MLB Roundup: Reds Clinch, Jays, Dodgers Set

The final day of the regular season delivered clarity across both leagues. Cincinnati grabbed the last NL wild-card spot despite a loss, Boston and Toronto locked down their seeding in the AL, and several contenders tuned up before October. It was also a day of milestones, from Shohei Ohtani’s 55th homer to Clayton Kershaw’s final regular-season start.

Brewers 4, Reds 2

Danny Jansen’s two-run blast fueled Milwaukee’s comeback win over Cincinnati, but the Reds still secured their first postseason berth since 2020 thanks to the Mets’ loss. Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl went deep for Cincinnati, which enters as the NL’s No. 6 seed and heads to Los Angeles for a wild-card series with the Dodgers. Milwaukee finished with a franchise-best 97 wins and enjoys a bye into the NLDS.

Fans can track every postseason line move with the MLB odds and scores board.

Capper Insight: James Acker, leading the picks leaderboard with +$1,626 last 30 days, circled the Brewers’ late-game bullpen as his edge in this spot.

Marlins 4, Mets 0

Edward Cabrera worked around five walks in five scoreless innings as Miami ended New York’s slim playoff hopes. Miami did its damage in the fourth, stringing together doubles by Eric Wagaman and Brian Navarreto. Pete Alonso nearly flipped momentum with a 116-mph liner, but Javier Sanoja’s leaping catch kept the shutout intact.

Capper Insight: Kyle Parker (+$1,310) had flagged Miami’s pitching as undervalued in September. Backing the Marlins in tight spots has been one of his sharper plays during a 58.9% run.

Red Sox 4, Tigers 3

Boston locked in the No. 5 seed in the AL with timely hitting against Detroit. Masataka Yoshida and David Hamilton homered, while Jarren Duran’s late RBI sealed it. Jose De Leon, recalled from Triple-A, gave the Sox 6 2/3 solid innings with eight strikeouts. Detroit collapsed after leading its division by 15 1/2 games in July, slipping to the No. 6 AL seed.

Capper Insight: Jack Jones, sitting at 84% winners (16-3 in September), had Boston circled as one of his weekend plays. His edge came from the Tigers’ declining bullpen form, which once again showed up in the finale.

Yankees 3, Orioles 2

Ben Rice homered twice, including the go-ahead solo shot in the eighth, as New York edged Baltimore to tie Toronto atop the AL East. Luis Gil allowed two runs over five innings before the bullpen delivered four scoreless frames. Despite the win, the Yankees lost the division tiebreaker and will host Boston in the wild-card round. Baltimore, now 75-87, posted its first losing season since 2021.

Capper Insight: Patrick Doyle (+$875) leaned New York in this spot, citing their bullpen stability. His selective card has emphasized late-season edges like this.

Blue Jays 13, Rays 4

Alejandro Kirk powered Toronto to its first AL East crown since 2015 with two homers, including a grand slam, and six RBIs. George Springer and Addison Barger also went deep as the Blue Jays routed Tampa Bay. Mason Fluharty earned the win in relief of Kevin Gausman. Toronto now opens postseason play against Boston, while the Rays head into the offseason.

Padres 12, Diamondbacks 4

San Diego closed hot, winning seven of its final eight to clinch momentum entering October. Manny Machado homered, Jackson Merrill drove in three, and J.P. Sears worked 5 2/3 strong innings. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt surrendered eight runs in four-plus innings as the Diamondbacks limped into the offseason despite Ketel Marte’s 28th homer.

Capper Insight: Kyle Parker, 33-23 in MLB (+$1,310), identified San Diego’s September surge early. He leaned Padres run line here, extending his strong form into the postseason.

Dodgers 6, Mariners 1

Clayton Kershaw tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in what may be his final regular-season start, guiding Los Angeles past Seattle. Shohei Ohtani added his 55th homer, breaking his own franchise record, while Freddie Freeman and Hyeseong Kim also went deep. The Dodgers locked in the NL’s No. 3 seed and host the Reds in the wild-card series. Seattle closed 78-84, with Eugenio Suarez driving in the lone run.

