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MLB roundup: Cubs clinch NL homefield advantage

[September 24, 2016] The Sports Xchange

CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta's goal may be perfection but he realizes he can occasionally ease up and still have good outcomes.

Arrieta (18-7) scattered five hits in a seven-inning shutout effort as the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Friday at Wrigley Field.

Chicago (98-55) topped last year's 97-win total and matched the most victories by any Cubs team since 1945 with its fourth straight in the opener of a three-game weekend series.

The Cubs also clinched home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs, thanks to the Washington Nationals' loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night. The Cardinals are a half game behind the Giants for the second wild card.

Rangers 3, Athletics 0

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Cole Hamels pitched seven shutout innings, Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer and Texas clinched the American League West crown with a victory against Oakland at the Oakland Coliseum.

The Rangers won the West for the second straight year and for the fourth time in the past seven seasons. They've made the postseason five times overall in that span and reached the World Series in 2010 and 2011 but lost both years.

Hamels (15-5) allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked two. He won for the first time since Aug. 25 against Cleveland. Hamels went 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA in his previous four starts. But he looked ready for the postseason in a rematch against the A's and right-hander Kendall Graveman, seven days after allowing six runs over six innings and getting a no-decision in a 7-6 Rangers win in Arlington.

Tigers 8, Royals 3

DETROIT -- Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin blasted home runs to back rookie Michael Fulmer's seven innings of one-run ball in Detroit's victory over Kansas City that kept the Tigers in control of the American League's second wild-card spot.

Detroit remains a half-game up on Baltimore for the second spot and the Tigers' fifth win in a row kept them one game behind Toronto.

Fulmer (11-7) allowed eight hits, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter. His seven innings gave him 155 2/3, enough to qualify for and assume the league's ERA lead at 2.95. He needs 6 1/3 innings in his final start of the season Wednesday against Cleveland to reach the 162 he needs to qualify for the ERA crown.

Orioles 3, Diamondbacks 2 (12 innings)

BALTIMORE -- Mark Trumbo led off the bottom of the 12th inning with his 44th homer of the season and Baltimore rallied past Arizona.

Trumbo lined a 1-2 pitch from Matt Koch (1-1) into the left field seats to snap a four-game losing streak for the Orioles.

Baltimore remains a 1/2 game behind Toronto and Detroit, both of which won Friday night, in the wild-card standings.

The Orioles loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, but failed to score as Manny Machado flied to short left and Chris Davis flied to center.

Red Sox 2, Rays 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Boston won its ninth straight game, getting a first-inning home run from David Ortiz and letting it stand in a win over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.

Ortiz, greeted to cheers in his final series at the Trop, tagged Rays starter Chris Archer (8-19) with a two-run home run, in what would end up as Archer's 11th straight loss against Boston over a span of 16 starts. Drew Pomeranz (3-5) threw five innings and the bullpen held Tampa Bay to one hit in the final four.

Boston (90-64) came in with a 5 1/2-game lead in the American League East and held that lead on Toronto, now with eight games to play. The Rays have dropped four of their last five, and are now 7-10 against the Red Sox this season. Archer set a franchise record with his 19th loss and now leads the majors as well.

Blue Jays 9, Yankees 0

TORONTO -- Troy Tulowitzki had four RBIs, Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer, Francisco Liriano pitched six scoreless innings and Toronto defeated New York.

The Blue Jays maintained their hold on the first American League wild-card spot while dealing a blow to the wild-card chances of the Yankees. The Blue Jays are still one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers, who hold the second wild-card spot. The Yankees fall to four games behind the Tigers.

Liriano (8-13) allowed three hits, two walks and struck out six to even his record at 2-2 since joining the Blue Jays in August after a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Braves 3, Marlins 2

MIAMI -- Adonis Garcia's ninth-inning single drove in the go-ahead run as Atlanta continued to haunt Miami with a victory at Marlins Park.

The last-place Braves are 11-6 against the Marlins this season.

Pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio started the ninth-inning rally with a one-out single. He stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher J.T. Realmuto. Bonifacio scored when Garcia stroked a 2-2 pitch to left for a single.

Indians 10, White Sox 4

CLEVELAND -- Jose Ramirez doubled, homered and had four RBIs, Coco Crisp had three hits and three RBIs and Cleveland beat Chicago at Progressive Field.

