MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have the AL Central title in hand.

Now they can get back to the unfinished business of trying to stop that record postseason losing streak.

The Twins secured their third division title in five years on Friday night, eliminating the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers with an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels and popping the champagne in their raucous clubhouse afterward.

“We did a lot of different things to build this club, and the team really is jelling,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That’s what you want to see. It doesn’t happen most of the time. This is not the norm, but the team has come together so, so well. It’s a great team.”

The Twins have been in first place for 167 of 177 days this season, the best of the worst in terms of the AL Central's current stature among the six divisions in the major leagues.

The Twins even had the lead with a losing record a few times in the first half, as the Guardians failed to defend their division title amid key injuries and hitting troubles and the Tigers never built much momentum. The Chicago White Sox were the biggest disappointment, and the Kansas City Royals have been buried in their rebuilding project for five years.

But the Twins, whose 18-game postseason losing streak is the longest in North American professional sports, have quietly been playing quite well since the All-Star break despite the persistent absence of injury-prone star Byron Buxton and a staggering strikeout total (1,586) that puts them on pace to set a dubious all-time major league record for one season.

Since the break, the Twins are 37-26. That's the sixth-best record in MLB over that span. Their starting pitching ERA (3.83) for the season is second-best in baseball, and they're fourth in the major leagues with 219 home runs, sporting 11 players with 11 or more dingers.

“These were things that in our minds we believed, but like anything you have to prove yourself,” Baldelli said. “We were very confident in the guys that we had and some of the young players that we knew could be on the cusp or were going to show up soon, so it’s wonderful when you watch it play out the way you think it’s going to play out and watch players that you believe in succeed on the field.”

The Twins also have 21 comeback wins after the All-Star break, the third-most in baseball.

“We're not going to give up no matter what’s going on,” starting pitcher Bailey Ober said.

The last time the Twins won a postseason game was 2004. The last time they won a series was 2002. None of these players were in the majors then. Most of them weren't even in high school. Baldelli made his major league debut at age 21 in 2003.

“Every since I became a Twin, I’ve read about it. I’ve heard about it. The 2023 Twins were built different,” starting pitcher Pablo López said. "We’re a different breed. We’re going to go out there and show everyone what we can do when we’re on the field. We can take on anyone. We’ve got arms to get people out. We’ve got offense to put runs on the board, so it’s going to be fun.”

With Sonny Gray and López at the top of the rotation, the Twins ought to be able to match up well enough with any opponent in the AL wild card series, which begins on Oct. 3. If the bracket were to be filled out now, they'd be the No. 3 seed and the home team for each game in the best-of-three series against the third of three wild card teams.

The Twins actually still have an outside shot at a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed for the AL playoffs, trailing the AL West-leading Texas Rangers (85-68) by 3 1/2 games with nine games left. The Rangers, Houston Astros (85-69) and Seattle Mariners (84-69) are in a tight race for both the division title and the wild card spots.

Getting healthy will be the top priority, though.

Buxton is still working his way through knee soreness and running out of time to return. Rookie standout Royce Lewis (strained hamstring) and shortstop Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis) just landed on the injured list this week. Correa said he's “very confident” he'll be ready to return for the playoffs.

“It will take a lot for me not to play in those games," Correa said. "They’re way too meaningful and they’re way too important not only for the organization, but also for myself.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Manaea exorcised his Dodger Stadium demons with every pitch he threw.

He scattered three hits over seven shutout innings to beat the Dodgers for the first time in his career, and Mike Yastrzemski, Thairo Estrada and Tyler Fitzgerald homered as the San Francisco Giants defeated Los Angeles 5-1 on Friday night.

“I have nightmares about coming to this place and facing these guys,” Manaea said. “Obviously, they’re very good and it’s been like that for a long time. I haven’t had much success, if any, here. So to do that, dreams do come true.”

Manaea (7-6) has earned the only two wins on the Giants’ road trip. The left-hander struck out two, walked none and improved to 1-5 in 10 career appearances against the Dodgers. He came in with a career 9.00 ERA against LA.

“You come here five times in a row and have a combined 13 innings with 30 runs or whatever it is, it can wear down a guy,” Manaea said. “Just keep going up there, go through the embarrassment and go through all that stuff.”

The Giants had lost three in a row and six of seven while falling back in the crowded NL wild-card race. They returned to .500 after dropping below that mark for the first time since June 5 with a loss in the series opener Thursday.

