Once they got behind closed doors in the clubhouse, the Houston Astros showered Justin Verlander with champagne. Verlander pitched just well enough to earn his 200th career win and the Astros hit five home runs, beating the Oakland Athletics 9-4 Sunday to retake sole possession of the AL West lead. ''That was one of the tougher wins I had to get this season,'' Verlander said.

Right-hander Trevor Cahill gave up only an infield single over seven innings Saturday afternoon, and the Oakland Athletics completed a 10-game climb into first place in the American League West with a 7-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Oakland, Calif. With the win, the A's are now tied for first in the division with the defending champions, who had held a solo lead in the division since June 14. Khris Davis doubled twice and drove in two runs as the A's knocked out Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel (9-10) in the sixth inning en route to their second straight win against the Astros in the three-game series.

The Oakland Athletics were an average team two months ago, a dozen games behind the Houston Astros and closer to the bottom of the AL West than the top. Trevor Cahill pitched one-hit ball for seven shutout innings and the Athletics kept up their unlikely turnaround, tying Houston for the division lead by beating the Astros 7-1 Saturday. ''It's been a nice run for sure,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said.

The Oakland A's, for whom cheating gravity is merely pregame stretching, stole game one of this very playoff-y series with the Houston Astros, 4-3, on Matt Olson's 10th-inning home run – and when we say stole, we mean swindled. Laureano, pinch-running for Chad Pinder (who had drawn a particularly diabolical walk to start the ninth inning), raced home from first on Nick Martini's one-out double down the right field line – except that he was called out at home by umpire Alfonso Marquez because of shortstop Carlos Correa's brilliant cutoff and throw home.

Matt Olson homered off left-hander Tony Sipp leading off the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night, completing a comeback that delivered the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the American League West in Oakland, Calif. Nick Martini lashed a game-tying RBI double in the ninth to force extra innings for the A's (73-49), who moved within one game of the first-place Astros (74-48). Olson belted Sipp's sixth pitch well over the fence in right field for his 23rd home run of the season and Oakland's eighth walk-off win of the year.

The Oakland A's moved just a game back of the Houston Astros in the AL West thanks to Friday's walk-off win. Oakland's triumph was not without controversy. The A's tied the game in the ninth when a video review overturned a close play at the plate. Oakland rookie Ramon Laureano was initially called out by home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez, but the call was overturned.

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Miami Marlins 5-2 despite the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr in a fiery game. Braves rookie Acuna exited Wednesday's MLB clash after being hit by the first pitch he saw. Acuna, who led off each of the first three games in the series with a home run against the Marlins, took a fastball to the elbow from starter Jose Urena, causing an enraged Atlanta dugout to storm the field.

When Aaron Judge first sustained a chip fracture of the ulnar styloid bone in his right wrist, the New York Yankees estimated it would be three weeks before he could swing a bat in a game situation. On the eve of that three-week mark, Judge still hasn't picked up a bat. The star outfielder has lingering pain in his wrist that has slowed his recovery from the injury, which sent him to the disabled list on July 27.

Maybe Will Grier can do at West Virginia what Baker Mayfield did with Oklahoma before going to the NFL. If the senior quarterback can mimic the spectacular season had by Mayfield, the Mountaineers would have a couple of significant firsts. Oklahoma won its third Big 12 title in a row, and 11th overall, on the way to the College Football Playoff with the Heisman-winning quarterback who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Even if the New York Yankees and Houston Astros won’t concede it, it’s starting to looking more and more like the truth every day: There’s probably no catching the Boston Red Sox. Boston, with its fifth straight win Tuesday night and win No. 11 in 12

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. arrived in the big leagues this season with lofty expectations. Though he got off to a hot start, an injury at the end of May - lasting most of June - derailed his momentum. But not for long. Acuna, who led

Robinson Cano is back in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners after serving an 80-game drug suspension. "It feels great to be back, especially the way the team is playing," Cano said before Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics. Cano arrived in Oakland late Monday, woke up early Tuesday and was at the Coliseum taking batting practice underneath the outfield stands three hours before the scheduled first pitch.

It took 120 games, but the Boston Red Sox are finally 2018 World Series favorites. In the latest update from Bovada, the Red Sox have 7-2 odds to win the 2018 World Series. The Red Sox are now the favorite to win the World Series.

The Houston Astros have been here previously this season, and their reluctance to panic now that adversity has yielded unfavorable results reflects their championship DNA. Just when it appeared the Astros were trending in a positive direction despite their numerous injuries, the Seattle Mariners arrived at Minute Maid Park and claimed a four-game sweep that further shrunk Houston's rapidly dwindling lead in the American League West. Just under three weeks ago, the Astros (73-46) led the division by six games.

In a season filled with improbable highlights for the red hot Oakland Athletics, rookie Ramón Laureano made the throw of the year. The running grab was highlight reel material by itself, but the double-play strike to first on the fly broke the internet Saturday evening. "I haven't seen it on social media, because I don't have it," Laureano told NBC Sports California.

The season is flying toward the finish, which means World Series futures are getting tighter for the teams on top. Considering the champ will probably come from the AL, it would be silly not to include another value pick from that side.

The Marlins and New York Mets were tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 11th when Bryan Holaday entered the game for Miami on Saturday. Pinch hitting for Javy Guerra with one out and one on, Holaday ended the matchup just as quickly as he entered. The walk-off double gave the Marlins a 4-3 victory over New York.

Trevor Cahill saw plenty of the Los Angeles Angels during his first four seasons in the majors from 2009-12, and the right-hander experienced plenty of success. Since then, his career has gone in a number of directions but Cahill hasn't seen much of the Angels. The veteran will get another chance Sunday when he's scheduled to start for the Oakland Athletics in the finale of a three-game series at Angel Stadium.

Ramon Laureano grabbed the spotlight, and that was just fine with Edwin Jackson. Laureano made an outstanding defensive play in the third inning, helping Jackson and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-0 on Saturday night. With one out and Eric Young Jr. on first, Laureano raced into the gap in left-center to haul in Justin Upton's drive.

Ramon Laureano made an insane throw from the warning track in center field to first base on Saturday night against the Angels to complete the double play. Oakland A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano hasn’t been playing in the Major Leagues long — just four games, to be exact. In the bottom of the third inning on Saturday night in Anaheim, Los Angeles Angels left fielder Justin Upton hit a deep fly ball to left-centerfield.