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 Texas can do no worse than a wild card after its third consecutive
win. The Rangers are three games up on Houston in the American
League West with three games left in the regular season. The Astros
begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Should the Rangers lose the last three games of their four-game
series with the Angels coupled with a Houston sweep, a one-game
playoff Monday would determine the AL West champion and the wild
card. Texas needs one win (or Astros loss) to clinch its sixth
division title.
The Angels, last year's West champion, were eliminated from the
division race, but are alive for a playoff berth. Los Angeles and
Minnesota are 83-76, one game back of Houston for the second wild
card.
Yankees 4, Red Sox 1
NEW YORK -- Carlos Beltran, Greg Bird and Rob Refsnyder hit solo
home runs, and CC Sabathia pitched five innings as New York clinched
a postseason berth with a victory over Boston.
The Yankees sealed their first playoff appearance since 2012, when
they won their last AL East title. New York needs one more win -- or
one more loss by the Houston Astros -- to secure home field for
Tuesday's American League wild-card game.
Beltran hit his 19th home run in the second off Rich Hill (2-1), and
Bird added some breathing room by hitting his 11th with one out in
the seventh off Jean Machi. In the eighth, Refsnyder drove a
first-pitch fastball from Heath Hembree over the left-center-field
fence.
Dodgers 3, Giants 2
SAN FRANCISCO -- Los Angeles moved into a tie with the New York Mets
in the overall National League standings, riding Brett Anderson's
strong pitching to a victory over San Francisco.
Anderson (10-9) fired 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Giants
right-hander Tim Hudson (8-9) allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings in
the final start of his career.
The Dodgers and Mets will meet in an NL Division Series next week.
The team with the better regular-season record will gain home-field
advantage, and the Mets hold the tiebreaker.
Phillies 3, Mets 0
PHILADELPHIA -- Jerad Eickhoff combined with two relievers on a
six-hit shutout as Philadelphia beat New York to complete a sweep of
the three-game series.
Darin Ruf and Andres Blanco homered for the Phillies, who have won
four straight.
Eickhoff, facing a lineup of Mets reserves, went seven innings and
allowed four hits. The rookie, struck out 10 for the second straight
game and walked one. He also became the first Phillies rookie to
work seven innings or more and allow two earned runs or fewer in
four straight starts since Ben Rivera in 1992.
Cubs 5, Reds 3
CINCINNATI -- Austin Jackson homered and Jason Hammel pitched five
shutout innings, lifting Chicago past Cincinnati.
Chicago won its fifth consecutive game to pull within two games of
the Pittsburgh Pirates in the battle for home field in the National
League wild-card game.
Cincinnati lost its 12th straight, the franchise's longest streak
since 1993.
Orioles 6, Blue Jays 4
BALTIMORE -- Manny Machado homered twice and stole two bases as
Baltimore outlasted a long rain delay and Toronto to post a victory.
The starting time was moved from 7:05 p.m. ET to 12:05 p.m. because
of concerns about Hurricane Joaquin. Still, the rains came, got
harder throughout the first inning, and a three-hour, 25-minute
delay ensued after the inning ended.
Machado hit a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo
shot in the sixth, finishing 3-for-4.
Royals 6, White Sox 4
CHICAGO -- Kansas City picked up its second win in a row by beating
Chicago, but the Royals had two more key players leave early with
injuries.
A day after Lorenzo Cain was hurt fouling a ball off his right knee,
Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez left this game. Morales
experienced tightness in his left quadriceps in the fifth inning,
after running first to third on Perez's double, and Perez left in
the eighth with swelling in his right thumb.
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No prognosis was immediately given by the Royals. Cain, who didn't
play, is day-to-day with a right knee contusion.
Rays 4, Marlins 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Evan Longoria had a solo home run and an RBI
double as Tampa Bay finished off a three-game sweep of Miami.
It was a wildly inefficient victory for Tampa Bay, which had 16 hits
and stranded 11 runners in the first seven innings. The Rays got a
strong start from Jake Odorizzi (9-9), who gave up four hits in
seven innings, striking out seven.
Brad Boxberger pitched a perfect ninth for his 41st save, taking
over the American League lead from Huston Street.
Padres 3, Brewers 1
SAN DIEGO -- Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run homer, and Ian Kennedy
snapped a personal four-game losing streak as San Diego defeated
Milwaukee.
Kennedy (9-15) allowed one run on five hits with 11 strikeouts over
six innings for his first win since Aug. 22. Craig Kimbrel picked up
his 39th save as the Padres bullpen worked a seventh consecutive
scoreless game covering 22 2/3 innings.
Kennedy and three relievers combined for 16 strikeouts while
allowing seven hits and no walks.
Nationals 3, Braves 0
ATLANTA -- Stephen Strasburg pitched six scoreless innings in his
final start of the season, helping Washington beat Atlanta.
The win allowed the Nationals to salvage one game of the three-game
series. Washington won the season series against the Braves 14-5.
Strasburg (11-7) allowed six hits and one walk while striking out
seven. His streak of double-digit strikeout games ended at four.
Twins 4, Indians 2
CLEVELAND -- After giving up the lead late, Minnesota rallied to
score two unearned runs in the ninth inning to beat Cleveland.
With one out in the top of the ninth, Trevor Plouffe reached first
on an error by second baseman Jose Ramirez. Eduardo Nunez,
pinch-running for Plouffe, went to third on a single by Eddie
Rosario off right-hander Cody Allen (2-5). Rosario advanced to
second on the throw to third.
Nunez scored and Rosario went to third on a wild pitch by Allen.
Right fielder Torii Hunter's sacrifice fly drove in Rosario with an
insurance run.
Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 6
PHOENIX -- Welington Castillo doubled and drove in three runs, and
rookie Socrates Brito had three hits and scored twice in Arizona's
victory over Colorado.
Castillo's two-run double in a four-run seventh inning put Arizona
ahead for good in a seesaw game in which they lost David Peralta to
a wrist injury in the fourth inning.
Peralta caught his glove in the turf and his wrist bent back on a
sliding attempt to catch Rafael Ynoa's liner to short left field.
The Diamondbacks did not characterize the injury but said X-rays
were negative.
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