After Miguel Rojas singled in the third, Manaea retired 11 batters in a row in his best outing of the season.

“He’s just done a really nice job of staying under control through a really rocky and up-and-down season,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Staying strong mentally and staying very prepared for a night like this.”

The NL West champion Dodgers managed just three baserunners through seven innings and none advanced past first.

“I just believed in my stuff,” Manaea said. “The more I throw it, I have confidence in all three of my pitches. There’s no need to shy away from things, and just attack guys.”

After Manaea exited, the Dodgers had the potential tying runs aboard in the eighth with two outs. James Outman singled off reliever Tyler Rogers, and pinch-hitter Jason Heyward struck out but went to first base on a passed ball by catcher Patrick Bailey. Mookie Betts walked to load the bases.

Freddie Freeman singled to make it 3-1 and leave the bases loaded for Camilo Doval, who retired Will Smith on a grounder to first to end the threat. Doval earned his 38th save.

Yastrzemski homered down the right-field line with two outs in the fourth, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. Joc Pederson doubled leading off against Gavin Stone (1-1), who followed Dodgers opener Caleb Ferguson.

Estrada made it 3-0 in the sixth with a solo shot to left.

Fitzgerald hit a two-run shot — his first in the majors in his second big league game — in the ninth, extending the lead to 5-1.

“I kind of blacked out a little bit," said Fitzgerald, who doubled in his debut Thursday. ”I think I ran the bases a little too fast. I should have enjoyed it a little bit more. It was awesome."

Stone (1-1) gave up three runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.

Freeman singled off Manaea in the first to reach 200 hits for the first time in his career. Earlier this week, Freeman became the first Dodgers first baseman to join the 20-20 club and just the second first baseman with 20-plus steals. He has 26 homers and 21 stolen bases.

The last Dodgers player with 200 hits in a season was Adrián Beltré in 2004, and their last first baseman to do it was Steve Garvey in 1980.

Freeman made a sparkling defensive play in foul territory in the eighth. A ball hit by Wilmer Flores bounced out of his glove and Freeman caught it barehanded for the first out.

Smith singled leading off the seventh but was quickly erased when J.D. Martinez grounded into a double play.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

Despite being in just his second big league game, playing behind Manaea was not unfamiliar to Fitzgerald.

His brother, Mike, was Manaea's catcher at Indiana State.

“I grew up going to Sean's games,” Tyler Fitzgerald said.

Mike Fitzgerald was on hand to see his younger brother's first major league homer. Tyler got the ball back after the game and posed for a photo with it in the Giants clubhouse.

Their father, also named Mike, was chosen in the first round of the 1984 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played 13 games in the majors.

UP NEXT

The Giants had yet to announce a starter for Saturday. LHP Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 2.52) goes for the Dodgers.

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Shea Langeliers launched a three-run homer in the sixth inning and the Oakland Athletics ended their eight-game losing streak with an 8-2 win over Detroit on Friday night, spoiling another milestone for Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera.

All-Star Brent Rooker hit his 29th home run for the last-place A’s (47-107), who won for the first time since Sept. 12 and avoided tying the team’s Oakland-era record for most losses in a season.

“Great at-bat by Shea coming off the bench,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “Shea’s caught more games than he has in any prior season. Today was a day that I felt like we might be able to give him a blow but that at-bat came, I felt really confident about Shea going up with that matchup. It worked out.”

Cabrera, the two-time MVP who plans to retire at season’s end, hit his 624th career double off starter Ken Waldichuk in the fourth, tying Hank Aaron for the 13th most in major league history. It was the 3,168th hit of Cabrera’s career, 16th all-time.

Still, the Tigers (72-82) were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the night when Minnesota clinched the AL Central title.

Waldichuk (4-8) tied his season high with seven strikeouts and allowed two runs and four hits in six innings for his first win as a starter since May 6. Two of his other wins came in relief.

Lucas Erceg, Dany Jiménez and Zach Neal each retired three batters to complete the five-hitter.

“Ken’s made so much progress ,” Kotsay said. “From where Ken started in April and May to where he is now, that’s what we were looking for. He’s got one more start left. Building that momentum into next year is always a positive.”

That the A’s are still showing some fight this late in a rough season is an encouraging sign.

“The talk around the locker room right now is we know this season we’re out of it, we’re trying to build something for next year,” Waldichuk said. “Next year hopefully out of the gates we take what we’ve learned these past couple of months or so and we try to build some momentum so that maybe next year we’re able to find some success early on and ride that.”

