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MLB roundup: Justin Verlander shines as Astros top M's

MLB roundup: Justin Verlander shines as Astros top M's

Justin Verlander turned in a vintage performance, taking a shutout into the ninth inning as the Houston Astros defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Monday night to extend their lead in the race for the American League's third and final wild-card playoff berth.

Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker homered for the Astros, who snapped a three-game losing streak and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners, who lost their fourth in a row. Houston remains 2 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Verlander (12-8) retired the side in order seven times. The 40-year-old right-hander, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, was charged with one run on three hits and one walk in eight-plus innings. He struck out eight, one shy of his season high.

Mariners ace Luis Castillo (14-8), who had won eight consecutive decisions, took his first defeat since July 14. He allowed five runs on eight hits over six innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts.

Giants 2, Padres 1

Logan Webb survived a pitchers' duel with Blake Snell, Michael Conforto delivered a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning and host San Francisco essentially dealt a lethal blow to San Diego's postseason hopes.

Webb (11-13) went the distance, giving up a first-inning run but no others. He allowed nine hits, striking out seven without issuing a walk.

After Snell threw six shutout innings -- his third consecutive scoreless start -- the Giants finally broke through against Robert Suarez (4-3) in the eighth. The Padres lost for just the second time in 11 games.

Rangers 5, Angels 1

Adolis Garcia, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe hit back-to-back-to-back home runs and Jon Gray allowed one run over six innings to lead Texas to a win over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Marcus Semien also homered for the Rangers, who extended their winning streak to six games. Gray (9-8) picked up his first win since Aug. 11, allowing five hits while striking out seven.

Logan O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a home run and Michael Stefanic had three hits for Los Angeles, which lost for the 10th time in its past 12 games. Nolan Schanuel doubled leading off the bottom of the first to extend his on-base streak to 27 games, the fourth-longest on-base streak in major league history to start a career.

Yankees 6, Diamondbacks 4

Estevan Florial hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the eighth inning as host New York rallied three times to beat Arizona.

With a 4-3 lead, Diamondbacks right-hander Kevin Ginkel (9-1) loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a walk before Oswald Peraza walked in the tying run. Florial followed with a fly ball to left to score Austin Wells and give the Yankees their first lead. Rookie Everson Pereira added an RBI single off Miguel Castro.

The Diamondbacks dropped into a tie with the Chicago Cubs as the final two wild-card qualifiers in the National League, with the Miami Marlins lurking one game back. Arizona rookie Corbin Carroll had three hits in defeat.

Logan Webb, Giants grind out win vs. Padres

Logan Webb, Giants grind out win vs. Padres

Logan Webb survived a pitchers' duel with Blake Snell, Michael Conforto delivered a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning and the host San Francisco Giants essentially dealt a lethal blow to the San Diego Padres' postseason hopes with a 2-1 victory on Monday night.

By successfully rebounding from a 2-8 trip, the Giants (78-79) kept their longshot bid alive in the National League wild-card race, moving within 4 1/2 games of the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold the final two spots and are both 82-74.

In losing for just the second time in their past 11 games, the Padres (77-80) assured the best they can do is tie the Cubs, the Diamondbacks -- and possibly others -- in the wild-card race.

After Snell had thrown six shutout innings -- his third consecutive scoreless start -- the Giants finally broke through against Robert Suarez (4-3) in the eighth, loading the bases with one out on a LaMonte Wade Jr. walk, Marco Luciano double and intentional walk to Joc Pederson.

Suarez got a second out when Patrick Bailey grounded into a force play at the plate before Conforto drilled his go-ahead single to left field.

Webb (11-13) went the distance to get the win, giving up a first-inning run but no others. He allowed nine hits, striking out seven without issuing a walk.

The Padres threatened in the ninth when Juan Soto and Manny Machado singled to open the frame. But Webb then induced three straight ground balls, including one by Ji Man Choi that led to Soto being thrown out at the plate.

Machado drove in the earlier run off Webb, singling home Xander Bogaerts, who had led off the game with an infield single.

While he did not get a decision, Snell continued his late-season surge into the thick of the NL Cy Young Award race, allowing four hits and two walks in his six innings. He struck out seven.

The left-hander was 10-9 with a 2.73 ERA after a loss to the Miami Marlins on Aug. 22. Six starts later, he's 14-9 and was lifted Monday night with a 2.25 ERA.

Austin Slater had a double and two singles for the Giants, who were outhit 9-7.

Bogaerts, Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brett Sullivan each had two hits for the Padres, whose only extra-base hit was a double by Tatis in the first inning.

Rangers belt 4 HRs to defeat Angels for 6th straight win

Rangers belt 4 HRs to defeat Angels for 6th straight win

Adolis Garcia, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe hit back-to-back-to back home runs and Jon Gray allowed one run over six innings to lead the Texas Rangers to their sixth straight victory, 5-1 over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim.

Marcus Semien also homered for Texas (88-68), which remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League West with six games to go. The Rangers, who have hit 17 home runs and scored 45 runs during their six-game win streak, also moved into the American League home run lead with 227.

Gray (9-8) picked up his first win since Aug. 11, allowing five hits while striking out seven. Gray, who hadn't made it out of the fourth inning in his three previous starts, left with right wrist tightness while warming up for the seventh inning. Jonathan Hernandez and Andrew Heaney combined to throw three shutout innings of relief after his departure.

