Jameson Taillon threw six shutout innings to lead the visiting Chicago Cubs to a 4-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of their three-game series on Monday evening.

Taillon (10-6) allowed just two hits, struck out three and walked two on 88 pitches.

The right-hander was activated from the 15-day injured list last Wednesday after being sidelined with a strained groin. He also missed all of July and half of August with a calf strain.

Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled, homered and scored twice, Michael Busch also homered and Dansby Swanson had two hits and an RBI for the Cubs (86-64), who have won five of six.

Pirates rookie right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (4-3) went four innings, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out four and walking two.

Bryan Reynolds singled and walked for the Pirates (65-86), who have lost nine of the past 10.

Ashcraft struck out four through the first two innings before getting in trouble in the third.

He walked No. 9 hitter Matt Shaw on four pitches to start the inning. Shaw was caught stealing, but Busch homered in the same at-bat to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners and Hoerner scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 2-0.

Crow-Armstrong doubled to lead off the fourth and then stole his 35th base of the season before Swanson doubled off the wall in left to extend the lead to 3-0.

Crow-Armstrong blasted his 29th home run of the season deep to right in the sixth to make it 4-0.

Taillon gave up a two-out single to Reynolds in the first inning and then allowed just one baserunner over the next four innings.

Spencer Horwitz recorded the second hit for the Pirates with two outs in the sixth and Reynolds followed with a walk, but Taillon got Tommy Pham to ground into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

Michael Soroka was activated from the 15-day IL (shoulder) on Monday and threw two scoreless innings of relief for Chicago.

Porter Hodge started the ninth for the Cubs, but left with the bases loaded and two outs. Brad Keller entered and struck out Jared Triolo for his second save.

–Field Level Media

The Colorado Rockies successfully avoided making history with a win over the weekend, and they have 12 tries left to avoid stamping their name into the MLB record books.

To put it another way, the Rockies’ magic number is one: They need just one win in their final 12 games to avoid tying the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121) for the most single-season losses in the modern era.

The first of those attempts comes Tuesday when Colorado (41-109) begins its final homestand of the season against the Miami Marlins. The Rockies send Kyle Freeland (4-15, 4.97 ERA) to face Miami’s Eury Perez (6-5, 4.67) in the opener of a three-game series.

Freeland has pitched well in three of his last four outings — he was ejected eight pitches into his start against San Francisco on Sept. 2 — and owns a 1.98 ERA in September. His best start of the season was on Sept. 5 when he struck out 10 in eight shutout innings against San Diego.

He is 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in eight career games — including six starts — against the Marlins (70-80).

The Rockies have equaled the 2024 White Sox’s win total, but it took longer than expected considering Colorado went 7-2 in the middle of August to reach 37 victories. The Rockies then dropped 17 of their next 20 before beating San Diego 4-2 on Friday night.

They return home having lost three of four in San Diego despite Mickey Moniak’s hot bat.

Moniak, signed as a free agent before the season, hit two home runs and had a career-best five RBIs in Sunday’s 9-6 loss — and also found time to steal two bases. Amid the worst year in franchise history, Moniak has provided a spark.

He has accrued career-highs in homers (21), RBIs (62) and steals (nine) in his first season with the team.

“I’ve seen the ball well and was able to jump on two good pitches to hit, put good swings on them,” Moniak said.

Miami, like the Rockies, has been riding a youth movement this year — but has experienced more success. Perez, 22, is one of 16 players on the roster 26 or younger and, despite that, the Marlins have been competitive. They are 26-29 in the second half after taking two of three over the weekend from Detroit, which leads the AL Central by 6 1/2 games.

Perez has faced the Rockies just once in his brief career, on May 23, 2023, at Colorado, and has a 6.23 ERA against them. He took the loss after allowing four runs — three earned — in 4 1/3 innings.

It’s not just the youngsters who are trying to make an impression for next year. Rookie Troy Johnston, a 28-year-old splitting time between first base and the corner outfield spots, hit two home runs on Saturday. That included an 11th-inning walk-off in just his 33rd major league game.

He grinded through 636 minor league games before being called up on July 29 and is focusing on the final two weeks.

“We can talk about the future and we can talk about different stuff, but realistically, we still have a season to play,” Johnston said. “We still have (12) games left, so trying to make the most out of those games is the most important thing we can do.”

–Field Level Media

A little more than a week ago, Seattle’s visit to Kansas City had the potential to be important for both teams in the American League wild-card race.