The A’s scored a run in the first off Tigers starter Sawyer Gipson-Long but couldn’t manage much else offensively until Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made a pitching change after five innings with Detroit ahead 2-1.

Rooker hit the first pitch from reliever Will Vest (2-1) over the fence in center for a tying home run.

“That’s about as clean as I can hit a ball,” Rooker said. “I got a fastball in the middle, put a good swing on it, it was on time, and to do it in a big spot like that to tie the game and get us going felt better.”

Tony Kemp reached on a fielding error by shortstop Javier Báez, rolled his right ankle and slowly trotted to second on Lawrence Butler’s single to right. After a strikeout, Langeliers hit a 2-0 fastball from Tyler Holton into the left-field stands.

Esteury Ruiz had a two-run single in the seventh to make it 7-2. Butler added a sacrifice fly.

Gipson-Long worked around three walks and allowed one run and four hits in five innings of his third major league start. The right-hander retired 10 of 11 during one stretch, then pitched out of a jam in the fifth when he got Seth Brown to fly out to center with the bases loaded.

FINALLY A LEAD

During their long losing streak the A’s had never led but broke that stretch quickly on Ryan Noda’s leadoff single in the first followed by rookie Zack Gelof’s RBI double into the left field corner. It was Gelof’s 20th single in 61 games since being called up after the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, who left his previous start early due to back spasms, threw a bullpen session before the game and take his regular turn in the rotation Sunday in the series finale.

Athletics: Kemp was removed from the game and diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. … OF J.J. Bleday (knee) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas.

UP NEXT

Athletics rookie RHP Joe Boyle (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second career start Saturday against Detroit. The Tigers have not named a starter.

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit two homers and drove in three runs for the San Diego Padres, who beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Friday night to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games.

A season after Machado helped carry the Padres to the NL Championship Series, they're fighting for their playoff lives. The Padres are four games out in the race for the third and final NL wild card, with four teams ahead of them. They've been under .500 since May 12.

“We have eight games to empty the tank,” said Machado, who reached 30 homers for the seventh time. He's been limited to DH duty since Sept. 1 due to right tennis elbow that he says will require surgery after the Padres' season ends.

Machado twice put San Diego ahead, the second time on a two-run homer to left field off Matthew Liberatore (3-6) with one out in the eighth inning. Machado gestured toward the Padres' dugout after hitting his 30th homer, with Juan Soto aboard on a double.

He was greeted with chants of “Manny! Manny! Manny!” from the sellout crowd of 42,983 and then answered a curtain call.

“Right now I'm going to continue to keep playing,” Machado said. “It's the same day every day. It's not getting worse, it's not getting better. Surgery is going to be there when the time is. Ultimately now it's just a matter of going out and competing.”

In the sixth, Machado blew a bubble as he rounded first after his leadoff homer against Dakota Hudson gave the Padres a 2-1 lead. It was his 39th career multi-homer game and sixth this season.

“He's got a flair for the dramatic, too,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Their guy pitched well so it came down to a couple of Manny homers, which we've seen him do before. It's not a surprise.

“He continues to go out there and play. Doesn't have to. I think he even took some early swings today, which we're trying to limit his swings because of it, but he wants to be the best he can be and he certainly was tonight.”

It's taken until late September for the high-priced Padres to play their best baseball. Their payroll of around $250 million is the third-highest in the majors.

“We're just playing right now,” Melvin said. “We've tried all sorts of different strategies here to understand where we are. Right now we're just playing games.”

The Cardinals tied it in the eighth when Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff single and scored on Jordan Walker's triple to center field off Luis Garcia. The Cardinals couldn't bring in Goldschmidt as Garcia struck out Richie Palacios and walked Ivan Herrera before Robert Suarez (4-2) came on and retired the side.

The Cardinals, who were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night and are last in the NL Central, tied the game at 1 when Masyn Winn homered leading off the sixth against starter Matt Waldron. It was his second.

The Padres had taken a 1-0 lead on Brett Sullivan's RBI single in the second.

Waldron, making his fifth start, has allowed a homer in all seven appearances this year. Winn's shot was the first Waldron served up with his knuckleball. Waldron permitted one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out nine and walked two.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: Placed 3B Nolan Arenado and C Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list, ending their seasons. Arenado was sidelined by lower back spasms, and Contreras has left wrist tendinitis. ... St. Louis also transferred OF Dylan Carlson to the 60-day IL, selected infielder-outfielder Irving Lopez from Triple-A Memphis and recalled outfielder Michael Siani from Memphis.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Jake Woodford (2-2, 5.31 ERA) and Padres RHP Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.73) are scheduled to start Saturday night.