The win is Cleveland's fourth in a row as the Indians reduced their magic number for clinching the American League Central Division title to three games.

The Indians trailed 2-0 after three innings, but then scored 10 runs over the next three innings to hand the White Sox their sixth loss in a row.

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Mets 10, Phillies 5

NEW YORK -- Michael Conforto's three-run homer capped a six-run fifth inning by New York, who retained at least a share of the National League wild-card lead by using six pitchers to patch together a vital victory over Philadelphia at Citi Field.

The Mets have a one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the top wild card in the NL. New York is 1 1/2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who fell to the Chicago Cubs 5-0.

The Phillies have lost two straight for the first time since a three-game skid from Sept. 9-11.

Padres 7, Giants 2

SAN DIEGO -- Right-hander Edwin Jackson held San Francisco to two runs over six innings and Wil Myers put San Diego ahead to stay with a three-run homer in the first inning as the Padres defeated the Giants at Petco Park.

The loss dropped the Giants a game behind the New York Mets in the National League wild-card race, although San Francisco still holds a half-game lead over St. Louis for the second wild-card berth.

The win was the Padres' seventh in eight games against the Giants since the All-Star break after the Giants won the season's first nine meetings.

Brewers 5, Reds 4

MILWAUKEE -- Chris Carter hit his 38th home run of the season and Ryan Braun hit a two-run single in the seventh as Milwaukee rallied for a victory over Cincinnati at Miller Park.

Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-5) worked six innings and allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four.

Jose Peraza had two hits for Cincinnati, including a three-run home run in the fifth that put the Reds up, 3-1.

Pirates 6, Nationals 5 (11 innings)

PITTSBURGH -- Pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings hit a bases-loaded, two-out, full-count RBI single to left in the 11th as Pittsburgh came from behind to beat Washington at PNC Park and keep the Nationals from moving closer to clinching the National League East title.

Washington still has a magic number of two for clinching, thanks to its loss and a win by the New York Mets.

Pittsburgh has won seven of its past 10 and eight of its past 12, but time is running out on its playoff hopes. It was four games out of an NL wild-card spot, pending San Francisco's later game, with nine games remaining.

Mariners 10, Twins 1

MINNEAPOLIS -- Seattle posted a six-run seventh inning to open its three-game visit to Minnesota decisively, blasting past the struggling Twins.

Robinson Cano went 4-for-5, scored twice and had a pair of RBIs for Seattle, which remained two games behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the American League after winning for the third time in five games.

Left-hander James Paxton (5-7) went seven innings for the Mariners, allowing one run, five hits and striking out nine Twins for his first win since Aug. 7. Although most of the damage was done after he left the game, Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson (6-11) took the loss, allowing five hits and two runs in five innings.

Angels 10, Astros 6

HOUSTON -- C.J. Cron, whose throwing error in the sixth inning yielded a run, delivered a bloop single in the ninth inning to help Los Angeles to a comeback victory over Houston at Minute Maid Park.

The Angels mounted a stunning rally against Astros closer Ken Giles (2-5), starting with a leadoff single from nine-hole hitter Cliff Pennington with Houston leading 6-4. Third baseman Yunel Escobar followed with a game-tying, two-run homer four batters before Cron deposited a hit into shallow center field to score Mike Trout.

The Astros were knocked out by another bloop hit, this one a three-run double off the bat of pinch-hitter Rafael Ortega. Astros shortstop Carlos Correa made a diving attempt at the ball in center field but came away empty, allowing Ortega to clear the bases with two outs. Correa left the game following the play.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 2

LOS ANGELES -- Joc Pederson and Andre Ethier homered, and Los Angeles inched closer to a fourth straight National League West title with a victory over Colorado at Dodger Stadium.

With the second-place San Francisco Giants losing to the Padres 7-2 in San Diego, the Dodgers reduced their magic number to two to win the division.

Reliever Ross Stripling worked three scoreless inning for the win. Stripling led a parade of relievers to the mound after Dodgers starter Scott Kazmir lasted just one inning before leaving with right intercostal spasms. Kazmir, who allowed two hits and threw 19 pitches (13 strikes), was making his first appearance in a month after dealing with neck issues.

Rockies starter Jon Gray struck out 10, walked three and surrendered four runs on three hits in four innings.

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