MLB Playoff Picture: 3 things to know from Wednesday

Every night we look around the league and identify three things you need to know about the playoff races. Here's what happened Wednesday:

Astros reclaim 2nd wild card

The seesaw battle continued for the final playoff spot in the American League, as the Houston Astros edged the Seattle Mariners 7-6 to reclaim the second wild card position. The Oakland Athletics pulled out an 8-7 win to snap the Los Angeles Angels' seven-game winning streak, and temporarily bump them out of the playoff picture. The Angels now trail the Astros by a half-game heading into a huge four-game set with the Texas Rangers, who dropped their magic number to two to clinch the AL West with a 6-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Blue Jays clinch AL East

The Toronto Blue Jays had two chances to clinch the AL East against the Baltimore Orioles, but seized their first opportunity with a 15-2 rout in the first contest of a doubleheader. Toronto fell 8-1 in the second half of the twin bill, but still maintains a one-game advantage over the Kansas City Royals for the top AL seed and home advantage throughout the playoffs. The New York Yankees squandered an opportunity to clinch a wild-card berth by falling 9-5 to the Boston Red Sox in extras, but now have a magic number of one to return to the postseason for the first time since 2012.

Cardinals NL Central kings again

The St. Louis Cardinals, like the Blue Jays, had a pair of chances to clinch the National League Central, and got the job done on their second try with a convincing 11-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. St. Louis also clinched the best record in baseball (100-59) with the win, and will enjoy home-field advantage leading up to the World Series, should it advance to that point. The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are now officially locked into a wild-card battle, but home-field honors are still up for grabs.

If the playoffs started today:

w=clinched wild card

y=clinched division

The race to clinch the division: