MLB Capsules: Giancarlo Stanton misses out on 60-homer mark
MIAMI – Giancarlo Stanton came up short in his quest for 60 home runs, and Adonis Garcia hit a pinch-hit three-run home run to lift the Atlanta Braves over the Miami Marlins 8-5 in the season finale for both teams Sunday.
Stanton finished with ML-bests of 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. His final chance at No. 60 came in the ninth, and the crowd of 25,222 saluted him with a long ovation after he struck out swinging. He then came out for a curtain call, followed by hugs from teammates.
It was the final game of Jeffrey Loria’s 16-year tenure as Marlins owner, one where the team won the 2003 World Series and didn’t make the playoffs again. He was in attendance, as was Derek Jeter – who will assume control of the franchise this week when the $1.2 billion sale to a group led by him and Bruce Sherman is closed.
Loria spent part of the game near the Marlins’ dugout. Jeter watched from a suite, casually eating popcorn.
Phillies 11, Mets 0
PHILADELPHIA – Pete Mackanin ended his tenure as Phillies manager with a win, while Terry Collins left the Mets with a loss.
Maikel Franco hit a three-run homer in a six-run fourth inning in Philadelphia’s season-ending 11-0 rout.
At 68 the oldest manager in the major leagues, Collins said after the game he is stepping down after seven seasons, the longest tenure in Mets history. Expected to contend for an NL East title, the Mets went 70-92 in their worst season since finishing with the same record in 2009.
Indians 3, White Sox 1
CLEVELAND – Jay Bruce had a two-run single, Josh Tomlin pitched into the sixth inning and the Indians got their A.L.-best 102nd victory, beating the White Sox.
Cleveland will next play an AL Division Series against the winner of the wild-card game between the Yankees and Twins. The 102 victories were the second most in franchise history behind the 1954 team’s 111.
Jose Ramirez went 2 for 2, including his A.L.-high 56th double, and Carlos Santana had a sacrifice fly for the Indians, who are seeking a second straight World Series appearance. Bruce’s two RBIs in the first inning gave him 100 for the second time in his career.
Tomlin (10-9) allowed a run and four hits. Cody Allen got his 30th save.
Chris Volstad (1-2) allowed three runs in six innings.
Dodgers 6, Rockies 3
DENVER – Corey Seager had three hits to break out of a funk and the Dodgers headed into the postseason on a high note, holding off the playoff-bound Rockies.
At 104-58, the Dodgers finished tied for the second-most wins in franchise history with the 1942 squad (104-50) in Brooklyn. The `53 team went 105-49.
Colorado wrapped up the regular season 87-75 for its best mark since 2009, which was the last time the team went to the postseason before clinching the second N.L. wild-card spot Saturday.
The Rockies travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks in a one-game playoff on Wednesday. The winner will meet Los Angeles in Game 1 of an N.L. Division Series on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Astros 4, Red Sox 3
BOSTON – Jose Altuve coasted to his third A.L. batting title despite going hitless in two at-bats, and the Astros scored four times in the seventh inning to rally from a three-run deficit and beat the Red Sox in a preview of their AL Division Series matchup.
Altuve finished the season with a .346 average to easily beat Avasail Garcia of the Chicago White Sox, who finished at .330, for the batting crown. The Astros second baseman is the third right-handed hitter since 1900 to win three or more batting titles.
One day after the Red Sox won to clinch the first back-to-back A.L. East titles in franchise history, the teams filled out their lineups with backups to play a meaningless Game 162. Houston had already replaced starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel with Collin McHugh (5-2), and Boston manager John Farrell scratched ace Chris Sale after Saturday’s win so he could rest up for the playoffs.
The best-of-five ALDS begins Thursday in Houston.
Diamondbacks 14, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar tipped their caps and likely said goodbye to Kansas City’s fans, and then the playoff-bound Diamondbacks ended the regular season with a win over the Royals.
The foursome joined the Royals in 2011 and keyed the team’s run into consecutive World Series, including a championship in 2015. They are all eligible for free agency after the season.
Manager Ned Yost pulled the group together with one out in the fifth inning. The players hugged behind the pitchers’ mound, then waved their caps to the cheering crowd as they walked off the field. Salvador Perez, who also debuted with Kansas City in 2011, embraced the group on the top step of the dugout.
The Royals played a video honoring the players after the game, and fans stayed and applauded.
Giants 5, Padres 4
SAN FRANCISCO – Pablo Sandoval hit a game-ending solo homer with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Giants over the Padres.
Cueto had a rocky outing on the last day of the season, allowing four runs and 12 hits in five innings. Cueto can opt out of the $130 million, six-year contract he signed before the 2016 season and become a free agent.
Sandoval hit a 3-2 fastball from rookie Phil Maton (3-2). It was his fifth homer in 47 games since returning to San Francisco this summer.
Giants reliever Hunter Strickland (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
After the game, San Francisco honored retiring pitcher Matt Cain on his 33rd birthday. Cain made the final appearances of his 13-year career Saturday.
