Astros win 100th, close in on second straight title

TORONTO—The Houston Astros reached 100 wins for the second straight season and closed in on the AL West title, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Tuesday night behind Alex Bregman’s tworun homer.

Houston improved to 10057 and would clinch the division with one more win or a loss by second-place Oakland (95-62), which played later at Seattle. Seeking their second straight AL West title, the Astros need three wins in their final five games to break the franchise record for victories in a season, set in 1998. Houston is 18-4 in September and 54-22 on the road, both best in the major leagues.

Roberto Osuna needed just six pitches in the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances, completing a six-hitter. Earlier Tuesday, assault charges against Osuna were dropped because the complainant,

who lives in Mexico, made clear she would not travel to Toronto to testify. Osuna agreed to stay away from the alleged victim for one year and continue counseling.

Traded from Toronto to Houston in July, Osuna was booed by Blue Jays fans for the second straight game, starting with when he entered and then in between pitches.

Josh James (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in five innings in his third big league start.

Bregman went 2 for 5 and extended his club-record streak of reaching base safely on the road to 53 games, then longest since 59 in a row by the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter in 2006 and 2007.

Bregman hit his 31st homer, a two-run drive in the first off Sam Gaviglio. Billy McKinney’s sixth homer cut the gap in half in the third, but Houston widened its lead in the sixth when Tyler White chased Gaviglio with an RBI single and pinch-hitter Evan Gattis had a sacrifice fly off righty Danny Barnes.

Gaviglio (3-9) allowed four runs—three earned—and six hits in five-plus innings, his fifth straight winless outing.