Latest Scores and Standings from American League Playoff Push

There's nothing quite like a pennant race. Major League Baseball's 162-game season is a grueling trek, but the final stretch of the season makes every pitch and inning worth it.

The American League division standings are tight across the board. Only five teams will earn postseason berths, and each team is fighting tooth and nail to earn its spot.

Wednesday night's baseball schedule featured a handful of matchups with playoff implications.

Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 2—F

Nate McLouth's walk-off base hit off the wall handed Baltimore the win and a temporary lead in the AL East.

The Orioles just keep on winning. Miguel Gonzalez turned in a solid six-inning start, and the Baltimore bullpen kept the team in the game as usual.

The turning point came with the score knotted at two in the ninth inning. The Rays had Rich Thompson on third base. The batter grounded to Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado, who barehanded it, pump-faked to first and turned to catch Thompson napping off of third.

J.J. Hardy placed the tag on his back, and Baltimore got out of the inning.

Machado's base hit to start the bottom half of the frame was followed by a sacrifice bunt and McLouth's game-winning drive.

Orioles: 80-62 (tied for first in AL East, tied for first in AL Wild Card)

Rays: 77-65 (third in AL East, second in AL Wild Card)

New York Yankees 5, Boston 4—F

Derek Jeter's ankle injury didn't keep his team from earning the victory on Wednesday and keeping pace with Baltimore in the AL East.

New York benefited from two Curtis Granderson home runs and a Robinson Cano bomb early in the game. David Phelps turned in a solid pitching performance, and six different Yankee relievers closed the job.

Boston tried to come back. The Red Sox cut into the lead and even stranded two runners in the eighth inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a solo shot in the ninth, but it wasn't quite enough to upset their hated rivals.

Yankees: 80-62 (tied for first in AL East, tied for first in AL Wild Card)

Red Sox: 64-79 (fifth in AL East, eighth in AL Wild Card)

Texas 5, Cleveland 2—F

Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton both left this contest with injuries, but the Rangers grabbed the victory, 5-2.

Hamilton hit a fielders' choice to score Ian Kinsler in the first inning, and that was followed by a two-run shot by Beltre. Hamilton's MLB-leading 41st home run in the third inning put the lead at 4-0, and that was all Ryan Dempster needed.

Dempster tossed seven strong innings, scattering seven hits and striking out eight. He allowed two runs, but this was the kind of start Texas expects from its veteran.

The Rangers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and appear primed for another deep postseason run.

Texas: 85-57 (first in AL West)

Cleveland: 59-84 (fifth in AL Central, last in AL Wild Card)

Detroit 8, Chicago White Sox 6—F

Kevin Youkilis did everything in his power to earn Chicago a victory, but his two home runs were not enough.

After taking a 1-0 lead, the White Sox let up eight straight runs. Max Scherzer allowed one run in six innings, earning his 16th victory of the season.

The Tigers were paced by Prince Fielder's three-run homer in the seventh inning, and he also received help from Austin Jackson's two RBI.

Both of these teams have struggled as of late, but these head-to-head matchups are what really matter. Scherzer's big performance goes a long way, and the Tigers offense finally had the breakout performance it had been looking for.

Tigers: 75-67 (second place in AL Central, fourth place in AL Wild Card)

White Sox: 76-66 (first place in AL Central)

Oakland 4, Los Angeles Angels 1—F

The Athletics' miraculous season continued Wednesday night with another victory. They now have 82 wins on the season, six of which belong to Wednesday's starting pitcher A.J. Griffin.

Griffin threw eight shutout innings, striking out six batters and scattering six hits. He was picked up by Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook in the game's final inning to seal the victory.

Oakland took an early lead after Yoenis Cespedes reached via error, scoring Josh Reddick in the process. Cespedes would add a solo home run in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 2-0.

Albert Pujols hit his 30th home run of the year in the ninth inning, but it wasn't enough to bring his team back.

The Athletics have now won seven of their last 10 games.

Athletics: 82-60 (second place in AL West, tied for first place in AL Wild Card)

Angels: 77-66 (third in AL West, third in AL Wild Card)

Coming Up on Thursday

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 12:35 p.m. ET

Oakland at Los Angeles Angels, 3:35 p.m. ET

New York Yankees at Boston, 7:10 p.m. ET

Cleveland at Texas, 8:05 p.m. ET

Detroit at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. ET

AL EAST	W	L	PCT	GB
NY Yankees	80	62	.563	-
Baltimore	80	62	.563	-
Tampa Bay	77	65	.542	3

AL CENTRAL	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago W.Sox	76	66	.535	-
Detroit	75	67	.528	1
Kansas City	64	77	.454	12

AL WEST	W	L	PCT	GB
Texas	85	57	.599	-
Oakland	82	60	.577	3
LA Angels	77	66	.538	8.5

WILD CARD	W	L	PCT	GB
Oakland	82	60	.577	-
Baltimore	80	62	.563	-
New York	80	62	.563	-
Tampa Bay	77	65	.546	3
L.A. Angels	77	66	.538	3.5
Detroit	75	67	.528	5