Postseason spots still up for grabs in final 5 days

With the regular season winding down, much remained at stake on Tuesday. At this point, every game involving a contender carries huge implications, as the chase for Wild Card berths and home-field advantage continues.

Here’s where we stand heading into today:

American League Wild Card

After losing ground with a loss to the Yankees on Monday, the Blue Jays rebounded on Tuesday night against their closest challenger. Aaron Sanchez struck out 10 over six strong innings, and Josh Donaldson provided a first-inning lead with a two-run homer as the Jays beat the Orioles, 5-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. That widened Toronto’s lead to two games over Baltimore for the first AL Wild Card berth and home field in the Wild Card Game.

It also was a good night for the Tigers. With the Indians having clinched the AL Central title the night before, Detroit rolled past Cleveland, 12-0, behind Justin Verlander’s seven scoreless innings and Miguel Cabrera’s five RBIs. That pulled the Tigers within a game of the Orioles for the second Wild Card berth.

Meanwhile, Seattle could not keep pace with Detroit. After taking Monday’s series opener in Houston, the Mariners fell, 8-4, on Tuesday and remained two games behind the Orioles. The Astros are now 2 1/2 …

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