The Detroit Tigers will look for some good on-field news when they try to salvage the finale of a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers (84-65), first in the American League Central, have seen their lead reduced to 6 1/2 games over the second-place Cleveland Guardians after losing three straight. Detroit, which led the division by 14 games on July 8, opened September with a 9 1/2-game lead.

Cleveland defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Saturday, while Detroit suffered a devastating 6-4 loss in 11 innings to Miami. That was after taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the 11th but not scoring again despite having the bases loaded and none out.

That allowed the Marlins to tie the game on a fielder’s-choice grounder and win it on rookie Troy Johnston’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. It was Johnston’s second home run of the game. The first, a solo shot in the sixth, made the score 3-3.

The Tigers did get some good off-field news on Saturday, however.

Tarik Skubal, a candidate to win his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award, removed himself from Friday night’s 8-2 loss to the Marlins in the fourth inning because of tightness on the left side of his upper body after throwing a pitch.

But before Saturday’s game, manager A.J. Hinch said all of the tests on Skubal came back clean and that the ace left-hander was still on track for his next scheduled start, Thursday against Cleveland in Detroit.

“It was just some tightness,” Skubal said after Friday night’s game. “Certain things happen during the game where you feel some things, and they come and go with the game. This one really didn’t go away, and that’s what prompted me to call for A.J. and a trainer.”

Skubal is 13-5 with a 2.26 ERA with 224 strikeouts and 28 walks in 183 1/3 innings.

The Tigers haven’t named a starting pitcher for Sunday, which means it likely will be a bullpen day.

The Marlins’ win on Saturday was their fourth straight, their longest winning streak since they won five straight from July 29-Aug. 3. It was also the ninth walk-off win of the season for Miami (70-79) and brought its extra-inning mark to 8-4 this year.

The two-homer performance had even more meaning for Johnston because Marlins starting pitcher Janson Junk was Johnston’s high school summer-ball teammate in the Seattle suburbs.

“It was my storybook,” Johnston said. “When me and Janson were playing together as kids, there were no thoughts of pro ball at all. We barely had college offers. So this was such a cool experience, and it feels very comfortable playing behind him.”

Junk allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings, with a walk and four strikeouts. Miami trailed 3-2 after Junk threw his final pitch to retire the Tigers in the top of the sixth. And in the bottom of the inning, Johnston took his old teammate off the hook for a potential loss with his first homer of the game.

On Sunday, right-hander Adam Mazur (0-3, 6.30 ERA) is scheduled to start for Miami in his first career game against Detroit.

He has lost his past two outings, both this month to the Washington Nationals. He gave up 11 runs (eight earned) in 10 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

– Field Level Media

Slade Cecconi came within six outs of throwing a no-hitter in his last start for the Cleveland Guardians.

The visiting Chicago White Sox will test their luck against him on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago’s Yoendrys Gomez (3-2, 5.05 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Cecconi (6-6, 4.45) in the three-game-series finale that also will wrap up a seven-game homestand for Cleveland.

The Guardians (77-71) have won eight of their last nine games to remain in the American League wild-card chase, 3 1/2 games out of the third and final spot. Cleveland has lined up one strong start after another following the trade of former ace Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Parker Messick will pass the baton to Cecconi after he picked up his third straight victory to start his career Saturday, working six innings of one-run ball in Cleveland’s 3-1 win.

“Before the game, the guys said they would take seven shutout innings from me,” said Messick, who is 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA through five starts. “I joked that the standard is almost eight or nine shutout innings now, but I would try my best.”

Since fully adopting a six-man rotation on Sept. 3, Guardians pitchers have a 9-2 record and league-low 1.56 ERA over 98 innings. All nine wins have occurred when Cleveland’s staff allows fewer than four runs.

Cecconi has faced the White Sox once, allowing five runs in three innings to take the road loss on Aug. 10. The defeat came in an ongoing nine-start span that has seen him go 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA but includes his eight-inning scoreless win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday. He gave up one hit in a 10-2 victory.

Said Messick: “You’re not going to have your best stuff every time out there, so it’s our job to adjust. It’s like they say, everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth. Different guys have different plans, so you’ve got to adjust.”

The White Sox (57-92) arrived in Cleveland feeling good as winners of nine of their previous 11 games, making them 25-25 since the All-Star break and putting them in good position to avoid another 100-loss season.

Two straight defeats to the Guardians have blunted their momentum. Chicago has 10 total hits while being outscored 7-1 by its longtime nemesis.

Emerging second baseman Lenyn Sosa drove in their lone run in the first inning Saturday, but it didn’t stop the youthful White Sox from losing to Cleveland for the 10th time in 12 meetings this season.

“We understand this is the longest season that most of our guys have ever played,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “Their bodies hurt in ways they haven’t experienced before. It’s another thing they need to go through in getting used to being a major leaguer.”

Leadoff hitter Chase Meidroth improbably has gotten stronger, with a .484 average during his nine-game hitting streak. The 24-year-old shortstop’s 107 hits are the most by a White Sox rookie since Eloy Jimenez in 2019.

