Joey Gallo Cools Off, Gavin Lux Shines in MLB The Show Players League

The race to catch Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo in the MLB The Show Players League continued Monday.

Gallo, who entered play with a sparkling 15-1 record, headlined a group of 12 players in action Monday with the race for playoff spots heating up. He wasn't the only notable one on the sticks, as Gavin Lux of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres continued battling for the National League West crown.

They both entered play with a 9-3 record.

Here is a look at the full results from Monday's action.

Ty Buttrey, LAA

vs. Garrett (CIN), 4-0 win

at Santana (CLE), 4-0 loss

at Jackson (ATL), 4-0 win

vs. Lux (LAD), 5-4 loss

Jon Duplantier, ARI

at Kahnle (NYY), 3-0 loss

vs. Tatis Jr. (SD), 2-1 win

at Gallo (TEX), 4-2 win

vs. Giolito (CWS), 4-2 loss

Joey Gallo, TEX

vs. Tatis Jr. (SD), 3-2 win

at Giolito (CWS), 2-1 loss

vs. Duplantier (ARI), 4-2 loss

at Hader (MIL), 8-2 win

Amir Garrett, CIN

at Buttrey (LAA), 4-0 loss

vs. Phillips (KC), 6-5 win

at Lux (LAD), 2-1 loss

vs. Santana (CLE), 4-3 win

Lucas Giolito, CWS

at Hader (MIL), 4-2 loss

vs. Gallo (TEX), 2-1 win

at Duplantier (ARI), 4-2 win

Josh Hader, MIL

vs. Giolito (CWS), 4-2 win

at Kahnle (NY), 3-0 win

at Tatis Jr. (SD), 2-0 loss

vs. Gallo (TEX), 8-2 loss

Luke Jackson, ATL

vs. Santana (CLE), 9-1 win

at Lux (LAD), 4-1 win

vs. Buttrey (LAA), 4-0 loss

at Phillips (KC), 4-3 win

Tommy Kahnle, NYY

vs. Duplantier (ARI), 3-0 win

vs. Hader (MIL), 3-0 loss

at Tatis Jr. (SD), 11-4 loss

Gavin Lux, LAD

at Phillips (KC), 3-2 win

vs. Jackson (ATL), 4-1 loss

vs. Garrett (CIN), 2-1 win

at Buttrey (LAA), 5-4 win

Brett Phillips, KC

vs. Lux (LAD), 3-2 loss

at Garrett (CIN), 6-5 loss

at Santana (CLE), 7-2 win

vs. Jackson (ATL), 4-3 loss

Carlos Santana, CLE

at Jackson (ATL), 9-1 loss

vs. Buttrey (LAA), 4-0 win

vs. Phillips (KC), 7-2 loss

at Garrett (CIN), 4-3 loss

Fernando Tatis Jr., SD

at Gallo (TEX), 3-2 loss

at Duplantier (ARI), 2-1 loss

vs. Hader (MIL), 2-0 win

vs. Kahnle (NYY), 11-4 win

Only the top eight overall teams make the postseason in the league that is raising money for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Canada during the coronavirus pandemic, putting all the more pressure on these late-season games.

While Gallo seems well on his way to those playoffs, he lost more games Monday than he did the rest of the season combined.

He started with a thrilling 3-2 win in the high-profile showdown with Tatis thanks to a walk-off home run from Willie Calhoun but dropped two straight to Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox and Jon Duplantier of the Arizona Diamondbacks in a stunning development. Fortunately for Rangers fans, Gallo looked much more like himself in the finale with a dominant 8-2 win over Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gallo did Lux a favor with the head-to-head win over Tatis, and it appeared to be a troublesome day for the Padres youngster when he also dropped a game against Duplantier.

However, he bounced back with two straight wins against Hader and Tommy Kahnle of the New York Yankees to keep the pressure on Lux.

He needed to because the Dodgers infielder continued racking up the wins with victories over Brett Phillips of the Kansas City Royals, Amir Garrett of the Cincinnati Reds and Ty Buttrey of the Los Angeles Angels. The wins over Garrett and Buttrey were of the one-run variety, underscoring his ability to come through in close games with positioning in the standings on the line.

That bodes well for the future since the race for the playoffs only figures to heat up in the coming days.