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The Guardians (really) have a chance of winning their division

We need to talk about the playoff race in the American League.

While four clubs (Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers and Phillies) have qualified for the Nationals, no one has qualified for the American League. The Blue Jays, with a win tonight in Kansas City, can change all that, however, and make their playoff berth official.

But what about the rest? It’s wide open.

At the time of writing, after the afternoon games and before the evening games, the Detroit Tigers are no longer even in second place in the American: the Mariners are ahead of them. Detroit should therefore play, if things stay the same, in the Wild Card Series.

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The Tigers collapsed this afternoon against the Atlanta Braves, and the Guardians won the first game of a double-header against the Twins. They are now 1.5 games behind the Tigers in the standings – and with a win tonight, we could be talking about a one-game lead tomorrow morning.

At the beginning of the month, the Tigers had an ELEVEN-game lead in the division and 12.5 games 26 days ago. And now, more than ever, they’re in danger of missing the playoffs if things don’t turn around.

So, will John Schneider win Manager of the Year?

The Guardians haven’t lost since September 10 (nine games in a row) and will face the Tigers at home next week (Tuesday to Thursday) on the heels of the final week of the calendar.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have won just two of their last ten games. Like the Mariners, Astros and Red Sox, they have Cleveland to worry about.

I don’t know what’s going on in Detroit, but in Cleveland, they’re not letting up despite the gambling suspensions that affected the club over the summer. It’s impressive to see. Kudos to Jose Ramirez in all this.

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Jazz Chisholm Jr. wants nothing to do with leaving the Yankees

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is having quite a season with the Yankees. The second baseman reached the 30-30 club with his 30th home run of the season yesterday, even though he missed a few weeks with an injury in the spring.

And since arriving in the Bronx last summer, Chisholm Jr. has hit 41 home runs and stolen 48 bases in 168 games. So it’s legitimate to talk about him as a guy who’s capable of breaking into the 40-40 club over 162 games.

The 27-year-old has really impressed since arriving in New York, so… and with just over a year to go before becoming an independent player, it’s logical to wonder what’s in store for him.

He’s just had his best year of his career, after all, but he’s been known to get injured a lot. So we’ll have to see what the Yankees want to do about it,

If it were up to him, though, Chisholm Jr. wouldn’t be going anywhere. In an interview with Chris Kirschner(The Athletic), the Bahamian native made it clear: he never wants to leave.

Chisholm Jr. says that anyone who has played for the Yankees would never want to leave (guys like Devin Williams and Joey Gallo might disagree, though), and you can tell he really likes it in the Bronx.

So much so that, in his eyes, it will be up to the Yankees to decide ” if they want to keep a 40-40 player”. That’s Jazz for you.

The outfielder has a strong personality that’s different from what we’re used to seeing from the Yankees, but he responds on the field. He can hit with power (except in a home run contest), he’s fast and he’s solid defensively.

But at the same time, maybe the Yankees will be skittish about paying him considering the result of the last big contract they gave to a second baseman in DJ LeMahieu. The two guys are quite different (and LeMahieu was older when he signed his big contract), but he didn’t have the injury history of Chisholm Jr.

Incidentally, LeMahieu’s contract will expire just as Chisholm Jr. needs a new one. The club could therefore use this money to keep the flamboyant second baseman if it so desires.

Let’s see what happens.

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Jose Berrios heads to the Blue Jays’ bullpen

Last night, the Blue Jays had the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. They had to win and see at least two of the following teams lose: the Tigers, the Red Sox and the Guardians.

But as we can see, that didn’t happen. There’s no X next to the Blue Jays in the standings because the Red Sox and Guardians won… but also because the Toronto club ate a sincere one.

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Max Scherzer made one of the worst starts of his career. In 0.2 innings of work, the veteran gave up seven runs to the Royals. He was unable to take advantage of a 1-0 lead (George Springer home run) and didn’t finish the first inning.

Yet the pitcher claims to be healthy.

Of necessity, it was difficult for the Blue Jays’ bullpen, which ate up innings. With the score at 10-1, Tyler Heineman came on in the game’s seventh inning.

He gave up no less than 10 runs (which explains the 20-1 setback) and it was Isiah Kiner-Falefa who finished the game. They saved the club’s bullpen a little by resting the real relievers, we agree.

In fact, at one point, we wondered if Jose Berrios was going to pitch a few innings. Why would he? Because the starting pitcher was spotted warming up in the relievers’ bullpen.

One might have thought it was simply due to circumstances, but no: John Schneider said that, for the time being, the veteran had been sent to the relievers’ bullpen.

The veteran may not be happy, but he’s accepted the decision.

That may change, as Berrios remains a career starter. But because of his ugly season, the club has made a tough decision in the run-up to the playoffs.

To me, it’s a big message: with the playoffs looming, the veteran doesn’t belong in the rotation. So he joins Eric Lauer in the bullpen.

