MLB roundup: J.P. Crawford belts slam as M's blast Rangers

 

[September 30, 2023]  J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam and Ty France and Josh Rojas added solo homers as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Texas Rangers 8-0 Friday night to tighten the American League West race.

The Mariners pulled within two games of the division-leading Rangers and remained a game behind the Houston Astros in the chase for the AL's third and final wild-card berth.

Crawford, whose two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning Thursday gave the Mariners a 3-2 walk-off victory in the series opener, went deep to right with the bases loaded in the fourth Friday off Rangers reliever Brock Burke to give Seattle an 8-0 lead.

Reliever Trent Thornton (1-2) was credited with the victory as the Mariners' bullpen combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief. Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (12-5) allowed seven runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays 11, Rays 4

Alejandro Kirk had a home run and three RBIs, Bo Bichette went 4-for-5 with three runs and one RBI and Toronto defeated visiting Tampa Bay.

Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman added solo home runs for the Blue Jays, who moved closer to clinching an American League wild-card spot. Toronto lowered its magic number for sealing a playoff berth to one. Yusei Kikuchi (11-6) allowed three runs in five-plus innings for the win.

Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer for the Rays, who have clinched the first AL wild-card berth. Aaron Civale (7-5) gave up one run in 1 2/3 innings.

Astros 2, Diamondbacks 1

Jose Abreu smacked a two-run double and fill-in starter Jose Urquidy pitched six scoreless innings to lead Houston to a victory over Arizona in the opener of a three-game series at Phoenix.

Alex Bregman had two hits and scored a run for Houston, which won its second straight game. Urquidy (3-3) gave up two hits and three walks while striking out two in a 70-pitch effort. The Astros trail the first-place Rangers by one game in the AL West. They trail Toronto by one game for the second wild-card spot. Houston leads the Mariners by one game for the third wild-card berth.

Gabriel Moreno had an RBI double for the Diamondbacks, who managed just four hits. Arizona ace Zac Gallen (17-9) allowed two runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Arizona holds the second wild-card spot in the National League. The Diamondbacks lead Miami by a half-game.

Brewers 4, Cubs 3 (10 innings)

Carlos Santana hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning as host Milwaukee edged Chicago in the opener of a three-game series.

It was a costly defeat for the Cubs, who have lost four in a row to see their National League wild-card hopes fade. Santana's line drive to left plated Blake Perkins, who pinch-ran for automatic runner William Contreras.

Caleb Boushley (1-0), making his major league debut, blew a save in the ninth but came away with the victory in his major league debut. Jose Cuas (3-2) took the loss.

Red Sox 3, Orioles 0

Nick Pivetta threw seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and Boston defeated host Baltimore to snap a five-game losing streak.

Garrett Whitlock threw the final two innings of relief to finish a combined three-hitter for the Red Sox, who posted their third win in their last 14 games. Whitlock, who recorded his first save, added three more strikeouts to the Boston pitching total. Trevor Story drove in two Boston runs with a fifth-inning home run.

The Orioles, who were coming off clinching the American League East a night earlier, had a five-game winning streak end. Jordan Westburg's double and Ryan Mountcastle's two singles were the only Baltimore hits.

Guardians 7, Tigers 5

Tyler Freeman hit a three-run homer, Bo Naylor supplied a two-run blast and visiting Cleveland topped Detroit.

Brayan Rocchio added a pair of doubles while scoring a run and knocking in another. Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill (4-7) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings. Emmanuel Clase gave up a run but still collected his 44th save.

Miguel Cabrera, who is retiring at the end of the season, had three hits and reached base four times for Detroit. Zach McKinstry blasted a two-run homer, Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer and Parker Meadows contributed a two-run triple.

Twins 7, Rockies 6

Ryan Jeffers homered and finished with three hits, Max Kepler broke a ninth-inning tie with a sacrifice fly and Minnesota beat Colorado in Denver.

Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run shot and had two hits, Trevor Larnach also went deep and Kyle Farmer had two hits for Minnesota. The American League Central champion Twins won for the seventh time in nine games as they prepare for the playoffs. Kody Funderburk (2-0) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

Alan Trejo homered among his two hits while Brendan Rodgers and Elehuris Montero also hit home runs for Colorado, who have lost 10 of 12. Nolan Jones had three hits, and Charlie Blackmon and Sean Bouchard had two hits apiece.