Logan O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a home run and Michael Stefanic had three hits for Los Angeles (70-87), which lost for the 10th time in its last 12 games. Nolan Schanuel doubled leading off the bottom of the first to extend his on-base streak to 27 games, the fourth longest on-base streak in major league history to start a career.

Jimmy Herget (2-4) suffered the loss, allowing three runs in one inning. Angels starter Patrick Sandoval, who allowed no runs on two hits and five walks in three-plus innings, left with right oblique tightness after walking Garver in the fourth. He struck out two.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning lead in the second when O'Hoppe led off with his 13th homer of the season, a 397-foot drive to center.

Texas then took a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning on three consecutive one-out home runs on 10 pitches by Herget. Garcia started the streak with his 37th homer to right-center. Garver followed with his 19th off the left field foul pole. Lowe then lined his 17th to right field.

Semien made it 4-1 when he led off the seventh with his 28th home run off reliever Jaime Barria. The Rangers extended the lead to 5-1 in the eighth when Jonah Heim walked, advanced to third on a single by Leody Taveras and scored on a wild pitch.

Justin Verlander carries Astros past M's in series opener

Justin Verlander carries Astros past M's in series opener

Justin Verlander turned in a vintage performance, taking a shutout into the ninth inning as the Houston Astros defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Monday night to extend their lead in the race for the American League's third and final wild-card playoff berth.

Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker homered for the Astros (86-71), who snapped a three-game losing streak and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners (84-72), who lost their fourth in a row. The contest was the opener of a three-game series.

The Rangers began the night a 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Rangers (87-68) in the AL West. Texas played a late game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Verlander (12-8) retired the side in order seven times. The 40-year-old right-hander, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, was charged with one run on three hits and one walk in eight-plus innings. He struck out eight, one shy of his season high.

Seattle's only run came in the ninth. Josh Rojas led off with a double into the right field corner, ending Verlander's bid for his first complete game since Sept. 1, 2019. Reliever Bryan Abreu got J.P. Crawford to ground out to second, sending Rojas to third, before Julio Rodriguez lofted a sacrifice fly to deep right.

Abreu then struck out Cal Raleigh to end the game.

Mariners ace Luis Castillo (14-8), who had won eight consecutive decisions, took his first defeat since July 14. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed five runs on eight hits over six innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts.

The Astros opened the scoring with three runs in the second.

Jose Abreu led off with a triple to right-center field, the ball bouncing off the end of Rodriguez's glove and rolling to the wall. It appeared Castillo might escape the inning unscathed as he got Chas McCormick to ground out to second and struck out Jeremy Pena. He got two strikes on Mauricio Dubon before allowing a line-drive single to right-center to plate Abreu.

Martin Maldonado hit an RBI double to left-center, and Jose Altuve lined a run-scoring single up the middle to make it 3-0.

Alvarez led off the third by taking a low slider deep to right-center, his 30th home run of the season.

The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the inning as Dominic Canzone and Rojas grounded one-out singles to right field and Crawford walked to load the bases for Rodriguez. Verlander induced an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam, then retired the next 15 batters in a row before Rojas' double in the ninth.

Tucker led off the sixth with a blast off the windows of the Hit It Here Cafe on the second deck in right field. It was his 29th homer of the season.

Mike Trout says he will play for Angels in 2024

Mike Trout says he will play for Angels in 2024

In the wake of recent chatter suggesting he could request a trade in the offseason, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout shot down the speculation on Monday.

The three-time American League MVP insists he will be back with the Angels in 2024.

"I go through this every year," Trout told reporters prior to the club's Monday home game against the Texas Rangers. "These are private conversations I have with (owner) Arte (Moreno) and (president) John (Carpino). I'm doing the same thing I've done the last 13 years. Going into the offseason, clearing my mind and going into spring wearing an Angels uniform."

Trout was recently shut down for this season due to a fractured hand sustained on July 3. He returned to play one game on Aug. 22, felt pain while batting and went right back on the injured list.

With two-way standout Shohei Ohtani slated to become a free agent following the season, there has been a line of thinking that Trout might want to play elsewhere. He has a no-trade clause in his 12-year, $426.5 million extension that runs through the 2030 season.

"I got seven years left on the contract," Trout said. "I know there's a lot of speculation out there. ... Nothing's changed."

Trout, an 11-time All-Star, batted .263 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs in 82 games this season.

The 32-year-old played 119 games last season and just 36 in 2021 because of injuries. The 2012 American League Rookie of the Year is a career .301 hitter with 368 home runs and 940 RBIs in 1,489 games.

D-backs waste chances as Yankees rally in eighth

D-backs waste chances as Yankees rally in eighth

Estevan Florial hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the eighth inning as the host New York Yankees rallied three times Monday afternoon in a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks dropped into a tie with the Chicago Cubs as the final two wild-card qualifiers in the National League, with the Miami Marlins lurking one game back.

Arizona (82-74) lost for the second time in eight games and squandered three leads in a game that was rescheduled from Saturday.

With a 4-3 lead, Diamondbacks right-hander Kevin Ginkel (9-1) loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a walk before Oswald Peraza walked in the tying run. Florial followed with a fly ball to left to score Gleyber Torres and give the Yankees their first lead.

Rookie Everson Pereira added an RBI single off Miguel Castro for a 6-4 lead.

In a race to secure their first playoff spot since 2017, the Diamondbacks wasted one-run leads in the seventh and eighth innings.

Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll had two of his three hits in the final three innings.

Carroll's bases-loaded single in the eighth off Ian Hamilton gave Arizona 4-3 lead. An inning earlier, he notched his 51st stolen base and scored on a single by Gabriel Moreno's single to make it 3-2.

Peraza hit a tying homer to open the seventh off Ryan Thompson, his second. The game remained tied when Arizona center fielder Alek Thomas made a leaping catch near the top of the wall to rob Aaron Judge of extra bases.

Hamilton (3-2) went 1 2/3 innings to secure the win and Clay Holmes earned his 22nd save with a perfect ninth inning.

Thomas hit a two-run single in the first and the Yankees' Austin Wells tied it with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly allowed two runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked two.

New York right-hander Clarke Schmidt allowed two runs on three hits in four innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone uncertain of status for 2024

Yankees manager Aaron Boone uncertain of status for 2024

Despite a contract that runs through 2024, with a club option for 2025, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that he does not know if he will be invited back for next season.

The Yankees were a disappointing 78-77 heading into Monday afternoon's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. The .503 winning percentage is not only the worst of Boone's six-year tenure, it is the club's worst since a .469 mark in 1992.

"No, I don't worry about it," Boone told reporters Monday when asked about his job security. "It's out of my hands. I'm completely comfortable with who I am and the things I can control."

Reports have indicated that general manager Brian Cashman does not intend to fire Boone so any change in that area would come from the top. Boone is acting like he will return, looking for ways to improve in the near future.

"My job is, in my mind, doing everything to head into the offseason to prepare to put us in a better position to try and compete for a championship," Boone said. "That's what the goal is, and until they take that away, that's my focus."

Before 2023, the Yankees advanced to the playoffs every year under Boone, making their way into the American League Championship Season last season where they were swept. The Yankees advanced to the ALCS three times since 2017, with two of those under Boone.

Boone was asked his assessment of how the team operated under his guidance this season.

"I think that will be part of the conversations we have organizationally," he said. "I'll step back and evaluate where I want to keep pushing forward on certain things and where you want to make adjustments. Hopefully, those align with us being in a better place."

This season will be New York's first without a playoff game since 2016.

Yankees place RHP Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) on IL

Yankees place RHP Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) on IL

The New York Yankees placed reliever Tommy Kahnle on the 15-day injured list and recalled fellow right-hander Matt Bowman from Triple-A on Monday.

Kahnle, 34, is dealing with right shoulder inflammation and his designation is retroactive to Friday. He finishes the season with a 1-3 record, two saves and a 2.66 ERA in 42 appearances out of the bullpen.

Kahnle is 10-12 with a 3.64 ERA and seven saves in 340 games (no starts) with four teams. He rejoined New York this season after pitching for the Yankees from 2017-20.

Bowman, 32, has no decisions and a 13.50 ERA in two relief appearances for the Yankees this season. He was 4-1 with five saves and a 3.99 ERA in 49 games (no starts) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

MLB roundup: Lowly Royals finish 3-game sweep of Astros

MLB roundup: Lowly Royals finish 3-game sweep of Astros

Nelson Velazquez produced his second career multi-homer game and the Kansas City Royals capped a stunning three-game road series sweep of the reeling Houston Astros with a 6-5 victory on Sunday.

The Royals notched their sixth consecutive win and 10th in 11 games, with five of those victories coming against the stumbling Astros, who have dropped nine of 12 games since taking a 2 1/2-game lead in the American League West on Sept. 10. Houston lost 18 of its last 23 home games and finished their home season 39-42.

The Royals clubbed four homers off Astros rookie right-hander Hunter Brown (11-13). Brown allowed six runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings.

Bulk pitcher Alex Marsh (3-8) picked up the win. He went 5 1/3 innings following opener Seven Cruz. Marsh allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. James McArthur worked a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Blue Jays 9, Rays 5

George Springer's three-run inside-the-park homer in a five-run second inning headlined Toronto's win over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla. The right fielder also had an assist and saved a run with a diving catch in the third inning for the Blue Jays, who hit four home runs.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered twice and Bo Bichette went deep, while reliever Trevor Richards (2-1) pitched one-hit ball over two scoreless frames.

Isaac Paredes was 2-for-4 with his 30th homer, a walk and three RBIs. Harold Ramirez went 3-for-5 and scored as the Rays closed out their regular-season home schedule with a 53-28 record.

Orioles 5, Guardians 1

Kyle Gibson pitched into the eighth inning and Baltimore moved a step closer to the American League East title by beating host Cleveland.

Gibson (15-9) allowed one run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Danny Coulombe and DL Hall combined to record the final six outs in Baltimore's final road game of the season.

The Orioles earned a split of the four-game series and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The win reduced Baltimore's magic number to win the division to three.

Marlins 6, Brewers 1

The red-hot Jon Berti homered twice and Josh Bell went deep and reached base four times as postseason-seeking Miami bashed visiting Milwaukee.

Bryan De La Cruz singled in two runs and Jazz Chisholm Jr. finished with two hits and two runs as the Marlins kept the pressure on the Chicago Cubs, whom they are chasing for the third wild-card spot in the National League. Miami remains one game behind Chicago, which beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Sunday.

The Brewers missed a chance to clinch the NL Central after entering with a magic number of one. William Contreras and Carlos Santana each had two of Milwaukee's eight hits, and Tyrone Taylor singled home the Brewers' only run.

