Dahl homers as Rockies win 7th in row
Sabathia ejected before reaching $500,000 bonus
DENVER — David Dahl homered for the fourth straight game, and the Colorado Rockies opened a onegame NL West lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday that extended their winning streak to seven.
Trevor Story and Gerardo Parra also went deep for the Rockies (89-70), who matched their longest winning streak this season. Dahl hit a run-scoring triple and finished the four-game sweep with eight hits and 11 RBIs.
Trying for the first NL West title in team history, Colorado closes at home with three games against Washington.
The second-place Dodgers (88-71) also are one game ahead of St. Louis (87-72) for the second NL wild-card berth.
CUBS 3, PIRATES 0: In Chicago, Jon Lester combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, David Bote hit an early two-run triple and Chicago beat Pittsburgh to open a one-game NL Central lead over Milwaukee heading into the final weekend of the season.
A day after the Cubs and Brewers assured themselves of no worse than wild-card berths, Lester (186) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and allowed three hits and four walks over six innings.
The Cubs’ win means the NL Central champion, Chicago or Milwaukee, will finish with the league’s best record and will play the winner of Tuesday’s wildcard game. East champion Atlanta will play the West champion, Colorado or the Dodgers.
METS 4, BRAVES 1: In New York, Julio Teheran looked sharp in his last audition to become part of Atlanta’s playoff rotation, pitching two-hit ball for six innings in the Braves’ loss to New York .
The NL East champion Braves didn’t start first baseman Freddie Freeman and center fielder Ender Inciarte.
YANKEES 12, RAYS 1:
In St. Petersburg, Fla., CC Sabathia got his 246th win and moved New York closer to hosting next week’s AL wild-card game but may have cost himself a $500,000 bonus.
Sabathia was ejected from Thursday’s win over the Rays in the sixth inning for hitting Jesus Sucre on a leg in retaliation for Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Kittredge throwing an inside pitch at Austin Romine. Making his final regular-season start, Sabathia had thrown 55 pitches and the five innings raised his season total to 153 innings — two shy of a $500,000 performance bonus in his contract for reaching 155 innings.
RANGERS 2, MARINERS
0: In Seattle, Ronald Guzman broke a tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning, and Texas snapped a threegame losing streak with a victory over Seattle.
ROYALS 2, INDIANS 1 (10):
In Kansas City, Mo., Salvador Perez slashed a twoout RBI single in the 10th inning to give Kansas City a victory over Cleveland.
TWINS 9, TIGERS 3: In Minneapolis, Willians Astudillo had a career-high four RBIs, Tyler Austin added three and Minnesota beat Detroit.
ASTROS-ORIOLES PPD.:
In Baltimore, the opener of a season-ending, fourgame series Thursday night between Houston and Baltimore was postponed because of rain.