Cubs 2, Cardinals 0

Seiya Suzuki homered for the fifth time in four games as Chicago completed a sweep of St. Louis. Javier Assad struck out six across 5 1/3 shutout innings, while Jordan Wicks earned a three-inning save. The Cubs secured home field in their wild-card matchup with San Diego. St. Louis closed the season at 78-84 after dropping its final four games.

Royals 9, Athletics 2

Mike Yastrzemski hit two home runs and Carter Jensen added another as Kansas City topped Oakland to finish 82-80. Michael Massey collected four hits and Cole Ragans struck out eight over 4 1/3 innings before Daniel Lynch IV earned the win in relief. The A’s wrapped up at 76-86 despite a late-season push.

White Sox 8, Nationals 0

Shane Smith carried a perfect game into the sixth before finishing six innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts. Chicago’s offense broke out with homers from Brooks Baldwin, Dominic Fletcher, and Miguel Vargas. Washington’s Brad Lord allowed five runs over four innings as the Nationals closed a sixth straight losing campaign.

Guardians 9, Rangers 8 (10 innings)

Brayan Rocchio delivered a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th as Cleveland stormed back to beat Texas. The Guardians, winners of the AL Central, now host Detroit in the wild-card round. Rowdy Tellez had given the Rangers an 8-5 lead with a three-run shot in the top half, but Cleveland answered with four in the bottom frame.

Capper Insight: James Acker, who leads the MLB leaderboard at +$1,626, highlighted Cleveland’s late-season resilience. His card leaned Guardians moneyline, another profitable playoff prep pick.

Astros 6, Angels 2

Houston closed its season with home runs from Yainer Diaz, Ramon Urias, Brice Matthews, and Victor Caratini in a win at Los Angeles. Despite the victory, the Astros missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. Colton Gordon threw five no-hit innings in relief. Mike Trout homered in a cameo before exiting early.

Phillies 2, Twins 1 (10 innings)

Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th as Philadelphia edged Minnesota. Cristopher Sanchez struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, while Max Kepler homered for the Twins. Philadelphia closed with an MLB-best 55-26 home record and enters October as a National League favorite.

Giants 4, Rockies 0

Willy Adames hit his 30th home run and Rafael Devers added his 35th as San Francisco completed a sweep of Colorado. Logan Webb worked 5 1/3 shutout innings for his 15th win. The Giants finished 81-81, while the Rockies dropped their sixth straight to end at 43-119, tied for the third-most losses in modern MLB history.

Braves 4, Pirates 1

Chris Sale threw 5 2/3 strong innings in relief of Charlie Morton, who made what is likely the final appearance of his 17-year career. Ronald Acuña Jr. provided the offense with a home run as Atlanta wrapped its regular season. Johan Oviedo allowed two runs across five innings for Pittsburgh.

Handicappers Roundup

The regular season finished strong for Sportshub cappers. James Acker topped the MLB board at +$1,626 over the last month, riding a 34-19 record into October. Kyle Parker closed with +$1,310 profit, leaning on consistent moneyline and run line calls. Jack Jones was the most accurate, hitting 84 percent of his plays (16-3), while Computer Picks delivered a 20-5 surge worth +$1,200. Patrick Doyle added +$875 behind a 15-7 record, rounding out a profitable top tier.

Other names made noise as well — Cajun Sports finished September with a strong totals run, Gino De Luca found success with selective dogs, and Black Widow Sports Picks capped off another winning stretch.

With the postseason set, the full board of experts is live. Check today’s Free Service Plays to see which cappers are lining up for October baseball.f-three wild-card round that begins Tuesday.

The Mariners’ Bryce Miller (4-6) allowed four runs on five hits over four innings. Eugenio Suarez drove in his squad’s lone run and finished the season with 118 RBIs.