Dustin Pedroia's grand slam helps Red Sox clinch playoff berth

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

For most of the season it looked like the American League East would be the one division not decided until the season’s final weekend. The Boston Red Sox have all but eliminated that possibility thanks to a winning streak that was extended to 10 games in their come-from-behind 6-4 win against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

With the win, Boston officially clinched a postseason berth. They also lowered their magic number to clinch the AL East to three.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

The decisive blow came on one big swing from Dustin Pedroia. After snapping an 0-for-17 slump with a single earlier in the game, the second baseball launched a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning against reliever Danny Farquhar. The slam was the fourth of Pedroia’s career and his second of the season. He has 14 home runs overall.

The beneficiary was Rick Porcello, who notched his league-best 22nd win after pitching 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball. He also struck out nine.

The win was yet another thriller for Boston. Though you wouldn’t know that based on their reactions Saturday night. For the most part, the team was unmoved by Saturday’s clinch. There was no celebration whatsoever. In fact, some players didn’t even realize it had happened.

That indicates a team with a laser focus on larger goals. First and foremost, they want the division. Then you’d assume they would want home-field advantage. Then it’s all about the World Series. The Red Sox have been there before. They definitely know when it’s time to celebrate.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

TOP PERFORMERS

Eric Hosmer: The Kansas City Royals aren’t going back to the playoffs this season, but they’re not dead yet either. Trailing by two and with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday, they rallied against Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez to pull off a stunning 7-4 victory. It was Paulo Orlando who extended the game with a tying two-run double. After a Chelsor Cuthbert walk, Eric Hosmer then crushed Detroit’s soul while knocking them from the second wild card spot with a three-run homer.

Elvis Andrus: After clinching the AL West on Friday, the Rangers gave every regular Saturday off. That was, except for Elvis Andrus, who actually asked to play. He must have known something good was coming, because he finished their 5-0 win over Oakland with two home runs and four RBIs.

Mike Trout: The Astros started this series having won 11 of 12 from the Angels. That’s now 11 of 15 after three straight stunning losses this weekend at Minute Maid Park. Trout, of course, has been in the middle of all three. He came up especially big in Saturday’s 10-4 win, delivering an RBI single in the Angels four-run eighth and a two-run double in the five-run ninth.

Clayton Kershaw: The Dodgers lowered their magic number to one in the NL West behind a dominant performance from Kershaw. The ace left-hander allowed just three hits over seven scoreless innings. At the plate, he picked up a hit of his own and an RBI, as the Dodgers crushed the Rockies 14-1. That sets the stage for the Dodgers to clinch in Vin Scully’s final home game on Sunday.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

The Mariners only scored two runs in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Twins, but those runs were mighty impressive. Nelson Cruz reached the third deck with a monstrous two-run homer that Statcast recorded at 493 feet. That makes it the second longest home run in baseball this season behind Giancarlo Stanton’s 504-footer at Coors Field on Aug. 6. Unfortunately for Seattle, they needed the win more than the distance. They fell to two games back in the wild-card race.

REST OF SCOREBOARD

Cardinals 10, Cubs 4: The NL wild-card picture is back to a virtual three-way tie between the Cardinals, Giants and Mets, with St. Louis one game back in the win column. The Cardinals bounced back in Chicago behind big games from Brandon Moss, Randal Grichuk and Aledmys Diaz. The trio combined to go 8-for-13 with a homer, three doubles, seven runs and nine RBIs.

Giants 9, Padres 6 (10 innings): San Francisco scored three in the 10th inning capped by Denard Span’s two-run homer. That only delayed the inevitable in the NL West, but it’s a huge help to their wild-card hopes.

Nationals 6, Pirates 1: The NL East championship is back in Washington for the third time since 2012. The Nationals scored three in the first and fourth innings and then held on behind five pitchers. Reynaldo Lopez earned the win after pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

Phillies 10, Mets 8: The Nationals needed help from the Phillies to clinch and ended up getting it, but not without a fight. After Philadelphia jumped out to a 10-0 lead through four innings, the Mets rallied and actually brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Blue Jays 3, Yankees 0: The Blue Jays are holding on tight to the top wild-card spot in the AL. Thanks to a Jose Bautista three-run homer and seven innings of one-hit ball from Marcus Stroman, they now hold a 1 1/2-game cushion.

Orioles 6, Diamondbacks 1: Another day, another homer for both Mark Trumbo and rookie Trey Mancini. That’s No. 45 on the season, and three for Mancini in four big league games. With the win, Baltimore moved back into the second wild card, one-half game ahead of Detroit.

Marlins 6, Braves 4: Miami’s the team that’s still alive, but Atlanta’s the team that entered with a seven-game winning streak. That streak of spoiling games against the Nationals, Mets and Marlins is now over thanks largely to Dee Gordon, who reached base four times and stole three bases.

White Sox 8, Indians 1: Thanks to Detroit’s loss, Cleveland’s magic number in the AL Central dropped to two. They could still clinch at home on Sunday.

Reds 6, Brewers 1: On Friday, Joey Votto hit into a first-inning triple play. On Saturday, he hit a first-inning two-run homer that would be all the offense Cincinnati needed.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

The StewPod: A baseball podcast by Yahoo Sports
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed

– – – – – – –

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @Townie813