MLB roundup: Rays beat Jays 6-2, return to playoffs for first time since 2013
TORONTO – The Tampa Bay Rays returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, clinching an AL wild card berth with a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night behind Tommy Pham’s two-run homer and 4 1/3 hitless innings from Tyler Glasnow.
Tampa Bay will play Oakland in the wild-card game on Wednesday night. The Rays will start Charlie Morton.
At 96-64, the low-budget Rays have their most wins since 2010 and can tie the team record of 97 set in 2008, when they won their only AL pennant and lost to Philadelphia in the World Series.
Tampa Bay began the night with a magic number of two to clinch, and Cleveland lost 8-2 at Washington while the Rays were in the eighth inning.
Jubilant players poured out of Tampa Bay’s dugout for a celebration around the mound after right-hander Emilio Pagan retired Reese McGuire to end it.
Austin Meadows also homered for the Rays, hitting his 33rd this season off Ryan Dull in the ninth.
T.J. Zeuch (1-2) allowed three runs and four hits in five innings.
Twins 6, Royals 2 (6 1/2)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) –Minnesota became the record fourth team in the major leagues to win 100 games this season, beating Kansas City behind two-run homers from Miguel Sano and Ryan LaMarre in a game shortened to 6 1/2 innings because of rain.
Minnesota reached the century mark in wins for just the second time in franchise history. The 1965 Twins went 102-60, then lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Houston, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees also have 100 wins.
Nelson Cruz and Eddie Rosario hit RBI singles in the first off Eric Skoglund (0-3).
Jose Berrios (14-8) struck out nine, allowing two runs and six hits in his first complete game this season.
Nationals 8, Indians 2
WASHINGTON – Cleveland will miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2015, eliminated from the AL wild-card race in a loss to the playoff-bound Washington.
Gerardo Parra had four RBIs to lead the Nationals to their sixth straight win. The Indians have lost three straight, totaling just two runs and seven hits in the last two, and their loss clinched a wild-card berth for Oakland.
Parra broke a 2-all tie for Washington with a sacrifice fly in the sixth off Nick Goody (3-2), and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a double that added two more runs.
Parra also hit two-run double off Zach Plesac in the second, and a solo homer off Dan Otero in the eighth.
The Indians’ runs came on an RBI double by Ryan Flaherty and a sacrifice fly by Francisco Lindor against Austin Voth (2-1), who went six innings.
Rockies 11, Brewers 7
DENVER – Ryan Braun exited early with calf trouble and Milwaukee’s push for the NL Central title took a hit in a loss to Colorado that ended the Brewers’ seven-game winning streak.
The Brewers remained a game behind St. Louis, which lost to the Cubs 8-2, for the division lead. Milwaukee dropped two games in back of Washington for the top NL wild-card spot with two games left.
Braun hit an RBI single in the first inning and played left field in the bottom half. He was pulled in the second.
Lorenzo Cain homered, Keston Hiura had four hits and Brewers starter Zach Davies allowed just one run on two hits.
Pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia connected for a grand slam to cap Colorado’s seven-run sixth inning that made it 8-2. Ryan McMahon hit a two-run homer in Colorado’s three-run seventh inning.
Antonio Senzatela (11-11) pitched six solid innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and fanning seven.
Cubs 8, Cardinals 2
ST. LOUIS – Andrew Miller and Ryan Helsley were hit hard as St. Louis’ bullpen stumbled in a loss to Chicago, yet the Cardinals’ magic number for clinching the NL Central dropped to two.
Miller (5-6), Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos allowed each of Chicago’s runs after Dakota Hudson struck out 10 in five scoreless innings.
The Cardinals (90-70) lost their third consecutive game after winning six in a row. Their magic number for clinching their first division title since 2015 was sliced to two when second-place Milwaukee lost 11-7 at Colorado.
Ian Happ and Robel Garcia homered for Chicago (83-77), which had lost nine in a row. The Cubs were swept in a four-game series against the Cardinals last weekend.
Brad Wieck (2-2) got one out for the win.
Astros 4, Angels 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Alex Bregman hit his 41st homer, Michael Brantley added a three-run shot in the eighth inning and Houston clinched home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
Rookie Jose Urquidy (2-1) pitched six innings of three-hit ball and Will Harris threw an immaculate inning of relief in the 10th win in 12 games for Houston (105-55), which extended its franchise record for victories.
Houston will face either Tampa Bay or Oakland, who play Wednesday night in the AL wild-card game, in the Division Series.
The AL West champion Astros clinched home field in a potential ALCS against the Yankees (103-57). The Astros also stayed at least one game ahead of the Dodgers, who have clinched the NL’s best record.
The Angels (72-88) managed just three singles and didn’t get a runner to second base in their 11th shutout loss.
Patrick Sandoval (0-4) finished his rookie season winless for the Angels.
