The Astros dropped two of three to the Athletics over the weekend, falling back into a tie with the Rangers atop the AL West. Both clubs are under .500. Houston has the “best” run differential in the division at -44.

1. Phillies win ninth straight on Schwarber HR

Philadelphia’s eight-game winning streak was in jeopardy heading into the ninth inning against the Cardinals yesterday. St. Louis held a 4-0 lead with All-Star closer Riley O’Brien on the mound. The Phillies rallied with two outs to push four runs across on an Edmundo Sosa three-run double and a Bryan De La Cruz RBI single. Kyle Schwarber then walked it off with a monstrous homer to center. The red-hot stretch has pulled Philly within three games of Atlanta for the NL East crown.

2. Another White Sox walk-off HR

For the second time in the series, the White Sox entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied against the Mets on Sunday. Chicago once again prevailed with a game-winning home run. It was catcher Jake Rogers on Friday night. Yesterday, it was outfielder Tristan Peters who slugged a Kodai Senga heater over the center-field fence, just beyond the reach of A.J. Ewing. The White Sox now head into an important stretch that includes playoff hopefuls Texas, Minnesota, and Houston.

3. Braves win Little League Classic

Atlanta and Milwaukee headed to Williamsport for the Little League Classic on Sunday night. The Braves earned a 4-2 win behind five solid innings from Tyler Mahle. A Luis Lara RBI triple put the tying run at third in the bottom of the eighth inning, but closer Raisel Iglesias retired Gary Sanchez to end the threat. Iglesias ran into trouble in the ninth inning, allowing the first two runners to reach base. He got out of the jam by getting Jake Bauers to ground into a game-ending double play. The Braves salvaged the final game of the series to move five games behind the Brewers for the best record in the NL. The league announced that the Blue Jays and Cubs will play in next year’s edition of the event.

Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images