So, in view of a potential 3-of-5 division series, which four pitchers will have the mandate to pitch in the rotation? I’m talking about a 3-of-5 since the chances of the Blue Jays avoiding the best-of-second series are good.

In my eyes, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber are probably the two guys who should pitch the first two games of the playoffs. And after that, there are three options for two positions: Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Trey Yesavage.

Which guys will be the Blue Jays’ picks?

I can see, under the circumstances, Bassitt getting his shot, and I think the Blue Jays would like Yesavage to show that he should be an option by pitching well tomorrow in KC.

As for Scherzer, let’s just say that his latest outings remind us that he’s getting on in years, so nothing is certain in his case.

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Bo Bichette struck again

Will Bo Bichette be able to return in time for the playoffs? Who knows.

We know, of course, that his regular season is over, but we don’t know if he’ll be able to play the first game of the playoffs. It would help if he didn’t have to play in the best-of-second series.

But now we learn that the Blue Jays shortstop is hitting again. John Schneider announced the news, mentioning that Bichette is with the club in Kansas City.

He’s currently on schedule as the Blue Jays wanted to see him hit this week. #NotInGoodDirection

Of course, there’s still a long way to go. After all, he can’t exactly start playing again without being able to run well. But right now, he’s feeling better by the day.

So that’s a good thing.

In an ideal world, he’d also have to be able to play defense, leaving the DH position to George Springer and/or Anthony Santander, who is also making good progress.

He won’t be playing in Buffalo tonight, but he will (defensively) tomorrow and Sunday. After that, if all goes well, we might see him up there again.

The current defensive lineup (with Andres Gimenez being excellent at shortstop and Ernie Clement at second cushion) is excellent. So if Bichette can just hit, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

To be continued.

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  • Yordan Alvarez is getting better.

  • Colt Keith injured.

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MLB in brief: John Schneider, manager of the year | The role of Mason Miller

John Schneider, Manager of the Year?

AJ Hinch deserves it too.

Next up

Three players have 15 years of consecutive experience with a single club and two pitchers are at 11. Clayton Kershaw will leave his throne to them in 2026, he who had 18 with the Dodgers.

Youngsters do their job

Will they take the Mets to the playoffs?

Isaac Paredes back at the right time

The series against Seattle will be important.

Speaking of the Mariners: Cal Raleigh really wants to win.

Mason Miller’s role

How will he be used in the playoffs?

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Here’s how the Blue Jays can qualify for the playoffs tonight

The Blue Jays can qualify for the playoffs as early as tonight. We wondered if this was the case, since the scenario is relatively complex to calculate, but it is.

But how?

If the Blue Jays (who will be broadcast on Apple, but also on Sportsnet because of the importance of the moment) win against the Royals tonight, that’ll be the first step.

But on top of that, the Blue Jays have to hope that at least two of the following clubs lose their games: the Tigers, the Red Sox and the Guardians.

The Tigers will be visited by the Braves at 6:40pm. The Red Sox will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays around 7:35pm. The Guardians will be in Minnesota to take on the Twins at 8:10 p.m.

The Blue Jays will play at 7.40pm.

But whether it’s today, tomorrow or later, everyone agrees that it’ll be a formality. The most important thing will be to finish among the two best teams in the Americas, to avoid the best-of-second-place matches.

With the Yankees three games behind the Blue Jays, nothing is certain.

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And when the Blue Jays reach the playoffs, they’ll have to make sure they win games. It wasn’t done in 2020, 2022 and 2023, but the club absolutely has to get to the next level at this point.

To be swept aside, once again, would be a failure.

It’s also worth remembering that the later the Blue Jays start in the playoffs, the better their chances of being able to count on Bo Bichette, whose health is a cause for concern.

To be continued.

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Mariners vs Astros: the weekend series

We’re just over a week away from the end of the 2025 MLB regular season, and there are still plenty of races to follow across Major League Baseball. The one that is sure to attract the most attention this weekend is the duel that will take place both on the field and in the standings between the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros.

The Astros will host the Mariners in a three-game series starting tonight (Friday) at Daikin Park. Seattle won its last game against the Kansas City Royals yesterday (Thursday), leaving the two rivals tied in the American League’s Western Section standings with nine games to play.

One of these two teams, who currently have a record of 84 wins against 69 losses, will win this series and have at least a one-game lead at the end of the series on Sunday, if not three games.

The likely pitchers are set for these three all-important duels. Friday’s game will pit Hunter Brown for Houston against Bryan Woo for Seattle. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. (Quebec time).

Saturday’s game, starting at 7:10 p.m., will pit Framber Valdez for the Astros against George Kirby for the Mariners. Finally, Sunday’s duel, also scheduled for 7:10 p.m., pits Houston’s Jason Alexander against Seattle’s Logan Gilbert.

Both teams will have the gunners they want on the mound over the weekend.

