MAJOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP Athletics shut out Giants for 2nd straight day

Kershaw wins sixth; ChiSox fluster Reds

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics were more than fine waiting to celebrate a potential AL West title. They haven’t won a division crown since 2013, so no rush from this happy-golucky group of sluggers.

Jake Lamb hit a two-run homer once Oakland finally got to San Francisco’s bullpen, and the playoff-bound A’s beat the Giants by the same 6-0 score for a second straight game Saturday.

Lefty starter Jesús Luzardo (3-2) gave up five hits over six innings, striking out seven without a walk. He ended a four-start winless stretch.

The A’s clinched their third straight postseason berth with a 6-0 win Friday night and are closing in on the club’s first AL West crown since 2013. Oakland would have clinched the division crown with a loss by Houston to Arizona later Saturday, but the Astros prevailed 3-2.

“Guys are playing loose, they’re playing at a high level, they know what’s at stake,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 1: In Denver, Clayton Kershaw held Colorado to four hits and a run over seven strong innings to lead Los Angeles to the win.

Chris Taylor homered, tripled and drove in three runs, and AJ Pollock also hit a home run for the NL West leaders.

Kershaw (6-2) threw just 86 pitches while striking out six and not walking a batter.

Kevin Pillar had two hits and Raimel Tapia doubled and scored for the scuffling Rockies. Colorado has lost four straight.

WHITE SOX 5, REDS 0: In Cincinnati, Tim Anderson hit two of Chicago’s five solo homers, and the White Sox — already guaranteed a playoff spot — took another step toward the AL Central title by overpowering Cincinnati.

Chicago has won eight of its last 10 games, securing at least a wild card and its first postseason appearance since 2008.

José Abreu hit his fifth homer in eight games as the White Sox piled them up, including three in a row in the eighth off Robert Stephenson. Abreu has 18 homers overall.

The Reds managed six hits as they had their season-high winning streak snapped at six games.

MARINERS 4, PADRES 1: In San Diego, the Padres will have to wait at least one more day to clinch their first playoff berth in 14 seasons after former teammates Ty France and Luis Torrens led Seattle to a victory.

The Padres, who have the NL’s second-best record behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, were in position to clinch a spot in the expanded playoffs after Cincinnati lost to the White Sox. But France hit an RBI single in the first inning off rookie Luis Patiño, who started after Mike Clevinger was scratched with biceps tightness, and Torrens had a two-run double in the third off former Mariners reliever Dan Altavilla (1-3).

YANKEES 8, RED SOX 0: In Boston, J.A. Happ pitched eight scoreless innings, Clint Frazier hit a two-run home run and accounted for three of New York’s 11 hits as the Yankees beat Boston for their 10th consecutive win.

The victory is New York’s 12th straight over Boston dating to last season, tying the Yankees’ longest winning streak in baseball’s most historic rivalry. It also dropped New York’s magic number to one to clinch its fourth consecutive postseason berth.

The Yankees improved to 31-21 and ensured their 28th consecutive winning season, the secondlongest streak in big league history behind their 39 in a row from 1926-64.

RAYS 3, ORIOLES 1: In Baltimore, Charlie Morton pitched five effective innings and AL Eastleading Tampa Bay used homers by Yoshi Tsutsugo and Randy Arozarena to beat Baltimore.

Arozarena’s two-run drive in the fifth off Jorge López (2-1) put the Rays up 3-1, and that was enough offense to ring up another win over the skidding Orioles.

BREWERS 5, ROYALS 0: In Milwaukee, Corbin Burnes threw six solid innings of four-hit ball and Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in Milwaukee’s four-run eighth inning in a win over Kansas City.

With the win, Milwaukee moved into a tie with Cincinnati, one game behind second-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

Burnes continues as the best starting pitcher on the Brewers’ staff. He is 4-0 in his last five starts, with 47 strikeouts and six walks in that span. Against the Royals, he struck out nine.

CARDINALS 5, PIRATES 4: In Pittsburgh, Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run double to end a no-hit bid started by Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller, and St. Louis rallied to beat the Pirates.

Keller threw 84 pitches over six no-hit innings and was pulled from the game leading 4-0, but the Cardinals scored five runs off relief pitchers Geoff Hartlieb and Sam Howard in the seventh. O’Neill broke up the no-hit bid and keyed the inning with his bases-loaded double against Howard (2-3).

METS 7, BRAVES 2: In New York, David Peterson (5-2) struck out NL batting leader Freddie Freeman three times and fanned a career-high 10 in six sharp innings as the Mets beat Atlanta.

Atlanta saw its NL East lead over second-place Miami drop to 2 1/2 games. The Braves have eight games remaining, the Marlins nine.

PHILLIES 3, BLUE JAYS 1:

In Philadelphia, Vince Velasquez pitched six strong innings, Andrew McCutchen hit the goahead single in the fifth inning and Philadelphia beat Toronto.

Velasquez (1-1) allowed a run, two hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Andrew Knapp and Adam Haseley each had two hits and an RBI for Philadelphia.

MARLINS 7, NATIONALS 3: In Miami, Miguel Rojas and Garrett Cooper each had a double and a homer as Miami beat Washington.

With the win, Miami maintained its hold on second place in the NL East over Philadelphia.

TIGERS 5, INDIANS 2: In Detroit, Eric Haase and Daz Cameron hit RBI singles during a fourrun eighth inning as Detroit won its first game following manager Ron Gardenhire’s retirement.

Gardenhire abruptly stepped down before the game, saying it had been a stressful season for him and that he needed to focus on his health. What looked like another quiet night for Detroit’s bats suddenly changed in the eighth, when the Tigers broke through.

ASTROS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2:

In Houston, Jose Altuve drove in two, Kyle Tucker had a tie-breaking single and Houston beat Arizona to get back to .500.

Altuve tied it at 2 in the sixth with an RBI double, and Tucker put Houston ahead with his single three batters later, chasing starter Luke Weaver (1-8).

TWINS 8, CUBS 1: In Chicago, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sanó and Josh Donaldson homered as Minnesota clinched a second straight postseason berth with a victory over Chicago.

The Twins are guaranteed at least a wild-card berth.

ANGELS 4, RANGERS 3: In Anaheim, Calif., Mike Trout delivered a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning and Los Angeles earned its third straight victory.