Reds’ playoff berth their first since ’13
Mike Moustakas homered twice, Freddy Galvis hit a solo shot and the Cincinnati Reds clinched their first playoff spot since 2013 — when Dusty Baker was their manager — with a 72 win at the Minnesota Twins.
The Reds (3028), who can finish as high as the fifth seed in the eightteam NL field, leaned hard on their bullpen and raised their record to two games above .500 for the first time since May 13, 2017. They are in the seventh spot in the NL, one game ahead of the Giants.
Cardinals, Brewers split: Daniel Ponce de Leon pitched one-hit ball over six innings, Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer and host St. Louis earned a doubleheader split against Milwaukee with a 9-1 victory, leaving the Brewers tied with the Phillies one game back of the Giants. In the opener, Christian Yelich homered and Brent Suter combined with Devin Williams and Josh Hader on a five-hitter for the Brewers in a 3-0 win.
Rays 6, Phillies 4: Joey Wendle had a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning and AL East champion Tampa Bay rallied to hurt visiting Philadelphia’s playoff hopes. The Rays’ bid to clinch the top seed in the American League was foiled by the A’s 3-1 walkoff win over Seattle. Bryce Harper had a triple and drove in two runs for Philadelphia, which also fell two games behind second-place Miami in the NL East.
Diamondbacks sweep Rockies: Zac Gallen had 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings, Christian Walker hit a two-run homer and host Arizona eliminated Colorado from playoff contention with a 4-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader. Arizona used three singles and a forceout for a six-run first and Josh VanMeter’s three-run homer in the third keyed the Diamondbacks’ 11-5 win in Game 2.
Marlins 4, Yankees 3: Jesus Aguilar hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th, reliever Brandon Kintzler got major-league batting leader DJ LeMahieu to ground into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded, and visiting Miami clinched an improbable playoff berth in its coronavirus-decimated season. The Marlins earned their first postseason trip since 2003 when they won the World Series.
Rangers 5, Astros 4: Joey Gallo kept Houston from clinching the last playoff spot in the AL at least temporarily, driving home the winning run on a fielder’s-choice grounder in the 10th for host Texas.
Cubs 10, White Sox 0: Yu Darvish pitched seven strong innings for his NL-leading eighth win, Willson Contreras homered twice and the visiting Cubs moved to the brink of clinching the NL Central title by pounding the crosstown White Sox in Chicago.
Braves 8, Red Sox 7: Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer to lead off the 11th inning and host Atlanta clinched the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs.
Indians 4, Pirates 3: Cesar Hernandez ripped an RBI double into the right-field corner with two outs in the ninth inning as Cleveland rallied for its third walk-off win in four days, keeping the Indians’ hopes alive for winning the AL Central.
Blue Jays 10, Orioles 5: Randal Grichuk and Travis Shaw homered, Nate Pearson returned from an elbow injury to pitch 12⁄3 scoreless innings and playoff-bound Toronto beat Baltimore in Buffalo, N.Y.
Royals 3, Tigers 2: Brad Keller threw six scoreless innings, Adalberto Mondesi had three hits and an RBI as host Kansas City held off Detroit.
Mets, Nationals ppd: The game in Washington was postponed because of rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday.
Briefly: The Reds say team broadcaster Thom Brennaman has resigned following his use of an anti-gay slur on air last month . ... Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger got a cortisone shot for his ailing right elbow is hopeful he’ll be OK for the playoffs.