BREWERS NO MATCH FOR QUINTANA OR THE CUBS
Jose Quintana pitched a three-hitter Sunday at Miller Park for his second big-league shutout as the Cubs beat Milwaukee 5-0 to close in on a second consecutive NL Central title and damage the Brewers’ hopes for a playoff berth.
Coming off its first World Series title since 1908, Chicago (87-68) won three of four in the series and opened a 5½-game lead over the second-place Brewers (8274) with seven games remaining. Milwaukee began the day one game behind the Rockies for the NL’s second wild card.
Quintana struck out 10 and walked one in just his second complete game in 182 starts. He threw 116 pitches, his most since Sept. 7 last year.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
Starling Marte hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning as the Pirates pulled away for a 4-1 victory to blunt the Cardinals’ momentum heading into the regular season’s final week. St. Louis began the day 1½ games behind Colorado for the NL’s second wild card but mustered just four hits against Jameson Taillon and five relievers while losing to Pittsburgh for the second time in less than 24 hours. ... J.D. Martinez hit a two-out RBI single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning as the Diamondbacks beat the Marlins 3-2 and clinched the NL’s top wild card. ... Clayton Kershaw became the first 18game winner in the majors, pitching eight strong innings as the Dodgers defeated the Giants 3-1. ... Mookie Betts doubled with the bases loaded to tie it in the eighth inning and dashed home from second base on an infield single, rallying the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Reds that moved them closer to the AL East title. ... Jose Bautista had two hits and a walk in what was likely his final home game with the Blue Jays, leaving to a standing ovation during the ninth inning of a 9-5 win over the Yankees. Aaron Judge homered twice for the Yankees, increasing his AL-leading total to 48 — one shy of the major-league rookie record set by Mark McGwire in 1987. ... Jorge Polanco and Eduardo Escobar homered as Minnesota beat the Tigers 10-4 to complete a four-game series sweep that moved the Twins closer to securing a wild-card berth in the AL playoffs. ... Max Scherzer struck out 10 and outpitched Jacob deGrom in a matchup of aces as the Nationals beat the Mets 3-2 and clinched home-field advantage in their NLDS. ... Avisail Garcia drove in three runs with his 18th home run and a double, helping the White Sox rout the fading Royals 8-1. ... Mikael Franco homered to break up a scoreless tie as the Phillies beat Atlanta 2-0 in the Braves’ final home game of their first season at SunTrust Park. ... J.J. Hardy homered for the Orioles, who beat the Rays 9-4. ... Jharel Cotton pitched five shutout innings of one-hit ball as the Athletics extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with an 8-1 victory over the Rangers. ... Corey Kluber became the AL’s first 18-game winner and Jose Ramirez’s 29th home run snapped a 2-2 tie as the rolling Indians defeated the Mariners 4-2. ... Justin Upton’s 35th home run helped the beat the 7-5.
FOOTNOTE
Tigers’ Cabrera dealing with bad discs.
Miguel Cabrera has been diagnosed with two herniated discs in his back, the Tigers announced Sunday. Cabrera, 34, likely won't need surgery and probably will be treated with anti-inflammatory injections to quell pain. The four-time AL batting champion is hitting .249 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs this year. — The Associated Press