Rangers 9, Mariners 8

Marcus Semien hit a pair of solo home runs and Texas hit six overall to close out a series sweep of Seattle in Arlington, Texas.

Texas built a five-run cushion with a four-run fourth inning, all on home runs. Adolis Garcia led off with a solo shot, Leody Taveras drove in Mitch Garver with a two-run blast and Semien hit the second of his homers to cap the inning. The Rangers maintained their lead the rest of the way, but not without Seattle pushing Texas throughout.

The Mariners -- looking to avoid losing ground on the Rangers and pull ahead of Houston, which suffered a weekend sweep against Kansas City -- totaled 13 hits.

Phillies 5, Mets 2

Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run fourth inning for host Philadelphia, which reduced its magic number for clinching a National League playoff spot to one by beating New York.

The Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Mets. Philadelphia leads the Miami Marlins, the fourth-place team in the race for three NL wild-card spots, by six games with six left to play, but the Marlins hold the tiebreaker.

J.T. Realmuto had a two-run single in the fourth for the Phillies, one batter before Castellanos homered, and Bryce Harper added an RBI single in the fifth. Cristopher Sanchez (3-5) allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out 10 -- tying a career high -- over seven innings.

Padres 12, Cardinals 2

Juan Soto hit a 461-foot, three-run homer in the first, added an RBI double in the fourth and made three excellent catches in left as San Diego closed out its home season with a rout of St. Louis in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Padres, who have won nine of their last 10 games, scored at least one run in each of the first six innings and finished with nine extra-base hits in a season-high-tying 18-hit attack. Padres right-hander Michael Wacha (13-4) gave up two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven innings.

Cardinals left-hander Drew Rom (1-4) gave up eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

White Sox 3, Red Sox 2 (6 innings)

Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger allowed two runs in six innings to help visiting Chicago defeat Boston in a game that ended after six innings because of rain.

Clevinger (9-8) gave up five hits and didn't walk or strike out a batter as the White Sox won a series for the first time since Aug. 7-9 against the Yankees. Elvis Andrus hit a two-run double.

Wilyer Abreu and Adam Duvall homered for the Red Sox.

Reds 4, Pirates 2

TJ Friedl homered in the sixth inning and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh as Cincinnati topped Pittsburgh to avoid a series sweep.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand also homered for the Reds, who snapped a four-game losing streak in their final regular-season home game.

Jack Suwinski homered and Jason Delay added an RBI single for the Pirates, who had won four in a row. Pittsburgh rookie Quinn Priester pitched five no-hit innings before allowing two runs and two hits over six innings, with four strikeouts and five walks.

Diamondbacks 7, Yankees 1

Zac Gallen pitched six strong innings and withstood heavy rain as visiting Arizona beat New York. Gallen (17-8) allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked two. He joined the Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider as 17-game winners.

The Diamondbacks won for the sixth time in seven games and remained a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the National League's second wild-card spot. Arizona also secured its first winning season since 2019.

The Yankees were officially eliminated from the AL playoff race with seven games remaining. They can win no more than 85 games and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Twins 9, Angels 3

Ryan Jeffers homered, tripled and drove in three runs and Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler also went deep as Minnesota cruised past Los Angeles in Minneapolis.

Matt Wallner had two hits and two runs and Trevor Larnach and Kepler also had two RBIs for the Twins, who won for the fourth time in the last five games. Joe Ryan (11-10), vying for a starting spot in Minnesota's playoff rotation, struck out 10 while picking up his second win since July 21. He allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings and didn't walk a batter.

Brandon Drury had a two-run double, Zach Neto went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run, and Randal Grichuk had a double and scored twice for the Angels.

Tigers 2, Athletics 0

Eduardo Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings, Spencer Torkelson delivered the game's only runs with a third-inning single and Detroit celebrated Miguel Cabrera's last road game with a shutout of Oakland.

Cabrera, who will retire after the Tigers' season-ending homestand, went 0-for-4 with a walk in his 44th and final regular-season performance in Oakland. Rodriguez (12-9) teamed with Jason Foley and Alex Lange on a seven-hitter, with the veteran left-hander allowing five hits and four walks in his seven innings. He struck out five.

A's starter JP Sears (5-13) was pulled after five innings, having allowed two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Shea Langeliers had a pair of doubles.

Cubs 4, Rockies 3

Patrick Wisdom hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning and Chicago held on to win to complete a three-game sweep of visiting Colorado.

Chicago trailed 3-1 after 5 1/2 innings, but Seiya Suzuki led off the bottom of the sixth with a double against Rockies starter Ty Blach (3-3). He went to third on Dansby Swanson's single and scored on Yan Gomes' sacrifice fly.

Wisdom then sent a drive well up into the left-field bleachers for his 22nd home run, which gave the Cubs a one-run lead and ended the day for Blach, who allowed four runs, six hits, three walks and hit two batters over 5 1/3 innings.

Nationals 3, Braves 2

Jacob Young drove in two runs and Jackson Rutledge earned his first career victory as Washington defeated visiting Atlanta in the opening game of a doubleheader.

Rutledge (1-1) gave up one run and three hits in five innings of his third major league start. He struck out four and walked two. Young stretched the lead to 3-1 with a sixth-inning double. He joined teammates Jake Alu and Joey Meneses with two hits apiece.

Atlanta starter Allan Winans (1-2) surrendered two runs in five innings while striking out six. He issued two walks and allowed seven hits. Sean Murphy provided the final run when the Atlanta catcher homered with two outs in the ninth inning. It was his 21st homer of the season.

