O’s stumblin’ to finish line
Brad Brach picked up Austin Romine’s bat behind home plate and slammed it to the turf. On the verge of moving into position to clinch no worse than a tiebreaker game for a playoff berth, the Baltimore Orioles let the opportunity slip away in New York.
“Tomorrow is what we’ve been playing the whole season for anyway,” Matt Wieters said after Baltimore wasted a three-run lead yesterday in a deflating 7-3 loss to the Yankees. “It shouldn’t be hard to get ready for a game tomorrow.”
Fittingly in this season of alternating promise and frustration, game No. 162 will be needed to determine the Orioles’ fate.
They had a 3-0, fifth-inning lead against an already eliminated opponent and an 81.5 percent probability of winning the game, according to Fangraphs. A victory plus a loss by Toronto or Detroit later would have clinched a wild card berth.
New York closed with two runs in the fifth, and Tyler Austin tied the score in the seventh when he drove Wade Miley’s slider into the Yankees bullpen in right center. Romine then dumped Brach’s slider over a drawn-in infield and into short left for a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth.
“It seemed like we were in control there for six innings, and all of a sudden you look at the scoreboard and it’s tied,” Brach said.
Baltimore dropped into a tie with Toronto for the AL’s two wild cards at 8873, with Detroit and Seattle both 11⁄ games behind at 2 86-74. The Mariners played last night, and a four-way tie remained possible. Twins 6, White Sox 0 — James Shields lost his major league high-tying 19th game as Minnesota beat host Chicago.
Indians 6, Royals 3 — Francisco Lindor hit a two-out double during an eighth-inning rally as visiting Cleveland beat Kansas City. Rays 4, Rangers 1 — In Arlington, Texas, Corey Dickerson’s three-run
homer lifted Tampa Bay to victory over Texas.
Astros 3, Angels 0 — Collin McHugh pitched threehit ball over 72⁄ innings to 3 help Houston beat Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif. Interleague
Braves 5, Tigers 3 — Aaron Blair had 10 strikeouts and last-place Atlanta damaged visiting Detroit’s playoff hopes with a win.
National League
Giants 3, Dodgers 0 — Rookie Ty Blach outpitched Clayton Kershaw, and host San Francisco held onto its lead for the last NL playoff spot going into the final day of the regular season, beating Los Angeles.
The Giants stayed one game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild card spot.
Matt Moore will start for the Giants on today, and a win — or St. Louis loss — puts them in the playoffs. The Mets host the NL wild card game on Wednesday. Cardinals 4, Pirates 3 — Jedd Gyorko hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, Matt Holliday provided another big boost and St. Louis pushed the playoff race to the final day of the regular season, holding off visiting Pittsburgh.
Mets 5, Phillies 3 — New York clinched a playoff spot, beating host Philadelphia to secure the top National League wild card.
Reds 7, Cubs 4 — Jon Lester failed to become a 20game winner, struggling for the first time since mid-July as host Cincinnati pulled away to a win over Chicago. Nationals 2, Marlins 1 — Rookie Trea Turner hit his 13th homer and Washington beat visiting Miami. Diamondbacks 9, Padres 5— Yasmany Tomas hit a three-run homer as Arizona beat San Diego in Phoenix. Brewers 4, Rockies 3 — Chris Carter hit a tiebreaking home run in the top of the 10th inning to lead Milwaukee past Colorado in Denver.