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MLB roundup: Twins win, clinch AL Central

[September 26, 2019] Luis Arraez and Eddie Rosario hit two-run homers, and the Minnesota Twins clinched their first American League Central title in nine years shortly after earning a 5-1 victory over the host Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

The win reduced the Twins' magic number to capture the division to one, and when the second-place Cleveland Indians lost 8-3 to the Chicago White Sox later in the evening, Minnesota sealed the AL Central crown.

Arraez was among a trio of Twins batters who had two hits. Nelson Cruz scored and knocked in a run with his two hits while Jorge Polanco went 2-for-5 with a run.

Randy Dobnak (2-1) allowed one unearned run on just one hit and struck out six in six innings while collecting the win. He didn't walk a batter.

Brewers 9, Reds 2

Ryan Braun belted a grand slam to highlight a six-run first inning as Milwaukee secured a playoff berth for the second straight season by clobbering host Cincinnati.

Eric Thames and Keston Hiura each launched solo homers, and Jordan Lyles (12-8) allowed two runs over five strong innings for the surging Brewers. Milwaukee has won six in a row and 17 of its past 19 contests.

The Brewers, who are guaranteed at least a wild-card spot, moved within 1 1/2 games of first-place St. Louis in the National League Central and remained one game behind Washington for the top NL wild card. Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez set a record for most homers by an NL third baseman by crushing his 49th of the season in the first inning.

A's 3, Angels 2

Matt Chapman's two-run homer in the ninth inning rescued Oakland from a potential devastating loss and instead lifted the A's to a win over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Trailing 2-1 going into the ninth, the A's got a leadoff single from Marcus Semien, who was sacrificed to second by Ramon Laureano. Chapman then hit the first pitch he saw from Hansel Robles (5-1) over the fence in center field to help Oakland avoid a third consecutive loss.

A defeat also would have dropped the A's behind Tampa Bay for the top American League wild-card spot, but instead Oakland maintained a half-game lead over the Rays. Cleveland is two games behind Oakland and 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay.

White Sox 8, Indians 3

Tim Anderson went 4-for-5 to remain atop the American League batting race and help host Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland and eliminate the Indians from the American League Central race.

Anderson notched his sixth four-hit game of the season, extending his hitting streak to 12 games with singles in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings. He is batting .339, with Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu his nearest pursuer at .328.

Welington Castillo broke open what had been a tight contest with a three-run home run in the seventh that put Chicago on top by the final margin. The Indians loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Alex Colome entered and struck out Francisco Lindor to end the game and record his 30th save.

Nationals 5, Phillies 2

Wilmer Difo singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and host Washington topped Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.

One day after the Nationals clinched a playoff spot, manager Dave Martinez rested shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Washington starter Anibal Sanchez (11-8) allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out seven without a walk. Sean Doolittle pitched a scoreless ninth inning with three strikeouts for his 29th save and first since Aug. 16.

Diamondbacks 9, Cardinals 7

Wilmer Flores had three hits, including a two-run homer and a two-run double, and Arizona stalled St. Louis' run for the National League Central title with a victory in Phoenix.

Flores' two-run homer capped a seven-run sixth inning that gave Arizona a 9-5 lead. Nick Ahmed and Adam Jones also had run-scoring hits in the rally, during which the Cardinals committed two infield errors, threw two wild pitches and issued two walks while using three relievers.

Rookie Randy Arozarena had two hits, including his first major league homer, and stole home, and Jose Martinez had three hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals.

Mets 10, Marlins 3

Jacob deGrom continued his Cy Young Award push, allowing just two hits in seven scoreless innings, but host New York was eliminated from playoff contention despite trouncing Miami.

DeGrom (11-8), who won the NL Cy Young Award last year, concluded an impressive final kick by walking one and striking out seven. He allowed one run over his final 28 innings to lower his ERA to 2.43, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu (2.41) to lead the majors. DeGrom leads the NL in strikeouts (255).

Rookie Pete Alonso hit his 51st homer, a three-run shot in the second inning. He is one homer shy of tying the all-time rookie record, set two years ago by the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge.

Astros 3, Mariners 0

Zack Greinke didn't allow a hit until the ninth inning as Houston defeated host Seattle for its 104th victory, breaking the franchise record for a season, set last year.

Austin Nola broke up Greinke's bid for his first career no-hitter with one out in the ninth, lining a 3-2 pitch for a single into left-center field. Tim Lopes then lined a single to right, ending Greinke's night. The 35-year-old right-hander went 8 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine and walking one.