Braves 8, Nationals 5 (Game 2)

Kevin Pillar and Forrest Wall homered from the bottom of Atlanta's batting order as the Braves secured their 100th victory of the season by defeating host Washington in the second game of the doubleheader.

Braves starter Spencer Strider (19-5) picked up the win. He allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Atlanta has back-to-back seasons with at least 100 wins for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

It marked the home finale for the Nationals, who finished 34-47 at Nationals Park.

Dodgers 3, Giants 2 (10 innings)

Chris Taylor lined a walk-off single to right field with one out in the 10th inning, allowing Los Angeles to wrap up its regular-season home schedule with a victory over San Francisco.

It took just three pitches in the inning for the Dodgers to send the crowd home happy. Amed Rosario was pinch running for the designated runner, and he took third on Kolten Wong's infield out on the first pitch he saw. Taylor then fell behind 0-1 before finding open space in right field with his game-winner off Giants closer Camilo Doval (6-6).

The loss, which left San Francisco five games out of the final National League wild-card spot with just six games to play, came where the Giants had been at their best this season. They had been 11-3 in extra-inning games, whereas the Dodgers had been 5-6.

Dodgers edge Giants on Chris Taylor's walk-off hit

Dodgers edge Giants on Chris Taylor's walk-off hit

Chris Taylor lined a walk-off single to right field with one out in the 10th inning Sunday night, allowing the Los Angeles Dodgers to wrap up their regular-season home schedule with a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

It took just three pitches in the inning for the Dodgers to send the crowd home happy. Amed Rosario was pinch running for the designated runner, and he took third on Kolten Wong's infield out on the first pitch he saw. Taylor then fell behind 0-1 before finding open space in right field with his game-winner off Giants closer Camilo Doval (6-6).

Winning pitcher Shelby Miller (3-0) blanked the Giants in the top of the 10th, getting Patrick Bailey to ground into an inning-ending double play after the visitors loaded the bases with one out.

The loss, which left San Francisco (77-79) five games out of the final National League wild card spot with just six games to play, came where the Giants had been at their best this season. They had been 11-3 in extra-inning games, whereas the Dodgers (96-59) had been 5-6.

Before Taylor's heroics, neither team had scored since the fifth and well after Dodgers starter Lance Lynn and Giants bulk-inning reliever Tristan Beck had exited after effective stints.

Lynn carried a two-hit shutout and 2-0 lead into the fifth before it disappeared within four pitches when Tyler Fitzgerald singled and LaMonte Wade Jr. crushed his 17th home run of the season to center field.

Lynn was pulled in a 2-2 tie after six innings, charged with two runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out six.

After Giants opener Ryan Walker threw a scoreless first, Beck also fell surrendered a two-run homer, James Outman's 22nd, in the second inning. It followed a one-out double by J.D. Martinez.

Beck wound up going 4 1/3 innings without allowing another run. He allowed four hits and no walks, striking out three.

Martinez had two doubles for the Dodgers, who went 5-2 on their final homestand.

Fitzgerald, Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores had two hits each for the Giants, who completed their regular-season road slate by going 2-8 on their final trip.

Braves split doubleheader with Nats, first team to 100 wins

Braves split doubleheader with Nats, first team to 100 wins

Kevin Pillar and Forrest Wall homered from the bottom of Atlanta's batting order as the Braves reached a milestone by securing their 100th victory of the season with an 8-5 decision against the host Washington Nationals in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday night.

Braves starter Spencer Strider moved closer to a personal milestone after the Braves (100-56) wiped out a three-run deficit. Atlanta has back-to-back seasons with at least 100 wins for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

Strider (19-5) added to his majors-leading win total and strikeout total (274). He gave up four runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Strider has won in his last three starts. A victory in this series finale puts him in line for a 20-win season with one start remaining later this week. He improved to 3-1 in five career matchups with the Nationals.

Pillar's two-run homer in a four-run fourth inning put Atlanta ahead. It was Pillar's eighth homer of the year. Wall rapped his first career home run in the sixth, also a two-run shot.

The Braves picked up a couple of key insurance runs on Orlando Arcia's two-out single in the seventh.

Arcia drove in three runs and Matt Olson went 3-for-5 and scored two runs. Olson also drove in one run, giving him a single-season team-record 133 RBIs.

It marked the home finale for the Nationals (69-88), who finished 34-47 at Nationals Park. Washington won 3-2 in the opener of the day-night doubleheader.

Washington starter Joan Adon (2-4) took the loss, lasting 4 2/3 innings and charged with four runs on five hits.

Luis Garcia drove in two Washington runs, with one of those coming on a sixth-inning solo home run for his ninth blast of the season. Keibert Ruiz, who joined Garcia with three hits, drove in the first two runs with a third-inning double to open the game's scoring.

Lane Thomas moved to 27 home runs on the season after his one-out long ball in the ninth.

The Nationals, who are aiming to reach the 70-win mark for the first time since 2019, lost three of four games in the series.

Phillies finish four-game sweep of Mets; magic number down to one

Phillies finish four-game sweep of Mets; magic number down to one

Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run fourth inning Sunday night for the host Philadelphia Phillies, who reduced their magic number for clinching a National League playoff spot to one by beating the New York Mets, 5-2.

