It was a busy day across Major League Baseball, with decisive wins from the Royals, Brewers, Athletics, Padres, Dodgers, and Nationals as teams continue to jockey for playoff positioning.

Royals 6, Rangers 4

Vinnie Pasquantino’s 26th home run of the season broke a tie in the fifth inning and propelled the Kansas City Royals past the Texas Rangers in a 6-4 victory.

Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez each had two hits, while Kansas City’s bullpen combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Angel Zerpa (5-1) picked up the win.

Corey Seager led the Rangers with three hits, but Jacob Webb (4-4) was tagged with the loss.

Brewers 4, Cubs 1

Brice Turang smashed his 14th homer of the season as the Milwaukee Brewers handled the Chicago Cubs on the road.

Turang’s two-run blast off Shota Imanaga in the second inning set the tone, and Isaac Collins added insurance with a two-run single in the eighth. Trevor Megill notched his 30th save of the year.

NL Central Snapshot

Athletics 8, Twins 3

The Oakland Athletics completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins, their first in Minneapolis since 2014.

Tyler Soderstrom went a perfect 4-for-4, while Lawrence Butler’s three-run double highlighted Oakland’s 12-hit performance. Nick Kurtz added his 26th homer of the season.

Padres 8, Giants 4

Manny Machado powered the San Diego Padres with a two-hit, three-RBI performance, including a crucial two-run double during a six-run fifth inning.

San Francisco, now 9-22 since the All-Star break, saw Rafael Devers and Willy Adames connect for back-to-back homers but fell short against their NL West rivals.

Dodgers 9, Rockies 5

With Shohei Ohtani resting after being struck by a comebacker the night before, the Los Angeles Dodgers relied on Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages, who both went deep in a 9-5 victory at Coors Field.

Clayton Kershaw (8-2) earned his 220th career win, pitching 5 2/3 innings. Brenton Doyle drove in four runs for Colorado, including a home run.

Nationals 9, Mets 3

James Wood launched a three-run homer, and Brady House tallied three hits as the Washington Nationals stormed back to beat the New York Mets.

Washington’s bullpen delivered 4 2/3 innings of shutout relief, while Jackson Rutledge (2-2) grabbed the win.

Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff home run and Starling Marte added another for New York, but their offense stalled after the fourth inning.

NL East Snapshot

What’s Next

The playoff race continues to heat up, with contenders like the Royals, Brewers, and Dodgers building momentum. Meanwhile, the Giants and Rangers find themselves slipping at a crucial point in the season.

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