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2023 — Minnesota Twins

2022 — Cleveland Guardians

2021 — Chicago White Sox

2020 — Minnesota Twins

2019 — Minnesota Twins

2018 — Cleveland Indians

2017 — Cleveland Indians

2016 — Cleveland Indians

2015 — Kansas City Royals

2014 — Detroit Tigers

2013 — Detroit Tigers

2012 — Detroit Tigers

2011 — Detroit Tigers

2010 — Minnesota Twins

2009 — Minnesota Twins

2008 — Chicago White Sox

2007 — Cleveland Indians

2006 — Minnesota Twins

2005 — Chicago White Sox

2004 — Minnesota Twins

2003 — Minnesota Twins

2002 — Minnesota Twins

2001 — Cleveland Indians

2000 — Chicago White Sox

1999 — Cleveland Indians

1998 — Cleveland Indians

1997 — Cleveland Indians

1996 — Cleveland Indians

1995 — Cleveland Indians

1994 — Strike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins clinched the AL Central title Friday night with an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Alex Kirilloff homered and drove in three runs, and Minnesota held on late to win the division crown for the third time in five seasons under manager Rocco Baldelli.

Of course, the playoffs haven’t been kind to Minnesota. The Twins have lost 18 straight postseason games, mostly to their postseason nemesis, the New York Yankees.

Pablo López (11-8) pitched six innings for the Twins, allowing three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts. Jhoan Duran gave up a run in the ninth but got the final out with the bases loaded to secure his 27th save of the season.

Davis Daniel (0-1) took the loss as the bulk pitcher behind opener José Suarez. Daniel was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day and gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings in his second career major league appearance.

BRAVES 9, NATIONALS 6

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. joined the exclusive 40-40 club as the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-6 on Friday night.

With the win, Atlanta moves four games ahead of the Dodgers for the top seed in the National League. The Braves hold the tiebreaker over Los Angeles based on a 4-3 season series.

Acuna’s 40th homer led off the game against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin. The blast was Acuna’s 34th leadoff home run in his career and eighth this season. He is the first player to have 40 homers and at least 60 stolen bases in one season.

Braves starter Charlie Morton walked two batters and left the game due to right index finger discomfort after throwing 24 pitches in the first inning. He'll have an MRI on Saturday. Michael Tonkin (7-2) earned the win with two innings of work, allowing one run. Raisel Iglesias earned his 30th save.

Corbin (10-14) lasted 4 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs on five hits, including both homers, with one walk and one strikeout.

GUARDIANS 9, ORIOLES 8

CLEVELAND (AP) — David Fry delivered a two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as Cleveland recovered from closer Emmanuel Clase blowing another save and rallied to beat AL-East leading Baltimore.

After Clase (3-9) allowed the Orioles to take the lead on Aaron Hicks’ two-run, two-out double in the top of the inning, his teammates bailed him out.

Andrés Giménez, who made two dazzling defensive plays in the eighth and ninth, opened the inning with a double off Yennier Cano (1-4). One out later, the Orioles intentionally walked Will Brennan to face Fry.

Cleveland’s catcher jumped on Cano’s first pitch, hitting it off the wall in left-center to score both runners as the Guardians spoiled what would have been a memorable comeback by the Orioles.

The loss kept Baltimore 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay.

GIANTS 5, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — San Francisco starter Sean Manaea scattered three hits over seven shutout innings to beat Los Angeles for the first time in his career, and Mike Yastrzemski, Thairo Estrada and Tyler Fitzgerald homered.

Manaea (7-6) has earned the only two wins on the Giants’ road trip. The left-hander struck out two, walked none and improved to 1-5 in 10 career appearances against the Dodgers.

After Miguel Rojas singled in the third, Manaea retired 11 batters in a row. Camilo Doval earned his 38th save.

Gavin Stone (1-1), who followed Dodgers opener Caleb Ferguson, gave up three runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.

BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Chris Bassitt became the American League’s second 15-game winner and Toronto beat Tampa Bay in a matchup of teams holding the top two American League wild-card positions.

Bassitt (15-8) allowed two runs and six hits while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings. He tied Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin for the AL lead in wins.

