MLB’s final week has turned frantic after major collapses. Detroit squandered a huge AL Central lead (up 15½ on July 8) amid an 8-of-9 skid and 17 losses in 24 games while Cleveland ripped off a 10-game streak and is a game back; their three-game series decides the division and Cleveland can clinch the season series/tiebreaker with one win. New York Mets (45-24 then 35-52) have faded into a wild‑card logjam with Cincinnati and Arizona closing; Reds hold the tiebreaker. Houston, swept by Seattle, now trails in the AL West and must win near-perfectly to reach the postseason. Cal Raleigh’s 60-home-run chase adds a late-season subplot.