Dodgers boost NL West lead to six games
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles’ Yasiel Puig hit a three-run homer in a five-run first inning that set the Dodgers up for a 9-3 win against San Francisco on Wednesday, widening the gap between the National League West division’s top teams to six games with only 10 to play in the regular season.
Washington also moved to the brink of clinching a division as they beat Miami to go nine games clear atop the NL East.
Boston too tightened their grip on a play-off berth by beating Baltimore to open a five-game gap at the top of the American League East, while Cleveland edged Kansas City and also seem bound for the postseason.
Puig’s three-run shot was among 12 hits for the Dodgers, who took two of the three games in the series and should have the division wrapped up before another threegame series between the rivals next week.
Los Angeles starter Kenta Maeda allowed three hits in five innings while improving to 4-0 against the Giants this season. He struck out six and walked only one to notch his 16th win of the season; one away from tying Rick Sutcliffe’s record by a rookie set in 1979.
Washington’s Max Scherzer recorded his 18th win of the season — tied for the NL lead — as he steered the Nationals to an 8-3 victory over Miami.
Scherzer struck out eight over 6-2/3 inning to tie Chicago’s Jon Lester for the most wins in the NL.
The Nationals ended their four-game losing skid and lowered their magic number — the combined total of their wins and/or losses by their closest rivals — to three games to clinch the NL East.
Boston scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning after a throwing error by Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis, and beat the Orioles 5-1.
Andrew Benintendi hit a three-run homer for the Red Sox. Boston pulled five games ahead of Toronto in the AL East and six in front of Baltimore.
Boston’s seven-game winning streak, which began with a sweep of the New York Yankees, is their longest since 2014.
Baltimore are a game behind Toronto for the top AL wildcard, and hold the second wildcard, but only a game ahead of Detroit and Houston.
Cleveland’s Corey Kluber allowed two runs and struck out nine in 6-1/3 innings to guide the Indians to a 4-3 win against Kansas City.
Kluber notched his 18th win of the season, matching a career high, and has won 10 of his past 11 decisions.
The Indians reduced their magic number for clinching the AL Central to five.
The loss officially eliminated Kansas City, the reigning World Series champions, from contention in the AL Central and they are five games off the last wildcard place.