Jordan Romano replaced Jordan Hicks with two on and two outs in the eighth and walked Isaac Paredes on four pitches before retiring Curtis Mead on a grounder to preserve a 4-2 lead. The right-hander then worked the ninth to get his 36th save in 39 chances.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow (9-7) had given up just one hit and a walk until George Springer had a one-out single in the sixth. Glasnow permitted four runs, three hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.

BREWERS 16, MARLINS 1

MIAMI (AP) — Christian Yelich and Josh Donaldson homered during a 12-run second inning and Milwaukee clinched a playoff berth.

Milwaukee, assured at least a National League wild card, shaved its magic number to one for wrapping up the NL Central title. The loss dropped the Marlins one game behind the Cubs for the third and final NL wild card.

Corbin Burnes (10-8) benefited from the early run support and scattered two hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out six. The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner had not won since July 20.

Milwaukee sent 15 batters to the plate against relievers Steven Okert (3-2) and Bryan Hoeing in its second-largest inning in franchise history. The Brewers scored 13 in the fifth to beat the California Angels 20-7 on July 8, 1990.

ROYALS 7, ASTROS 5

HOUSTON (AP) — Cole Ragans gave up three hits and two runs over six strong innings and Kansas City used two big innings to defeat Houston, knocking the Astros out of first place in the AL West.

Houston, which has lost seven of its last 10 games, dropped a half-game back of the Texas Rangers in the division. Houston holds a half-game lead for the final AL wild-card spot over the Mariners with eight games remaining.

Ragans (7-4) struck out five and walked four. He allowed five runs in six innings against the Astros on Sunday.

James McArthur pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save as Kansas City won for the eighth time in its last nine games.

Royals starter Framber Valdez (12-11) surrendered seven runs — six earned — on four hits with 10 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He also walked three and hit two batters.

RANGERS 8, MARINERS 5

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager got Texas started with his 32nd homer and rookie Evan Carter added a three-run blast as the Rangers took over the AL West lead for the first time in September.

The Astros lost at home to fall a half-game behind Texas. That pushed Houston into the third wild-card spot and still a half-game ahead of the Mariners, who dropped below the playoff line.

Seager, the AL’s leading hitter with a .333 average, snapped a 2-for-22 slide with a first-pitch homer in the first inning off rookie Bryce Miller (8-6). Carter also went deep on the first pitch he saw in the second inning of his 14th big-league game.

Rangers starter Dane Dunning (11-6) had allowed only one hit until the first three Seattle batters reached to open the sixth inning. Dunning gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks.

The Rangers scored six runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings against Miller.

PHILLIES 5, METS 4, 10 INNINGS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm lined the game-winning single in the 10th inning, J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer in the sixth and Philadelphia moved closer to its second straight playoff appearance.

Bohm drove in automatic runner Trea Turner with a single to right off Adam Ottavino (1-6).

Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel blew his fourth save of the season when Brett Baty took the closer deep in the ninth on a one-out tying solo shot to center that made it 4-all.

Baty’s dramatics were all the Mets could muster in the extra innings. Seranthony Domínguez (5-5) pitched out of a bases loaded, two-out jam in the 10th when he got Pete Alonso to wave at strike three in the dirt.

Behind a solid outing from Taijuan Walker, the defending NL champion Phillies moved their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to four. The Phillies, winners of six of eight, are four game ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card.

YANKEES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge became the first player in Yankees history with two three-homer games in one season, and New York cruised to victory over Arizona.

Arizona’s five-game winning streak was snapped, and the Diamondbacks’ lead over the Chicago Cubs for the second of three NL wild-card spots was reduced to one game.

Judge hit a three-run shot in the third inning and a two-run drive in the fifth off rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt (2-9). The slugger got his third homer with a solo drive off Slade Cecconi in the seventh.

In his second start since being claimed off waivers from Seattle on Sept. 14, former Diamondbacks pitcher Luke Weaver (3-5) earned his first win for the Yankees. He allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings for his first victory since July 3 with Cincinnati.

Jhony Brito gave up Christian Walker’s 31st homer in the ninth but pitched 3 2/3 innings for his first career save.

CUBS 6, ROCKIES 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Jared Young each hit two-run homers, Jameson Taillon pitched six scoreless innings and struggling Chicago improved its playoff chances by beating Colorado.

