs either, as their 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds kept the defending World Series Champions' magic number at 1. Chicago will be back in St. Louis looking to clinch again on Wednesday night, while the Cardinals look to cut into a 2.5-game deficit in the NL Wild Card standings.
Astros, Yankees, Dodgers Record Big Wins
Three teams who have known that they'll be in the postseason picture for a while recorded big victories on Tuesday night. First, the Houston Astros clinched at least the two-seed in the American League with a 14-3 rout of the Texas Rangers. Carlos Correa, Brian McCann, and Cameron Maybin each drove in three, as they slimmed down the Rangers' postseason hopes at Globe Life Park. Dallas Keuchel looked good on the mound, allowing just a run on five hits in six innings, as the Astros now trail the Cleveland Indians by one game for the American League's best record. Cleveland owns the tiebreaker due to them winning the season series. Houston will either face the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, or Minnesota Twins (assuming they hang on to the second Wild Card spot.) Speaking of the Wild Card, the New York Yankees clinched their shot of hosting the Wild Card Game with a 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are still within reach of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox, who fell to the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-4, on Tuesday. That cut their division lead down to three games. Aaron Hicks returned from the disabled list and robbed Wilson Ramos of a grand slam, giving the Yankees early momentum. It was the second grand slam that Hicks has robbed this year, as he also took one away from Luis Valbuena of the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the year. The loss officially eliminated the Rays from playoff contention, as they will be left out for a fourth consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers still found a way to secure home-field advantage in the National League playoffs, despite their recent struggles. The Dodgers did so with a 9-2 win over the lowly San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, and Yasmani Grandal all went deep to support Alex Wood, who allowed just two runs over six innings in his 16th win. The Washington Nationals' loss to the Philadelphia Phillies also played a role in the Dodgers' clinching the NL's best record, as they now sit at 101-57. They will open up the National League Division Series on October 6th against the winner of the NL Wild Card Game, which will be hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Wade Reunites With LeBron in Cleveland
After agreeing to a buyout with the Chicago Bulls, veteran Dwayne Wade is expected to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers after clearing waivers. The former NBA Champion will sign for one year on a veteran's minimum $2.3 million deal. The likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat all made a push to sign Wade, who chose to reunite with his close friend, LeBron James. The 2006 NBA Finals MVP made four straight Finals, winning two of them, in four seasons with James in Miami, before he returned to the Cavaliers. The move makes sense for the defending Eastern Conference Champions after they traded away Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, who will be out until at least January with a hip injury. In 14 seasons in the NBA, Wade has averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He is coming off a season where he averaged 18 points per game with Chicago. The Cavs are hoping that pairing him back up with LeBron will give Cleveland the edge that is needed to top the mighty Golden State Warriors for the NBA Title.