However, with the Mariners aiming for a 10th straight victory and the Royals mired in an untimely rough stretch, this three-game set that begins Tuesday night has lost some luster.

On Sept. 6, Kansas City won its third consecutive contest to stay one game behind Seattle for the final wild-card spot in the AL.

Since then, however, the Mariners (82-68) have outscored Atlanta, St. Louis and the Los Angeles Angels 66-23 during a nine-game winning streak. That has them one game ahead of Houston in the AL West race prior to the Astros’ home game Monday night against the Texas Rangers.

Their winning spree included Cal Raleigh’s 54th homer of the season on Sunday against the Angels, which matched Mickey Mantle for most single-season home runs by a switch-hitter.

“The job is not over,” Raleigh told ROOT Sports. “We still have a job to do out there and win every night. … Put ourselves in a good position.”

While the Mariners have been busy winning every night, the Royals (75-75) were busy getting outscored 42-27 during a 2-6 stretch that has dropped them six games behind the Astros for that final wild-card spot. Worse yet, the Rangers and the Cleveland Guardians have climbed over the Royals in the chase.

Catcher Salvador Perez has tried to keep the Royals afloat. He hit his 300th career home run Saturday at Philadelphia and finished the weekend with three homers in two games.

“You never know what’s going to happen in this game,” Perez told FanDuel Sports Network. “Keep playing hard until the last inning.”

Fresh off a 7-0 homestand, Seattle eyes a third consecutive road win. Meanwhile, as Raleigh looks to break Mantle’s record, he’s also two shy of matching Ken Griffey Jr.’s club-best 56 home runs in a season (set in 1997, equaled in ‘98).

Raleigh has hit four of his six career homers against the Royals at Kansas City. However, he is 0-for-12 with a walk and three strikeouts against scheduled Royals starter Michael Wacha (9-11, 3.45 ERA). Teammate J.P. Crawford, batting .348 over the last 14 games, is 7-for-17 with a home run against the veteran right-hander.

The Mariners used one big inning to get the best of Wacha during a 6-2 home win June 30. Wacha didn’t give up a run until the fourth, then allowed four in his fifth and final inning. Randy Arozarena took Wacha deep for a solo shot in the fourth and a three-run blast in the fifth.

Wacha is slated to come off the seven-day concussion list to make his first start since Sept. 5, when he yielded a run, two walks and four hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings of Kansas City’s 2-1 home win over Minnesota.

The Mariners counter with Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.54 ERA), who is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in his last four starts. On Wednesday against the Cardinals, the right-hander allowed a solo homer among five hits and struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings during Seattle’s 4-2 victory in 13 innings.

Gilbert yielded only one run and three hits with seven strikeouts during a 3-2 win over Kansas City on July 2, but he only lasted 4 2/3 innings as he walked three.

Perez and fellow Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. are a combined 12-for-28 with three homers versus Gilbert.

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers, who already have clinched a playoff spot, will be looking for a bounce-back start from veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday in the opener of the three-game series.

Peralta (16-6, 2.69 ERA) will be opposed by rookie right-hander Caden Dana (0-1, 6.32 ERA). Both Milwaukee and Los Angeles were off Monday.

Milwaukee lost to the Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday, after winning the first two games of the series. Solo homers by rookie Caleb Durbin and Danny Jansen provided the Brewers runs. Starting pitcher Jose Quintana was pulled after four innings with a calf injury and was scheduled for an MRI. His status has not been updated.

Durbin, listed at 5-foot-7, is hitting .262 on the season since becoming the regular third baseman, and is batting .324 over his last 21 games with four homers, six doubles and seven RBIs.

The Angels (69-81) dropped their fourth consecutive game, 11-2, at Seattle on Sunday.

Milwaukee (91-59), which clinched a playoff berth over the weekend and has the best overall record in the majors, entered Monday with a 5 1/2 game lead in the NL Central over the Cubs, who opened a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday.

The Brewers head into the week with a magic number of eight to clinch their fourth division title in five seasons. Milwaukee has a two-game lead over Philadelphia for the best record in the National League.

Peralta, whose 16 victories lead the National League, lost his last start, allowing five runs in five innings in a 6-3 defeat at Texas, snapping his streak of 30 consecutive scoreless innings. It was his first loss since July 30, a span of six starts.