Suzuki singled in the opening inning to bring home Chicago’s first run, then tagged starter Noah Davis (0-3) for his 20th homer in the fourth. Davis allowed four hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out four in the first five innings.

Young added his second home run in the sixth off reliever Gavin Hollowell and Dansby Swanson had an RBI single in the seventh off Brent Suter.

Taillon (8-10) allowed four hits, walked four and struck out seven to end a streak of seven winless starts. He allowed runners into scoring position in three of his first four innings but worked out of trouble each time.

PIRATES 7, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) — Bryan Reynolds drove in the tying run in the seventh inning with an RBI single and scored the go-ahead run two batters later on Elly De La Cruz’s throwing error as Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati.

Ian Gibaut (8-4) gave up three hits and a walk in the seventh was victimized by Cruz’s errant relay to first on Miguel Andujar’s grounder after the Reds got Hayes out at second. Reynolds scored on the play.

The Reds dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the last wild-card spot in the National League. The Reds were eliminated from the National League Central race but Milwaukee’s win over Miami allowed the Reds to stay a half-game behind the Marlins in the wild-card race behind the Cubs.

TJ Friedl had a two-run homer off Hunter Stratton (1-0) in the bottom of the inning to put the Reds up 5-4 before the Pirates rallied again.

David Bednar got the last three outs for his 37th save of the season and 14th in a row.

RED SOX 3, WHITE SOX 2

BOSTON (AP) — Masataka Yoshida hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning after Adam Duvall’s sacrifice fly, and Boston rallied for a win over Chicago.

Red Sox starter Chris Sale went five scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing just three singles and a walk against his former team where he was a five-time All-Star from 2010-16.

Chicago right-hander Touki Toussaint, who was claimed off waivers after he was designated for assignment by Cleveland on June 17, gave up a run on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings.

Duvall’s bases-loaded sacrifice came against Garrett Crochet (0-2) before Yoshida sent his grounder between first and second for the tie-breaking run.

Mauricio Llovera (2-3) worked a scoreless inning for the victory and Chris Martin got the final three outs for his third save.

PADRES 4, CARDINALS 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit two homers and drove in three runs for San Diego, extending its season-high winning streak to eight games.

The Padres are barely hanging on in the race for the NL’s third wild-card spot.

Machado twice put the Padres ahead, the second time on a two-run homer off Matthew Liberatore (3-6) with one out in the eighth inning. In the sixth, Machado blew a bubble as he rounded first after his leadoff homer against Dakota Hudson. It was his 39th career multihomer game and sixth this season.

The Cardinals tied it in the eighth when Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff single and scored on Jordan Walker’s triple to center field off Luis Garcia. The Cardinals couldn’t bring in Goldschmidt as Garcia struck out Richie Palacios and walked Ivan Herrera before Robert Suarez (4-2) came on and retired the side.

ATHLETICS 8, TIGERS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shea Langeliers hit a pinch-hit three-run home run in the sixth inning, and Oakland rallied to end its eight-game losing streak, spoiling another milestone for Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera, the two-time MVP who plans to retire at season’s end, hit his 624th career double off starter Ken Waldichuk in the fourth inning, tying Hank Aaron for the 13th most in major league history. It was the 3,168th hit of Cabrera’s career, 16th in majors history.

Waldichuk (4-8) tied his season-high with seven strikeouts and allowed two runs and four hits in six innings for his first win as a starter since May 6. Two of his other wins came in relief.

Lucas Erceg, Dany Jiménez and Zach Neal each retired three batters to complete the five-hitter.

All-Star Brent Rooker hit the first pitch from reliever Will Vest (2-1) over the fence in center for a tying home run.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After celebrating on the field and before any bottles were popped in the clubhouse, Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had a message for his team: congratulations, enjoy it — but there's more to be done.

The Twins clinched the AL Central title Friday night with an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Alex Kirilloff homered and drove in three runs, and Minnesota held on late to win the division crown for the third time in five seasons under Baldelli.

“We've got a lot of work to do,” Baldelli said. "But tonight, we have fun. Tomorrow, we work again.”

Pablo López (11-8) pitched six innings for the Twins, allowing three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts. Jhoan Duran gave up a run in the ninth but retired Brandon Drury on a grounder with the bases loaded to secure his 27th save.

“We came into today controlling our own destiny,” López said. “We knew we didn’t need to watch the scoreboard for anyone to lose. We knew that we needed to win the ballgame. That’s exactly what we did. Even when I wasn’t at my best, the offense picked me right up.”

