LDN - Sports

MLB roundup: Red Sox clinch playoff spot

[September 12, 2018] The Red Sox became the first team to clinch a postseason berth this season, with pinch hitter Brock Holt's three-run home run in the seventh inning sending Boston to a 7-2 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

This is third consecutive trip to the playoffs for the Red Sox, which ties the longest streak in franchise history.

Holt, batting for Sandy Leon in the seventh, hit his fourth homer of the season. He has hit both of Boston's pinch-hit homers on the year.

Chris Sale started the game for Boston, allowing one hit and hitting a batter while striking out two in one inning. The short stint was planned for his first start since Aug. 12. He went on the disabled list six days later with mild inflammation in his left shoulder.

Braves 4, Giants 1

Mike Foltynewicz became just the seventh major-leaguer this season to throw two complete games, limiting host San Francisco to six hits in Atlanta's win.

Charlie Culberson hit a two-run home run in the fifth, helping the Braves extend their lead in the National League East to a season-best 6 1/2 games over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Foltynewicz (11-9) came within one out of becoming the first pitcher to throw two shutouts this season. Foltynewicz, who shut out Washington on June 1, walked one and struck out seven Tuesday. Atlanta posted its fourth consecutive win while San Francisco lost its 10th in a row.

Cubs 3, Brewers 0

Jose Quintana fanned seven batters in 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and host Chicago held on for a shutout of Milwaukee.

Chicago increased its lead to two games over Milwaukee in the NL Central with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season. The St. Louis Cardinals also are in the mix as they remained 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs.

Quintana (13-9), who gave up three hits and walked two, matched his single-season high for victories. The left-hander won his third straight decision and allowed two runs or fewer for the fifth outing in a row.

Cardinals 11, Pirates 5

Tyler O'Neill hit a three-run homer and Marcell Ozuna had three RBIs in St. Louis' blowout win over visiting Pittsburgh.

St. Louis won its third straight, moving to within 1 1/2 games of Milwaukee for the top NL wild-card spot. Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (15-4) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings.

Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove (6-9) struck out eight and at one point retired 14 in a row, but he allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. Corey Dickerson drove in two with a single and a double for Pittsburgh, which lost its second in a row.

Twins 10, Yankees 5

Joe Mauer capped a six-run fifth inning with a grand slam, and Minnesota roughed up New York in Minneapolis.

Mauer's grand slam, the fifth of his career, gave the Twins a 10-1 lead and helped the Twins beat the Yankees for the first time in the last nine meetings, including last season's American League wild-card game.

Didi Gregorius also hit a grand slam in the sixth and tripled as the Yankees fell to 4-4 on a nine-game road trip. The Yankees saw their lead in the race for the first Al wild card trimmed to two games over the Oakland A's.

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3

Ketel Marte drove in four runs, Zack Greinke pitched effectively into the seventh inning, and Arizona beat Colorado in Denver.

David Peralta homered for the third-place Diamondbacks, who moved within 2 1/2 games of first-place Colorado in the NL West. The Rockies maintained a 1 1/2-game lead on the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Greinke (14-9) allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out five in 6 2/3 innings. Yoshihisa Hirano got the last three outs for his first save.

Indians 2, Rays 0

Edwin Encarnacion and Yan Gomes homered, and rookie Shane Bieber picked up his 10th win as Cleveland snapped Tampa Bay's franchise-record, 12-game home winning streak.

Bieber (10-3) struck out a career-high 11 batters while allowing just three hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. He improved to 6-0 in 10 career road starts.

Encarnacion and Gomes each had two hits for Cleveland, which sliced its magic number to three to clinch the AL Central title. Encarnacion's 30th homer of the season in the sixth extended his streak of seasons with 30 or more home runs and 90 or more RBIs (96) to seven, the longest active stretch in the majors.

Astros 5, Indians 4

Tony Kemp and Tyler White hit two-run homers, Jose Altuve supplied a solo blast, and visiting Houston edged Detroit.

Kemp, Altuve and Yuli Gurriel each had two hits for the Astros, and Josh Reddick scored twice. First-place Houston maintained its three-game lead on the A's in the AL West.

JaCoby Jones hit a three-run homer for the Tigers, who have lost the first two games of the three-game series. Jordan Zimmermann (7-7) gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits in five innings.

