And for the third consecutive year, there will be a one-game playoff to decide a spot for the MLB postseason. This year’s playoff matchup features the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. Both teams finished with a record of 86-76 and will live to play a 163rd game. The game will be played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday at 5:07 PM EST. Rick Porcello will be the starting pitcher for the Tigers while Scott Baker will step up to the mound for the Twins.

The Tigers had lost their last three games before finally earning a win behind a solid performance by Justin Verlander. Verlander struck out five in 7.2 innings as he picked up his 19th victory of the season. Ryan Raburn homered twice while Magglio Ordonez added a long ball of his own to lift Detroit to victory; it was Ordonez’s first home run since August 16.

Unfortunately, for the Tigers, they weren’t able to clinch their first division title since 1987. The Minnesota Twins jumped out to a 7-0 lead after just three innings and held on to win by a final score of 13 to 4. Carl Pavano improved to 14-12 on the season despite pitching on just three days rest. Jason Kubel hit a pair of three-run home runs in the first three innings while Delmon Young added two solo home runs of his own to lift Minnesota to victory; Michael Cuddyer also went deep for the Twins, who won 16 of their last 20 games to force the one-game playoff.

It will be the second consecutive season in which the Minnesota Twins will play in a one-game playoff for the AL Central title; no other team in MLB history has accomplished such a feat. In last year’s game against the Chicago White Sox, Jim Thome’s solo home run proved to be the game-winner as Chicago edged Minnesota by a score of 1 to 0.

The winner of the Minnesota/Detroit game on Tuesday will play the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

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Cincinnati Reds 3 Houston Astros 1- Bronson Arroyo gave up one earned run on six hits in seven innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the season. Jay Bruce singled in two runs in the 7th while Brandon Phillips added a solo shot in the 8th to lift Cincinnati to Win #65 of the year. Carlos Lee doubled in the lone Houston run of the game in the 6th inning; the Astros fell to 70-74 on the season. Francisco Cordero worked the 9th inning for Cincinnati and picked up his 35th save of the year.

Chicago Cubs 2 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Ryan Dempster joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering four hits in eight shutout innings; Dempster walked one and struck out four. Derrek Lee blasted his 33rd long ball of the season in the 4th inning for Chicago, who improved to 74-68 on the year; Lee has now homered seven times in his last ten games. Kosuke Fukudome drove in the other run of the game in the 8th inning with a sacrifice fly. Carlos Marmol shut down the Brewers in the 9th inning to earn his 13th save in 17 chances. Milwaukee fell to 69-74 on the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 8 Baltimore Orioles 4- David Price improved to 8-7 as a starter after squandering four runs (three earned) on seven hits in seven innings. Rookie Reid Brignac went 4-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs to lift Tampa Bay to Win #73 of the season; it was Brignac’s first major league long ball. B.J. Upton, who scored on Brignac’s two-run blast in the 2nd inning, also went deep for the Rays, who registered 15 hits to snap an eleven-game losing streak. Melvin Mora, Matt Wieters, and Luke Scott each drove in a run in the 1st inning for Baltimore, but it was not enough as the Orioles suffered their 85th loss of the year.

Detroit Tigers 6 Toronto Blue Jays 5- Marco Scutaro’s second error of the game enabled Brandon Inge to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and lift Detroit to its 77th victory of the season. The game would never have reached extra innings had Aubrey Huff not blasted a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Ryan Raburn drove in the other runs for the Tigers: one on a solo shot in the 1st inning, and the other on an RBI single in the 5th. Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion homered in the 6th inning for Toronto, but the Blue Jays ended up losing their 79th game of the year.

New York Yankees 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- A throwing error by Angels catcher Mike Napoli enabled Brett Gardner to break a 3-3 tie and lift the Yankees to Win #93 of the season. Nick Swisher hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning while Mark Teixeira added a two-run triple in the 5th for New York, who improved to 42-15 since the All-Star break. Vladimir Guerrero belted a home run in the 2nd inning for the Angels, but it was not enough as Los Angeles fell to 86-57 on the year. Mariano Rivera joined the MLB’s 40-save club after shutting down the Angels in the 9th inning; it was Rivera’s first 40-save season since 2005.

Oakland Athletics 9 Texas Rangers 0- Brett Tomko pitched a complete-game five-hitter en route to Win #5 of the season. Ryan Sweeney drove in four runs while Adam Kennedy added 3 RBIs to lift Oakland to its 65th victory of the year. The Rangers were shut out for the second consecutive game, going scoreless in 19 innings. Texas fell to 80-63 on the season and is now 4.5 games behind Boston in the AL Wild Card.

Minnesota Twins 6 Cleveland Indians 3- Behind a six-run 8th inning, Minnesota climbed back up to .500 with Win #72 of the season. Michael Cuddyer hit a tying three-run home run to level the score at three. Delmon Young scored the go-ahead run on a Chris Perez wild pitch, and Jason Kubel blasted a two-run bomb to give the Twins a 6-3 lead. Cleveland scored all of its runs of home runs from Trevor Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo; it was not enough, however, as Cleveland fell to 61-82 on the year, clinching a losing season. Joe Nathan picked up his 39th save of the year after working the 9th inning for Minnesota.