Dodgers 9, Giants 2
SAN FRANCISCO – Cody Bellinger hit his 47th homer, Walker Buehler pitched five solid innings, and Los Angeles beat San Francisco.
Bellinger’s leadoff homer in the second off Johnny Cueto (1-2) started a five-run inning in which the Dodgers sent nine men to the plate.
Corey Seager and Joc Pederson also went deep, and Gavin Lux added an RBI triple in the second as Dodgers won their fifth straight.
Cueto allowed five runs on five hits, including three home runs in two innings in his fourth – and shortest – start since coming back on Sept. 10 from a 13-month absence while recovering Tommy John surgery.
Buehler (14-4) gave up two runs on five hits, striking out eight and walking two.
The Dodgers broke open a 5-2 game in the eighth when Will Smith and Kike Hernandez each singled in two runs to make 9-2.
Mets 4, Braves 2
NEW YORK – Pete Alonso hit his 52nd homer to match Aaron Judge’s rookie record, and New York beat Atlanta.
Alonso connected in the first inning against Dallas Keuchel, narrowly clearing the wall in left field for a solo shot that tied Judge’s mark from his breakout season with the New York Yankees in 2017.
Braves star Freddie Freeman returned to the lineup and went 0 for 5 after taking four days off to rest his sore right elbow.
Keuchel (8-8) allowed four runs over five innings in his final postseason tuneup. The left-hander was pulled after 98 pitches.
Mets starter Marcus Stroman (10-13) pitched two-run ball over six innings in his season finale, and J.D. Davis hit his 21st homer. Seth Lugo earned his sixth save.
Orioles 4, Red Sox 1
BOSTON – Renato Nunez hit a three-run homer, Asher Wojciechowski pitched six shutout innings and Baltimore beat Boston.
Wojciechowski (4-8) struck out six as the Orioles took the opener of the season-ending, three-game series for both clubs.
Baltimore also guaranteed that the Red Sox will finish with a losing record at Fenway Park. The Red Sox fell to 37-40 at Fenway, where they last finished with a losing record in 2014 – when they were also coming off a World Series championship.
Nunez’s three-run shot to left in the third off of Nathan Eovaldi (2-1) was just about all the scoring the Orioles needed. It was the 30th homer of the season for Nunez, who added an RBI single in the ninth and drove in all four of Baltimore’s runs.
Xander Bogaerts broke up the shutout with a single up the middle, scoring Rafael Devers, who led off the ninth with a double off Richard Bleier.
Pirates 6, Reds 5
PITTSBURGH – Kevin Newman hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth inning, lifting Pittsburgh over Cincinnati.
Jake Elmore set up Newman’s game-ending swing with a leadoff single against Raisel Iglesias (3-12). Newman, who also hit a three-run homer in the fifth, hit a drive into the bleachers in left for his 12th homer.
It was Iglesias’ sixth blown save opportunity. Yacksel Rios (1-0) worked a scoreless inning for his fifth career victory.
Yankees 14, Rangers 7
ARLINGTON, Texas – James Paxton was removed from his final start before the playoffs after one inning because of a tight muscle in his buttocks, overshadowing six home runs by the Yankees in a victory over Texas.
New York reached 103 wins for the first time in a decade.
Giancarlo Stanton, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, Gio Urshela, Mike Ford and Austin Romine homered in the opener of the final series in the Rangers’ 25-year-old ballpark. The Yankees raised their major league record total to 305, four more than Minnesota.
Stephen Tarpley (1-0) got his first big league win.
Rookie Joe Palumbo (0-3) allowed three homers and struck out seven in three-plus innings as the Rangers lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
Phillies 5, Marlins 4 (15)
PHILADELPHIA – Adam Haseley’s fielder’s choice scored Rhys Hoskins with the winning run in the 15th inning as Philadelphia outlasted Miami.
Adam Conley (2-11) took the loss.
Ranger Suarez (6-1) pitched three scoreless innings and capped an impressive performance by Philadelphia’s bullpen.
Bryce Harper doubled, tripled and drove in a pair of runs for the Phillies, who snapped a six-game losing streak while improving to 8-9 against the Marlins this season.
Harold Ramirez homered and Rojas had four hits for Miami.
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 3
PHOENIX – Jake Lamb hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth and Arizona rallied past San Diego.
It was Lamb’s fourth career pinch-hit homer, and this one was a no-doubter, launched deep into the seats in right-center field.
Arizona trailed 3-2 going into the eighth inning, but pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson tied the game when he scored on an infield chopper, just beating the throw by San Diego’s Manny Machado. Dyson was originally ruled out, but the call was reversed by the umpires after a video review.
Lamb came up next and put the game out of reach with his sixth homer of the season. He entered the game hitting just .186.
Luis Perdomo (2-4) took the loss after giving up four runs in the eighth. Robby Scott (1-0) pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the win. Archie Bradley earned 18th save.