Astros clinch playoff berth
Red Sox tie franchise record for victories in a season with 105
Yuli Gurriel hit a grand slam and a two-run homer on his way to a career-high seven RBIs as the Houston Astros clinched a postseason berth by routing the Los Angeles Angels 11-3 on Friday night.
George Springer added a three-run shot in the eighth for the Astros, who are still looking to secure the AL West title. The defending World Series champions began the day with a 3½-game lead over secondplace Oakland.
Houston starter Gerrit Cole (15-5) allowed three hits and three runs in seven innings in his fifth straight win. He also struck out 12, giving him 1,006 for his career and moving him in front of teammate Justin Verlander (269) for most in the AL this season with 272.
Gurriel hit his third career grand slam in the first inning. He connected for his 12th homer against Andrew Heaney (9-10) in the third and singled in Tyler White in the fifth.
RED SOX 7, INDIANS 5: In Cleveland, Sam Travis and Tzu-Wei Lin hit their first major league home runs as Boston tied a team record more than a century old with their 105th win.
The AL East champion Red Sox (105-49), playing without several of their regulars, matched the club mark set in 1912.
Trevor Bauer took a step toward being in Cleveland’s postseason rotation, pitching 1½ scoreless innings in his first appearance since breaking his right leg on Aug. 11. He was 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA when was struck on the lower leg by a line drive hit by Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox. ROCKIES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 2: In Phoenix, German Marquez struck out 11 in seven innings and Ian Desmond had three RBIs, lifting Colorado past Arizona.
The Rockies bounced back nicely after a threegame sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped them 2½ games back in the NL West and 1½ games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild card. YANKEES 10, ORIOLES 8: In New York, CC Sabathia won for just the second time since the All-Star break, and Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks hit tworun homers as the Yankees built a six-run lead to beat Baltimore and close in on their second straight AL wild card.
Baltimore dropped to a major league-worst 44-109, overtaking the 1937 St. Louis Browns for second-most losses in franchise history behind the 111 of the 1939 Browns. BRAVES 6, PHILLIES 5: In Atlanta, the Braves moved to the brink of their first NL East title since 2013 with a five-run bottom of the seventh that erased a 4-1 Phillies lead.
Johan Camargo broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run single to left.
Jonny Venters (4-0) claimed the win by getting the final two outs in the seventh. A.J. Minter earned his 15th save despite giving up a run in the ninth. BREWERS 8, PIRATES 3: In Pittsburgh, Travis Shaw, Mike Moustakas and Erik Kratz homered during a sixrun sixth inning as Milwaukee rallied for a victory over Pittsburgh.
The Brewers drew within 1½ games of the NL Centralleading Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee leads the NL wildcard standings by three games over St. Louis. RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 3: In Toronto, Austin Meadows drove in three runs, Tommy Pham reached base three times and had two RBIs and Tampa Bay keep its postseason hopes alive with a victory over Toronto.
The Rays’ tragic number was reduced to three later in the night. METS 4, NATIONALS 2: In Washington, Jacob deGrom turned in a record 23rd consecutive quality start, lowered his ERA to 1.77 and boosted his record to .500 as he bids to earn the NL Cy Young Award, allowing one run in seven innings for the Mets.
Throwing fastballs in the 97-99 mph range, deGrom (9-9) allowed one run and three hits. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 6 (10): In Oakland, Calif., Khris Davis hit his 45th homer of the season leading off the bottom of the 10th to give Oakland a win over Minnesota.
The victory reduced Oakland’s magic number to clinch the second wild card to three over Tampa Bay. CARDINALS 5, GIANTS 3: In St. Louis, pinch-hitter Matt Adams hit a two-run double in the eighth inning, helping St. Louis beat San Francisco. WHITE SOX 10, CUBS 4: In Chicago, the host White Sox shredded the crosstown Cubs to open a weekend series.
Jose Quintana (13-11) was charged with five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings against his former team. ROYALS 4, TIGERS 3: In Detroit, Ian Kennedy pitched three-run ball into the eighth inning as Kansas City beat Detroit to stop a five-game slide. MARLINS 1, REDS 0 (10): In Miami, pinch-hitter Isaac Galloway smacked an opposite-field double in the 10th inning to lead Miami. RANGERS 8, MARINERS 3: In Arlington, Texas, Adrian Beltre hit a threerun homer and had five RBIs in a Texas rout of Seattle.