Pete Crow-Armstrong hit three home runs for Chicago, Tampa Bay strengthened its grip on the AL East, and the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Braves and Brewers continued jockeying for postseason position.

Major League Baseball’s regular season is entering its final month, which means individual wins are beginning to carry much more weight.

Saturday, August 29 featured 17 games, including doubleheaders involving the Yankees and Red Sox and the Giants and Diamondbacks. Several of the teams battling for division titles and Wild Card positions were in action, making Saturday particularly important to the developing postseason picture.

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to own baseball’s best record, while the Tampa Bay Rays lead the American League. Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers are locked together near the top of the National League, and several Wild Card races remain unsettled.

Here are some of Saturday’s most important games.

Chicago Cubs 17, Cincinnati Reds 5

Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered the biggest individual performance of Saturday.

The Cubs center fielder hit three home runs in Chicago’s 17-5 destruction of Cincinnati at Wrigley Field, recording the first three-homer game of his career.

Crow-Armstrong homered in each of his first two plate appearances and launched his third in the seventh inning. That blast was his 36th home run of the season and traveled 443 feet.

The performance added another chapter to an MVP-caliber season for the 24-year-old and helped Chicago improve to 77-59.

The win was also important because the Cubs currently occupy one of the National League Wild Card positions.

Tampa Bay Rays 7, San Diego Padres 6

The Rays strengthened their position atop the American League with a comeback victory over San Diego.

Tampa Bay trailed 6-3 before scoring four runs in the seventh inning. Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero both homered as the Rays turned the game around and held on for a 7-6 win.

The victory improved Tampa Bay to 81-54 and gave the Rays a 4½-game advantage over the Yankees in the AL East entering Sunday.

San Diego’s defeat was particularly costly because the Padres are fighting Arizona for the final National League Wild Card position.

Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 0 — Game 1

Boston opened Saturday’s doubleheader at Yankee Stadium with an impressive shutout.

Rookie Jake Bennett allowed only three hits across six scoreless innings, struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Boston broke the game open with four runs in the ninth to complete the 6-0 victory.

The result temporarily pulled Boston closer to New York in the Wild Card standings.

New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 2 — Game 2

The Yankees answered decisively in the nightcap.

New York won 9-2, giving the rivals a split and allowing the Yankees to maintain a three-game advantage over Boston for the top American League Wild Card position.

The result also created an interesting situation for Sunday. The Yankees and Red Sox are tied 6-6 in their season series, meaning Sunday’s game will determine the head-to-head tiebreaker if the clubs finish the regular season with identical records.

That could become significant because the Yankees and Red Sox currently occupy the first two AL Wild Card positions.

Atlanta Braves 2, Colorado Rockies 1

Atlanta continued one of baseball’s strongest late-season runs.

The Braves trailed Colorado 1-0 until Michael Harris II delivered a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning.

That swing turned the game around and gave Atlanta its sixth consecutive victory.

Atlanta improved to 81-55, keeping the Braves even with the Dodgers among the National League’s leading teams.

Detroit Tigers 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

The Dodgers suffered a frustrating loss in Detroit when Kevin McGonigle delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning.

Los Angeles managed only one run despite another strong start from Blake Snell.

The defeat dropped the Dodgers to 81-55, leaving them even with Atlanta and four games behind Milwaukee in the overall National League standings.

Milwaukee Brewers 5, Texas Rangers 3

Milwaukee continued to separate itself from the rest of baseball.

The Brewers defeated Texas 5-3 and improved to 85-51, giving them the best record in Major League Baseball entering Sunday.

Milwaukee has built a substantial advantage in the NL Central and is increasingly positioned to claim one of the National League’s two first-round playoff byes. The Brewers have also produced one of baseball’s best run differentials this season.

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Los Angeles Angels 2 — 10 Innings

Philadelphia continued its strong late-August run with an extra-inning victory in Anaheim.

Cristopher Sánchez threw seven scoreless innings and struck out eight before the Angels eventually forced extra innings.

