One of Oakland, Tampa Bay and Cleveland will be left heartbroken from coming up short in the American League wild-card race.
The Athletics' two-game losing streak paired with back-to-back victories from the Rays and Indians tightened the gap going into the final five days of the Major League Baseball regular season.
Oakland holds a one-game lead in the loss column on its two challengers for the first wild-card spot, and it is level on wins with Tampa Bay and a single victory above Cleveland.
The slide from Bob Melvin's side has opened the door for any of the three to end up in the top wild-card position.