The Phillies (87-69) completed a four-game sweep of the Mets. Philadelphia leads the Miami Marlins, the fourth-place team in the race for three NL wild-card spots, by six games with six left to play.

Philadelphia, the defending NL champions, lost the season series to the Marlins, 7-6, and thus needs to win one more game or have Miami lose one more game in order to clinch a playoff berth.

The Mets (71-85) fell to 10-12 this month. They will host the Marlins for three games this week before hosting the Phillies for three games to conclude the regular season.

J.T. Realmuto had a two-run single in the fourth for the Phillies, one batter before Castellanos, and Bryce Harper added an RBI single in the fifth. Realmuto was the lone player on either team with two hits.

Castellanos, Realmuto and Bryson Stott all had a stolen base.

Cristopher Sanchez (3-5) allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out 10 -- tying a career high -- over seven innings. The left-hander, who retired the first 12 batters he faced Sunday, also whiffed 10 against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 13.

Orion Kerkering, who began the season in Single-A, made his big-league debut by striking out two in a perfect eighth before Michael Lorenzen earned his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Ronny Mauricio hit a two-run homer in the sixth for the Mets. It scored Tim Locastro, who reached on a single.

Rookie Jose Butto (1-3) took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over four innings.

Juan Soto, Padres demolish Cardinals to win series

Juan Soto, Padres demolish Cardinals to win series

Juan Soto hit a 461-foot, three-run homer in the first, added an RBI double in the fourth and made three excellent catches in left Sunday afternoon as the San Diego Padres closed out their home season with a 12-2 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Padres, who have won nine of their last 10 games, scored at least one run in each of the first six innings and finished with nine extra-base hits in a season-high-tying 18-hit attack.

Padres right-handed starter Michael Wacha, with the help of outfielders Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., shut out St. Louis for six innings before Luken Baker put the Cardinals on the board with a two-run homer in the seventh. Wacha (13-4) gave up the two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven innings.

Soto saved the Padres at least one run in the first with a diving catch in short left, then made two catches after long runs to his left and right in the fifth. An inning later, Tatis leaped to make a catch above the wall in right to take away a two-run homer from Michael Siani.

Xander Bogaerts doubled to open the bottom half of the first against Cardinals left-hander Drew Rom (1-4). Ha-Seong Kim reached when his fly to right was dropped by Jordan Walker. Soto then drove a 3-1 sweeper from Rom to right-center to give the Padres a 3-0 lead before a batter had been retired.

The Padres added two runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth.

Soto finished a triple shy of the cycle. Catcher Luis Campusano also had three hits for the Padres, including a double.

Xander Bogaerts and Eguy Rosario each had a triple and a double in five at-bats. Rosario contributed two RBIs and a run while Bogaerts also had an RBI and two runs.

Kim, Tatis and Matthew Batten also had two hits while Jose Azocar hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Every member of the Padres starting lineup had at least one hit.

Rom gave up eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

Tigers blank A's in Miguel Cabrera's last road game

Tigers blank A's in Miguel Cabrera's last road game

Eduardo Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings, Spencer Torkelson delivered the game's only runs with a third-inning single and the Detroit Tigers celebrated Miguel Cabrera's last road going-away party with a 2-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

Cabrera, who has announced he will retire at the end of the Tigers' season-ending homestand, went 0-for-4 with a walk in his 44th and final regular-season performance in Oakland.

Rodriguez (12-9) teamed with Jason Foley and Alex Lange on a seven-hitter, with the veteran left-hander allowing five hits and four walks in his seven innings. He struck out five.

Lange, who retired four of the five batters he faced to complete Detroit's 13th shutout of the season, was credited with his 25th save.

A's starter JP Sears (5-13) struck out five of the first eight batters he saw before Parker Meadows ignited a two-run third with a double.

A Matt Vierling walk and Andy Ibanez single loaded the bases for Torkelson, who ran his season RBI total to a team-leading 88 with a single to right field.

Sears was pulled after five innings, having allowed just the two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out seven.

Oakland's best chance to score came in the fourth after Esteury Ruiz doubled and Zack Gelof walked with no outs.

They stole second and third, but Ruiz was gunned down at the plate trying to score on Brent Rooker's grounder to shortstop, before Rodriguez induced Aledmys Diaz to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

The A's also loaded the bases in the fifth, but that came with two outs. Ruiz grounded out to end that threat.

Ruiz, who had two of Oakland's seven hits, also had a steal in the first inning. The rookie leads the American League in stolen bases with 65.

Shea Langeliers had a pair of doubles and Rooker a pair of singles for the A's (48-108).

Torkelson. Ibanez and Meadows collected two hits apiece for the Tigers (73-83), who managed a 2-2 split in Oakland to cap a 6-4 trip through three California sites on the Cabrera going-away tour.

Rangers bash six home runs, fend off Mariners

Rangers bash six home runs, fend off Mariners

Marcus Semien hit a pair of solo home runs and the Texas Rangers hit six overall to close out a series sweep of the Seattle Mariners 9-8 on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

Texas (87-68) built a five-run cushion with a four-run fourth inning, all of which came off of home runs. Adolis Garcia led off with a solo shot, Leody Taveras drove in Mitch Garver with a two-run blast and Semien hit the second of his homers on the day to cap the inning.

The Rangers maintained their lead the rest of the way, but not without Seattle pushing Texas throughout.

The Mariners (84-71) -- looking to avoid losing ground on the Rangers and pull ahead of Houston, which suffered a weekend sweep against Kansas City -- totaled 13 hits.

