Robinson Cano and the Mariners walked off in extras against the Blue Jays

The playoff picture is the key thing to look at for the remainder of the regular season and there were afternoon matchups on Wednesday that were pertinent to the playoff race and important for fantasy owners. There was a two-home run performance, a pitcher’s duel that went into extra innings, and a playoff contender was blown out on the road. Three afternoon matchups involving playoff contenders will open this daily update for September 22, 2016.

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Recap

Mariners walk off against Blue Jays
Robinson Cano had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th inning after Jose Bautista tied the game in the top of the ninth for Toronto and the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 2-1. Felix Hernandez allowed two hits and three walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out four batters, while Jesus Sucre finished 3-for-3 with a run scored and a double for Seattle. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run on four hits in six innings, striking out five batters and walking three, while Josh Donaldson finished 2-for-5 with a double for Toronto.

Rockies drill Cardinals
Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam and the Rockies had 12 hits in a 11-1 win over the NL Wild Card chasing Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. Arenado finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored while Tom Murphy hit a three-run home run, Charlie Blackmon finished 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored, and D.J. LeMahieu finished 2-for-3 with a double, run scored, and two RBI for Colorado. Jeremy Hazelbaker and Matt Adams each had doubles for St. Louis and Kolten Wong drove in a run, but Luke Weaver (1-4) allowed six runs on seven hits in two innings.

Astros hang on against Athletics
Evan Gattis had two home runs and the Astros hung on for a 6-5 win over the Athletics after Arismendy Alcantara was thrown out at home to end the game. Gattis finished 2-for-4 with three RBI while Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa each had two hits, with Correa driving in a run and scoring a run for Houston. Yonder Alonso, Brett Eibner, Bruce Maxwell, and Chad Pinder each had doubles while Pinder and Danny Valencia scored twice each for Oakland.

Dodgers move closer to NL West title with win over Giants
Yasiel Puig drilled a three-run home run and eight of the nine starters for Los Angeles had a hit in the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the Giants. Howie Kendrick finished 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and two RBI while Corey Seager and Carlos Ruiz each had two hits, with Ruiz scoring two runs and Seager stealing a base, and Kenta Maeda (16-9) allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings for the Dodgers. Ehire Adrianza hit a home run, finishing 2-for-4, while Denard Span finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored and Matt Moore (11-12) allowed six runs on seven hits in one inning for the Giants.

Diamondbacks ride two home run game past Padres
Zack Grienke allowed two runs on two hits in six innings, striking out seven batters and walking four, while Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs in a 3-2 win for the Diamondbacks over the Padres. Greinke (13-7) now has a 4.37 ERA while Goldschmidt had all three RBI for Arizona and the Diamondbacks only had three other hits. Luis Perdomo (8-10) allowed three runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out two batters without a walk, while Wil Myers had a walk and a two-run home run and Derek Norris had a double for San Diego.

What to Watch For

A battle of two of the best teams in AL East will be the featured matchup on Thursday, seeing David Price and the Red Sox traveling to Baltimore to face Chris Tillman and the Orioles. Price allowed five runs in his last start, but had allowed two runs or fewer in his six starts and has won his last seven decisions. Tillman has lost three of his last five starts, allowing three runs or more in four of his last seven starts, but still has a 16-6 record and 3.72 ERA this season. Justin Verlander, Jeff Samardzjia, and Tyler Chatwood will also pitch today.

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.