AL wild-card race: Yankees beat Blue Jays, close in on top spot with Red Sox loss; Mariners narrow gap

The Yankees are now two games clear of the Red Sox atop the wild-card standings

The 2021 regular season concludes on Sunday, barring any tiebreakers, and the American League wild-card race continues to be the most compelling race still standing. Speaking of which, the Yankees, who entered Tuesday in possession of the top wild-card spot, picked up a huge 7-2 win in their series opener against the Blue Jays, thanks in part to yet another clutch home run by Giancarlo Stanton. 

Meantime, the Red Sox continued their recent skid with a crucial 4-2 loss against the lowly Orioles. This means the Yankees are now two games clear of the Red Sox for the top wild-card spot and right to host the AL Wild Card Game. The Blue Jays, meantime, remain one game behind Boston, while the Mariners are also now just one-half game out. The Yankees' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now down to three. 

Broadly, these teams are headed in different directions. The Yankees have won seven in a row, and the Mariners have prevailed in nine of their past 10. On the other side of things, the Jays have dropped four of six and the Red Sox have lost four in a row. 

Below you'll find the updated AL wild-card standings as well as key scores from the night's action.

AL wild-card standings

1. Yankees -- 90-67 (+2 G)
2. Red Sox -- 88-69
---------------------------
3. Mariners -- 88-70 (1/2 GB)
4. Blue Jays -- 87-70 (1 GB)
5. Athletics -- 85-73 (3 1/2 GB)

Key AL wild-card games, scores

Orioles 4, Red Sox 2 (box score)
Yankees 7, Blue Jays 2 (box score)
Mariners 4, A's 2 (box score)

Now for some takeaways from Tuesday's AL wild card action. 

Red Sox blow lead

The Red Sox entered their Tuesday night road game in Baltimore with a 12-4 record against the Orioles this season, and they also had a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. At that point, however, Ryan Mountcastle hit his 32nd home run of the season, this one a game-tying two-run shot off Chris Sale. Pedro Severino then followed with an RBI single to give Baltimore the lead. That lead stood up. The Orioles, owners of a 5.83 team ERA coming into this game, held Boston to just three hits. 

As noted the Red Sox have now lost four in a row. That losing streak comes on the heels of a seven-game win streak. If there's any current consolation for Boston -- besides, you know, still being in playoff position -- it's that they have a weak schedule the rest of the way. They close out the regular season with two more against the Orioles and then a three-game series against the Nationals.

Stanton stays hot

Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees needed breathing room in this one with a long home run off a pitcher's pitch in the seventh: 

That was Stanton's 35th homer of the season, and he's also now homered in four straight games. Stanton later doubled in this game, and he's now slashing .278/.359/.527 for the season. Stanton's fellow large Yankee cloutsman Aaron Judge also homered against the Jays on Tuesday, and that brings us to this: 

When Judge and Stanton are healthy and at their levels, which they are right now, the Yankees are one of the most dangerous squads around. 

Taillon injured again

Right-hander Jameson Taillon returned from an injured right ankle to start this game against the Blue Jays. He looked strong early, but unfortunately he aggravated that injury in the third inning and had to leave the game. The hope, of course, is that it's a mere tweak and not something that will affect his postseason availability, assuming the Yankees get there. The team should say more about Taillon's outlook on Wednesday. 

Former Marlins president David Samson broke down Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge's recent hot streaks on Wednesday's Nothing Personal with David Samson. Listen below:

The Mariners beat the A's again

Seattle on Tuesday defeated the A's for the 11th straight time and moved to 14-4 against its division rival this season. More critically, they picked up a full game on the Red Sox and are now just a half-game out of playoff position in the AL wild-card chase. Mitch Haniger hit his 38th home run of 2021, and DH Luis Torrens added three hits. The surging M's are now 17-8 in September. They're trying to snap MLB's longest postseason drought, which stretches back to 2001. 

On the Oakland side of things, the A's are all but buried in the playoff chase. Coming into Tuesday's slate, the SportsLine Projection System gave the A's less than a 1.0 percent chance of making the postseason. Throw this critical loss into the mix, and those odds are now effectively zero. They're 3 1/2 games out of position and behind three teams in the race for the final spot. 

[Sep 28, 2021 at 9:52 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Another clutch blast for Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton in the seventh inning turned a tenuous 3-2 Yankee lead over Toronto into a much more comfortable 6-2 lead. He did so with his 35th home run of the season. Stanton announced himself loudly during the Yankees' recent three-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway with multiple clutch homers, and now he's done it again. He's now homered in four straight games and nine times in his last 15 games.

[Sep 28, 2021 at 9:27 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Taillon re-injures ankle

The Yankees announced that starter Jameson Taillon left the game earlier tonight because of a re-aggravation of his injured right ankle. Taillon had just come off the IL. 

[Sep 28, 2021 at 9:03 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Ryu's night is done

Tonight's start occasioned Hyun-Jin Ryu's return from the IL, where he'd been since Sept. 17 thanks to a neck issue. He'd struggled badly prior to the roster move. In 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday night against the Yanks, Ryu allowed three runs while striking out three and walking one. He nearly had a better night, as he allowed his second run on a bloop single from Anthony Rizzo, and the third run allowed by Ryu occurred after he'd exited the game.

[Sep 28, 2021 at 8:13 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Video of Judge homer

Here's a look at his game-tying homer in the third: 

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1443004614811570177

[Sep 28, 2021 at 8:11 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Yankees' Taillon leaves start with apparent injury

Troubling news for the Yankees, as starting pitcher Jameson Taillon was pulled in the bottom of the third with an apparent injury. Taillon, who had been pitching fairly well, was fresh off the IL where he'd been since Sept. 6 with an ankle injury. By the looks of things, Taillon may have tweaked that same injury. He was replaced by Michael King, and the Yankees figure to provide an update soon. 

[Sep 28, 2021 at 8:07 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Judge ties it up

Aaron Judge's solo homer off a full-count fastball from Ryu in the third ties up the game at 1-1. Judge this season is now batting .287/.372/.540 with 37 home runs in 143 games. Health will always be a concern for it, but when he's on the field he produces, as evinced by his career OPS+ of 149.

[Sep 28, 2021 at 7:30 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Jays strike first

In the top of the first, Hyun-Jin Ryu escaped a jam to keep the Yankees scoreless. In the home half, Jameson Taillon was close to a similar feat, but Bo Bichette ripped a two-out RBI single to plate George Springer and give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead in this one. 

[Sep 28, 2021 at 7:11 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Expanded capacity at Rogers Centre

The Jays were recently allowed to expand capacity at home games to 30,000 thanks to improving COVID-19 rates in Canada. That means the Jays and Yankees will be playing in front of the largest Rogers Centre crowds in a long time. That 30,000 ticket capacity will no doubt be met in each of these three games.

The Jays are 21-9 in games at Rogers Centre this season after playing home tilts earlier in the season in Florida and then Buffalo.