Five Seattle batters collected multiple base hits with Julio Rodriguez, Eugenio Suarez and Teoscar Hernandez and Ty France each going 2-for-4 on the day. J.P. Crawford went 2-for-5.

Hernandez and Crawford each hit solo home runs for an early 2-1 lead, but Corey Seager put Texas back in front with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third before pouring it on in the fourth.

The Mariners cut into the 7-2 deficit in the sixth inning when Jarred Kelenic drove in a run on a fielder's choice, Suarez sent home Cal Raleigh on a sacrifice fly and Sam Haggerty tripled to score Kelenic.

Evan Carter hit the last of Texas' six home runs in the Rangers' half of the sixth, a two-run shot scoring Garver, to push the lead to 9-5. But Seattle came right back in the top of the seventh with runs scored off singles by Hernandez, Kelenic and Suarez.

Seattle had opportunities to bridge the gap down the stretch, including in the eighth inning with runners on second and third. Texas reliever Brock Burke recorded the third out, however, striking out Raleigh in three pitches.

Suarez, representing the tying run, doubled in the ninth with two outs. But Jose Leclerc forced Dominic Canzone to ground out to record his fourth save of the season and preserve the win.

Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (12-4) picked up the win. He struck out six and allowed five earned runs in five innings.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo (4-5) took the loss. He struck out six and allowed six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The loss dropped Seattle three games behind Texas and a half-game behind Houston.

Cubs come back to sweep Rockies

Cubs come back to sweep Rockies

Patrick Wisdom hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs held on to win 4-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on their final homestand of the season.

Chicago (82-74) trailed 3-1 after 5 1/2 innings, but Seiya Suzuki led off the bottom of the sixth with a double against Rockies starter Ty Blach (3-3). He went to third on Dansby Swanson's single and scored on Yan Gomes' sacrifice fly.

Wisdom then sent a drive well up into the left-field bleachers for his 22nd home run, which gave the Cubs a one-run lead and ended the day for Blach, who allowed four runs, six hits, three walks and hit two batters over 5 1/3 innings.

Rookie Jordan Wicks (4-1) yielded a two-run homer to Brendan Rodgers and a solo shot to Nolan Jones, plus two other hits over six innings for the Cubs, who took all three from the Rockies (56-99) to remain in wild-card position in the NL after losing two of three at home to Pittsburgh this week.

The Cubs didn't put a ball in play against Blach until seventh-place hitter Gomes roped a pitch into the left-field corner in the second. However, it was enough to score Suzuki (two hits) - who had drawn a leadoff walk-- from first base for a 1-0 Chicago lead.

Wicks, though, gave up that edge in the third. He surrendered an inning-opening double to eighth-place hitter Austin Wynns, who eventually came home on Rodgers' second home run this season.

Jones made it 3-1 when he went deep into the left-center field bleachers in the sixth. However, the Rockies managed just five hits. Chicago reliever Julian

Merryweather (two saves) walked the first two batters of the ninth but retired the next three to send Colorado to a seventh straight defeat.

The Rockies, who set a club record for single-season defeats, also finished 2023 with nine consecutive losses on the road, where they went 22-59.

Scorching Royals complete 3-game sweep of Astros

Scorching Royals complete 3-game sweep of Astros

Nelson Velazquez produced his second career multi-homer game and the Kansas City Royals capped a stunning three-game road series sweep of the reeling Houston Astros with a 6-5 victory on Sunday.

The Royals (54-102) notched their sixth consecutive win and 10th in 11 games, with five of those victories coming against the stumbling Astros (85-71), who have dropped nine of 12 games since taking a 21/2-game lead in the American League West with a win over the San Diego Padres on Sept. 10. Houston lost 17 of its last 23 home games and finished the season 39-42 at Minute Maid Park.

The Royals clubbed four homers off Astros rookie right-hander Hunter Brown (11-13), who retired the side in order in the first inning before suddenly coming undone in the second.

Velazquez ignited the uprising with his 16th home run leading off the second, a 380-foot shot to right-center field with an exit velocity of 103.5 miles per hour. His blast pulled the Royals even at 1-1 but that deadlock was shortlived as three batters later, Matt Duffy smashed his second home run to left-center, driving home Nick Loftin and lifting the Royals to a 3-1 advantage.

Brown needed 33 pitches to complete the second inning. And after the Astros clawed to within 3-2 in the bottom of that frame on a run-scoring groundout from Jose Altuve, Brown surrendered another three-spot in the third that pushed the Astros into a four-run hole.

Royals captain Salvador Perez, fresh off reinstatement from the seven-day concussion list, followed a Bobby Witt Jr. leadoff walk with a 410-foot blast to left, his 22nd home run extending the lead to 5-2. Velazquez followed with a shot off the facade of the second deck in right for his 17th home run and first multi-homer game since July 22, 2022, against the Philadelphia Phillies while playing for the Chicago Cubs. Velazquez finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.

Brown allowed six runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings.

The Astros again were undone by their lack of timely hitting, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Houston loaded the bases with no outs in the third but only managed RBI groundouts from Chas McCormick and Yainer Diaz. Yordan Alvarez socked his 29th home run two innings later to cut the deficit to one run, but three Royals relievers covered the last eight outs while keeping the Astros scoreless.

James McArthur worked around a one-out Altuve single in the ninth for his third save, sending the Astros to defeat with a strikeout of Alvarez.