After the Twins squandered an early 3-0 lead, Kirilloff’s 10th homer snapped a 3-all tie in the sixth and Minnesota won for the sixth time in eight games. Kirilloff became the 12th Twins player with double-digit home runs this season, setting a club record.

With lines from a recent college football game played at Target Field still visible, the crowd was eager to celebrate another extended fall for the Twins. It’s their 15th trip to the postseason since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.

“It means a lot,” said injured shortstop Carlos Correa, who's expected to be ready for the postseason. “The first one here in Minnesota, it’s really special. When you come to a new team, these are the goals that you set out to accomplish and this is just one of them.”

Of course, the playoffs haven’t been kind to Minnesota. The Twins have lost 18 straight postseason games — 13 of them to the New York Yankees.

Minnesota hasn’t won a playoff game since 2004, taking the first game of the Division Series 2-0 in New York with Johan Santana on the mound. Under Baldelli, the Twins were swept in two games by the Houston Astros in a 2020 first-round series and swept in three games by the Yankees in the 2019 Division Series.

The drought isn't lost on these Twins. Kyle Farmer promised a playoff win when talking postgame in an interview played over the stadium loudspeakers.

“Yeah, sure, why not?" Farmer said. "If you don’t believe it, don’t play.”

But this team believes it's different, in part because of the pitching and the depth it's developed.

Minnesota added on with a four-run seventh, highlighted by RBI doubles from Farmer and Jorge Polanco.

“We did a lot of different things to build this club and the team really is gelling,” Baldelli said, soaked in beer and bubbly and watching his team celebrate. “If you just look behind you, you can see some gelling going on. That’s what you want to see.”

Davis Daniel (0-1) took the loss as the bulk pitcher behind opener José Suarez. Daniel was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier in the day and gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings in his second career major league appearance.

Los Angeles has lost eight of nine, limping to the finish of another disappointing season with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. Logan O’Hoppe hit a two-run shot in the eighth for his 12th home run of the season.

“I want my guys to see that,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said about seeing the Twins celebrate their division title. “I really do. That is where we want to be. Absolutely. We've got a good young core. And I noticed, yeah, I noticed O’Hoppe and (Zach) Neto and those guys out there looking at that.”

LEADING LÓPEZ

It’s fitting that López, the spring trade acquisition from Miami for Luis Arraez, was on the mound for the Twins’ clinching effort. He’s been a part of a starting rotation that has led the way for Minnesota this season.

López, who could potentially be the Game 1 starter in the playoffs, bounced back from giving up five runs in a loss to the Chicago White Sox in his last start. His career-high 228 strikeouts are second in the AL behind Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (232) and his 3.61 ERA is 10th in the league.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Trout took swings off a tee before the game as he tries to return from a left hamate fracture before the end of the season. … LHP Aaron Loup was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain, ending his season with a 2-3 record and 6.10 ERA in 55 games.

Twins: INF Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The team is hopeful Lewis, who leads the team with a .309 batting average and has 15 homers, is ready to return for the playoffs.

UP NEXT

RHP Sonny Gray (8-7, 2.84 ERA) starts Saturday afternoon for Minnesota. Gray is second in the AL in ERA to New York’s Gerrit Cole (2.75). The Angels had not announced a starter. The team will likely use an opener, with LHP Kenny Rosenberg (1-2, 5.48) as the bulk pitcher.

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Moments before being officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Guardians rallied as if a spot in October was on the line.

In a season of so many setbacks, another stirring comeback.

David Fry delivered a two-run double with one out in the ninth inning as Cleveland recovered from Emmanuel Clase blowing another save and rallied to beat the AL-East leading Baltimore Orioles 9-8 on Friday night.

Not long afterward, the Minnesota Twins clinched the AL Central, dethroning the Guardians, who couldn't defend their title amid a slew of injuries.

“We’ve caught some tough breaks,” said Shane Bieber, who made his first start since July 9. “We’ve not played to our potential quite a bit this season, and we’ve fallen victim to quite a few injuries. But one thing that’ll be constant is our ability to fight and stay together.”

After Clase (3-9) allowed the Orioles to take the lead on Aaron Hicks' two-run, two-out double in the top of the inning, the Guardians bailed their closer out.

Andrés Giménez, who made two dazzling defensive plays in the eighth and ninth, opened the inning with a double off All-Star reliever Yennier Cano (1-4). One out later, the Orioles intentionally walked Will Brennan to face Fry.