Will Harris got the final two outs for his third save of the season as the Astros moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the race for the best record in the American League and home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.

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Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco (left center) and third baseman Ehire Adrianza (right center) celebrate with teammates in the clubhouse after clinching AL Central Division title against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Braves 10, Royals 2

Josh Donaldson had his first career three-double game and drove in four runs as Atlanta scored 10 straight runs to win at Kansas City.

Dansby Swanson added a career-high four hits and two RBIs for the National League East champion Braves.

Atlanta spotted the Royals a 2-0 lead through four innings before scoring 10 straight runs. Three Braves pitchers struck out eight straight Royals batters in the fourth through sixth innings. Luke Jackson (9-2) picked up the win in relief, striking out all four batters he faced.

Rays 4, Yankees 0

Charlie Morton made his final regular-season start a strong one, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning as Tampa Bay boosted its wild-card hopes by shutting out New York in St. Petersburg, Fla.

In their regular-season home finale at Tropicana Field, the Rays scored two runs in the first inning and let Morton, a two-time All-Star, take care of business against the Yankees, who lead the majors in runs.

Morton (16-6) fired six innings of one-hit ball, striking out nine, walking three and lowering his ERA to 3.05. Joey Wendle and Avisail Garcia homered for the Rays.

Pirates 4, Cubs 2

Pittsburgh carved out two runs in the eighth inning without a hit to break a tie and ultimately beat visiting Chicago.

The Cubs, who have lost eight in a row, would have been officially eliminated from postseason play with the loss, but that actually happened a little earlier in the evening when Milwaukee clinched by beating Cincinnati -- just about the same time the Pirates were scoring in the eighth.

With the game knotted at 2, Jose Osuna drew a one-out walk. Brad Wieck (1-2) was pulled for David Phelps, who walked Pablo Reyes. With Erik Gonzalez at the plate, Phelps threw back-to-back wild pitches, first advancing the runners and then allowing Osuna to score. Gonzalez's sacrifice fly to left brought in Reyes to make it 4-2.

Dodgers 6, Padres 4

Pinch hitter Edwin Rios led off the seventh inning with the longest home run by a Dodger this season -- as well as the second-longest homer ever at Petco Park -- to snap a tie and lead visiting Los Angeles over San Diego.

Earlier, Joc Pederson hit two homers for the Dodgers -- the first opening the game and the second to snap a 3-3 tie. Both blasts came off Padres starter Dinelson Lamet, who allowed four runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts in five innings.

Dylan Floro (5-3), the fifth of eight pitchers deployed by the Dodgers, got the win after striking out the only batter he faced. Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless ninth and picked up his 32nd save and second in as many nights.

Red Sox 10, Rangers 3

Mitch Moreland crushed a two-run home run among four hits as Boston overcame an early deficit to rout Texas at Arlington, Texas.

Christian Vazquez also hit a two-run homer, and Rafael Devers added a solo shot as the Red Sox reached a franchise record with 241 homers on the season. Boston will seek a sweep in the three-game series Thursday after scoring 22 runs through the first two contests.

Moreland's four-hit game tied his career high, set in August 2015 while he was a member of the Rangers. Rougned Odor drove in two runs for Texas, which lost for the ninth time in its last 10 games.

Giants 2, Rockies 1

Jaylin Davis bombed his first major league home run, a solo shot to center field with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving host San Francisco a walk-off win over Colorado.

The Giants squared manager Bruce Bochy's career record as their skipper at 1,051-1,051 with just four games remaining before his announced retirement Sunday.

Davis, who entered the game 3-for-29 in his rookie season, capped a 2-for-4 performance with his blast off Rockies reliever DJ Johnson (0-2). Will Smith (6-0), brought into a tie game in the top of the ninth, was credited with the win after striking out all three batters he faced.

Blue Jays 3, Orioles 2

Rowdy Tellez hit two solo home runs, Billy McKinney added a solo shot and Jacob Waguespack pitched six scoreless innings as host Toronto defeated Baltimore.

By winning the rubber match of the three-game series, the Blue Jays took the season series from the Orioles 11-8. The Orioles, however, had a 5-4 advantage in games played in Toronto.

Waguespack (5-5) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five. Ken Giles struck out the side in the ninth inning to earn his 22nd save of the season.

--Field Level Media

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