Reds surge into playoff contention, beat White Sox
CINCINNATI » Slumping Jesse Winker hit a threerun homer — one of four off White Sox starter Jonathan Stiever — and the Cincinnati Reds extended their surge into playoff contention with a 7-1 win Friday night for their season-high sixth victory in a row.
The Reds moved to .500 (26-26) for the first time since Aug. 3. Their winning streak has them in playoff position, in second place in the NL Central behind the Cubs.
The AL Central-leading White Sox clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 with a win over the Twins on Thursday night.
Their momentum hit a snag as Stiever (0-1) got hit hard in his first major league road appearance. The 23-year-old righthander allowed Winker’s shot and solo homers by Joey Votto, Nick Castellanos and Tucker Barnhart. CARDINALS 6, PIRATES 5, 1ST GAME; CARDINALS 7, PIRATES 2, 2ND GAME » Cardinals rookie Dylan Carlson’s three-run homer capped a six-run outburst in the sixth inning against mistake-prone Pittsburgh, helping lift St. Louis to a doubleheader sweep.
The Cardinals took the opener 6-5 behind home runs from Kolten Wong and Tyler O’Neill and just enough pitching to overcome four errors.
PHILLIES 7, BLUE JAYS 0, 1ST GAME; PHILLIES 8, BLUE JAYS 7, 2ND GAME » Bryce Harper hit a tying, two-run double and scored the go-ahead run on an error following Alec Bohm’s infield single, helping Philadelphia rally to beat Toronto and earn their first doubleheader sweep in eight years.
Zach Eflin struck out nine in a four-hitter and Harper went deep in Philadelphia’s 7-0 win in the opener.
The Phillies came back twice in the nightcap. NATIONALS 5, MARLINS 0, 1ST GAME; MARLINS 14, NATIONALS 3, 2ND GAME » Brian Anderson tied a franchise record with three homers and drove in seven runs to help Miami earn a doubleheader split by beating Washington.
Anderson’s third homer was a three-run shot in the sixth inning against infielder-outfielder Brock Holt, pitching in a mop-up role. Anderson also homered leading off the second and hit a three-run shot in the fifth, increasing his season total to nine homers.
RAYS 2, ORIOLES 1 » Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 over five innings to help Tampa Bay beat Alex Cobb and Baltimore.
INDIANS 1, TIGERS 0 » Zach Plesac pitched impressively into the eighth inning, and Brad Hand worked out of a jam in the ninth to send Cleveland to a victory over Detroit.
CUBS 1, TWINS 0 » Kyle Hendricks tossed eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball to outduel Rich Hill, and Chicago edged Minnesota for the Cubs’ fifth straight win. BRAVES 15, METS 2 » Freddie Freeman added three more hits to his burgeoning MVP campaign, Ozzie Albies hit two of Atlanta’s six homers and the Braves battered New York pitching in a blowout that thrust them closer to a third consecutive NL East title. DIAMONDBACKS 6, ASTROS 3» Kole Calhoun hit two home runs to lead Arizona over former teammate Zack Greinke and Houston. BREWERS 9, ROYALS 5 » Jacob Nottingham hit a grand slam and Orlando Arcia added a three-run shot as Milwaukee rallied from an early four-run deficit and beat Kansas City. DODGERS 15, ROCKIES 6 » Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux homered and Los Angeles set a season high for runs, romping past Colorado to move closer to clinching the Dodgers’ eighth straight NL West title.