Indians #2 starter Ubaldo Jiménez stepped up in Masterson's absence, going 4–0 with a 1.09 ERA during the month of September. He was named American League Pitcher of the Month. The Indians played some of their best baseball of the season in September, going 21–6 in the month including a 10-game winning streak to close the season. Throughout the month, the Indians closed the gap on the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays, and took the lead for one of the wild card spots with about a week left in the regular season. The Indians needed this strong month to clinch a Wild Card spot, as they were not able to clinch until the final game of the season, a 5–1 victory over the division rival Twins. The Indians finished the season 92–70, which was good enough for the top wild card spot, which meant they would host the 2013 American League Wild Card Game at Progressive Field. This was the Indians' first playoff appearance since 2007. They finished one game better than both Texas and Tampa Bay, who would face off in a tie-breaker game. Tampa Bay won this game, and the Wild Card playoff was set.