Gomez tossed three innings of one-run relief against the Guardians on April 21 while with the New York Yankees, the first of three teams he has pitched for in 2025. It was his only career appearance against Cleveland.

–Field Level Media

Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli will try for his third straight win when the Nationals conclude their series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

The Nationals (61-87), who have won eight of their past 12 games, will be trying to avoid their first series loss in September after winning two and splitting one.

Pittsburgh (65-84) ended a seven-game losing streak and evened the weekend series with a 5-1 win on Saturday.

Cavalli (3-1, 4.67 ERA) will be opposed by Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows (2-4, 3.99) in the finale.

The 27-year-old Cavalli allowed four earned runs in 10 innings in his past two starts — both against the Miami Marlins — while striking out seven and walking two. On Monday, he gave up two runs on six hits in five innings in a 15-7 win.

“He’s got nasty stuff,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said of Cavalli. “He’s got a good fastball, good change, a good curveball and he throws strikes. He attacks the hitters. He’s a warrior.”

Cavalli, who will be making his ninth major league start, has never faced the Pirates.

After a couple of relief appearances as the team looks to manage his innings, Burrows, 25, made the start against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. He gave up a run on two hits over four innings, striking out six and walking one and took a no-decision in the 3-2, 11-inning loss.

“It’s second nature at this point,” Burrows said of the switch between starter and reliever. “It’s all the same. When they say ‘Grab the ball,’ I grab the ball and I go.”

Burrows, who has never faced the Nationals, has a tough act to follow.

On Saturday, Pirates starter Bubba Chandler — another rookie — was perfect through five innings to help Pittsburgh end its losing skid. Chandler, who turns 23 on Sunday, was making just his second major league start and allowed a run on two hits over six innings. He was credited with a no-decision.

Andrew McCutchen and Nick Yorke each hit two-out, two-run singles in the eighth inning and Jared Triolo added a solo homer in the ninth.

“It was great,” Yorke said in a loud Pirates clubhouse. “Obviously we come out here trying to win every game. So, to get it done, it feels good to come into a winning clubhouse.”

Triolo went 2-for-5 and over his last 39 games is batting .301 (41-for-136) with nine doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs and 24 runs.

Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run. Over 14 career games at Nationals Park he is batting .396 (21-for-53) with seven doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBIs.

Robert Hassell III went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base for Washington, and Daylen Lile went 1-for-4. He has reached safely in 13 straight games.

Starter Andrew Alvarez tossed six scoreless innings for Washington, but the bullpen, which has been a strength of late, could not hold the lead.

“You’re not going to be perfect all the time,” Cairo said. “The bullpen has been outstanding the last three to four weeks. Sometimes, you’re just not going to have it. And you’ve got to move on, come back tomorrow and be good.”

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers celebrated on two occasions Saturday, the first time after clinching a playoff berth and the second by overcoming a five-run deficit en route to a spirited victory.

The Brewers will look for more emotional fireworks on Sunday afternoon when they vie for a three-game-series sweep against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

Milwaukee (91-58) followed an 8-2 romp in the series opener on Friday with a 9-8 victory in 10 innings on Saturday. Before the latter contest, the Brewers secured their seventh playoff berth in eight seasons after the New York Mets lost to the Texas Rangers earlier in the day.

With Milwaukee trailing 8-7 in the 10th inning on Saturday, Caleb Durbin ripped an RBI double to the left-center gap to forge a tie before scoring when Andruw Monasterio capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a game-ending single.

“I’m not sure we were thinking about clinching and just trying to win the night,” Durbin told Fox Sports after the Brewers’ 11th walk-off win of the season. “It’s been our brand of ball all year. Even if you go down early, take it at-bat by at-bat, keep grinding it out, and see what happens”

The Brewers are bidding for its third straight National League Central title. They hold a 6 1/2-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs and carry a two-game advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the top seed in the NL.

While Milwaukee is sitting pretty, manager Pat Murphy had some pointed comments after Saturday’s game.

“Who believed before the season that we were going to be over .500? You can’t find a prognosticator that said we were going to be over .500 before the season. Not one,” Murphy said. “And for these guys to pull it together and compete like that is special beyond belief.”

Milwaukee left-hander Jose Quintana (11-6, 3.88 ERA) will start on Sunday against St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.84).

Quintana will look to bounce back after allowing five runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 5-0 setback to the Rangers on Monday.

He has split a pair of outings against St. Louis this season, yielding one run in five innings of a 7-1 win on April 27 before permitting a season-high seven runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 frames of an 8-5 setback on June 14.

The Cardinals (72-77) enter Sunday’s contest on the heels of five straight losses.

“Our guys just want to continue to take their best shot as long as we’re still in this thing,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said.

Quintana, 36, is 7-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 16 career appearances (all starts) against the Cardinals.

Mikolas suffered a hard-luck setback in his lone meeting with Milwaukee this season. He allowed two runs on six hits in six innings in a 3-2 setback on June 15.

Mikolas, 37, is 10-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 20 career appearances (19 starts) versus the Brewers.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays aim to take the momentum of a ninth-inning comeback win into Sunday afternoon and complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays (86-62) maintained their three-game lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees on Saturday by scoring three runs in the ninth in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles (69-79).

The season series between Toronto and Baltimore is tied at six wins apiece.

The Blue Jays emerged victorious after trailing after eight innings for the fifth time this season, and it was their ninth walk-off win overall. It was the third time the Orioles have lost after leading after eight innings.

Toronto has come back 45 times to win after trailing at some point in the game, a total that tops the majors.

“We just have this mentality that we’re just going to win,” said right-hander Max Scherzer, who allowed two runs in five innings on Saturday. “We are going to find a way to kick, scratch and claw our way back into this, and our offense has that identity. Pitchers smell that.”

Many of the deficits the Blue Jays have overcome were early in the game. They are 11-47 when trailing after seven. The last-place Orioles are 5-61 when behind after seven innings.

Toronto is slated to send right-hander Shane Bieber (2-1, 4.30 ERA) to the mound in a bid to complete the series sweep. He is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 40 innings over six career starts against Baltimore. He last faced them in September 2023.

The Orioles, who were betrayed by their bullpen on Saturday, are expected to run with a parade of relievers in the series finale.

Right-hander Albert Suarez (2-0, 2.08) is scheduled to be the opener. He has been limited to four relief appearances this season because of a right subscapularis strain.

His only appearance before his stint on the injured list was March 28 when he allowed two runs (one earned) in 2 2/3 relief outings at Toronto. He was reinstated from the injured list on Sept. 1. His longest outing was three innings on Sept. 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Suarez is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 15 2/3 innings over five career games (two) starts against Toronto.

It looked like Suarez would be required to pitch on Saturday. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano limped off the field after the third out of the first inning on a hard drive by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that hit his left ankle. Suarez warmed up in the bullpen, but Sugano continued and pitched a solid six innings, allowing one run and four hits. He needed only 63 pitches, but interim manager Tony Mansolino elected to remove him.

“That was my decision; he was doing great,” Mansolino said. “To see him fight through it and pitch the way he did in this environment, after six innings, just felt like it was the right thing to do for him and also for us to try to win the game.”

The manager said he was concerned about going through the lineup for the third time and Guerrero leading off the inning.

Guerrero, who was 0-for-2 against Sugano, singled in the seventh against reliever Rico Garcia.

Rookie Dylan Beavers, who was 1-for-3 with a walk batting fifth on Friday, was moved to the No. 2 spot Saturday. He responded with three walks.

The outfielder has 20 walks in 23 games since making his debut on Aug. 16. He is batting .299/.460/.418 with one homer and eight RBIs.

–Field Level Media

After posting two of their most important victories of the season to date, the visiting Houston Astros will look to earn a pivotal series sweep of the floundering Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon.

With 13 games left in the regular season, Houston (81-68) is tied with the Seattle Mariners atop the American League West, while holding a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers. The Astros, who have won three of their last four, have seen Seattle win eight straight and Texas win six in a row, leaving little room for error in the postseason chase.

Helping its odds the last two nights, Houston has picked up a pair of road wins over Atlanta — including a 6-2 victory on Saturday. After mustering just two hits in a shutout loss against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, the Astros have battered the Braves for 17 runs on 23 hits through the series’ first two games — a trend manager Joe Espada hopes to see prolonged in the series finale.

“It’s important that we carry over our momentum offensively,” Espada said. “That’s something we’ve been trying to do and we accomplished that (Saturday). Just controlling our at-bats, when you have a pitcher on the ropes, you control that momentum, you control the pitches you want to swing at. When we do that, we’re able to get pitchers out of the game in the fourth, fifth inning.”

Looking to help the Astros complete their first sweep since taking three from the Arizona Diamondbacks from July 21-23, Framber Valdez (12-9, 3.42 ERA) is slated to make his 29th start of the year. Last time out, Valdez allowed four runs (three earned) across seven innings in a 4-2 defeat to the Texas Rangers on Sept. 7.

In his lone career start against Atlanta, the 31-year-old left-hander threw seven innings of three-run ball in a 6-3 victory on April 22, 2023.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve’s availability is unclear after he left Saturday’s game in third inning because of right foot discomfort. Espada said he took Altuve out of the game as a precaution. Altuve declined to be interviewed after the game.

For the majority of the season, Atlanta (65-83) has had little for which to play outside of trying to build momentum for 2026. The Braves are mired in a four-game losing streak, and having gone 4-11 in their last 15 games.

Joey Wentz (5-6, 5.61) — a player Atlanta would not have anticipated before the season of making September starts — can help the Braves salvage the series on Sunday. The team is hoping to avoid its first series sweep since the Milwaukee Brewers won three in a row in Atlanta from Aug. 4-6.

Wentz joined the pitching staff in July after the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins each designated the 27-year-old for assignment. He struggled in his last outing, surrendering eight runs (six earned) in just 2 1/3 innings in an 18-2 loss to Seattle.

“I don’t think I really earned the right for anything to go my way,” said Wentz, who is 3-5 with a 4.76 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) with Atlanta.

In three career outings (one start) against the Astros, Wentz is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in five innings.

–Field Level Media