Brewers 6, Cardinals 1
ST. LOUIS – Aaron Wilkerson took a perfect game into the sixth inning, Brett Phillips hit a three-run homer and the Brewers closed out their near-miss of a season with a victory over the Cardinals.
Jesus Aguliar added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Brewers, who finished 86-76, 13 games ahead of last year’s pace. They were in first place or tied for the top spot in the N.L. Central for 65 days, but ultimately they were eliminated from wild-card contention with a loss on Saturday.
St. Louis finished the season 83-79, three games worse than last year. The Cardinals failed to make the postseason in back-to-back to years for the first time since 2007-2008.
Wilkerson (1-0) allowed one run on two hits over seven innings. He set down the first 17 hitters before Jose Martinez delivered a pinch-hit single to right with two out in the sixth.
Reds 3, Cubs 1
CHICAGO – Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant each had a light day of work as the Cubs prepared for the playoffs by playing much of their roster during a loss to Deck McGuire and the Reds.
Most of Chicago’s starting lineup was gone by the fifth inning. Rizzo flied out leading off the first, and then was replaced in the field by Taylor Davis. Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell were pulled after the NL Central champion Cubs batted in the fourth.
Chicago (92-70) is trying to become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. It will face Washington in the NL Division Series beginning on Friday.
Athletics 5, Rangers 2
ARLINGTON, Texas – Daniel Mengden struck out eight, Khris Davis hit his career-best 43rd homer and the last-place Athletics ended the season with a win at Texas.
The Athletics (75-87) finished at the bottom of the A.L. West for the third consecutive season, a franchise first, but won six more games than last season thanks to 17 victories in their last 24 games. Manager Bob Melvin even got a contract extension this week, adding a year through 2019.
Texas didn’t have a base runner against Mengden (3-2) until Adrian Beltre’s 3,048th career hit, a single leading off the fifth. Mengden walked one and allowed only four singles in his seven innings.
Blake Treinen worked the ninth for his 16th save in 21 chances.
Blue Jays 2, Yankees 1
NEW YORK – Jose Bautista singled off the wall and hit a sacrifice fly in what was probably his final game with Toronto, and the Blue Jays edged the playoff-bound Yankees.
Matt Holliday homered for the Yankees in a tuneup for the AL wild-card game Tuesday night at home against Minnesota. The winner faces A.L. Central champion Cleveland in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Thursday.
New York swept a three-game series at home against the Twins from Sept. 18-20 and won the season series 4-2.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi rested several regulars, including slugger Aaron Judge, and removed a handful of others early in the game. The Yankees finished 91-71, a seven-game improvement over last year and their best record since going 95-67 in 2012, the last time they won the A.L. East.
Angels 6, Mariners 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Parker Bridwell pitched seven scoreless innings in a duel with James Paxton, Eric Young Jr. hit a three-run homer and the Angels beat the Mariners
Paxton shut out Los Angeles for six innings, but Young homered off James Pazos during a six-run seventh inning.
Bridwell (10-3) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out three. Acquired in a trade with Baltimore in April, Bridwell finished the year with a 3.64 ERA.
Paxton allowed three hits and struck out nine in his best start since returning from the disabled list in mid-September.
Shae Simmons (0-2) was charged with four of Seattle’s runs in the breakout seventh.
Twins 5, Tigers 1
MINNEAPOLIS – Bartolo Colon made a final bid to be included in Minnesota’s postseason rotation, pitching one-run ball into the seventh inning to lead the Twins to a victory over the Tigers.
Jason Castro homered and drove in three runs for the Twins, who play an A.L. wild-card game in New York against the Yankees on Tuesday night. A win would put the Twins in an ALDS against Cleveland, where Minnesota may need an experienced arm like Colon (5-6).
Anibal Sanchez (3-7) gave up three runs and seven hits and struck out six in five innings for the Tigers.
Rays 6, Orioles 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Blake Snell struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings and the Rays beat the Orioles.
The Rays won their last four games to finish at 80-82, a 12-game improvement over last season.
Snell (5-7) struck eight of the first 12 Orioles before Trey Mancini led off the fifth with a clean single up the middle for Baltimore’s first hit. The left-hander went 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA over his last 10 starts after going 0-6 with a 4.98 ERA in his first 14 starts.
Curt Casali hit his first homer of the season, connecting off Kevin Gausman (11-12) in the fifth.
Pirates 11, Nationals 8
WASHINGTON – Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs in the first inning of yet another concerning outing for a Nationals starting pitcher, and the N.L. East champions wrapped up the regular season with a loss to the Pirates.
Gonzalez (15-9) needed 39 pitches across 16 arduous minutes to record the game’s first three outs, while his ERA rose from 2.75 to 2.96 just in that opening inning. The Pirates batted around as the lefty walked two batters, hit Jordan Luplow to force in a run with the bases loaded and allowed Max Moroff’s three-run double along with Jacob Stallings’ RBI single.
This came a day after 2016 N.L. Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer left his last pre-playoffs start for Washington in the fourth inning after feeling something wrong with his right hamstring. At least Scherzer sounded optimistic about things Sunday, saying that an MRI exam showed he had only “tweaked” his muscle, not strained it.