St. Louis Cardinals 11 Florida Marlins 6- A pair of four-run innings lifted the St. Louis Cardinals to Win #85 of the season. Matt Holliday and Ryan Ludwick each hit a two-run single in the 1st inning. Holliday added an RBI double in the 8th inning to give him 102 on the season; it was Holliday’s third 100 RBI season in the MLB. Colby Rasmus blasted a three-run bomb in the bottom of the 8th inning for St. Louis, whose magic number for clinching the NL Central is ten. Nick Johnson hit a two-run home run in the 4th inning for Florida to break a 4-4 tie, but it was not enough as the Marlins fell to 76-68 on the year.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 San Diego Padres 2- Brandon Allen’s RBI single in the 10th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to Win #63 of the season. Diamondbacks starter Billy Buckner gave up two runs (only one was earned) on nine hits in six innings, but did not factor in the decision; he would have ended up with the loss, however, had he not singled in two runs in the 2nd inning for Arizona. Chase Headley drove in both runs for San Diego, who reached the 80-loss milestone. Juan Gutierrez worked the 10th inning for Arizona and picked up his 4th save in five chances.

Los Angeles Dodgers 6 Pittsburgh Pirates 2- Andre Ethier’s two-run blast in the 5th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Dodgers to their 86th victory of the season. Los Angeles starter Jon Garland joined the MLB’s 10-win club after scattering two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Orlando Hudson drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who won five of their last seven. Ramon Vazquez and Ryan Doumit each drove in a run for the Pirates, but Pittsburgh ended up losing its 87th game of the year.

San Francisco Giants 9 Colorado Rockies 1- Tim Lincecum improved to 14-5 as a starter after holding Colorado to one earned run on six hits in seven innings; Lincecum walked four and struck out eleven. Bengie Molina blasted his 18th home run of the season in the 3rd inning while Eugenio Velez added 4 RBIs to lift San Francisco to its 78th victory of the season. Carlos Gonzalez scored the lone Colorado run of the game in the 7th inning on a Tim Lincecum wild pitch, but the Rockies ended up suffering Loss #63 of the year. Colorado’s lead in the NL Wild Card is now down to 3.5 games over San Francisco.

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Pittsburgh Pirates 6 Philadelphia Phillies 4- Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off two-run home run to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to their 52nd win of the year. Philadelphia actually led 4-3 in the middle of the 9th, scoring two in the top half to force a bottom half. Nevertheless, the Phillies ended up losing their 51st game of the year. Ryan Doumit and Steve Pearce also went deep for Pittsburgh. Jimmy Rollins went deep twice for Philadelphia.

Florida Marlins 2 New York Mets 1- Sean West squandered one earned run on six hits in six innings as he picked up his 5th victory of the season. Dan Uggla and Ross Gload drove in the runs for the Marlins, who improved to 66-59 on the season. Fernando Tatis singled in the only run for New York, who not only lost Johan Santana for the season, but also its 69th game of the year. Leo Nunez pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and earned his 15th save of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 1 Houston Astros 0- Adam Wainwright scattered three hits in eight scoreless innings as he joined the MLB’s 15-win club. Albert Pujols doubled in the only run of the game in the 1st inning for St. Louis, who improved to 73-54 on the season. Ryan Franklin shut down the Astros in the 9th inning to earn his 33rd save of the year. Wandy Rodriguez gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings, but was issued his 8th loss of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 7 Toronto Blue Jays 3- Carlos Pena went deep not once, but twice to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to their 69th win of the season; Pena, who has 37 home runs on the year, registered his 4th multihomer game of the season. James Shields won his 8th game of the year after allowing three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings. Aaron Hill and Travis Snider went deep for the Blue Jays, but it was not enough as Toronto suffered Loss #67 of the season.

Boston Red Sox 6 Chicago White Sox 3- Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 55th base of the season, setting a franchise record for stolen bases in a season. Jason Bay hit a solo home run in the 8th inning for the Red Sox, who improved to 72-53 on the year. Jonathan Papelbon worked the 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 30-save club. Jayson Nix homered for Chicago, but it was not enough as the White Sox suffered their 63rd loss of the season.

San Diego Padres 2 Atlanta Braves 1- David Eckstein’s RBI double in the 12th inning lifted the San Diego Padres to their 53rd win of the season. Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning for the Padres; it was his 34th long ball of the season. Atlanta forced extra innings when Adam LaRoche singled in the 9th inning to drive in Reid Gorecki. However, it was not enough as the Braves fell to 66-59 on the season. Edward Mujica pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to earn his second save of the season.

Cincinnati Reds 8 Milwaukee Brewers 6- Joey Votto and Laynce Nix hit solo home runs in the top of the 13th inning to lift the Reds to Win #53 of the season; Nix also hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning for Cincinnati. Milwaukee actually trailed 6-1 in the middle of the 9th inning, but a five-run 9th forced extra innings. Felipe Lopez hit a solo blast for Milwaukee in the 3rd inning, but the Brewers ended up losing their 64th game of the year.

Washington Nationals 15 Chicago Cubs 6- Garrett Mock won his third game of the season after giving up four earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. Josh Willingham homered twice while Elijah Dukes went deep once for the Nationals, who won their 45th game of the season and avoided clinching a losing season (for now at least). Carlos Zambrano was issued his 5th loss of the season after squandering eight earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings; Zambrano actually scored the first run for Chicago on a solo home run in the 3rd inning. Milton Bradley and Jake Fox also went deep for Chicago, but the Cubs ended up suffering Loss #61 of the year.

Colorado Rockies 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 4- For the second night in a row, the Colorado Rockies won in extra innings in walk-off fashion. Troy Tulowitzki’s RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Rockies to their 72nd win of the season. Matt Herges picked up the win after pitching a perfect 10th inning for the Rockies, who are now two games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes hit the long balls for Colorado, and Troy Tulowitzki drove in the other two runs for the Rockies. Casey Blake hit a solo home run for Los Angeles, who forced extra innings by scoring two runs in the top of the 9th inning. However, it was not enough as the Dodgers suffered their 52nd loss of the year.

