Associated Press
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first major league team to wrap up a postseason berth this season. The Dodgers have captured their seventh consecutive NL West title with a 7-3 victory at Baltimore. Corey Seager drove in five runs with a pair of homers for Los Angeles, which took sole possession of first place on April 17 and led by 21 games on August 24. Seager hit a three-run shot in the first inning and added a two-run drive in the third.
Walker Buehler was outstanding in the clincher, striking out 11 and holding the Orioles to four hits over seven scoreless innings. This is the earliest that the Dodgers have ever clinched the division, both in terms of date and games.
The Rockies rode Nolan Arenado’s two-run, 482-foot blast in the first inning to a 2-1 verdict over the Cardinals. Chi Chi González allowed one run and four hits in six innings for his first big league victory in four years. The NL Central leaders lost for only the eighth time in their last 31 games.
The Cards still top their division by four games over Chicago after Steve Cishek walked three straight hitters in the bottom of the 10th to allow the Padres to come away with a 9-8 victory over the Cubs. Manuel Margot walked with the bases loaded for his second RBI of the night as San Diego trimmed Chicago’s lead for the second NL wild card to one game over Milwaukee. The Padres led 8-5 in the eighth until Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward each hit their second homers of the game to tie it up.
Corey Dickerson homered twice and had three RBIs in the Phillies’ 6-5 victory against the Braves. Philadelphia blew a 4-0 lead before Scott Kingery hit an inside-the-park solo homer in the third inning. J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper and Dickerson belted first-inning homers for the Phils, who kept Atlanta’s lead in the NL East at 9 ½ games over Washington.
The Nationals lost in Minnesota as Jose Berrios combined with two relievers on a two-hitter in the Twins’ 5-0 shutout. Nats starter Anibal Sanchez blanked the AL Central leaders until Mitch Garver slammed a two-run homer in the seventh. Berrios gave up two hits over seven innings to move to 12-8.
Tyler Austin’s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth broke a tie in the Brewers’ 4-3 triumph at Miami. Hernan Perez belted a two-run homer and Yasmani Grandal was 2-for-4 with an RBI in Milwaukee’s fifth consecutive win. The Brewers will get within one game of Chicago for the second NL wild card if the Cubs lose at San Diego tonight, but they will be playing out the season without Christian Yelich because of a broken kneecap.
A pair of Texas errors helped the Rays score twice in the 11th inning to beat the Rangers, 5-3. Nate Lowe scored the tiebreaking run from third on an error by second baseman Rougned Odor with two out before Guillermo Heredia followed with an RBI single. Austin Meadows tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth before Tampa Bay won for the 11th time in 12 games to stay 1 ½ games ahead of Oakland for the first AL wild card.
Matt Olson and Sean Murphy both homered twice and the Athletics set a season high for runs in a 21-7 thrashing of the Astros. Khris Davis and Marcus Semien also went deep as part of Oakland’s season-best 25-hit attack. The A’s tagged Wade Miley for seven runs in the first inning and ripped a team that had outscored its opponents 36-1 in its previous two games.
Rookie Zach Plesac allowed four hits in his first complete game as the Indians thumped the Angels, 8-0 to stay a half-game behind Oakland for the second AL wild card. The rookie right-hander had allowed 10 earned runs in his last two starts before shutting down Los Angeles. Francisco Lindor hit a solo shot to join Alex Rodriguez as the only major league shortstops to have three or more seasons of at least 30 home runs before turning 26.
Todd Frazier drove in three runs and Zack Wheeler scattered seven hits over seven innings as the Mets downed the Diamondbacks for the second straight night, 3-2. Wheeler struck out seven and blanked Arizona after Eduardo Escobar hit an RBI single in the top of the first. Justin Wilson picked up a four-out save to help New York bolster its slim playoff hopes.
The Tigers avoided their major league-leading 101st loss by beating the AL East-leading Yankees, 12-11 on Jordy Mercer’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Christin Stewart hit a solo homer and had two RBIs, while Jeimer Candelario went 3-for-5 with three ribbies. Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius homered twice for the Yanks, who also got round-trippers from Gleyber Torres and Edwin Encarnacion.
Johnny Cueto was terrific in his return from Tommy John surgery, tossing one-hit ball over five shutout innings to help the Giants nip the Pirates, 5-4. Stephen Vogt smacked a two-run homer and drove in four runs. His two-run single in the first off rookie Mitch Keller staked Cueto to a quick lead.
Toronto stopped a seven-game slide by homering three times in a 4-3 win against the Red Sox. Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run home run and Cavan Biggio and Reese McGuire added solo shots as the Blue Jays handed Boston its fourth straight loss. Mookie Betts went deep for the Bosox.
The White Sox knocked off the Royals, 7-3 as rookie Eloy Jiménez hit his first career grand slam and Yoán Moncada launched a mammoth two-run homer. Adam Engel added a solo shot as Chicago won for just the fourth time in 14 games. Adalberto Mondesi, Alex Gordon and Ryan O'Hearn went deep for the Royals.
The Mariners pulled out a 4-3 win over the Reds on Kyle Seager’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. Kyle Lewis ripped his first major league homer and Dylan Moore added a solo shot for Seattle. M’s starter Justus Sheffield allowed one run over six innings to get a no-decision.