Cubs cushion lead over Brewers with win
MILWAUKEE — Javier Baez grounded a tying single with two outs in the ninth inning, Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the 10th and the Chicago Cubs widened their NL Central lead over Milwaukee, beating the Brewers 5-3 Thursday night.
The Cubs now are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers after winning the opener of a four-game series.
• Indians 4, Angels 1 — At Anaheim: Francisco Lindor homered and Cleveland finished a three-game sweep for its 27th win in 28 games.
It matched the 1884 Providence Grays for the best 28-game run in major league history. The Grays went 28-1 before cooling.
• Twins 12, Tigers 1 — At Detroit: Joe Mauer and Jorge Polanco had three hits each, and Minnesota extended its lead for the American League’s second wild card.
The Twins are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Angels in the race for the AL’s final postseason spot.
• Dodgers 5, Phillies 4 — At Philadelphia: Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier and Curtis Granderson homered as Los Angeles clinched a tie for the NL West title, ending a four-game losing streak by beating Philadelphia.
The Dodgers can win their fifth straight division crown Friday night with either a victory at home over San Francisco or a loss by second-place Arizona to Miami.
• White Sox 3, Astros 1 — At Houston: Chris Volstad and Chicago’s bullpen covered 8 2/3 innings after starter Carson Fulmer left with a blister.
Volstad (1-0) got his first win since 2012 with the Chicago Cubs. He allowed a run over 4 1/3 innings, and six relievers kept Houston scoreless from there. Juan Minaya worked around two walks in the ninth for his fifth save.
• Padres 3, Rockies 0 — At San Diego: Colorado stumbled again as it tries to protect its tenuous hold on the NL’s second wild card, losing to a San Diego team powered by veteran left-hander Clayton Richard and rookie slugger Christian Villanueva.
Richard (8-14) struck out eight in 7 1/3 scoreless innings a day after agreeing to a two-year contract extension through 2019. Villanueva homered for the second straight game.
• Rangers 4, Mariners — At Seattle: Cole Hamels dominated for eight innings, Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo went deep and Texas beat Seattle to hang around the AL wild-card hunt.
Texas and the Los Angeles Angels are 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the second wild card.
• Royals 1, Blue Jays 0 — At Toronto: Jason Vargas and four relievers combined on a two-hitter, and Melky Cabrera had three hits and the only RBI.
Vargas (17-10) struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings to win his third straight start. None of the three batters he walked advanced beyond first base.
• Orioles 3, Rays 1 — At Baltimore: Gabriel Ynoa pitched eight innings of five-hit ball, Manny Machado homered and Baltimore beat Tampa in a matchup between fading AL East teams.
Machado’s two-run homer in the first inning off Matt Andriese (5-4) propelled the Orioles to their third win in 15 games.
• Cardinals 8, Reds 5 — At Cincinnati: Dexter Fowler delivered again, getting three hits and driving in two as St. Louis overcame Scott Schebler’s two home runs to beat Cincinnati for a threegame sweep.
• Braves 3, Nationals 2 — At Atlanta: R.A. Dickey frustrated Washington with his knuckleball for eight innings, Ozzie Albies had three hits and Atlanta beat the Nationals.