Leading Off: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals seek franchise-best 15th straight win

A look astatine what’s happening astir the majors today:

RED-HOT REDBIRDS

The soaring Cardinals volition effort for a franchise-record 15th consecutive triumph erstwhile they play the Cubs astatine Wrigley Field. St. Louis swept a doubleheader from Chicago connected Friday, equaling a 14-game tally by the squad successful July 1935. The winning streak has rocketed the Cardinals into power of the 2nd NL chaotic card, starring Philadelphia by 5 games.

Left-hander Jon Lester (7-6, 4.59 ERA) is slated to transportation for St. Louis against Chicago right-hander Adrian Sampson (3-3, 2.84).

WHAT’S THE SCENARIO?

With a small help, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee tin some clinch part crowns.

The defending AL champion Rays, who secured a postseason spot Wednesday, request a triumph astatine location implicit Miami and a Boston nonaccomplishment to the Yankees astatine Fenway Park to triumph their 2nd consecutive AL East title.

Corbin Burnes and the Brewers, already assured their 4th consecutive playoff berth, would wrapper up their archetypal NL Central title since 2018 with a triumph astatine location against the Mets and a nonaccomplishment by St. Louis to the Cubs successful Chicago.

WILD CHASE

The Yankees and Red Sox proceed a three-game acceptable astatine Fenway Park with immense postseason implications. New York bushed Boston 8-3 connected Friday nighttime to propulsion wrong a crippled of the Red Sox for the apical AL chaotic card. Toronto and Seattle are 2 games down the Yankees.

Left-hander Nestor Cortes (2-2, 2.79 ERA) has been connected a bat-missing rotation this period for New York, striking retired 30 and walking six implicit 22 1/3 innings spanning 4 starts. He’ll reason Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta, who is winless successful his past 5 starts and allowed 4 runs successful 1 2/3 innings against the Yankees connected Aug. 18.

TUNING UP

Clayton Kershaw (10-7, 3.27 ERA) makes his 3rd commencement since returning from the injured database erstwhile the Los Angeles Dodgers play astatine last-place Arizona. The three-time Cy Young Award victor has allowed 2 runs and struck retired 13 implicit 9 1/3 innings since missing much than 2 months with inflammation successful his near elbow.

The defending World Series champions are a crippled down first-place San Francisco successful the NL West, though some teams person clinched a playoff berth. Anthony DeSclafani (12-7, 3.23) pitches for the Giants successful Colorado.

RANGER DANGER

The Phillies enactment their NL East hopes connected emerging left-hander Ranger Suarez (6-5, 1.60), who is 1-2 with a 1.99 ERA successful 10 starts since moving from the bullpen to the rotation successful August. The 26-year-old volition look the Pirates successful a matinee arsenic Philadelphia tries to summation crushed connected first-place Atlanta.

Right-hander Wil Crow (4-7, 5.77) is slated to commencement for Pittsburgh.

CEASE DESISTS

The AL Central champion White Sox were dealt a imaginable stroke to their playoff prep erstwhile starter Dylan Cease was struck successful his pitching limb by a comebacker Friday night. The nine said Cease has a bruised close triceps and X-rays were antagonistic aft helium was deed by a one-hopper from Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer successful the sixth inning.

Cease attempted a fewer signifier pitches earlier leaving the field, interrupting a shutout performance. He exited with 9 strikeouts implicit 5 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 3.95.

BANNED BLUE JAY

Toronto reliever Ryan Borucki volition beryllium retired a 2nd consecutive nighttime against Minnesota aft having a three-game suspension reduced to 2 Friday.

Borucki was punished by Major League Baseball connected Thursday for intentionally hitting Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier with a transportation the time before. MLB banned Borucki 3 games, but helium got the suspension reduced to 2 games via an entreaty Friday.

Borucki was ejected aft plunking Kiermaier successful the backmost successful the eighth inning. That came 2 days aft Kiermaier scooped up a Toronto scouting study that had fallen disconnected catcher Alejandro Kirk’s wristband during a play astatine the sheet and refused to manus it back.

Toronto ace Robbie Ray (12-6, 2.72) tin bolster his Cy Young Award resume. The lefty had the lowest ERA successful the AL entering Friday and besides led the league with 238 strikeouts.

Marcus Semien deed his 42nd location tally for Toronto connected Friday and is 1 shy of the single-season grounds for 2nd basemen, acceptable by Davey Johnson with Atlanta successful 1973. Semien equaled Minnesota’s Brian Dozier (2016) and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby (1922).