San Francisco Giants 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 4- With the score tied at two in the bottom of the 8th inning, Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run blast to lift San Francisco to Win #68 of the season. Juan Uribe hit a solo home run for San Francisco in the 2nd inning; it was Uribe’s 7th long ball of the season. Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts each drove in two runs for Arizona, but it was not enough as the Diamondbacks fell to 55-71 on the year. Sergio Romo recorded the final out of the game and earned his 2nd save in as many chances.

Seattle Mariners 4 Oakland Athletics 2- Ryan Langerhans’s walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning lifted the Seattle Mariners to their 65th win of the season. Russell Branyan also went deep for Seattle in the 2nd inning. Mark Lowe worked the 10th inning for Seattle and earned his second win of the season. Scott Hairston and Adam Kennedy drove in the runs for the Athletics, but Oakland ended up reaching the 70-loss milestone.

Texas Rangers 10 New York Yankees 9- Elvis Andrus turned an unassisted double play to preserve the Rangers’ 10-9 victory over the Yankees. Texas scored five runs in the 4th inning en route to reaching the 70-win milestone. The Yankees scored four in the 1st inning and 4 in the 9th, but it was not enough as New York fell to 78-47 on the year. Nelson Cruz and Michael Young went deep for Texas while Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano hit the long balls for New York.

Kansas City Royals 6 Cleveland Indians 2- Zack Greinke struck out a team-record fifteen in eight innings as he improved to 12-8 as a starter. Miguel Olivo and Mitch Maier hit the long balls for Kansas City, who improved to 48-77 on the season; it was Maier’s first major league long ball since 2006. Andy Marte went deep for the Indians, but it was not enough as Cleveland reached the 70-loss milestone.

Minnesota Twins 7 Baltimore Orioles 6- Delmon Young went 4-for-5 with two runs scored; his final hit of the game was a walk-off single that drove in Michael Cuddyer and lifted the Twins to their 63rd victory of the year. Justin Morneau hit a long ball in the 3rd inning for the Twins, who extended their winning streak to five as they climbed back up to .500. Michael Aubrey drove in three runs for the Orioles, but it was not enough as Baltimore fell to 51-75 on the season.

Detroit Tigers 5 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Jarrod Washburn improved to 9-7 as a starter after scattering three earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera each hit a solo home run for the Tigers, who improved to 67-58 on the season; Cabrera ended the game with 2 RBIs. The Angels scored all three of their runs on a Howie Kendrick home run in the 2nd inning, but it was not enough as Los Angeles reached the 50-loss milestone. Fernando Rodney shut down the Angels in the 9th inning and earned his 28th save of the season.

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Cincinnati Reds 2 San Francisco Giants 1- Drew Stubbs found the perfect time to hit his first career long ball. His walk-off blast in the 10th inning lifted the Cincinnati Reds to their 51st victory of the season. Laynce Nix also went deep for the Reds, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Juan Uribe scored San Francisco’s lone run of the game on an Aaron Harang wild pitch. Matt Cain gave up one earned run on eight hits in eight innings, but did not receive a decision; Cain is still 1-1 in three career starts at the Great American Ball Park.

Detroit Tigers 7 Seattle Mariners 6- Down 6-5 in the middle of the 9th, the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom half of that inning to improve to 64-56 on the season. Brandon Inge’s sacrifice fly tied the game at six, and Clete Thomas’ RBI single won the game for Detroit. Inge and Ryan Raburn homered for the Tigers. Jose Lopez, Kenji Johjima, Mike Sweeney, and Russell Branyan went deep for the Mariners, who suffered their 59th loss of the year.

Colorado Rockies 4 Washington Nationals 1- Jason Hammel gave up one earned run on three hits in seven innings as he picked up his eighth victory of the season. Carlos Gonzalez, Yorvit Torrealba, Troy Tulowitzki, and Brad Hawpe each drove in a run for the Rockies, who improved to 68-53. Colorado completed a three-game sweep of the Nationals, who suffered their 78th loss of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies 12 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Joe Blanton scattered three earned runs on ten hits in eight innings as he improved to 8-6 as a starter. Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz, and Ryan Howard went deep for Philadelphia, who completed a three-game sweep of Arizona. The Phillies improved to 69-49 on the season, winning their 4th straight game and eight of their last nine.

Atlanta Braves 3 New York Mets 2- Kenshin Kawakami outdueled Johan Santana as the Braves earned Win #64 of the season. Kawakami gave up one earned run on seven hits in seven innings as he improved to 6-9 on the season. Brian McCann hit his 15th long ball of the year in the 4th inning for the Braves, who have won nine of their last twelve games. Santana scattered three earned runs on nine hits in seven innings, but was issued his ninth loss of the year.

Houston Astros 4 Florida Marlins 1- Wandy Rodriguez earned his 12th win of the season after giving up one unearned run on four hits in eight innings; Rodriguez also doubled in a run for Houston in the 5th inning. Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence went deep for the Astros, who improved to 59-62 on the year. Dan Uggla drove in the lone Florida run of the game with a fielder’s choice in the first inning. The Marlins mustered just four hits during the game, ending their streak of 10-hit games at fifteen.

Cleveland Indians 11 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3- Justin Masterson scattered one unearned run on three hits in 6.1 innings on his way to Win #4 of the season. Matt LaPorta went 1-for-3 with 1 run scored and a career-high 3 RBIs as he helped the Indians earn their 52nd win of the season. Kendry Morales hit a long ball in the 8th inning for Los Angeles, but it was not enough as the Angels fell to 73-46 on the season.

Boston Red Sox 8 Toronto Blue Jays 1- Jon Lester squandered one earned run on three hits in eight innings as he joined the MLB’s 10-win club. J.D. Drew homered twice while Victor Martinez went deep once for the Red Sox, who won their 69th game of the season. Boston completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, who fell to 55-64. Rod Barajas drove in the lone Toronto run of the game when he grounded into a double play in the 1st inning.

Baltimore Orioles 8 Tampa Bay Rays 7- Brian Matusz scattered four earned runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings as he picked up his second win of the year. Brian Roberts hit his 4th career grand slam and Nolan Reimold added a three-run blast to lift the Orioles to their 49th victory of the season. Ben Zobrist hit the long ball for the Rays, but it was not enough as Tampa Bay fell to 65-55 on the year.

Texas Rangers 11 Minnesota Twins 1- Derek Holland gave up one earned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings as he improved to 7-7 as a starter. Marlon Byrd homered twice while Julio Borbon and Nelson Cruz each went deep once for Texas, who improved to 68-52 on the season; for Borbon, it was his first career major-league home run. With this win, the Rangers stayed within one game of Boston for the AL Wild Card lead. Delmon Young scored the lone Minnesota run on a solo shot in the 5th inning.

St. Louis Cardinals 5 San Diego Padres 1- Joel Pineiro squandered one earned run on four hits in 7.2 innings as he won his 12th game of the season. Brendan Ryan’s grand slam in the second inning propelled the Cardinals to the 70-win milestone, increasing their NL Central lead to a season-high seven games over the Chicago Cubs. Yadier Molina drove in the other run for St. Louis, who has won 16 of its last 21 games. Kyle Blanks hit a solo shot for San Diego in the 2nd inning, but the Padres ended up losing their 72nd game of the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 Chicago Cubs 2- Russell Martin’s grand slam in the 6th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Dodgers to Win #72 of the season; it was Martin’s second career home run with the bases loaded. Andre Ethier, Rafael Furcal, and Casey Blake drove in the other runs for Los Angeles, who had scored at most three runs in five of their last seven games. Kosuke Fukudome homered for Chicago, who fell to 61-58 on the year.

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Colorado Rockies 4 Washington Nationals 3- Ubaldo Jimenez gave up two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, and Clint Barmes all hit solo shots for the Rockies, who improved to 66-53 on the season; Hawpe ended the game with 2 RBIs. Craig Stammen, Nyjer Morgan, and Cristian Guzman drove in the runs for Washington, who suffered Loss #76 of the year.

Philadelphia Phillies 5 Arizona Diamondbacks 1- Jamie Moyer gave up two hits in six scoreless innings in relief as he picked up Win #11 of the year; Pedro Martinez started the game and went only three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits. Martinez gave up a long ball to Stephen Drew. Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz hit the long balls for Philadelphia, who improved to 67-49 on the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates 5 Milwaukee Brewers 2- Ross Ohlendorf squandered one earned run on five hits in seven innings as he improved to 11-8 as a starter. Delwyn Young and Lastings Milledge homered for the Pirates, who won their 48th game of the season. Prince Fielder went deep for the Brewers, who suffered their 61st loss of the year. Casey McGehee drove in the other run for Milwaukee.

San Francisco Giants 8 Cincinnati Reds 5- Tim Lincecum didn’t have a very impressive day at the mound, squandering five earned runs on six hits in six innings. Luckily for him, his Giants offense mustered enough runs to earn their 65th victory of the year. Juan Uribe homered for the Giants, and Ryan Garko drove in four runs to hand Cincinnati its 4th consecutive loss. Joey Votto went deep for the Reds, who fell to 50-68 on the season.

New York Mets 9 Atlanta Braves 4- Behind an eight-run 4th inning, the New York Mets earned their 56th victory of the season against their NL East opponent. Oliver Perez gave up four earned runs on five hits in five innings as he picked up his third victory of the season. Atlanta scored all of its runs off long balls from Matt Diaz and Adam LaRoche, but the Braves ended up losing their 57th game of the year.

Florida Marlins 6 Houston Astros 2- Ricky Nolasco pitched a complete game three-hitter en route to his 9th victory of the season; he gave up two earned runs in the 1st inning on a Carlos Lee long ball. Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and Jeremy Hermida all homered for the Marlins, who improved to 64-55 on the season. The Marlins have now registered at least ten hits in each of their last fourteen games.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5 Cleveland Indians 4- Trevor Bell gave up three earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings as he earned his first major league win. Brian Fuentes worked the 9th inning for Los Angeles and earned his 35th save in 40 chances. Jhonny Peralta singled in two runs for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Indians fell to 51-67 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 5 Seattle Mariners 3- A four-run 8th inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to their 63rd victory of the season, denying Felix Hernandez a chance to earn his 13th win of the season. Alex Avila hit a solo shot to start off the scoring in the 8th inning for Detroit. Miguel Cabrera’s two-run single then gave Detroit a 4-3 lead. Ryan Raburn then stole home to score Detroit’s 5th run of the game. Josh Wilson hit a long ball for the Mariners, but it was not enough as Seattle fell to 61-58 on the season. Russell Branyan and Ken Griffey Jr. drove in the other Seattle runs with sacrifice flies in the 8th inning. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and earned his 25th save of the year.

