Adam Wainwright earned his 17th victory as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 on Tuesday night to clinch a berth in the National League wild-card game.
Wainwright (17-7) allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings and drove in a run as the Cardinals extended their team-record winning streak to 17 games. Nolan Arenado homered and drove in two runs while Dylan Carlson and Jose Rondon hit solo homers for the Cardinals.
Luis Urias hit a two-run home run for the Brewers, who lost for the sixth time in their past nine games.
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (shoulder stiffness) was a late scratch from the lineup, as was Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (left quadriceps tightness).
Giants 6, Diamondbacks 4
San Francisco took a step closer to a National League West title, using a four-run sixth inning to leave visiting Arizona behind for good.
Buster Posey and Evan Longoria each scored twice for San Francisco, which won its fourth straight game and lowered its magic number for winning the division to four. The Giants maintained a two-game edge on the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jake McCarthy homered and scored twice for Arizona.
Dodgers 2, Padres 1
Walker Buehler pitched seven shutout innings and Los Angeles continued its strong play down the stretch with a victory over visiting San Diego.
Trea Turner and AJ Pollock drove in runs as the Dodgers won for the 13th time in their past 16 games. Turner had three hits. Buehler (15-4) scattered three hits and two walks while striking out five.
Blake Treinen got his seventh save despite allowing a ninth-inning homer by Jake Cronenworth. Yu Darvish (8-11) took the loss after giving up two runs on five hits over four innings
Yankees 7, Blue Jays 2
Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run home run, Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela added solo shots and visiting New York defeated Toronto to pick up a crucial win in the American League wild-card race.
By taking the opener of a three-game series, the Yankees posted their seventh victory in a row and opened a two-game lead on the Boston Red Sox for the top wild card.
Stanton has homered in four straight contests, amassing 13 RBIs in those games.
Braves 2, Phillies 1
Charlie Morton threw seven shutout innings and Atlanta defeated visiting Philadelphia to reduce its magic number for clinching the National League East to three.
The Braves stretched their lead over the Phillies to 3 1/2 games. Atlanta could win its fourth straight division championship by sweeping the three-game series that began Tuesday.
Morton (14-6) allowed three hits, all singles and two walks while striking out 10. His 213 strikeouts this year are the most by an Atlanta pitcher in a season since Javier Vazquez fanned 238 in 2009.
Orioles 4, Red Sox 2
Ryan Mountcastle homered as part of a three-run sixth inning and Baltimore rallied past visiting Boston.
Hunter Renfroe had two of the Red Sox’s three hits, including a home run. Kyle Schwarber also homered for Boston, which has lost four straight as it fights to stay in the wild-card race.
Pedro Severino had three hits, including an RBI single that gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead.
Mariners 4, A’s 2
Mitch Haniger hit his 100th career homer as Seattle gained ground in the American League postseason chase with a victory against visiting Oakland.
Jake Fraley added a two-run double as the Mariners pulled within a half-game of Boston for the league’s second and final wild-card berth. Seattle defeated the A’s for the 11th consecutive time, a franchise record.
Chad Pinder homered for the A’s, who are 3 1/2 games back in the wild-card race with four games to play.
Royals 6, Indians 4
Salvador Perez hit his major-league-leading 47th home run to help host Kansas City defeat Cleveland.
Perez, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs, is now one home run shy of the Royals’ season record, set by Jorge Soler in 2019. Andrew Benintendi added a two-run homer for Kansas City, and Nicky Lopez drove in the decisive run with a triple in the eighth inning. Franmil Reyes drove in two runs for Cleveland.
Royals starter Brady Singer yielded three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning before leaving due to upper right arm discomfort.
White Sox 7, Reds 1
Luis Robert homered twice, Yoan Moncada and Gavin Sheets added solo shots and Reynaldo Lopez pitched six innings of one-run ball as host Chicago topped Cincinnati to eliminate the Reds from postseason contention.
Chicago, which clinched the American League Central division crown last week, won its third straight to snap the Reds’ four-game winning streak.
The White Sox clinched the franchise’s first 90-win season since the 2006 club went 90-72. The 2008 White Sox, who secured Chicago’s most recent division crown before this season, won 89 games.
Astros 4, Rays 3
Jason Castro worked a bases-loaded walk with one out in the ninth inning and Houston rallied for a win over visiting Tampa Bay to snap a four-game losing skid.
After a 10-pitch walk by Chas McCormick forced home a run and tied the game, Castro won an eight-pitch confrontation with JT Chargois, who had entered after Josh Fleming (10-7) had loaded the bases.
Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve blasted home runs for the Astros, while Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena went deep for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s Michael Wacha was exceptional, working five hitless innings while issuing two walks and recording six strikeouts.
Mets 5, Marlins 2 (Game 1)
Marcus Stroman tossed five solid innings and added his first career stolen base as New York edged visiting Miami in the opener of a doubleheader.
Francisco Lindor had an RBI single in the first inning and provided insurance with a two-run homer in the sixth for the Mets, who snapped a five-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 12 games.
Lewin Diaz hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Marlins.
Mets 2, Marlins 1 (Game 2, 9 innings)
Noah Syndergaard made his first appearance in almost exactly two years for host New York, which earned a doubleheader sweep by edging Miami in extra innings.
Tied 1-1 in the ninth inning of the nightcap, automatic runner Javier Baez went to third on a leadoff groundout by Pete Alonso. James McCann followed with a nubber in front of the mound. With the speedy Baez racing for home, Anthony Bass (3-9) tried gloving it and tossing it home, but the ball glanced off his glove as Baez slid home.
The Mets played their 14th doubleheader — the most for the franchise since the 1979 club played 15 twin bills. New York earned at least a split in each, going 17-11 overall. The Marlins have lost seven straight and nine of 11.
Pirates 8, Cubs 6
Colin Moran homered and drove in four runs to lift the host Pittsburgh past Chicago.
Bryan Reynolds had three hits and three runs for the Pirates. Hoy Park ripped a two-run triple in the sixth inning and scored on Michael Chavis’ RBI single.
Nick Martini collected a career-high four hits and matched his career best with two RBIs for the Cubs, who have lost seven in a row. Chicago’s Matt Duffy also drove in two runs.
Rockies 3, Nationals 1
Trevor Story homered and doubled and Elias Diaz also had two hits as Colorado beat Washington in Denver.
Kyle Freeland (7-8) took a shutout into the seventh inning before faltering. He gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings. Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth for his 10th save as the Rockies stopped a five-game losing streak, all of which came at home.
Ryan Zimmerman had two hits on his 37th birthday for the Nationals.
Twins 3, Tigers 2
Miguel Sano homered and Byron Buxton singled, walked, stole a base and scored a run as Minnesota edged Detroit in Minneapolis.
It was the 30th homer of the season for Sano, the second time in his career he has accomplished the feat. Sano joined Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, Justin Morneau, Brian Dozier, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky and Bob Allison as players with multiple 30-homer seasons in Twins history.
Caleb Thielbar (7-0), one of six Twins pitchers, picked up the win. Isaac Paredes and Eric Haase each had a double and two hits and Miguel Cabrera extended his hitting streak to five games with a sixth-inning single for the Tigers.
Rangers 5, Angels 2
Andy Ibanez had three hits and two RBIs to help Texas beat Los Angeles in Arlington, Texas.
Adolis Garcia also drove in two runs and made two stellar plays in right field, and Jonah Heim collected two hits and an RBI for the Rangers. Rookie A.J. Alexy (3-1) got the win after allowing two runs and three hits in five innings.
Max Stassi homered for the Angels, who are nine games under .500 for the first time this season.
-Field Level Media
