Ronald Acuña Jr. (shin) out Wednesday vs. Reds

That’s the same result from the first game. Encarnacion-Strand also singled and scored in that one, so he had one-third of the Orioles’ nine hits on the day. Given up on by the Reds, he has to be in the Orioles’ plans for 2027 with his .274/.324/.511 line, 11 homers and 39 RBI in 208 plate appearances.

It was going to be seven scoreless innings, but the Blue Jays challenged the final play of the seventh because second baseman Jeremiah Jackson’s heel was on the grass at the start of the play. That got Sean Keys awarded first base. Gibson had to return to the mound after going to the dugout, walked the next guy on four pitches and was lifted. Fortunately, Yennier Cano did strand the two runners. Gibson entered with a 7.36 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance, but he got that down to 6.13 tonight. That has to make him feel better about things heading towards the offseason.

Davis Schneider homered after Sean Keys singled. Bautista’s five sinkers tonight averaged just 93.2 mph, down from 96.7 mph in his first appearance back on Sunday. His hardest pitch was 93.8 mph. It seemed likely that he’d pitch once more this weekend, but after tonight’s showing, that might not be in the cards.

The Orioles got to him quickly, collecting three of their four hits and runs in the first. Van Eyk, who made four relief appearances for the Blue Jays earlier in the year, was recalled before the game to start tonight. He might now be sent back down in exchange for a fresh arm.

Schneider also walked twice. He’s batting .150/.304/.325 with 27 walks and 18 hits in 149 plate appearances for the season. He’s probably in line to be cut this winter after spending quite a bit of the season in the minors, but there’s the chance he’ll bounce back and return to being useful against lefties.

Rafaela was lifted from the contest shortly after he pulled up awkwardly and doubled over in discomfort following a second-inning single to left field. He managed to stay in the game initially, but was removed for a defensive replacement in the next inning. The 26-year-old center fielder was playing in his first game back after missing two weeks with a quad strain. The hope for the Red Sox is that his early departure was out of an abundance of caution. There should be an additional update on his status following the contest.

Luzardo has continued playing catch from flat ground since hitting the injured list with shoulder inflammation last week. There’s optimism that he’ll be ready to pitch in the postseason. It’s unclear how much he’ll be able to contribute from a workload standpoint, but it sounds like he’s going to be ready at some point relatively soon.

Woodruff is holding out hope that he’ll be able to pitch at some point during Milwaukee’s upcoming playoff run after managing to avoid season-ending shoulder surgery. He’ll undergo imaging to determine his next steps and whether he’ll be cleared to progress to throwing bullpen sessions.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy told reporters Crochet will not appear in a regular season game but remains a possibility to pitch in the postseason. The 27-year-old ace has not pitched in a game since April 25. He’s been ramping up his throwing progression since early August with the goal of pitching out of the bullpen in the playoffs.

Adam returns to San Diego’s relief equation after missing nearly three months with a right shoulder strain. The 35-year-old high-leverage specialist posted a strong 2.51 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 22/8 K/BB ratio over 32 1/3 innings prior to the injury. He’ll provide a lift for the Padres as they get closer to locking up a playoff berth.