Judge is awesome. So is Ohtani. But it's the balanced Diamondbacks who have MLB's best offense

PHOENIX (AP) — Aaron Judge is mashing homers at an astounding pace for the New York Yankees. Shohei Ohtani provides the same type of thump for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But it’s the Arizona Diamondbacks who have the best offense in the big leagues — by quite a bit.

The Diamondbacks came into Sunday’s games averaging 5.48 runs per game, a full half run better than the second place team, which is the Yankees at 4.98. Arizona was at it again on Sunday, pulling off a 11-10 win in 10 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Arizona took a 5-0 lead, then trailed 8-5, then tied it up at 8-8, fell behind 10-8 in the 10th and then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning for the win. Eugenio Suárez provided the walk-off moment with a bases loaded single to deep right. It was a much-needed win for a franchise fighting with the Padres, Mets and Braves for the three NL wild cards.

The D-backs have a deep, speedy lineup led by Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Corbin Carroll, Joc Pederson, Jake McCarthy and Suárez. As Sunday proved, no lead is safe when Arizona is at the plate.

“We’re really executing at a high level and it’s not just the slug,” manager Torey Lovullo said after a 14-4 win against the Rangers last week. “It’s patient at-bats waiting for our pitch, putting down the bat, handing it off to the next guy.”

Suarez has been one of MLB’s best players in the second half of the season, batting .320 with 18 homers and 44 RBIs over 51 games coming into Sunday’s games.

The Los Angeles Dodgers boast one of the best lineups in baseball, led by superstars like Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The problem is they also have to pitch.

A rash of injuries to the pitching staff — including front-line starters like Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw — have left manager Dave Roberts scrambling as his team reaches the most important part of the season. The Dodgers are so thin on the mound that Roberts acknowledged earlier in the week that Ohtani could return to the mound in October after having offseason elbow surgery.

“Anything is possible,” Roberts said. “I hope that’s on his mind as far as motivation for his rehab. The odds of it coming to pass are very slim, but they’re not zero.”

The Dodgers' roster conundrum isn't unique in baseball this season. As the playoffs approach, no team looks bulletproof. In fact, this will likely be the first season since 2014 that no team will reach the 100-win mark in the regular season.

The parity has allowed several teams to stay in the playoff race longer than expected, particularly in the American League. The Detroit Tigers (77-73), Seattle Mariners (77-73) and Boston Red Sox (75-75) still have hope despite hovering around .500.

The Tigers and Mariners are just 2 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final AL wild card.

What is the worst regular-season record for a World Series winning team?

The Chicago White Sox are putting up a little bit of a fight to avoid being the worst baseball team in the modern era.

The White Sox won two straight games against the Oakland Athletics during the weekend, improving their record to 35-115. That might not seem like much, but it's the first time they won back-to-back games since June 27-29.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s you can’t take big league wins for granted,” outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “To get back-to-back wins and get a series win, it feels really good. We have to enjoy these times and keep it going.”

Chicago is trying to avoid the post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets. The White Sox are 20-58 at home, one shy of the post-1900 mark for home losses shared by the 1939 St. Louis Browns and 2019 Detroit Tigers.

There are 12 games remaining. That means the White Sox have to go 8-4 to avoid 120 losses.

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series despite finishing just 83-78 in the regular season.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Chicago White Sox's Bryan Ramos, left, celebrates with Gavin Sheets after the White Sox defeated the Oakland Athletics in a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani awaits his turn to bat in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker gets high fives from teammates after scoring their second run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe refused to say if he had faith in manager Erik ten Hag on Friday.

The British billionaire, who bought a 27.7% stake in the 20-time English champion in February, has overhauled United's soccer department. He said the decision over Ten Hag's future rested in the hands of the executive he has put in place to run the club.

Ten Hag is under intense scrutiny after another troubled start to the season and, asked if he had faith, Ratcliffe told the BBC, “I don’t want to answer that question.

"I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach, but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.”

Ratcliffe assumed control of United's soccer operations after investing $1.3 billion for his minority stake. The sporting side had previously been under the control of the majority owning American Glazer family.

A new CEO, Omar Berrada, and sporting director, Dan Ashworth, have been installed. There's a new technical director, Jason Wilcox, while key figures at Ratcliffe’s Ineos Sport, Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, have been appointed to the board.

“They weren’t there in January, February, March or April — Omar, Dan Ashworth — they only arrived in July. They’ve only been there ... you can count it in weeks almost. They need to take stock and make some sensible decisions,” Ratcliffe said.

“Our objective is very clear — we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously, that’s very clear.”

Ten Hag kept his job only after an extensive end-of-season review, which included winning the FA Cup.

Berrada and Ashworth said in September he had their full backing, but United has lost three of its first six Premier League games this season to sit 13th in the standings. Fans booed and left early as United was humbled by Tottenham 3-0 last week.

On Thursday against Porto in the Europa League, United needed a stoppage-time goal from substitute Harry Maguire to salvage a 3-3 draw.

The Dutchman repeatedly says he believes he has the support of his hierarchy.

“We are in there together — the ownership, the leadership team, the staff," he said on Thursday. “I appointed a new staff, we bought, again, new young players, and we have to integrate them.”

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

INEOS Britannia Chairman Jim Ratcliffe, right, and team skipper Ben Ainslie crew celebrate their team victory against the Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli's sailing team during the Louis Vuitton Cup Final Day 7 at the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag looks on during a Europa League opening phase soccer match between FC Porto and Manchester United at the Dragao stadium in Porto, Portugal, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag sits on the bench during a Europa League opening phase soccer match between FC Porto and Manchester United at the Dragao stadium in Porto, Portugal, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)