Rockies clinch berth in playoffs
LA keeps pace with Colorado; Cubs, Brewers both prevail
DENVER — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.
David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies hold a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to wrap up the franchise’s first division crown. DODGERS 3, GIANTS 1: In San Francisco, the Dodgers’ Justin Turner broke a 1-1 tie with a tworun homer in the fifth inning and Hyun-Jim Ryu (7-3) held the Giants to one run and four hits in six innings as Los Angeles kept pace with Colorado in the NL West.
Also, LA extended their lead for the second wild card to two games over St. Louis.
CUBS 8, CARDINALS 4: In Chicago, Kyle Hendricks went eight innings in another strong start, Kris Bryant homered and Chicago moved closer to the NL Central championship and dealt another hit to St. Louis’ playoff hopes.
The Cubs came into the final weekend of the regular season with a franchise-record fourth straight trip to the postseason assured and their third division title in a row in sight.
They remain one game ahead of Milwaukee for the loop crown.
BREWERS 6, TIGERS 5: In Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit two homers, including a solo shot in the eighth inning that bounced off right fielder Nicholas Castellanos’ glove and over the fence, as Milwaukee beat Detroit to keep pace with Chicago.
Braun also hit a solo homer in the first and doubled in the fifth for the Brewers, who are assured of at least the first NL wild card.
YANKEES 11, RED SOX 6: In Boston, the Yankees clinched home-field advantage for the AL wild-card game, hitting four homers to tie the major league single-season record and beat Boston.
Aaron Judge hit his first homer since coming off the disabled list Sept. 14, and Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit also homered to match the mark of 264 set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.
The Yankees will host Oakland on Wednesday, with the winner playing Boston.
BRAVES 10, PHILLIES 2: In Philadelphia, Freddie Freeman hit three doubles in a four-hit performance and drove in three runs as Atlanta kept up its push for home-field advantage in the divisional round of the playoffs. ASTROS 2, ORIOLES 1: In Baltimore, Gerrit Cole tuned up for the postseason by pitching six sharp innings, and Houston got a victory over Baltimore.
INDIANS 14, ROYALS 6: In Kansas City, Mo., Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam and double during a 10-run seventh inning, powering Cleveland past Kansas City. TWINS 2-12, WHITE SOX 1-4: In Minneapolis, Jose Berrios became the first Minnesota pitcher in eight years to reach 200 strikeouts, throwing seven innings in a 2-1 victory over Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader before the Twins completed the sweep with a 12-4 win a career-high six RBIs from Mitch Garver, a La Cueva and UNM alum. MARLINS 8, METS 1: In New York, David Wright finally made it back into a major league game, grounding out in his first plate appearance for New York in nearly 2½ years in a loss to Miami. Sidelined by neck, back and shoulder injuries since May 27, 2016, Wright came up as a pinch-hitter.
He is scheduled to start at third base tonight in his goodbye game before a sellout crowd.
PIRATES 8, REDS 4: In Cincinnati, Elias Diaz hit a tie-breaking homer as Pittsburgh pulled away to its seventh straight win over Cincinnati.
BLUE JAYS 7, RAYS 6: In St. Petersburg, Fla., Randal Grichuk hit a pinch-hit, three-run triple as Toronto rallied to beat Tampa Bay.
ANGELS 8, ATHLETICS 5: In Anaheim, Los Angeles bolted to an 8-0 lead and coasted home against Oakland, which learned it was locked into the second wild card before its game began.