Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here.

Against all odds, the red-hot Guardians are turning up the heat on the Tigers in the American League Central.

Cleveland trailed Detroit by 15 1/2 games in early July and was 11 games back as recently as two weeks ago. But after completing a sweep of the Tigers at Comerica Park on Thursday with their seventh straight win, the Guardians now sit 3 1/2 games out of first place. If they can pull this off, it would mark the largest deficit any team has overcome to win a division title. They also have a path to make the postseason as a Wild Card team, as they are only 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox for the third spot in the AL.

Way back on Aug. 12, our own Will Leitch mapped out a path for the Guardians to make a historic comeback in the AL Central, and right now that piece is looking quite prescient.

The Guardians have gotten here with an incredible 12-1 stretch since Sept. 5. Going back further, they are 41-23 since July 7, the AL’s best record during that span. That includes a 1-9 skid from Aug. 15-25.

The Guardians’ entire season has been a roller coaster -- they started out the year 29-22, only to go 11-26 over their next 37 games, capped by a 10-game losing streak. Cleveland managed to get its AL Central deficit down to five games by Aug. 9 but it was back up to 12 1/2 entering play on Aug. 26. That was one of a number of times this season that all hope seemed lost for the club. Once again, though, the Guardians stormed back.

Up next for Cleveland? Four games against a Twins club that sold at the Trade Deadline and has gone 15-29 since the start of August. Meanwhile, Detroit will try to right the ship when it hosts the Braves for three games.

The Guardians will finish the season at home against a Rangers team chasing them in the Wild Card race, while the Tigers will go to Fenway Park to face a Boston club still fighting for one of those spots.

But before that, Cleveland and Detroit will meet again next week, this time in a three-game series at Progressive Field. Buckle up.

-- Thomas Harrigan

Clayton Kershaw will stride atop the Dodger Stadium mound in a regular-season game for the 228th and final time tonight. 

The legendary left-hander announced Thursday that he will retire after this season, and you can watch Kershaw’s finale in his forever home against the Giants as part of Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball at 10:10 p.m. ET.

It is fitting that Kershaw will go out against the arch-rival Giants, the team he has faced most during his illustrious 18-year career (62 games, 60 starts). And if you’re hoping to see him turn the clock back one last time and remind us why he is one of the best pitchers to step on a diamond, Kershaw has been historically dominant against San Francisco; his 2.08 career ERA vs. the Giants is the lowest against them for any pitcher since 1912 (minimum 25 starts).

• 10 moments that define Kershaw's career

If Kershaw can guide the Dodgers to a win, he would punch Los Angeles’ ticket to the postseason for the 13th straight season. A victory would also put the Giants and Dodgers’ all-time head-to-head record at 1,287-1,287, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The last time these teams had the same head-to-head record? Aug. 10, 1896!

With so much history and emotion in the air tonight at Dodger Stadium, standing in the shadow of Hollywood, Kershaw’s final regular-season home start promises to be pure cinema. 

-- Brian Murphy

• Blue Jays at Royals (7:40 p.m. ET, Apple TV+): Happy Berth-day? On George Springer’s 36th birthday, Toronto can clinch a postseason berth with a win, though it’ll also need losses by at least two of the following clubs: the Tigers, Red Sox and Guardians. Taking the mound for the Jays will be Max Scherzer, who is vying for a spot in the club’s playoff rotation.

• Mariners at Astros (8:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): To sum up this series: The winner will be alone in first place in the AL West, plus it’ll own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Tonight’s opener will feature an ace matchup between Bryan Woo, who hasn’t beaten Houston this year, and Hunter Brown, who is sitting 8 K’s shy of 200 for the season. And just in time, Isaac Paredes is coming off the IL as the Astros try to overcome the loss of Yordan Alvarez to an ankle injury.

• Phillies at D-backs (9:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV and MLB Network): The Phillies have already wrapped up the NL East, but they have a bigger prize in mind: the No. 1 overall seed. Sitting three games behind the Brewers, they’ll need help along the way to grab the top spot with Milwaukee owning the head-to-head tiebreaker. Meanwhile, in a crowded race for the final NL Wild Card spot, the D-backs are two back of the Mets and face a tough schedule to end the season: starting with the Phils, then the Dodgers and Padres.

A new team will take the field in the Single-A California League in 2026, and the identity of the Dodgers’ affiliate-to-be was announced during a lively launch party on Thursday evening, attended by 8,000 people and emceed by noted L.A. fan Mario Lopez.

The “Ontario Tower Buzzers” may require a little bit of unpacking for readership outside of Greater Los Angeles. Mainly: the team has nothing to do with Canada. Ontario, in Southern California, refers to the San Bernardino County city that’s home to one of the region’s international airports. 

That airport gives the Tower Buzzers their moniker. “Top Gun” aficionados will likely recall the scene wherein Maverick (Tom Cruise) provides a thrill and causes a military air traffic controller to spill his coffee by flying his F-14 rattlingly close to (i.e., buzzing) the tower. Ontario’s airport was an Army Air Corps training and operations base in the 1940s.

The Tower Buzzers’ mascot? Here’s another one for “Top Gun” fans: His name is Maverick. The big, goofy bee looked ready for flight as he mixed it up with Lopez. Dodgers broadcaster Jaime Jarrín and former stars Steve Sax, Bill Russell, Eric Gagne and Joe Kelly were all in attendance, too, and the event included a performance by Ozomatli and a drone show.

-- Josh Jackson

Starting this offseason, MLB will be instituting an Amateur Recovery Period that prohibits teams from scouting amateur players or collecting on-field data, allowing those players the time to focus on rest and recuperation while continuing to develop.

Athletes can still hit and pitch on their own during the recovery period, but the months-long break will regulate club activities with respect to domestic amateur players and third-party data providers.

The league has stressed that it encourages players to explore areas that are important to long-term health and performance -- such as building strength in the core and lower body, following a consistent arm care routine, increasing endurance and properly ramping up for their spring seasons. All in an effort to give players that much-needed downtime, while not sacrificing a shot at succeeding at the next level.

This weekend, the Redbirds are rolling out fan-friendly gear in a trifecta of alluring styles. 

It begins tonight with a Rink Jacket that will have you looking like the pros -- on and off the field. Saturday night ushers in a timeless classic in the Cardinals Jersey Hoodie, a unique fit for any fashion-forward wardrobe. And Sunday offers this giveaway: a cozy Cardinals Flannel that works both at the game and by the fire. 

The opponent for all three contests? The division rival Brewers, who could be in position to clinch the NL Central crown, making it a must-see series for any fan (and fashionista) in the St. Louis area. 

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