Boston Red Sox 10 Toronto Blue Jays 9- David Ortiz went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored; he also hit a solo home run in the 4th inning. Jason Bay also went deep for Boston, who improved to 67-51 on the season. Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless inning of relief and earned his 4th victory of the year. Randy Ruiz, Travis Snider, and Rod Barajas went deep for the Blue Jays, who fell to 55-62 on the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Baltimore Orioles 4- David Price gave up two earned runs on seven hits in five innings as he picked up Win #6 of the year. Gabe Gross, Pat Burrell, and B.J. Upton went deep for the Rays, who improved to 64-54 on the year. Matt Wieters hit a long ball for Baltimore, but it was not enough as the Orioles fell to 48-71 on the season. J.P. Howell struck out the side in the 9th inning to earn his 13th save of the year.

Minnesota Twins 9 Texas Rangers 6- Joe Mauer went deep twice while Delmon Young hit a two-run blast for Minnesota to lift the Twins to their 57th victory of the season, spoiling Ivan Rodriguez’s return to Texas; Young ended the game with 4 RBIs. Ian Kinsler hit a three-run bomb in the 3rd inning for the Rangers, who suffered their 51st loss of the season. Joe Nathan joined the MLB’s 30-save club after shutting down the Rangers in the 9th inning.

Kansas City Royals 5 Chicago White Sox 4- Gil Meche gave up four earned runs on eight hits in five innings as he improved to 6-9 as a starter. John Buck hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for Kansas City, who earned Win #47 of the year. Billy Butler had a pair of RBI doubles and scored the winning run on an Alberto Callaspo single in the 5th inning. Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin went deep for the White Sox, who fell to 61-59 on the season. Joakim Soria pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning and joined the MLB’s 20-save club.

New York Yankees 7 Oakland Athletics 2- C.C. Sabathia gave up two earned runs on five hits in eight innings as he picked up his 14th victory of the season. For Sabathia, it was his first win in six years in Oakland. Derek Jeter registered his third consecutive three-hit game and drove in the go-ahead run to lift the Yankees to their 75th victory of the season. Kurt Suzuki and Tommy Everidge hit solo shots for Oakland, who fell to 53-66 on the year.

San Diego Padres 6 Chicago Cubs 3- Cesar Carrillo gave up three earned runs on seven hits in six innings as he earned his first major league victory. Kyle Blanks hit an inside-the-park home run while Adrian Gonzalez hit an outside-the-park home run to lift the Padres to their 51st victory of the season. Derrek Lee went deep for Chicago, who fell to 60-57 on the year. The Cubs have lost nine of their last twelve games.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 St. Louis Cardinals 3- Chad Billingsley squandered two earned runs on three hits in six innings as he improved to 12-6 as a starter; Billingsley also drove in the first run of the game with a single in the 4th inning. Rafael Furcal, Manny Ramirez, James Loney, Orlando Hudson, Russell Martin, and Andre Ethier each drove in a run for the Dodgers, who won their 71st game of the season. Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, and Khalil Greene drove in the runs for St. Louis, who suffered Loss #53 of the season.

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Washington Nationals 5 Cincinnati Reds 4- Not even a four-run 5th inning could help the Reds take down the Nationals. Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run single in the top of the 8th inning that gave the Nationals a 5-4 lead. Josh Willingham hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning for Washington, who improved to 43-75 on the season; Willingham ended the game with 3 RBIs. Jonny Gomes hit a long ball for Cincinnati, who suffered Loss #67 of the year.

New York Mets 3 San Francisco Giants 2- With the game tied at 2, Daniel Murphy hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning to score Jeff Francoeur. With this win, the Mets improved to 55-62 on the year while the Giants fell to 63-54. Luis Castillo hit a two-run blast in the 5th inning for the Mets. Eugenio Velez and Randy Winn each drove in one run for the Giants.

Florida Marlins 10 Colorado Rockies 3 (Game 1)- Chris Volstad improved to 9-9 as a starter after he gave up one earned run on four hits in five innings. Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan each went 3-for-5, hitting a home run for the Marlins, who won their 63rd game of the season. Carlos Gonzalez hit a long ball in the 1st inning for Colorado, who lost its 53rd game of the year; Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

Colorado Rockies 7 Florida Marlins 3 (Game 2)- Jorge De La Rosa gave up one unearned run on seven hits in 5.2 innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Clint Barmes, Carlos Gonzalez, and Brad Hawpe went deep for Colorado, who improved to 65-53 on the season. Emilio Bonifacio, Jorge Cantu, and Cody Ross each hit an RBI single for Florida, who fell to 63-55 on the year.

Houston Astros 8 Milwaukee Brewers 5- A pair of three-run innings lifted the Astros to their 57th win of the year. Geoff Blum and Hunter Pence homered for Houston, who ended Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak; Blum ended the game with 4 RBIs. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder went deep for the Brew Crew, who fell to 58-59 on the year; Fielder’s long ball enabled him to become the first Brewer to record three consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Jose Valverde worked the 9th inning and earned his 16th save of the season.

Kansas City Royals 3 Detroit Tigers 2- Ryan Raburn committed three errors, allowing the Royals to win their 46th game of the season; Raburn’s throwing error in the 10th inning allowed Josh Anderson to score the go-ahead run for Kansas City. Magglio Ordonez hit a long ball for the Tigers, who fell to 62-55 on the year. The Tigers went 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 17 Baltimore Orioles 8- Fresh off the disabled list, Torii Hunter singled in the first of nine runs in the 13th inning for the Angels, who improved to 70-45 on the season. Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera both hit long balls for Los Angeles. Brian Roberts, Luke Scott, and Nick Markakis all went deep for the Orioles, who suffered their 69th loss of the season. Chone Figgins went 4-for-7 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored; his RBI single in the 6th inning was his 1,000th career hit.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Toronto Blue Jays 2- With the game tied at 1 in the middle of the 8th inning, Gregg Zaun hit a grand slam to lift the Rays to Win #63 of the season; it was Zaun’s fifth career home run with the bases loaded and first since September 6 when he was a member of the opposing team. Marco Scutaro hit a long ball in the 9th inning for Toronto, who fell to 55-61 on the year. Carl Crawford doubled in Tampa Bay’s other run of the game.