Twins back Joe Ryan, drub Angels to win series

Twins back Joe Ryan, drub Angels to win series

Ryan Jeffers homered, tripled and drove in three runs and Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler also went deep as the Minnesota Twins cruised over the Los Angeles Angels 9-3 in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Matt Wallner had two hits and two runs and Trevor Larnach and Kepler also had two RBIs for American League Central champion Minnesota (83-73), which won for the fourth time in the last five games.

Joe Ryan (11-10), vying for a starting spot in the Twins' playoff rotation, tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts while picking up his second win since July 21. He allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings and didn't walk a batter.

Brandon Drury had a two-run double, Zach Neto went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run and Randal Grichuk had a double and scored twice for Los Angeles (70-86). The Angels, who open a three-game series with AL West-leading Texas on Monday in Anaheim, finished with a 35-46 road mark.

Carson Fulmer (0-1), making his first major league appearance since 2021 after making 12 starts at Triple-A Salt Lake, suffered the loss in relief of opener Andrew Wantz, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings. Fulmer walked one and struck out two.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the second on a two-out single by Larnach, driving in Alex Kirilloff, who led off with a single and advanced to second on a walk to Wallner.

Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead in the third when Drury lined a double off the top of Larnach's glove in left, driving in Grichuk and Neto.

The Twins tied it in the bottom of the third on Polanco's 14th homer of the season, a 374-foot drive into the bleachers in right. The Angels then regained the lead in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Grichuk and Neto to make it 3-2.

Minnesota bounced back to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Wallner led off with a single and scored when Jeffers tripled off the top of the wall in right-center. Jeffers then scored on a groundout by Larnach.

The Twins then broke the game open when they batted around during a five-run seventh against reliever Jose Marte. Kepler started the scoring with a two-run homer, his team-leading 23rd of the season. One out later, Wallner doubled and scored on a single by Kyle Farmer. Jeffers then followed with his 12th homer of the season to left-center to end the scoring.

Reds rally to knock off Pirates, 4-2

Reds rally to knock off Pirates, 4-2

TJ Friedl homered and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh Sunday as the Cincinnati Reds topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 to avoid a series sweep.

Christian Encarnation-Strand also homered for the Reds (80-77), who snapped a four-game losing streak and were playing their final regular-season home game.

Cincinnati starter Brandon Williamson pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs and four hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.

Lucas Sims (7-3) pitched a scoreless seventh. Ian Gibaut pitched the ninth for his third save.

Jack Suwinski homered and Jason Delay added an RBI single for the Pirates (74-82), who had won four in a row.

Pittsburgh rookie Quinn Priester pitched five no-hit innings before allowing two runs and two hits in six innings, with four strikeouts and five walks.

Jose Hernandez (1-2) gave up one run and two hits while recording two outs.

Jared Triolo's one-out double in the Pirates' second was the only hit by either team until Suwinski opened off the fifth with his team-leading 26th home run, to center, for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.

After Liover Peguero flied out, Henry Davis doubled to center. Delay's single to center drove in Davis to increase it to 2-0.

That chased Williamson for Buck Farmer, who got out of the inning with the only further damage being a walk.

Jonathan India broke up Priester's no-hit bid when he singled to left to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Friedl ended the shutout, too, when he homered to right-center, his 17th, to forge a 2-2 tie.

Two flyouts later, Encarnation-Strand walked and Joey Votto got hit by a pitch. Tyler Stephenson grounded into a fielder's choice, with Peguero, at short, bobbling the ball for an error. Encarnation-Strand attempted to score but was easily thrown out at home.

With two outs in the seventh against Hernandez, India doubled to the corner in left and scored on Friedl's single to left-center to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.

Encarnation-Strand homered to left, his 11th, in the eighth to increase it to 4-2.

Kyle Gibson pitches Orioles past Guardians

Kyle Gibson pitches Orioles past Guardians

Kyle Gibson pitched into the eighth inning and the visiting Baltimore Orioles moved a step closer to the American League East title in a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.

Gibson (15-9) allowed one run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Danny Coulombe and DL Hall combined to record the final six outs in Baltimore's final road game of the season.

The Orioles (97-59) earned a split of the four-game series and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The win reduced Baltimore's magic number to win the division to three.

Cleveland starter Triston McKenzie (0-2) struggled with his control in his first start since suffering a right elbow sprain on June 10. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings and issued a career-high six walks with three runs allowed.

Jose Ramirez had three hits for the Guardians (74-83), who were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Friday.

Baltimore scored three runs in the second inning on one hit and five walks. Jordan Westburg doubled in a run with one out and Cedric Mullins scored on Jorge Mateo's groundout. The Orioles tacked on another run after McKenzie walked the next three batters.

Cleveland averted further damage when Eli Morgan relieved McKenzie with the bases loaded and retired Ryan O'Hearn to end the inning.

The Orioles stretched their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning after Mateo doubled with one out, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Adley Rutschman's double.

Rutschman recorded his 100th career extra-base hit in the contest and finished with two doubles and a pair of walks. He is 14-for-31 during his eight-game hitting streak.

Cleveland put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth off Gibson when Ramirez hit a leadoff double and scored following a pair of groundouts.

Mullins snapped an 0-for-18 skid with a one-out RBI single in the fifth inning to extend the Orioles' lead to 5-1.

Gibson was relieved by Coulombe after giving up David Fry's leadoff double in the eighth inning.


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