Justin Verlander threw seven shutout innings to record his 23rd victory as the Tigers trimmed their magic number to four with a 5-0 victory, the club's 11th straight, over the White Sox on Tuesday. Victor Martinez hit a clutch three-run homer.

Tim Wakefield never thought he would get here in the first place, so it was fitting that win No. 200 took eight tries.

Poor timing for a tight back led the Red Sox to use a pinch-hitter in the first inning Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

Going into Tuesday's 18-6 win over the Blue Jays, Boston's rotation wasn't set beyond Wednesday, but manager Terry Francona said after Tuesday's game that Josh Beckett is likely to return from a right ankle sprain to pitch on Friday.

Tampa Bay, winner of eight of its past 10 games, has seen its Wild Card deficit shrink from nine games to four over the last 11 days. The Rays will try to make up more ground in Wednesday's finale when Wade Davis takes on the Orioles and Jeremy Guthrie.

Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury totaled eight hits and three home runs as the Sox blasted their way past the Blue Jays, 18-6, at Fenway Park. It was Boston's highest run output since August 2009, and with the luck Wakefield had of late on his quest for win No. 200, he needed the backup.

Ryan Zimmerman and Craig Stammen played a role in helping the Nationals edge the Mets, 3-2, at Citi Field on Tuesday night.

The Phillies are going to clinch a playoff spot. It's bound to happen. It's just a matter of when and where, not if.

Starter Bruce Chen surrendered only two hits in eight strong innings of the Royals' 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the series opener on Tuesday before a crowd of 25,253 at Kauffman Stadium.

Their margin of error is dwindling, giving the Cardinals an increased sense of urgency. They took care of business on Tuesday and will have to do the same Wednesday afternoon against the Pirates, sending Edwin Jackson against Charlie Morton.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected from Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals in the middle of the sixth inning after returning to the field to complain about a call that third-base umpire Sam Holbrook made to end the previous inning.

Johnny Damon became the ninth player in Major League history to reach 200 homers and 400 stolen bases with his second-inning swipe in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles.

The Twins are in an unfamiliar position, fighting their way out of last place in the American League Central sitting three games behind the Royals. The two teams square off again on Wednesday in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium.

The Rays couldn't hold a late one-run lead and took a 4-2 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday — just Tampa Bay's second loss in its past 10 games. The Rays fell to four games back of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race.

The Cardinals' 6-4 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night was dotted with firsts — including a three-error game by Albert Pujols — but capped by one big second. For the second time in five days, it was Nick Punto driving in the game-winning run.

September isn't shaping up to be as smooth as the Red Sox thought it would be, but for one night, Boston was able to halt a slide that has pushed it back into the thick of the American League Wild Card race.

Mike Pelfrey will square off against Brad Peacock, who makes his first career start for the Nationals, as the Mets try to snap a four-game losing streak on Wednesday. Washington has won the first two of a four-game set at Citi Field.