Rays earn playoff spot by beating Blue Jays

The Tampa Bay Rays returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, clinching an AL wild-card berth with a 6-2 win over the host Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night behind Tommy Pham’s two-run homer and 4 ⅓ hitless innings from Tyler Glasnow.

Tampa Bay will play the A’s in the wild-card game on Wednesday, the site yet to be determined. The Rays will start Charlie Morton.

At 96-64, the Rays have their most wins since 2010 and can tie the team record of 97 set in 2008, when they won their only AL pennant and lost to Philadelphia in the World Series.

“This is a small step in the right direction,” Pham said. “Oakland is a tough team. We have to get through them first. ... It’s a long road ahead of us, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Astros 4, Angels 0: Alex Bregman hit his 41st homer and visiting Houston clinched home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Houston will face Tampa Bay or Oakland in a Division Series.

Cubs 8, Cardinals 2: Andrew Miller and Ryan Helsley were hit hard in Chicago’s seven-run seventh, and the host Cardinals dropped their third consecutive game. Their magic number to clinch the NL Central dropped to two, however, with the Brewers’ loss.

Nationals 8, Indians 2: Cleveland will miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2015, eliminated from the AL wild-card race in a loss to the playoff-bound Nationals in Washington. Gerardo Parra had four RBIs to lead the Nationals to their sixth straight win.

Rockies 11, Brewers 7: Ryan Braun exited early with calf trouble and visiting Milwaukee’s push for the NL Central title took a hit as its seven-game winning streak ended. Milwaukee dropped two games behind Washington for the top NL wild-card spot with two...