Texas Rangers 4 Boston Red Sox 3- One day after getting beamed by a pitch, Ian Kinsler hit his second home run in two days, lifting the Rangers to their 66th victory of the season; Kinsler ended the game with 2 RBIs. With this win, the Rangers moved a half-game ahead of Boston for the lead in the AL Wild Card. Taylor Teagarden also homered for Texas. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia went deep for the Red Sox, who lost their 51st game of the season. Dustin Nippert earned his 4th win of the season after squandering two earned runs on six hits in six innings.

Cleveland Indians 7 Minnesota Twins 4- A six-run third inning propelled the Indians to their 51st victory of the season. Kelly Shoppach, Luis Valbuena, and Grady Sizemore all homered for Cleveland in that third inning. Delmon Young hit a 2-run blast in the 2nd inning for Minnesota, who fell to 56-61 on the year. Indians starter Aaron Laffey improved to 7-3 on the season after giving up three earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings; Laffey walked four and struck out two.

St. Louis Cardinals 7 San Diego Padres 5- Two rain delays nearly gave San Diego a victory over the Cardinals. However, a three-run 9th inning propelled St. Louis to Win #67 of the season. Colby Rasmus hit a walk-off 2-run blast off Heath Bell to cap a three-game sweep over the Padres. Adrian Gonzalez hit his 32nd home run of the season in the bottom of the 4th inning, but it was not enough as the Padres suffered their 70th loss of the season. Heath Bell was issued his second loss of the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 3- Randy Wolf improved to 7-6 as a starter after squandering three earned runs on five hits in 7.2 innings; Wolf also went 3-for-4, one triple away from the cycle. Andre Ethier and Orlando Hudson also homered for the Dodgers, who reached the 70-win milestone. Rusty Ryal hit his first long ball of the season for Arizona, who fell to 54-64 on the year.

Oakland Athletics 3 Chicago White Sox 2- Down 2-0 at the stretch, Oakland scored one run in each of the last three innings to improve to 52-65 on the season. Mark Ellis, who drove in the first Oakland run with a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning, drove in the last Oakland run with a walk-off home run in the 9th inning. Scott Hairston drove in the other run for the Athletics, who avoided a three-game sweep. Scott Podsednik and Jim Thome drove in the runs for Chicago, who fell to 60-58 on the year.

Seattle Mariners 10 New York Yankees 3- Doug Fister made his second career start, squandering three earned runs on eight hits in seven innings on his way to his first career major league win. Kenji Johjima hit a long ball for the Mariners, who improved to 61-57 on the year. Nick Swisher went deep in the 4th inning for the Yankees, who suffered their 44th loss of the season. Seattle’s Jose Lopez went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs and one run scored.

Philadelphia Phillies 4 Atlanta Braves 1- J.A. Happ gave up one earned run on three hits in 7.2 innings as he improved to 9-2 as a starter. Ryan Howard drove in all of the Phillies’ runs with a solo shot in the 2nd and a three-run blast in the 6th. Matt Diaz’s solo blast in the 4th inning provided the only run of the game for Atlanta. With this win, the Phillies improved to 66-49 on the year while the Braves fell to 61-56.

The game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs has been postponed due to rain. No make-up date has been announced.

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Washington Nationals 9 Arizona Diamondbacks 2- J.D. Martin won his first game of the season after giving up one earned run on five hits in five innings. Adam Dunn hit a two-run blast in the 1st inning for Washington, who reached the 40-win milestone after winning eight straight games. Arizona scored both of their runs off solo blasts from Trent Oeltjen and Mark Reynolds, but the Diamondbacks ended up losing their 62nd game of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 3- Down 3-0 after three innings, the St. Louis Cardinals stormed back with seven unanswered runs to take their 62nd win of the season. Skip Schumaker’s first career pinch-hit long ball drove in two of the five St. Louis runs in the 8th inning. Matt Capps was ejected in the 8th inning after hitting Albert Pujols with a pitch; Capps ended up losing his seventh game of the year.

Houston Astros 2 Milwaukee Brewers 0- Wandy Rodriguez improve to 11-6 as a starter after giving up five hits in seven shutout innings. Houston scored both of their runs off the bat of Geoff Blum, who hit a two-run blast in the 4th inning. Jose Valverde recorded the final four outs for Houston and earned his 15th save of the season. Both teams now stand at 55-56 on the year.

Detroit Tigers 8 Minnesota Twins 7- Marcus Thames and Miguel Cabrera went deep for the Tigers, who improved to 59-51 on the year. Michael Cuddyer hit two home runs while Delmon Young hit one long ball for the Twins, who suffered their 57th loss of the season. Fernando Rodney worked the 9th inning and gave up a solo shot to Cuddyer, but ended up earning Save #23 of the year.

Toronto Blue Jays 7 Baltimore Orioles 3- Roy Halladay gave up three runs (two earned) on nine hits in eight innings as he picked up his 12th victory of the season. Kevin Millar, Marco Scutaro, and Vernon Wells all went deep for the Blue Jays, who improved to 53-57 on the year. Luke Scott, Cesar Izturis, and Melvin Mora each drove in one run for the Orioles, who suffered their 65th loss of the season.

