Wild-card roundup: Adrian Beltre gets in A’s way

Adrian Beltre hit a walk-off homer in the ninth inning, and the Texas Rangers kept Oakland from getting closer to clinching an A.L. wild-card spot with a 2-1 victory against the Athletics on Thursday night in Arlington, Texas.

Beltre sent a drive just over the wall in right field off Luke Gregerson (5-5) with one out for his team-leading 19th homer of the season and just his second since Aug. 10.

The A’s (86-73) lost a chance to clinch a wild-card spot when Seattle won at Toronto 7-5 earlier in the day in a game shown on the big video board in the Rangers’ ballpark.

The last-place Rangers won for the 12th time in 13 games. The A’s have lost seven of 10 and are now a game behind Kansas City for the top wild card spot.

Oakland’s Coco Crisp reached base five times on two singles and three walks, but Josh Reddick went 0 for 5 behind him and never moved him up to second base.

Royals 6, W. Sox 3

Eric Hosmer homered and drove in two runs, Lorenzo Cain had four hits and scored twice, and Kansas City put itself on the verge of a playoff spot with a victory over the host Chicago White Sox.

One more win for Kansas City, or a loss by Seattle, will send the Royals to the postseason for the first time since George Brett led them to a championship in 1985.

Kansas City remained two games behind Detroit in the A.L. Central and moved one up on Oakland in the wild card standings.

Hosmer had three hits, including an RBI single in the first and a solo homer off Jose Quintana that tied it at 3 in the sixth.

Cain scored the go-ahead run in the eighth when second baseman Marcus Semien bounced the throw trying to turn a double play, and Alex Gordon added an RBI single.

Reds 5, Brewers 3

Brandon Phillips hit his first home run in almost three months and rookie David Holmberg pitched six solid innings as Cincinnati officially ended Milwaukee’s postseason hopes with a win in Cincinnati.

Milwaukee’s loss meant the San Francisco Giants clinched a playoff spot.

The Brewers committed three errors, including two in the fifth when the Reds tied the score and took a 3-2 lead with unearned runs. Second baseman Rickie Weeks committed two of the errors after giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead with his eighth homer of the season in the second inning. Milwaukee spent 150 days leading the N.L. Central this season.