Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Braves top reeling Giants, inch closer to division title
SAN FRANCISCO » On a day when Anibal Sanchez didn’t have his best command, he found a way to help the Atlanta Braves on their march toward the postseason.
Sanchez kept the Braves close with six strong innings, pinch-hitter Tyler Flowers drove in the goahead run in the ninth, and the Braves moved closer to clinching the NL East with a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
The Giants lost their 11th straight, the worst skid since the team moved to San Francisco and the longest for the franchise since 1951.
The Braves reduced their magic number for winning the division to 11 with their fifth straight win, matching their best streak of the season, and clinched their first winning record since their last division crown in 2013. Going into Wednesday, Atlanta led second-place Philadelphia by 6½ games.
“We’ve worked hard to get to this point,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ve grinded through things to get to that position. We can look to bigger things now.”
Sanchez remains winless in his last seven starts. He gave up one run on six hits and five walks. He induced double-play grounders to escape bases-loaded, one-out situations in the first and the fourth.
“I didn’t have the same command I’ve had before,” Sanchez said. “The defense has helped me so much and they got me out of that inning.”
The Giants scored just three runs in the series. They were swept by the Braves in a series of three games or more for the first time since 2011.
Evan Longoria put the Giants ahead with an RBI single in the third. The Braves drew even in the sixth on Freddie Freeman’s runscoring single. RED SOX 1, BLUE JAYS 0 » Boston reached 100 wins for the first time since Ted Williams returned from World War II in the 1946 season, beating Toronto.
David Price (15-6) won his sixth straight decision, allowing three hits and striking out seven. Unbeaten in 11 starts since July 1, Price left after 92 pitches with a lead earned when Rafael Devers scampered home on a wild pitch by Aaron Sanchez (4-6) in the fifth inning. DODGERS 8, REDS 1 » Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner drove in three runs each, and Los Angeles beat Cincinnati to avoid a season sweep by the last-place Reds.
Joc Pederson homered for the Dodgers, and Grandal had three hits. RAYS 3, INDIANS 1 » Blake Snell took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and got his major league-leading 19th win, leading Tampa Bay past Cleveland.
Snell (19-5) lost his bid when Jose Ramirez led off the seventh with his 38th homer. Snell won his teamrecord seventh straight start, striking out nine and walking two in seven innings.
Cleveland’s magic number to clinch a third consecutive AL Central title remained at three. ATHLETICS 10, ORIOLES 0 » Matt Olson homered during a 10-run third inning in which the first 11 batters reached base, and Oakland beat Baltimore for its sixth straight victory.
Oakland had 10 hits and two walks in its biggest inning of the year. Olson provided the big blow — a three-run shot off Andrew Cashner (4-15) — and three players had two hits.
That was more than enough offense to enable the A’s to match their longest winning streak of the season. Oakland trails first-place Houston by three games in the AL West and owns a comfortable lead for the second AL wild card. ASTROS 5, TIGERS 4» George Springer made a diving catch in the eighth inning to help preserve Houston’s lead, and the Astros swept a series at Comerica Park for the first time.
Detroit had a man on first with two outs in the eighth when Dawel Lugo hit a line drive down the line in right field. Springer made a diving catch.
It was the 13th series sweep of the season for the Astros, who have won 10 of their last 11 games. PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 3 » Jameson Taillon won his fourth straight start, Jacob Stallings drove in three runs and Pittsburgh snapped St. Louis’ three-game winning streak.
Taillon (13-9) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, leaving with a 4-1 lead after the first two Pirates reached in the eighth. PADRES 5, MARINERS 4 » Austin Hedges and Hunter Renfroe hit long home runs, and San Diego held on to beat fast-sinking Seattle for a two-game sweep.
The Padres swept the interleague season series against the Mariners after taking two games in San Diego on Aug. 28-29. It was the first time since the two teams started meeting annually in 1997 that either club won every game in a season.