“You’re going to see people around, probably getting mad when you have a bad outing,” Peralta said following his last start. “At the end of the day, we all want to win. You see the results at the end when you compare the good games, the bad games, the so-so. It’s part of the game.”

Peralta was 4-0 with a microscopic 0.32 ERA in five starts in August, allowing one run in 28 innings.

Peralta is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against the Angels, giving up seven runs in 9 1/3 innings.

Dana, who made two early season relief appearances, will be making his third start since being recalled in early September. He is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA in his two starts this month, allowing seven runs, six earned, in 9 2/3 innings.

He took the loss his last time out, giving up five runs, including two homers in 4 2/3 innings in a 12-3 defeat against Minnesota. He did strike out a career-high nine, but walked five.

“Giving up five runs can’t happen,” Dana said following his last start. “Move on from there. Make pitches when it counts. Today I didn’t do that.”

Angels slugger Mike Trout is one home run short of 400 for his career. Trout has four homers in 39 plate appearances in 11 career games vs. the Brewers with a .462 batting average. All four homers have come in Milwaukee at American Family Field.

The Angels have not won a series in Milwaukee since a three-game sweep in 2013.

–Field Level Media

Neither the New York Mets nor San Diego Padres are exactly sprinting towards the playoffs.

But both teams will be looking to build on some much-needed momentum Tuesday night, when the Mets host the Padres in the opener of a three-game series between the teams occupying the final two National League wild-card spots.

Clay Holmes (11-8, 3.75 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Michael King (4-2, 2.87), though left-hander Sean Manaea (1-3, 5.76) is expected to piggyback Holmes.

Both teams were off Monday after earning wins Sunday. The Mets ended an eight-game losing streak when Pete Alonso hit a walk-off three-run homer to lift the hosts to a 5-2, 10-inning victory over the Texas Rangers. The Padres beat the visiting Colorado Rockies, 9-6, in the rubber game of a three-game series.

The Padres (82-68) lead the Mets (77-73) by five games in the race for the second wild-card spot. New York entered Monday 1 1/2 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants (75-74) and two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (75-75) entering their game against each other in Phoenix.

The victories Sunday marked the first time since Aug. 26 that the Mets and Padres both won on the same day – a span in which New York has gone 7-12, the third-worst record in the NL, while San Diego is 8-10, tied for the sixth-worst mark.

The win Sunday was an especially pivotal one for the Mets, whose losing streak was their longest for the franchise since an eight-game skid from May 31 through June 9, 2018. New York had the best record in baseball at 45-24 through June 12 but briefly fell into a tie for the final wild-card spot Saturday before the Giants suffered a 13-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Mets, who have blown a lead in 26 of their 49 losses since June 13, squandered a 2-0 seventh-inning lead Sunday before Alonso’s game-winning blast.

“Every game is important now, but especially in the middle of this losing streak,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Kind of gives those guys a little bit of a breather there and then enjoy the off-day (Monday).”

The Padres won Sunday while providing a rare breather to star third baseman Manny Machado, who sat out for the first time all season. Machado had consecutive multi-hit games Friday and Saturday but is batting just .193 (26-for-135) since Aug. 6.

Luis Arraez was also sidelined after he was hit in the face by a throw while warming up Saturday, when he went 2-for-5 in an 11-3 win.

Despite their absences, the Padres built on Saturday’s outburst by scoring seven runs in the first three innings and pounding out 13 hits. The 20 runs over a two-game span are the most for San Diego since it totaled 34 runs in back-to-back contests against the Rockies from May 9-10.

“I feel like the whole offense stepped up knowing that, hey, we’ve got two of our guys out today,” Padres designated hitter Gavin Sheets said.

Holmes took the loss in his most recent start last Wednesday, when he allowed four runs over four-plus innings as the Mets fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-3. King returned from a month-long stint on the injured list Sept. 9, when he didn’t factor into the decision after giving up two runs over five innings in the Padres’ 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Holmes is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and one save in nine career games (one start) against the Padres. King is 0-1 with a 2.12 ERA and one save in six games (two starts) against the Mets.

–Field Level Media

A Detroit Tigers division title seemed inevitable most of the season. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cleveland Guardians have changed that narrative, ramping up the importance of their three-game series in Detroit this week.

Cleveland (78-71) has won nine of its last 10 games to pull within 6 1/2 games of Detroit (85-65) in the American League Central Division.

The Guardians will also host the Tigers for another three games next week. If Cleveland can win at least five of those six matchups, it has a real shot at catching Detroit in the standings. Even if the Tigers hold on, the Guardians can greatly improve their chances of nabbing a wild-card spot.