A's 3, Orioles 2

Matt Chapman, Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty each drove in a run as Oakland defeated host Baltimore in the opener of a three-game series.

The A's have won five consecutive games. The Orioles have dropped five games in a row.

The Orioles could not do much against Mike Fiers, who went six innings and allowed one run on four hits. Fiers (12-6) struck out seven with just one walk. The right-hander improved to 5-0 in seven starts since the A's acquired him in an August trade with the Detroit Tigers.

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Boston Red Sox pinch hitter Brock Holt (12) hits a three run home run during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Reds 3, Dodgers 1

Brandon Dixon and Scott Schebler hit home runs against their former organization, and Luis Castillo pitched 6 1/3 strong innings as Cincinnati continued its winning streak against visiting Los Angeles.

The Reds, in last place in the NL Central, are now 6-0 against the Dodgers this season. They won all four games at Dodger Stadium in the first half and have won the first two games of the current three-game series. The Reds can make it a perfect 7-for-7 with a victory in the series finale Wednesday.

Dixon and Schebler were former Dodgers prospects until a trade before the 2016 season sent them to Cincinnati. Dixon's home run in the second inning was his fifth of the season, while Schebler hit his 16th one inning later. Castillo (9-12) gave up one run on four hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.

Marlins 5, Mets 3

Jacob deGrom continued to go unrewarded during a record-breaking season when the New York ace took the loss despite allowing just two runs over seven innings as the Mets fell to visiting Miami.

The Marlins, who hadn't played since Saturday due to back-to-back rainouts, won for just the fourth time in 12 games. The Mets have won six of nine.

DeGrom (8-9) allowed three runs or fewer for the 26th straight start -- the longest single-season streak in baseball history. Leslie "King" Cole had a string of 25 such starts for the Chicago Cubs in 1910. DeGrom gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out nine as his major-league-leading ERA rose from 1.68 to 1.71.

Nationals 3, Phillies 1 (Game 1)

Spencer Kieboom hit his first major league home run on the first pitch after losing a tooth, and batterymate Erick Fedde threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball, lifting Washington to a victory over host Philadelphia in the first game of a doubleheader.

Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta (7-12) took a one-hit shutout into the fifth inning of a scoreless game before Kieboom walked to the plate with one out and spit out a tooth that had become dislodged shortly before entering the batter's box. The catcher then belted the first pitch he saw for his first homer in 117 plate appearances.

Fedde (2-3) turned a 2-0 lead over to the Washington bullpen after limiting the Phillies to two hits in his 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out a career-high nine. The win was his first since June 29.

Nationals 7, Phillies 6 (Game 2, 10 innings)

Juan Soto produced a crushing blow to Philadelphia's playoff hopes, smacking a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning that gave visiting Washington a sweep of the teams' doubleheader.

Soto's heroics came after each team had rallied from three-run deficits to produce a 6-6 tie, with the Nationals getting three in the top of the ninth to extend the game.

Soto, who walked and scored as part of the ninth-inning rally, homered twice, scored three times, had three hits and drove in four runs.

Angels 1, Rangers 0

Eight pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout in Los Angeles' victory over Texas in Anaheim, Calif.

Jose Fernandez hit his first career major league homer in the second inning, providing the Angels all the offense they would need.

After the Angels' first six pitchers threw seven hitless innings with three walks allowed, Blake Parker began the eighth inning and retired the first batter before Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined a 91 mph fastball into right field for the Rangers' first hit of the night.

Padres 2, Mariners 1

Wil Myers doubled home the go-ahead run off Edwin Diaz with one out in the top of the ninth inning as visiting San Diego defeated Seattle.

The Padres have won all three games they've played against the Mariners in 2018 and will go for a season sweep Wednesday afternoon.

Hunter Renfroe led off the ninth with a line-drive single off Diaz (0-4) on an 0-2 pitch. Eric Hosmer then lined a single to left, sending Renfroe to second. After Diaz struck out Franmil Reyes, Myers doubled down the left field line, scoring pinch runner Travis Jankowski.

Royals 6, White Sox 3

Rookie Brad Keller gave up just one run in seven innings, and Hunter Dozier drove in two runs as host Kansas City knocked off Chicago.

Keller (8-6) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out six. He retired 13 of the final 14 batters to face him in winning for the fourth time in his past five decisions.

Whit Merrifield collected two hits, two runs and two stolen bases for Kansas City.

--Field Level Media

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