Baez lifts Cubs past Nationals in 10 innings

Rockies top D-Backs; Martinez homers to help Red Sox sweep Blue Jays

WASHINGTON — Javier Baez delivered the go-ahead run with a bunt single in the 10th inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Thursday in a makeup of a game postponed earlier in the week.

Kris Bryant doubled with one out in the 10th against Sean Doolittle (3-3) and moved to third on ex-National Daniel Murphy’s infield single. Baez, who homered in the sixth and drove in three on the day, bunted just to the right of first baseman Ryan Zimmerman to score Bryant.

Baez, an MVP candidate, has 31 homers and leads the NL with 103 RBIs.

Chicago stretched its lead in the NL Central to 1½ games over idle Milwaukee. Washington fell 8½ games behind Atlanta in the NL East. ROCKIES 10, DIAMONDBACKS 3: In Denver, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered, Kyle Freeland pitched effectively into the seventh, and Colorado beat Arizona.

Freeland (15-7) allowed only two hits and one run through six innings before giving up a triple to Steven Souza Jr. and a double to Nick Ahmed in the seventh. Freeland left after manager Bud Black and trainer Keith Dugger came to the mound.

RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 3: In Boston, J.D. Martinez hit his 41st home run and Boston moved closer to winning the AL East title, completing a three-game sweep of Toronto.

Xander Bogaerts scored the goahead run on an eighth-inning error after the Blue Jays rallied in the top half with two runs to tie it 3-all.

Rafael Devers also homered for the major league-leading Red Sox (101-46). They pulled 10½ games ahead of the idle New York Yankees and decreased their magic number to six for clinching a third straight division crown. Boston is the only team in the majors that’s already locked up a playoff berth.

DODGERS 9, CARDINALS 7: In St. Louis, Manny Machado homered and drove in three runs to back Clayton Kershaw, and Los Angeles beat St. Louis in the opener of a four-game series between playoff contenders.

The Dodgers snapped a fivegame losing streak against the Cardinals and moved within one game of St. Louis for the final NL wild-card spot.

Kershaw (8-5), pitching at Busch Stadium for the first time since taking the loss in Game 4 of the 2014 NL division series, struck out eight in six innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on eight hits and two walks. Austin Gomber (5-1) was the loser.

METS 4-5, MARLINS 3-2: In New York, Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier hit back-toback homers with two outs in the ninth inning, and New York stunned Miami in the first game of a doubleheader sweep.

Conforto drove in three more runs in the second game, and Jason Vargas pitched six effective innings to help the Mets win again.

In the opener, Kyle Barraclough entered with one out in the ninth and retired pinch-hitter Dominic Smith before Conforto lined a 1-0 change-up into the second deck in right to tie it. Frazier then hit a 1-1 pitch to left-center field for his first walk-off homer since June 2015 for Cincinnati.

ORIOLES 5, ATHLETICS 3: In Baltimore, Dylan Bundy had eight strikeouts in six solid innings, and Baltimore ended Oakland’s six-game winning streak.

Stephen Piscotty homered for the A’s. They fell 3½ games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and 1½ back of the Yankees for the top wild-card slot.

Oakland activated lefty Brett Anderson from the 10-day disabled list to make his 14th start of the season. In his return from a forearm injury, Anderson (3-5) allowed four runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth inning.

ROYALS 6, TWINS 4: In Kansas City, Mo., Salvador Perez and Jorge Bonifacio hit back-to-back homers during a four-run sixth inning, Heath Fillmyer pitched into the eighth and Kansas City held on to beat Minnesota.

The Royals were hitless until Hunter Dozier greeted Alan Busenitz, the Twins’ third pitcher in the game, with a leadoff double to left field in the sixth.

Perez followed with a 420-foot drive to left field to put the Royals ahead 3-2.