Kyle Schwarber delivered the decisive hit late as Philadelphia earned a 4-2 victory.

The Phillies improved to 76-60 and strengthened their hold on a National League Wild Card position.

Chicago White Sox 3, Minnesota Twins 2

The White Sox continued their surprising run toward an AL Central championship.

Andrew Benintendi collected all three Chicago hits, including the home run that broke a 2-2 tie.

Chicago improved to 72-63 and now holds a 4½-game advantage over Cleveland in the AL Central.

New York Mets 6, Houston Astros 2

The Mets may be well outside the National League playoff race, but they affected the American League picture Saturday by beating Houston 6-2.

The loss dropped the Astros to 68-68.

Houston still leads the AL West, but unlike several of baseball’s other division leaders, the Astros have little margin for error as September approaches.

Where the MLB Playoff Race Stands

Major League Baseball sends six teams from each league to the postseason.

The three division champions qualify automatically, along with three Wild Card teams. The two division winners with the best records in each league receive first-round byes.

The third division champion and the three Wild Card clubs play best-of-three Wild Card Series. Eventually, the two remaining teams in each league meet in the American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series.

Those winners capture their respective league pennants and meet in the World Series.

American League Division Leaders

Entering Sunday:

Tampa Bay Rays — 81-54 — AL East

Chicago White Sox — 72-63 — AL Central

Houston Astros — 68-68 — AL West

Tampa Bay currently owns the strongest position in the American League. Chicago has opened some breathing room over Cleveland, but the AL West remains considerably less settled.

American League Wild Card Race

If the season ended after Saturday’s games, the three Wild Card positions would belong to:

New York Yankees — 77-59

Boston Red Sox — 74-62

Cleveland Guardians — 68-68

The Yankees and Red Sox have significant cushions in the first two positions. The real battle is developing around the third Wild Card.

Baltimore is 67-69 and only one game behind Cleveland. Toronto is 67-70 and 1½ games back, while Texas remains within striking distance.

That makes the final AL Wild Card position one of the races most likely to change repeatedly during September.

National League Division Leaders

The National League currently has three powerful division leaders:

Milwaukee Brewers — 85-51 — NL Central

Atlanta Braves — 81-55 — NL East

Los Angeles Dodgers — 81-55 — NL West

Milwaukee owns the best record in baseball and currently has the inside track on the National League’s No. 1 seed.

Atlanta and Los Angeles are tied at 81-55, creating another important race because only two division champions receive first-round byes.

That means the Braves and Dodgers are not simply trying to win their divisions. They are also competing with each other for the opportunity to skip the Wild Card round entirely.

National League Wild Card Race

Chicago and Philadelphia are in strong position for the first two National League Wild Cards.

Chicago Cubs — 77-59

Philadelphia Phillies — 76-60

Behind them, San Diego and Arizona are essentially dead even.

San Diego — 72-64

Arizona — 73-65

Both clubs have winning percentages of approximately .529, turning the final Wild Card into a virtual September sprint.

Miami remains close enough to matter at 68-68, while St. Louis is also still mathematically within reach.

The Race Toward the World Series

At this stage of the season, it is still too early to describe the standings as a direct “World Series race.”

The immediate battles are for division championships, Wild Card berths and playoff seeding.

But several clubs are beginning to separate themselves as serious October contenders.

Milwaukee currently owns baseball’s best record. Atlanta and Los Angeles sit just behind the Brewers in the National League, while Tampa Bay leads the American League.

The Cubs, Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox also appear increasingly likely to be part of the postseason field.

The biggest uncertainty lies lower in the standings. Cleveland, Baltimore, Toronto and several other clubs are battling for the final American League Wild Card, while San Diego and Arizona are essentially side by side for the last National League berth.

With September arriving, every game involving those clubs becomes increasingly important. A three- or four-game winning streak can suddenly create separation, while a bad week can move a team from playoff position to the outside looking in.

Saturday provided a good preview of what the final month should look like: division leaders protecting their advantages, Wild Card teams fighting for every game, and October baseball beginning to come into focus.