MLB

• Nationals 3 Braves 2
  • The Braves would benefit greatly if they won the NL East, giving the club a bye in the postseason. Atlanta probably won’t walk away with the division crown if Matt Olson doesn’t get going. The first baseman is slashing .113/.203/.117 in September.
• Brewers 6 Mets 0
  • Milwaukee has a good amount of ground to make up in order to grab a postseason spot, but the Brewers’ schedule is favorable the rest of the way. The team has series with the Reds, Cardinals, Marlins, and Diamondbacks remaining. A Phillies or Padres collapse would open the door for the Brewers.
• Guardians 8 White Sox 2
  • It might be time to call the AL Central race. Cleveland is now up 6.0 games on the White Sox, and quite frankly, Chicago has nobody to blame except itself. A brutal start to the season pretty much sealed the team’s fate. For the Guardians, Triston McKenzie is one of the team’s two aces, and is a guy opposing lineups won’t be excited to face in the playoffs.
• Royals 5 Twins 2
  • Dayton Moore built a World Series champion in Kansas City, but I understand why the club fired him. At some point, the Royals need to turn it around and start winning again. There’s some building blocks there, though. Bobby Witt Jr., who went 2/4 with an RBI in this contest, is a nice start.
• Padres 1 Cardinals 0
  • Sure, San Diego won this game, but the team’s trade deadline acquisitions on the hitting side have performed worse as Padres than they had with their previous club. Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Brandon Drury won’t lead the Padres anywhere unless they improve at the plate.