The other issue at stake in this series is second place in the American League, and therefore a bye into the first round of the fall dance, as the Detroit Tigers are currently just one game ahead of the Astros and Mariners.

Not to mention the fact that a sweep on either side could put the team on the wrong side of the sweep in a precarious playoff position.

If you’ve got a series to watch this weekend, this is it.

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Max Fried and the Yankees close to within three games of the Blue Jays

The New York Yankees went through a very long mid-season slump, allowing the Toronto Blue Jays to go from a seven-game deficit in the American League’s East Division to a comfortable lead at the top of the section.

Things have been much better in the Bronx over the past month, however. The Bombardiers have the best record in the MLB since August 11, with 23 wins against only 11 losses prior to last night’s (Thursday) game against the Baltimore Orioles.

And it continued in this duel, as the Yankees recorded their 24th win during this period, taking the measure of the Loriots by a score of 7-0.

For the occasion, the Big Apple representatives had loaded their line-up with a ton of right-handed hitters, something they usually do when facing a left-handed pitcher. And it paid off, with Amed Rosario, Anthony Volpe, Jose Caballero, Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton shining during the game.

Speaking of outstanding, ace pitcher Max Fried also had an excellent evening, pitching seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out thirteen batters.

Despite a bad streak some time ago, Fried now boasts an earned-run average of 2.97, the fourth-lowest in the American League, behind Tarik Skubal, Hunter Brown and Garrett Crochet. In four of his last five starts, the left-hander has pitched at least seven innings on the mound.

Although they may be running out of time, the Yankees continue to put pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays, notching up two games in the standings in the last two days and currently sit three games back of the Blue Jays.

Toronto begins a series against the Kansas City Royals tonight (Friday), while New York continues its four-game series in Baltimore.

At this point, the Yankees can’t control their destiny, as they won’t face the Jays again this season. The latter will end their season against the Royals, the Boston Red Sox and then the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Yankees will face the Orioles seven times and the Chicago White Sox three times.

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Race to the playoffs: the Red Sox are (really) slipping away

Right now in MLB, there’s a lot of talk about the race in the American East. The Blue Jays seem to have a fairly comfortable lead over the Yankees, even though the Bombers took a game back from the Jays yesterday.

The Yankees inflicted a beating on the Orioles, while the Rays played a trick on the Jays. Still, Toronto has a three-game lead at the top of the division.

That said, it wasn’t so long ago that the Red Sox were in the thick of that race. Roman Anthony’s injury, however, has hurt the club, which can’t capitalize on a rather favorable schedule.

The club has a 5-8 record since Anthony’s injury… and just yesterday, they were defeated by the Athletics.

Suddenly, not only is the club out of the running for the division, they’re also dealing with teams who want to steal their spot as a drafted team.

The Guardians, for example, simply don’t lose anymore… and they’re a game and a half behind the Red Sox this morning.

The problem for Boston, though, is that the club’s end of season won’t be easy. After losing a series to the poor Athletics, the Sox will face the Rays, Blue Jays and Tigers three times each to end the season.

The Guardians, meanwhile, will face the Twins (four times), then take on the Tigers (three times) and Rangers (three times) to finish the year. The advantage of the schedule is Cleveland’s right now.

In Boston, we can at least take comfort in the fact that we still hold the tie-breaker over the Guardians, which means that the club’s lead is really two games (given that Cleveland must have a better record than Boston at the end of the season to go to the playoffs).

But one way or another, the Red Sox will have to start finding their way back to winning quickly. Because with the recent surge of the Guardians and Mariners (who have leapfrogged them), the path to the playoffs could quickly become difficult for Boston to contemplate.

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  • National League standings.
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  • 18th win of the season for Max Fried.

  • A 100-point season for Christian Yelich.

  • Big game for Hunter Greene.

  • Clayton Kershaw explains his decision to retire.

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Tigers: a club to watch for Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette will definitely want to be back in the playoffs. After all, he’ll want to help his club win in October, something he’s never been able to do before, as he’s hungry for victories.

But by coming back, he’d also be showing that he’s healthy and can be a factor in October. That would help him as a free agent.

Right now, no one is closing the door on Bichette signing a new contract in Toronto. But at the same time, everyone is aware that he will be in demand on the independent market.

And on that subject, a few MLB journalists are asking us to keep an eye on the Tigers.

Of course, there will be money involved. But as some clubs might be afraid of his injuries, it’s possible to believe that the Tigers could have a competitive offer.

We’re talking about a club that was prepared to pay a fair amount for Alex Bregman last winter. Surely, Bichette could also have an interesting profile for the Tigers.

And besides the money?

Bichette could be interested in signing with one of the AHL’s top clubs. The Tigers also have an excellent manager who helps them be credible on the free-agent market.

Of course, the Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Braves and other such clubs will be in the Tigers’ sights… and it’s important to bear in mind that not every player will want to move to Michigan.

But if Bichette believes in the club’s game plan and the right offer is on the table, anything is possible.

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