Four-run eighth keys Marlins win
The Miami Marlins arrived in Pittsburgh blearyeyed. There's an increasingly good chance they'll leave it a playoff team.
Josh Bell's two-run double keyed a four-run, eighth-inning rally and the surprising Marlins moved closer to a postseason berth with a 4-3 win over the Pirates on Friday night.
Miami's magic number to earn the third and final wild-card spot in the National League fell to one when it surged past the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs fell in Milwaukee.
The Marlins didn't get into Pittsburgh until near dawn on Friday morning following a long night in New York in which their game against the Mets was delayed for more than three hours with two outs in the top of the ninth before finally being suspended with Miami up 2-1.
The Marlins would have to head back to Citi Field on Monday to finish the game if it means anything in the standings.
Miami had just one runner reach third base over the first seven innings Friday before jumping on Colin Selby (2-2) when he came on for Ryan Borucki with one out in the eighth.
Garrett Sampson got the Marlins going with a single. Luis Arraez followed with a pinch-single that raised his batting average to a major league-best .354. Selby loaded the bases with a walk to Jorge Soler and Bell delivered a double off the right-field wall.
Jake Burger's RBI single tied the game and Jazz Chisholm's sacrifice fly off Carmen Mlodzinski put Miami in front. BREWERS 4, CUBS 3, 10 INNINGS ❯❯ Chicago was pushed to the brink of playoff elimination by NL Central champion Milwaukee, which won on Carlos Santana's run-scoring double in the bottom of the 10th.
The Cubs lost their fourth in a row.
Jeimer Candelario homered in the eighth and Ian Happ went deep in the ninth as Chicago rallied to tie after trailing 3-0 through seven innings.
Caleb Boushley (1-0), making his major league debut, struck out Patrick Wisdom with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 10th. Boushley had allowed the tying homer to Happ.
Santana led off the bottom of the 10th with a double off José Cuas (3-2) that brought home automatic runner Blake Perkins.
BLUE JAYS 11, RED SOX 4 ❯❯ Alejandro Kirk homered and drove in three runs, Bo Bichette had four hits and host Toronto put itself on the brink of a playoff berth by routing Tampa Bay.
ROYALS 12, YANKEES 5 ❯❯ Every batter Kansas City sent up against Carlos Rodón scored, resulting in a nine-run first inning, and Bobby Witt Jr. added a two-run homer to become the first Royals player in the 30-30 club during a home rout of New York.
Witt reached base three times and drove in three runs, and his homer in the seventh gave him 30 to go with 49 stolen bases. He needs one more steal to join Eric Davis, Barry Bonds and Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only players in the 30-50 club.
All eight batters Rodón (3-8) faced scored, tying the most runs allowed in a start without getting an out since at least 1901. He permitted six hits and two walks before manager Aaron Boone pulled him.
REDS 19, CARDINALS 2 ❯❯ Cincinnati hit six home runs including Nick Martini's three-run shot in the first inning in a rout at St. Louis.