Diamondbacks clinch top wild card spot
Rockies take a two-game advantage over Brewers
PHOENIX — J.D. Martinez lined a twoout RBI single to deep left field with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Sunday to clinch the top wild card in the National League.
The Diamondbacks, who won only 69 games a year ago but are 90-66 this season, were already assured a playoff berth earlier in the day when St. Louis lost at Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee was beaten at home by the Chicago Cubs.
The comeback victory over Miami ensured Arizona will host the NL wild-card game Oct. 4.
Fernando Rodney (5-4) pitched a perfect inning for the win.
It’s the sixth time Arizona has advanced to the postseason in its 20-year history. The other years were 1999, 2001 (World Series champions), 2002, 2007 and 2011.
ROCKIES 8, PADRES 4: In San Diego, Gerardo Parra hit a tiebreaking single in a two-run third inning, Pat Valaika and Charlie Blackmon hit consecutive home runs in the ninth and Colorado opened a two-game lead over Milwaukee for the second NL wild card heading into the final week of the regular season.
St. Louis trails the Rockies by 2½ games. Seeking its first postseason appearance
since 2009, Colorado opens a six-game homestand today, playing Miami and then the Dodgers. At 41-40, the Rockies tied their record for road wins, set in 2009.
NATIONALS 3, METS 2: In New York, Max Scherzer struck out 10 and outpitched Jacob deGrom in a matchup of aces, and Washington clinched home-field advantage in the NL Division Series.
CUBS 5, BREWERS 0: In Milwaukee, Jose Quintana pitched a three-hitter for his second big league shutout, and the Cubs closed in on a second straight NL Central title. Chicago (87-68) won three of four in the weekend series and opened a 5½-game lead over the second-place Brewers (82-73) with seven games remaining.
PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 1: In Pittsburgh, St. Louis stumbled against the Pirates for the second straight day, allowing home runs to Starling Marte and rookie Jordan Luplow in a stinging loss.
PHILLIES 2, BRAVES 0: In Atlanta, Nick Pivetta outpitched Luiz Gohara in a matchup of rookies, Mikael Franco homered to break up a scoreless tie and Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the Braves’ final home game of their first season at SunTrust Park.
DODGERS 3, GIANTS 1: In Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw became the first 18-game winner in the majors, pitching eight stingy innings to lead the Dodgers. INDIANS 4, MARINERS 2: In Seattle, Cleveland’s Corey Kluber threw seven strong innings to become the first 18-game winner in the American League. TWINS 10, TIGERS 4: In Detroit, Jorge Polanco and Eduardo Escobar homered, and Minnesota completed a four-game sweep that moved the Twins closer to securing a wild-card berth in the playoffs.
ATHLETICS 8, RANGERS 1: In Oakland, Calif., Khris Davis hit another big home run and the Athletics extended their season-best winning streak to seven games.
BLUE JAYS 9, YANKEES 5: In Toronto, Jose Bautista had two hits and a walk in what was likely his final home game with the Blue Jays. Bautista, who turns 38 next month, is hitting .203 with 22 homers and 62 RBIs. ORIOLES 9, RAYS 4: In Baltimore, J.J. Hardy hit a crowd-pleasing home run and scored twice to help the Orioles beat Tampa Bay. WHITE SOX 8, ROYALS 1: In Chicago, rookie right-hander Lucas Giolito pitched seven strong innings and Avisail Garcia drove in three runs with his 18th homer and a double to lead the White Sox past fading Kansas City. ANGELS 7, ASTROS 5: In Houston, Luis Valbuena hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning and Justin Upton tacked on an insurance run with a solo homer in the eighth, helping the Angels snap a six-game skid.
Alex Bregman hit his 17th homer for the Astros. RED SOX 5, REDS 4: In Cincinnati, Mookie Betts doubled with the bases loaded to tie it in the eighth inning and dashed home from second base on an infield single, moving Boston closer to the AL East title.