Florida Marlins 12 Philadelphia Phillies 3- Josh Johnson gave up one earned run on four hits in six innings as he picked up his 11th victory of the season. Wes Helms hit a long ball in the 9th inning for Florida, who improved to 58-53 on the year. Pedro Feliz hit a two-run blast in the 7th inning for Philadelphia, who suffered its 48th loss of the season. With this win, Florida moved to within four games of the Phillies for 1st in the NL East.

Cleveland Indians 8 Chicago White Sox 4- David Huff gave up four earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings as he improved to 6-6 as a starter. Jamey Carroll hit a long ball for Cleveland in the 7th inning as he helped the Indians earn Win #48 of the year; Carroll ended the game with 3 RBIs. A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez went deep for Chicago, who fell to 57-55 on the season.

Oakland Athletics 6 Kansas City Royals 3- Brett Anderson picked up his seventh victory of the season, giving up three earned runs on six hits in six innings. The Athletics scored all of their runs off home runs: two from Bobby Crosby, one from Ryan Sweeney, and one from Kurt Suzuki; Oakland improved to 49-62 with the win. Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless 9th inning and earned his 16th save of the season.

Texas Rangers 7 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0- Derek Holland pitched a complete game three-hitter on his way to Win #5 of the season; Holland struck out eight before earning his first career shutout. Taylor Teagarden and Marlon Byrd went deep for Texas, who improved to 62-48 on the year. With this win, the Rangers lie 3.5 games behind the Angels for 1st place in the AL West.

Colorado Rockies 11 Chicago Cubs 5- Jason Hammel squandered three earned runs on eleven hits in five innings as he was credited with his seventh victory of the season. Todd Helton went 3-for-4 for with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored to extend his hitting streak to fourteen games. Dexter Fowler scored three times for Colorado, who improved to 61-50 on the season.

New York Mets 5 San Diego Padres 1- Johan Santana gave up one earned run on five hits in eight innings as he picked up his 13th victory of the year; Santana also went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. The Mets, who improved to 52-59 on the season, won just three times in their last eleven games. San Diego got its only run in the 6th inning on a Chase Headley RBI single; the Padres fell to 47-66 on the year.

Cincinnati Reds 5 San Francisco Giants 2- Aaron Harang gave up two earned runs on seven hits in seven innings as he won his sixth game of the season; both San Francisco runs were scored when Pablo Sandoval grounded into double plays. Brandon Phillips and Adam Rosales went deep for the Reds, who improved to 48-62 on the year. Francisco Cordero worked the 9th inning and earned his 24th save of the season.

Atlanta Braves 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 2- Javier Vazquez won his fifth straight game and tenth this season after giving up one earned run on five hits in eight innings. Matt Diaz went deep in the 2nd inning for Atlanta, who improved to 58-54 on the year. Casey Blake and Matt Kemp drove in the runs for the Dodgers, who lost their 45th game of the season; neither player reached base when registering an RBI.

Seattle Mariners 11 Tampa Bay Rays 2- Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two earned runs on six hits in 6.2 innings as he won his second game of the season; the only runs Rowland-Smith gave up came off the bat of Dioner Navarro, who hit a two-run blast in the second inning. Russell Branyan hit his first grand slam in six years to lift the Mariners to their 58th win of the year. Franklin Gutierrez also went deep for Seattle.

New York Yankees 5 Boston Red Sox 2- Back-to-back home runs from Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeria lifted the New York Yankees to Win #69 of the year. With this win, the Yankees completed a four-game sweep over their rivals, which had not occurred in 24 years. Alex Rodriguez also homered for New York. The Red Sox scored their only runs in the 8th inning when Victor Martinez hit a two-run blast to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Nevertheless, the Red Sox suffered their 48th loss of the season.

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Bonnie Young, mother of Minnesota Twins outfielder Delmon Young, has died at her home in Camarillo, California. Bonnie had been battling pancreatic and liver cancer for the past three-and-a-half months.

Delmon left the team after Thursday’s game to be with his dying mother.

On Tuesday, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that Delmon will miss Minnesota’s three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

It was initially reported that Delmon would return to the team as early as Friday, but his mother’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Older brother Dmitri, a Washington Nationals infielder who has been on the disabled list all season with a hip strain, was also at the family’s home at the time of the mother’s death.

Carlos Gomez has taken over Delmon Young’s spot on the roster. The absence of Young also allows the Twins to call up catcher Jose Morales.

So far this season, Delmon Young is hitting .277 with 1 home run and 14 RBIs.

The AL Central is always up for grabs. In the past 3 years, 3 different teams have won the division. This past year it was the Chicago White Sox, who beat the Minnesota Twins in a 1 game playoff. The division consists of the White Sox and Twins, along with the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. Every year, 3 or even 4 teams are competitive in this tightly contested division, and it is anyone’s guess who will come out on top in ’09. So, here is an in depth look at the most unpredictable division in sports.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: The Chicago White Sox finished the ’08 season with a 89-74 record and clinching the AL Central. They were eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Rays in 4 games. In early November, the South Siders traded away OF/1B Nick Swisher to the New York Yankees for utility man Wilson Betemit. A few days after that trade, Chicago GM Ken Williams traded starters Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan to the Atlanta Braves for 4 highly prized prospects. To replace Vazquez in the rotation, the White Sox signed free agent Bartolo Colon, who pitched for Chicago in 2003. Also, it was reported earlier this off-season that the team was trying to move star outfielder Jermaine Dye and his hefty salary. However, they have been unsuccessful to this point as Dye remains on the roster. The White Sox are trying to go younger, but they still have some savvy veterans that could have them repeating as division champs.

White Sox Projected Lineup;

CF-Jerry Owens

SS-Alexi Ramirez

LF-Carlos Quentin

DH-Jim Thome

RF-Jermaine Dye

1B-Paul Konerko

C-AJ Pierzynski

3B-Wilson Betemit

2B-Chris Getz

White Sox Rotation: Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Bartolo Colon, Gavin Floyd and Matt Thorton

PREDICTION- 3rd place. Maybe you can shock me this year but I just don’t see it Chicago.

CLEVELAND INDIANS: The Cleveland Indians came into ’08 with high hopes and fell flat at .500 with an 81-81 record, finishing in 3rd place. The Tribe won the division in ’07 and went to the ALCS, losing in 7 games to the Boston Red Sox. Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez were both critical to the teams success in ’07. To the dismay of Indian fans, they both suffered injuries and had sub-par years. Cliff Lee was optioned to triple A in ’07, but came back in ’08 to go 22-3. In early July, the Indians traded their ace, CC Sabathia, to the Milwaukee Brewers for stud prospect Matt LaPorta. In the off season the Tribe made a trade with the Cubs and acquired 2nd basemen Mark Derosa.  Cleveland has a boat load of talent, especially with all star Grady Sizemore. The Indians will be more like the Tribe of ’07.

Indians Projected Starting Lineup;

CF-Grady Sizemore

2B-Mark DeRosa

DH-Travis Hafner

C-Victor Martinez

3B- Asdrubal Cabrera

LF-Ben Francisco

1B-Ryan Garko

RF-Shin Soo Choo

SS-Jhonny Peralta

Indians Rotation: Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Carl Pavano and Jeremy Sowers

PREDICTION-1st place, I believe that the Tribe will be like the ’07 team.

DETROIT TIGERS: The 2008 Detroit Tigers were the World Series favorite in ’08 but instead they finished in last place with a 74-88 record. Before the ’08 season the Tigers traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, however key injuries and bad play forced Jim Leyland’s club to falter and have a dreadful year. Detroit’s biggest problem was, and is, their pitching. However they have done nothing this off season to try and correct their mishaps. Detroit failed to resign shortstop Edgar Renteria, and then signed Adam Everett to fill his shoes. The Tigers made a trade with the Rangers in mid-November to get catcher Gerald Laird.  In January, the Tigers got on the phone with the Rays and pulled off a deal that sent pitcher Edwin Jackson to Detroit and OF Matt Joyce to Tampa. The Tigers have loads of talent but that talent is either too old or too young, it may be another tough one for a team who was in the World Series in 2006.

Tigers Projected Lineup;

CF-Curtis Granderson

2B-Placido Polanco

1B-Miguel Cabrera

RF-Magglio Ordonez

DH-Gary Sheffield

LF-Carlos Guillen

C-Gerald Laird

3B-Brandon Inge

SS-Adam Everett

Tigers Projected Rotation: Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, Edwin Jackson and Jeremy Bonderman.

PREDICTION-4th place: You need to get younger to get better.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS: The Royals are used to disappointing seasons and last place finishes. However, in ’08 they came in 4th place with a 75-87 record. KC had a decent off-season, as in late October they acquired power hitting 1st basemen Mike Jacobs from the Florida Marlins. The Royals then traded reliever Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox in exchange for speedy outfielder Coco Crisp. They also resigned Zach Greinke for 4 more years. With Ramirez gone, the Royals needed some bullpen help, so they signed hard throwing righty Kyle Farnsworth. After losing out on Rafael Furcal the Royals signed Willie Bloomquist to a 2 year contract. In reality, the Royals do try but it is not enough, I do not see why ’09 will be any different than ’08.

Royals Projected Lineup;

CF-Coco Crisp

SS-Tony Peña Jr

RF-Mark Teahen

1B-Mike Jacobs

3B-Alex Gordon

LF-Jose Guillen

C-Miguel Olivo

DH-Billy Butler

2B-Alberto Callaspo

Royals Projected Rotation : Gil Meche, Zach Greinke, Luke Hochevar, Jimmy Gobble and Brian Bannister

PREDICTION-5th place. I know same old story, not enough talent, a scrappy team missing a few ingredients.

MINNESOTA TWINS: Then Minnesota Twins are the epitome of a team with a low payroll that is always competitive. The Twins came in 2nd place last year with an 88-75 record, but lost the division by 1 game to the White Sox. No one thought the Twins could be good after trading away star pitcher Johan Santana to the Mets, and after the Angels signed Torii Hunter, the Twins were looked at as a laughing stock. To top things off, young phenom Fransico Liriano will be out more than half the year with injuries. However, the Twins are a resilient bunch and will have a remarkable season. The only thing that the Twins have done this off-season is re-signing 3rd basemen Nick Punto. Minnesota always puts out a good product and with stars like Joe Mauer and home run derby champion Justin Morneau still around, the Twins will be back with a vengeance in ’09.

Twins Projected Lineup:

RF-Denard Span

DH-Jason Kubel

C-Joe Mauer

1B-Justin Morneau

LF-Delmon Young

SS-Brenden Harris

3B-Nick Punto

CF-Carlos Gomez

2B-Alexi Casilla

Twins Projected Rotation: Francisco Liriano, Jesse Crain, Boof Bonser, Nick Blackburn and Pat Neshek

PREDICTION-2nd place. Another good, solid year for the Twins, not quite enough to win it all, but you’ll be in the race to the end.

The AL Central is always an interesting one to watch.  Every year it seems a different winner emerges from the pack.  While some seem revamped, others are heading down the toilet that is the cellar of baseball.  It will be interesting to see what comes of the AL Central in 2009.