Brewers, Cubs prevail, remain tied for NL’s final wild card
Mets rout D-backs with team-record six homers; Cards hit five to rip Rockies
MIAMI — Ryan Braun honored injured teammate Christian Yelich the past two days by wearing his No. 22 jersey underneath his own.
Braun then put on a Yelich-like performance Thursday, hitting a two-run homer that helped the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 to complete a four-game sweep that extended their winning streak to seven games.
“I threw up the double deuces for him,” Braun said of his message to Yelich as he crossed home plate. “He texted me, ‘It’s about time you hit a homer.’ Forty-fifth homer hit in this jersey this year.”
Milwaukee remains tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second wild card. Both teams are four games behind St. Louis in the Central.
Yelich broke his right kneecap on a foul ball Tuesday night. Before the game, the Brewers said the reigning NL MVP won’t need surgery, but is done for the year.
Yelich hit .329 with 44 homers and 97 RBIs this season and also stole 30 bases. He was leading the majors in slugging percentage and OPS.
Braun broke a 1-all tie in the third with a two-run homer off Caleb Smith (8-10). CUBS 4, PADRES 1: In San Diego, Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings as Chicago beat San Diego.
The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.
Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by Dinelson Lamet. METS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 1: In New York, Juan Lagares hit a grand slam and a two-run shot as New York set a team mark with six homers, routing Arizona.
Michael Conforto hit his 30th homer, Todd Frazier connected for the third time in the series and Robinson Canó and Tomas Nido also went deep.
Boosted by Marcus Stroman’s longest start since being acquired from Toronto, the Mets won for the ninth time in 13 games.
CARDINALS 10, ROCKIES 3: In Denver, Dexter Fowler and Kolten Wong opened the game with successive home runs, and St. Louis connected five times in all to beat Colorado.
Marcell Ozuna, Rangel Ravelo and Harrison Bader also homered for St. Louis. Miles Mikolas (9-13) went five innings and allowed three runs.
ATHLETICS 3, ASTROS 2: In Houston, Matt Olson hit a two-run homer to back a solid start by Homer Bailey as Oakland beat Houston for the third straight night.
The Athletics’ victory, combined with Tampa Bay’s loss, gives Oakland the lead over the Rays by half a game for the first AL wild card. Idle Cleveland is half a game behind Tampa Bay for the second wild card.
RANGERS 6, RAYS 4: In Arlington, Texas, Nick Solak homered off the pitcher he was traded for two months ago as Texas beat Tampa Bay, giving the Rangers consecutive series victories for the first time since June.
The rookie’s two-run shot off hardthrowing reliever Peter Fairbanks put the Rangers up 5-1 in the fourth inning as Texas (74-74) reached .500 for the first time since Aug. 14.
NATIONALS 12, TWINS 6: In Minneapolis, Adam Eaton, Anthony Rendon, Yan Gomes and Juan Soto hit homers as Washington beat Minnesota.
The loss reduces the Twins’ lead in the AL Central to 3½ games over Cleveland, where they’ll commence a three-game series Friday. YANKEES 10-6, TIGERS 4-4:
In Detroit, All-Star catcher Gary Sánchez became the Yankees’ latest injury concern when he left the second game of a doubleheader with left groin tightness as New York beat Detroit 6-4 to complete a sweep.
Sánchez exited in the fourth, an inning after he was thrown out in his first stolen base try this year. He has been on the injured list three times in the past two seasons because of groin strain.
Yankees slugger Edwin Encarnación left the first game with an oblique issue. The AL East leaders won that one 10-4.
DODGERS 4, ORIOLES 2: In Baltimore, Rich Hill struggled with his control during his first start since June 19 for LA, which broke a sixthinning tie by scoring twice on a passed ball in the win over Baltimore.
Hill was supposed to go two innings in his first step toward becoming a postseason contributor, but instead he failed to make it out of the first, throwing 27 pitches and getting two outs.
PHILLIES 9, BRAVES 5: In Philadelphia, Cesar Hernandez hit one of four Philadelphia home runs and added an RBI single in a win over Atlanta.
J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura and Adam Haseley also went deep.
RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 4: In Toronto, Xander Bogaerts became the latest Boston slugger to reach 50 doubles and Marco Hernandez drove in two runs as the Red Sox beat Toronto.
PIRATES 4, GIANTS 2: In San Francisco, Joe Musgrove pitched five shutout innings and hit a triple, and Jacob Stallings homered as Pittsburgh defeated San Francisco.
ROYALS 6, WHITE SOX 3: In Chicago, Hunter Dozier hit a tie-breaking, three-run home run in the sixth as as Kansas City beat Chicago.
REDS 11, MARINERS 5: In Seattle, the Reds’ Freddy Galvis hit a homer and had four RBI’s in beating the M’s.