The Atlanta Braves have finally lost a game. While you would think that this would have nuked their chances in the Lottery Odds, it actually hasn’t been all that bad because the teams that are closely surrounding the Braves in this race have also been in good form down the final stretch of the season. So without further ado, let’s take a look at what’s been happening in the Lottery race.
Pirates 4, Reds 3
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Reds are still in the Postseason hunt here in the final stages of the season and
they could ill-afford a series loss to the Pirates of all teams. Yet, it happened! The pitchers’ duel between Paul Skenes and Hunter Greene delivered some prime entertainment. Pittsburgh put up those two runs against Greene while Skenes was nearly untouchable for six innings. Noelvi Marte’s inside-the-park dinger in the eighth and then Tyler Stephenson’s game-tying homer in the ninth inning forced extra innings. This one actually went to the eleventh inning after both teams managed to push across one run. Pittsburgh’s second RBI double of extra innings gave them the advantage in the eleventh and despite Cincinnati loading up the bases with two outs in their half of the inning, Yohan Ramírez held on and got the final out in order to send Cincy into the doldrums.
Rangers 4, Twins 2
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Rangers are done so this is too little, too late for them. The Twins have been cooked since the Trade Deadline, so any type of resistance coming from them usually comes as a surprise. Byron Buxton hit a leadoff dinger for Minnesota and that was the only run they’d score until the eighth. To Minnesota’s credit, they did keep Texas quiet (for the most part) until the eighth inning, which is when the Rangers broke out for three runs. Well, two of those were gifts as Travis Adams and Génesis Cabrera both uncorked wild pitches that resulted in runners crossing home plate for Texas. The four runs were enough for the Rangers to hold on to a win that they sure could’ve used at any point last weekend.
Athletics 6, Astros 0
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Astros are officially in Wild Card hunt mode. However, after this lame performance against the A’s in Sacramento, it’s looking like the race for the final Wild Card spot in the AL between Houston and Detroit will come down to which team stinks the least to end the season. Detroit has lost eight straight and the Astros have now lost five in a row after the A’s dominated them in this one. Luis Severino pitched 6.1 scoreless innings for the A’s and old friend Shea Langeliers delivered four hits (including a homer) in this one as this was a very comfortable win for the Athletics. Both this team and the Marlins have essentially kept the Braves in the thick of the Lottery Odds race despite their recent success.
Phillies 11, Marlins 1
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
This was a tie game at 1-1 heading into the fourth inning, with Kyle Schwarber’s 55th homer of the season being the only run of the game for Philly at that point. Then Philadelphia unleashed an onslaught of offense that left the Marlins swept up in a whirlpool of pain over the next five innings. Schwarber added his 56th dinger of the in the seventh inning and that was the frame that broke the game open and turned it into a laugher. That was the first of four homers that the Phillies would crack out of there against Valente Bellozo — way to make him wear it! Anyways, the Marlins have looked great over the past couple of weeks but they ran into an absolute buzzsaw on this particular night.
Rays 6, Orioles 2
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Rays have suddenly and silently become a sneaky Lottery contender, as they now have the same record as the Marlins and the same amount of losses as the Giants (who have also suddenly found themselves in the hunt). Anyways, there wasn’t much to write home about when it came to this one — the Rays were simply the better team in this one and held a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning. This Orioles team hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire lately, so that six-run lead was more than enough for the Rays to eventually saunter to victory.
With the Braves having today off, it’s time to do your own Lottery Look-In at the various games that are happening across baseball this afternoon. The Pirates are going for a sweep in just a few minutes against the Reds but “unfortunately,” the Braves can’t catch up with them (or the Twins) any more so we’ll be leaving them out of this from here on out — especially considering that the Braves are ending the season against Pittsburgh. However, wins from the Orioles, Marlins and A’s would sure do Atlanta a whole lot of good. Let’s see if it’ll happen.
For a more detailed look at the Lottery race, check out Tankathon.
