The Opener: Raleigh, Schwarber, Red Sox, AL Central

Here are four things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Raleigh chasing Judge’s record:

The Mariners clinched the AL West yesterday, and they did so on back of two more home runs from AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh. Those homers were the 59th and 60th of Raleigh’s season, making him the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 long balls in a single season. With the records for most home runs by a catcher, most home runs by a Mariner, and most home runs by a switch-hitter all locked up, Raleigh has one more major milestone he can reach this year: the AL home run record, set by fellow AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge just three years ago. Raleigh would need two more homers to match Judge’s record and three more to break it. That’s going to be a tall order with just four games left, but Raleigh has already hit four homers in his past four games and has recorded 11 multi-homer games throughout the year.

2. Schwarber chasing Howard:

Raleigh wasn’t the only star slugger to have a multi-homer game last night. Kyle Schwarber hit his 55th and 56th home runs of the season, leaving him just two dingers behind Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58 homers. Like Raleigh’s pursuit of the AL record, Schwarber is facing long odds with just four games left on the calendar. However, he does benefit from those games being against non-contenders; Philadelphia wraps a series against the Marlins today before completing their regular season schedule with a three-game set against the Twins, who have been MLB’s worst team since their sell-off at the trade deadline.

3. Red Sox aim to clinch:

The Red Sox could punch their ticket to the postseason today. They’ll go for the sweep against their division rival Blue Jays and send Brayan Bello (3.34 ERA) to the mound while Toronto opts for a bullpen game opened by Louis Varland (3.10 ERA in 72 relief appearances). Boston could still clinch even if they lose that game, however, as they’ll also lock up a postseason spot if the Athletics and righty J.T. Ginn (4.57 ERA in 15 starts) manage to take down the Astros and southpaw Framber Valdez. Valdez has a solid 3.75 ERA in 30 starts this year, but it’s worth noting that he’s struggled badly with a 6.71 ERA since the start of August. If and when the Red Sox do punch their postseason ticket, it’ll be their first trip to the playoffs since 2021.

4. Guardians go for the sweep:

Cleveland’s stunning Cinderella run for the AL Central crown seemingly cannot be stopped. The Guardians sat a whopping 9.5 games out of first place as recently as Sept. 10, but they’ve stormed to sole possession of the AL Central lead by winning 18 of their past 21 games — including two in a row against the now-second-place Tigers, who’ve spent nearly the entire season in first place. The Guards haven’t lost back-to-back games since Sept. 1-2.

That historic run wouldn’t have catapulted them into first place had Detroit sustained its prior pace — or even if the Tigers had simply been playing decently. Instead, the inverse of last year’s storybook run in Detroit has played out. The Tigers have faceplanted with a 5-15 record in September, including a current eight-game losing streak. They’re still in possession of a Wild Card spot, holding a one-game lead over an also-reeling Astros club that has lost five in a row. The Tigers will look to stop the bleeding and push back into a tie for the division lead in today’s series finale. Detroit will turn to rookie righty Troy Melton, who has a 2.79 ERA but has been working in multi-inning relief stints lately. It’ll likely be a bullpen game for manager AJ Hinch. The Guardians will counter with lefty Parker Messick. The rookie southpaw has been a major factor in Cleveland’s sprint to first place, having logged a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 innings across six starts since making his MLB debut on Aug. 20.