The Oakland Athletics snapped a three-game slide with a convincing victory and look to take another step toward securing a postseason berth when they host the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the finale of a three-game set. Oakland walloped the Angels 10-0 on Wednesday to maintain a 5 1/2-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League's second wild-card spot.

The New York Yankees provided their own version of pop to once again prevent the Boston Red Sox from a bubbly celebration in the Bronx. Fresh off a three-homer performance, the Yankees (93-58) look to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Red Sox (103-49) on Thursday and avert their long-time rivals from clinching their third straight American League East title.

The New York Mets started September with a flourish before dropping four of the last five contests, including their 12th shutout loss of the season last time out. The Mets (70-82) hope to wake up their slumbering bats against Max Scherzer and the host Washington Nationals (77-75) on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.

The Tampa Bay Rays are not going away easily in the quest for a playoff spot and look to extend their winning streak to six when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night to open a four-game series. Tampa Bay completed a sweep at Texas with a 9-3 triumph Wednesday afternoon and remained within 5 1/2 games of Oakland for the American League’s second wild card.

Jason Kipnis hopes to get on a roll in the final month of the season while solidifying a spot somewhere in the Cleveland Indians’ postseason lineup, and he made a major statement with a walk-off grand slam Wednesday. Kipnis looks to build on those heroics Thursday night as the Indians go for a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago White Sox and try to improve on a 12-3 edge in the season series.

The Cincinnati Reds have been shut out in three of their past five games and look to break out of their slump when they visit the Miami Marlins on Thursday in the opener of a four-game set. Cincinnati was blanked 7-0 by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday to mark the 12th time they haven't scored this season, the most since the franchise was shut out 13 times in 2015.

The Detroit Tigers will try to snap a seven-game home losing streak when they begin a four-game series against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The Tigers managed just four hits in an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, suffering their second straight three-game sweep at Comerica Park.

Freddie Freeman has been the one constant throughout the Atlanta Braves' four-year rebuild, and now the first baseman and his teammates have an opportunity to win the National League East championship this weekend as they host the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game series starting Thursday. Freeman, the lone position player left from Atlanta’s last playoff team in 2013, helped his team snap a four-game losing streak with three hits in Wednesday’s 7-3 win over St. Louis.