Scoreboard Watching: Yankees’ magic number drops to 3

Welcome to scoreboard watching, where we keep track of the Yankees’ magic number, their hopes of gaining home-field advantage, and the important games that happened around the league yesterday.

Astros dominate Royals 12-3

Unfortunately, the Astros made the most of their series against Kansas City. Wade Miley pitched six strong innings for Houston, and was backed up by a lineup that jumped all over Jakob Junis and the Royals’ bullpen. Since they won and the Yankees lost, their record is tied once again. If the season ends with them tied, the Astros own the tiebreaker and would be awarded home-field advantage.

Indians win, Rays lose to keep Wild Card race interesting

It appears that the Twins will win the AL Central, but Cleveland is hanging in there for a potential Wild Card spot. They beat Minnesota 7-5 thanks in large part to a three-run bomb off the bat of Roberto Perez. Meanwhile, the Angels routed the Rays 6-4. The Indians now trail Tampa Bay by just 1.5 games.

Athletics stay hot

Oakland won their sixth game in a row behind six scoreless innings from Sean Manaea. The southpaw and Jesus Luzardo held the Rangers to just one run. The Athletics have a 1.5 lead over the Rays for the first Wild Card spot.

Magic number

Since the Rays lost, the Yankees’ magic number dropped to 3. Both teams are off tomorrow, so the earliest the Bombers could clinch is Wednesday.