Converted reliever Joey Cantillo (5-3, 3.36 ERA) will start the series opener Tuesday night for Cleveland following a career-best outing last week. He held Kansas City scoreless through eight innings, giving up just four hits without a walk and five strikeouts.

“That was Pitching 101 from Joey Cantillo (Tuesday), and that was a lot of fun to watch,” manager Stephen Vogt said.

Cantillo was in the minors from late May to early July. When he was recalled, he was moved into the rotation. He has settled in during his last four starts, allowing no more than one run in each.

“Obviously, the outings up here, some have been good and some have been a little bit more of a struggle of just attacking the zone,” Cantillo said. “I was falling behind in counts, and I was putting guys on base. Like we saw (Tuesday), throwing strikes, it’s a necessity, and really good things are going to happen when you’re challenging hitters.”

“That was basically all that I wanted to continue to work on, and that’s an ongoing process every day.”

Cantillo has pitched two scoreless relief innings against the Tigers in his young career, including one during last year’s playoffs.

He’ll be opposed by Casey Mize (14-5, 3.83 ERA), who has collected victories in five of his last seven starts. Mize gave up two solo homers to the New York Yankees on Tuesday but didn’t allow another run in six innings. He also struck out eight without issuing a walk.

“It’s a team that slugs a lot, obviously and we felt like if they were going to be on the heater, throw the slider,” Mize said. “I feel really good throwing that pitch in the zone. And it looks like a fastball, so you hope it gets off the barrel just enough to where they can’t do any damage on it.”

Mize delivered a stellar performance against the Guardians on July 5, tossing seven scoreless innings. He’s 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA in three career outings against them.

The Tigers ended a three-game slide with a 2-0 win over Miami on Sunday.

“We definitely wanted to get this last game and create a little momentum going into the (Cleveland) series,” catcher Dillon Dingler said. “Especially going back home. I’m sure the crowds are going to be great and I’m sure the games are going to feel like playoff games, however you want to look at the picture. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

The Guardians are currently 2.5 games out of the final wild card spot.

–Field Level Media

Nolan Arenado is back in the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup after missing 40 games with a right shoulder injury.

The Cardinals activated the veteran third baseman prior to Monday’s game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds. He is batting sixth and playing at the hot corner.

Arenado played a four-game rehab stint for Double-A Springfield and went 1-for-13.

Arenado was struggling before the IL stint. He has not homered since June 21 and batted just .175 with two RBIs in July.

He has hit 30 or more home runs and driven in 100-plus runs seven times in his career.

The 34-year-old Arenado currently has career lows in batting average (.235), on-base percentage (.294), slugging percentage (.366) and OPS (.660). He has 10 homers and 43 RBIs in 96 games.

Arenado is an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner. He played his first eight seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2013-20) before forcing his way out of Denver and being traded to St. Louis.

Arenado requested a trade from the Cardinals last offseason but used his no-trade clause to prevent the team from trading him to the Houston Astros. Both sides are expected to pursue a trade after this season.

Arenado has a .282 career batting average with 351 homers and 1,175 RBIs in 1,776 games.

St Louis optioned infielder Jose Fermin to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.

Fermin, 26, batted .298 with one homer in 23 games for the Cardinals.

–Field Level Media

If the Red Sox were to meet the New York Yankees again in 2025, it would mean that the final two weeks of the regular season went Boston’s way.

Boston (82-68) is chasing its first postseason spot since 2021 — and a possible rematch with New York — with a three-game set with the Athletics (70-80) starting Tuesday night. The Red Sox took two of three from the A’s last week in West Sacramento, Calif.

“It’d be cool (to face the Yankees) because it means that we’re in the postseason,” Boston All-Star Garrett Crochet said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We’re just doing everything possible to make sure we’re playing our best baseball as we get down the stretch.”

Crochet delivered the type of start the Red Sox desperately needed on Sunday. After the Yankees took the first two weekend games, the left-hander struck out 12 over six innings and benefited from a six-run first in Boston’s 6-4 win.

Romy Gonzalez (RBI double) extended his hit streak to 14 games, the longest active run in the majors, in the first inning and Carlos Narvaez capped off the frame with a home run.

The Sunday win not only ensured that the Red Sox will have a winning record in 2025, but moved them back within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees for the top American League wild-card spot. The Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians are still in pursuit with two weeks left in the regular season.

