The playoffs have their first entrant. Minnesota officially clinched their second straight AL Central title and third in the last five years, as they beat Cleveland 6-4 while second-place Chicago lost to Oakland. It's another feather in the cap for baseball's best organization. When it comes to maximizing resources and getting the most out of what they have, the Twins do it better than anyone. If they had Yankee-type money this team would still have Johan Santana in addition to all their current cast, and would be the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. As it is, they still might do it and should have earned the respect of baseball fans everywhere. Last night's win was a prototype team effort--five players had multi-hits games and five pitchers helped seal the deal. Congratulations to Ron Gardenhire and his crew. They will likely open the playoffs at home against the AL wild-card two weeks from today.

Tampa Bay looks increasingly likely to be the American League wild-card, as they lost for their second straight night in the Bronx. Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher were an effective 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup--two hits apiece, a home run for Swisher and an RBI double from Jeter that gave some insurance in an 8-3 win. Just as the Yankees are securing their position atop the AL East, their World Series sparring partner from a year ago in Philadelphia is doing the same thing in the National League. The Phillies beat the Braves for the second straight night. Roy Halladay won his 20th game, thanks to strong support from the middle of the lineup. The 2 thru 6 hitters (Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez) combined for nine hits and Werth homered. Philly's five games up and looks to be cruising home to a fourth straight division title and homefield advantage all the way through the postseason.

In the NL West, it was again a pitching-dominated night. San Francisco edged Chicago 1-0. Matt Cain threw six shutout innings before being removed (Why did he get pulled after only 82 pitches?), and the bullpen tag-team of Ramon Ramirez, Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson shut it down the rest of the way, allowing Buster Posey's late solo home run to be the difference. Clayton Richard ensured San Diego kept pace, as he shut out Los Angeles 6-0. Ryan Ludwick drove in four runs to make it an easy night for the Pads. Both Frisco and San Diego separated themselves by Colorado, who fell 3-1 to Arizona. Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts set the table for the Diamondbacks with two hits apiece at the top of the lineup, and Kelly Johnson cleared it, with a two-run homer.

Dan Flaherty is the editor of the Sports Notebook Family, published through the Real Clear Sports Blog Network, offering daily commentary on baseball and game analysis in college football and the NFL