MLB Playoff Picture: 3 things to know from Friday

Every night, we look around Major League Baseball and identify three things you need to know about the playoff races. Here's what happened Friday:

Blue Jays falling apart

The Toronto Blue Jays had an opportunity to take one from the American League East champion Boston Red Sox on Friday and keep pace with the Baltimore Orioles in the wild-card race. Toronto, instead, blew a 3-1 lead on their way to a 5-3 loss, and have now lost three straight games at the absolute wrong time with both Baltimore and the Detroit Tigers in the midst of three-game winning streaks. The Blue Jays' once-powerful offense continues to struggle with runners in scoring position, finishing 1-for-10 in the contest.

Rangers clinch home-field advantage

On the back of a sparkling performance from right-hander Yu Darvish, who struck out 12 Tampa Bay Rays over six innings of work, the Texas Rangers secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason, and a date with one of the Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, or Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series. Along with winning their 95th game of the season, the Rangers earned their 53rd home win of the campaign, setting a new club record.

Mariners continue to climb

The Mariners may be the forgotten team in the AL wild-card race, but they're not going to let that stop them from making a hard push towards the postseason. With their 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday, the Mariners won their third straight game, and moved within one game of the Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot. Robinson Cano hammered two long balls in the contest to give him a career-high 36 on the year.

If the playoffs started today:

x - clinched playoff berth
y - clinched division
z - clinched division and best record in league

Race to clinch the division: