WASHINGTON – The Cleveland Indians will miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2015, eliminated from the AL wild-card race Friday with an 8-2 loss to the playoff-bound Washington Nationals.
The Indians won the AL Central each of the past three years, but they spent most of this season in second place behind the Twins, who took over the division lead for good on Aug. 13.
The Indians began the day third in the wild-card standings — behind Oakland and Tampa Bay — and in need of both a victory and some help. They knew they would be eliminated with the combination of a loss to Washington and a win by the Rays at Toronto. Soon after Cleveland's game ended, Tampa Bay closed out a 6-2 victory.
Gerardo Parra had four RBI to lead the Nationals to their sixth consecutive victory. The Indians have lost three in a row, totaling just two runs and seven hits in the last two, and their loss clinched a wild-card berth for Oakland.
Asked beforehand whether he had talked to his players about where things stood, Cleveland manager Terry Francona replied: "They can add. They know what's going on."
Washington also had reason to keep an eye on the out-of-town scores posted on Nationals Park's right-field videoboard.
The Nationals clinched a playoff berth Tuesday and will participate in the NL wild-card game next week. They announced Friday that ace Max Scherzer will start in that game.
What's still undecided is who the Nationals' opponent will be and where the game will be held.