“We are where we are,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We have bigger goals than playing over .500. Our goal is to play in October.”

An off day Monday brought the option for Cora to reset his rotation. The Red Sox opted to give southpaw Connelly Early (1-0, 0.00 ERA) his second career start in Tuesday’s series opener, with Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.31 ERA) and Brayan Bello (11-7, 3.25 ERA) following.

The 23-year-old Early gave the Red Sox every reason to believe he’s up to the task in his debut last Tuesday. He was the winner in a 6-0 victory over the A’s, striking out 11 across five shutout innings. He matched the franchise mark for most strikeouts in a debut, set by Don Aase in 1977.

The Athletics are by no means easy prey.

They completed their sixth series sweep this season with a 7-4 Sunday win over the Cincinnati Reds. Their 28-18 record since July 24 — the third-best mark in MLB — includes a current four-game win streak, sparked by a 5-4, walk-off win over the Red Sox last Wednesday.

Four home runs led the A’s on Sunday, including Nick Kurtz’s rookie-best 32nd. A night earlier, the first baseman and last year’s No. 4 overall pick hit a 493-foot grand slam in the eighth inning — the longest home run in MLB this season.

“He can hit it out no matter where you throw it. Up, down, in, out,” A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler said. “You might as well just put him on first base. It’s insane what he’s doing.”

None of the A’s starters pitched more than five innings against Cincinnati. The A’s turn to Jeffrey Springs (10-11, 4.28 ERA), a lefty with three consecutive losses despite reaching the sixth inning in those games. Springs allowed five runs on eight hits last Tuesday, taking his third career loss to the Red Sox. He is 0-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 14 head-to-head appearances (six starts) against Boston in his career.

A’s relievers have posted MLB’s second-best ERA (2.76) since trading Mason Miller to the San Diego Padres at the July 31 deadline. They allowed just three hits in four innings of one-run ball on Sunday, with Michael Kelly earning the save.

“To look at what these guys have done over the course of the last two months since Mason’s been gone, they have that mindset. It’s about getting outs,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “When you can create that in a bullpen, it seems to really help the confidence level of each guy.”

–Field Level Media

Right-handed pitcher Joe Boyle was called up from Triple-A Durham by the Tampa Bay Rays and will make the start against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays Monday night.

Boyle will face Toronto’s top prospect, right-hander Trey Yesavage, who will be making his major league debut.

Boyle, 26, was optioned to Durham in late August after he allowed 16 runs (15 earned) over his previous three starts with the major league club. He is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA over 36 2/3 innings in 10 games (six starts) for the Rays this season.

Since being sent down to Durham, Boyle has notched a 2.08 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 13 innings, though he did issue 10 walks in that stretch.

A fifth-round pick of the Reds in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame, Boyle is 6-9 at the major league level with a 5.29 ERA in 26 games (19 starts) with the Athletics (2023-24) and Rays.

In a corresponding move, the Rays optioned right-handed pitcher Garrett Acton to Triple-A. Acton, 27, saw one inning of work in which he gave up two walks.

The Rays open a four-game series Monday night against the Blue Jays, who enter the week with a four-game lead as they try to stave off the New York Yankees to maintain first place in the American League East.

–Field Level Media

Bryce Eldridge will help the San Francisco Giants with their unexpected playoff push after the big-league club called him up from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Eldridge, 20, is a left-handed-hitting first baseman and will slide into the spot vacated by Dominic Smith, who is out with a hamstring injury.

Eldridge will make his debut Monday night at the Arizona Diamondbacks, batting fifth as the Giants’ designated hitter.

In 102 games over three minor league levels this season, he is hitting .260 with 25 home runs, 84 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .843. He has walked 42 times but struck out 127 in 384 at-bats.

MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 13 overall prospect.

The Giants selected the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Eldridge with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Va.

In a corresponding move, San Francisco optioned outfielder Luis Matos to Triple-A. Matos, 23, was hitting .221 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs through 57 games in his third big-league season.

San Francisco opens a three-game series with the Diamondbacks just 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild card. Arizona also is playing for that spot, two games out.

Entering play on Aug. 23, the Giants (75-74) were 7 1/2 games behind the Mets (77-73) in the wild-card standings. But a 14-6 record by the Giants, combined with the Mets’ 9-13 effort in that time, closed the gap.

The Giants are coming off consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were outscored 23-9.

–Field Level Media