Marlins 4, Pirates 3

Josh Bell hit a two-run double in a four-run eighth inning as Miami came back to top host Pittsburgh.

Sep 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Burger added an RBI single and Jazz Chisholm Jr. had the go-ahead sacrifice fly RBI for the Marlins, who need just one more win to clinch a National League wild-card spot. Miami reliever Huascar Brazoban (5-2) pitched a scoreless seventh and Tanner Scott worked the ninth for his 11th save.

Endy Rodriguez had an RBI single for the Pirates, who have lost four of five. Reliever Colin Selby (2-2) gave up all four runs and four hits in the eighth without getting an out.

Nationals 10, Braves 6

Washington tied its season high with five homers and snapped a three-game losing streak by ending host Atlanta's four-game winning streak.

Carter Kieboom hit a three-run homer, Dominic Smith had a two-run shot and Lane Thomas, Keibert Ruiz and Jake Alu added solo homers for Washington, which ranks next-to-last in the majors with 151 home runs.

Ozzie Albies and Forrest Wall had three hits each for Atlanta, which has clinched the National League East and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The Braves lead the majors with 304 homers, three shy of the single-season mark set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins, but they didn't add to their total on Friday.

Dodgers 6, Giants 2

J.D. Martinez broke open a tight game with a three-run home run and visiting Los Angeles spoiled the managerial debut of Kai Correa by beating San Francisco, which fired Gabe Kapler earlier in the day.

Will Smith and Freddie Freeman also homered for the Dodgers, who have two games left to try to win their 100th. Lance Lynn (13-11) tossed six innings of two-run ball.

Wilmer Flores had a solo homer and an RBI single for the Giants. Keaton Winn (1-3) went 5 1/3 innings and yielded six runs.

Padres 3, White Sox 2

Nick Martinez struck out eight batters in five scoreless innings, and San Diego held on to edge host Chicago.

Martinez (6-4) notched a season high in strikeouts to help San Diego win its third consecutive game. Closer Josh Hader allowed a solo homer in the ninth but regrouped to earn his 33rd save. Trent Grisham tallied two RBIs and Xander Bogaerts had one.

Yoan Moncada and Carlos Perez each homered for Chicago. White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (7-9) took the loss despite allowing just one run on four hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

Reds 19, Cardinals 2

Nick Martini and Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit three-run homers as Cincinnati routed host St. Louis to stay alive in the National League wild-card race.

Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson socked two-run homers and Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte added solo shots for the Reds, who remained within 1 1/2 games of the Miami Marlins in the chase for the NL's third and final wild card.

Reds starting pitcher Brandon Williamson (5-5) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Rookie Carson Spiers followed with three scoreless innings to earn his first career save.

Royals 12, Yankees 5

Kansas City blasted visiting New York starter Carlos Rodon for eight runs in the first inning en route to a nine-run inning and an easy victory.

Rodon (3-8) closed out his disappointing first season in pinstripes by surrendering six hits and two walks to the first eight batters, becoming the third starter in baseball history to allow eight earned runs without recording an out.

Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez each collected two hits in the frame, while Perez and Kyle Isbel delivered two-run doubles as Kansas City sent 14 batters to the plate. Meanwhile, Jordan Lyles (6-17) retired the first 10 Yankees he faced before walking Aaron Judge ahead of Austin Wells' three-run homer in the fourth inning.

Angels 5, Athletics 1

Mickey Moniak went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and rookie right-hander Davis Daniel pitched five scoreless innings of relief for his first major league victory as Los Angeles won the opener of this season-ending series with Oakland in Anaheim, Calif.

Both teams are fated to finish in the bottom two spots in the American League West. The Athletics' 111 losses are the worst in franchise history since the 1916 Philadelphia A's went 36-117 in 1916 under Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack.

Angels starter Chase Silseth, just back from the injured list after a concussion, worked four innings, giving up two hits and a run with three walks and three strikeouts. Oakland's Ken Waldichuk (4-9) allowed seven hits and five runs, four earned, in five innings.

--Field Level Media

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