Cleveland's catcher jumped on Cano's first pitch, driving it off the wall in left-center to score Giménez and Brennan as the Guardians spoiled what would have been a memorable comeback by the Orioles.

“That’s one thing I’ve always admired about these guys,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “They will play and there’s something to be said for that. It’s not always perfect and I wish our record was better, but I still appreciate.”

Baltimore's loss kept it 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay, which lost 6-2 to Toronto.

Anthony Santander had three hits and three RBIs for the Orioles.

“That’s a tough loss,” said manager Brandon Hyde, who was forced to go deep into his worn-out bullpen. "We just didn’t pitch well. We hung in there. We got a really nice rally there in the ninth to go up one, another two-strike mistake to lead off the inning, and it’s a tough loss.”

The Guardians won't make the postseason, but they got something of a late-season reward in getting back Bieber after he missed 64 games.

The right-hander made his first start since July 9, returning from the injured list after being sidelined with elbow inflammation.

Bieber's injury was a critical one for the Guardians, who didn't have the 2020 AL Cy Young winner anchoring their staff during the heart of the season. He allowed five runs and six hits in five innings, but his comeback meant much more to Bieber and Cleveland than any stat line.

“A special night for a lot of different reasons,” Bieber said. “For me personally, it was a big goal of mine (to return). It felt great.”

Baltimore was counting on starter Dean Kremer to give them a quality start to protect its tired bullpen, but the right-hander only got through 3 1/3 innings.

It didn't help that Kremer's defense let him down with two errors in the fourth, leading to three Cleveland runs.

GOLDEN GLOVE

Giménez started an inning-ending double play with a sliding stop in the eighth and then robbed Adley Rutschmann with a diving stab in the ninth.

“That's as good as it gets,” Francona said. “Most plays that double play and then that ball, that’s a hit. He’s really something.”

BULLPEN BOOST

With Baltimore's bullpen taxed during a difficult stretch, the team recalled right-hander Tyler Wells from Triple-A Norfolk to help.

He was needed right away, pitching two scoreless innings.

Wells was one of the AL's top starters in the first half of the season. However, the 6-foot-8 right-hander was sent down following the All-Star break and has been pitching in relief. The 29-year-old was a reliever in 2021 and Hyde indicated he could be used in a variety of roles.

“We’re hoping he can help us in that back half of the game,” Hyde said. “We’re looking for guys to get outs right now. They’re pretty fatigued in the bullpen.”

MUSICAL NOTES

The Guardians honored Cleveland-born rapper Kid Cudi with a bobblehead giveaway.

Cudi's appearance caused quite a pregame stir amongst the Guardians with pitching coach Carl Willis posing for a picture with him in the dugout.

While Francona admitted not knowing Cudi's work, he was familiar with Taylor Swift's guitarist Paul Sidoti, another Cleveland-area native who threw out a ceremonial first pitch before playing the national anthem.

“Love him, love her,” said Francona.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: Rookie C Bo Naylor was removed in the fifth with a bruised right thumb. David Fry replaced him behind the plate.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Cal Quantrill (3-6, 5.26 ERA) starts against Orioles LHP John Means (0-1, 3.60), who makes just his third start in 17 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers have talked all season about being resilient. There have been all of those injuries to their All-Stars, the loss of two starting pitchers with multiple Cy Young Awards and a late-season slide that knocked them out of first place.

After all of that, they are back on top in the AL West, for the first time in September and with nine games left in the regular season.,

Seager got the Rangers started with his 32nd homer and rookie Evan Carter added an early three-run blast in an 8-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. The opener of a crucial series ended about the same time Houston lost at home.

“We talked about winning series all year. And that’s what it’s going to come down to. ... winning the next three three series,” Seager said.

“We said it in late August, that it’s going to be a dogfight all the way to the end. It’s kind of just the way we wanted it to play out,” catcher-designated hitter Mitch Garver said. “It’s just being diligent about our work and making sure that we’re taking every pitch seriously and making all these games count.”

The Rangers (85-68) and Mariners began the day tied for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot, and a half-game behind the reigning World Series champions for the division lead. But the Astros (85-69) lost to 102-loss Kansas City, dropping a half-game behind Texas and into that third wild-card spot. They were still a half-game ahead of Seattle (84-69), which dropped below the playoff line.

“The race is so tight. These games are going to be hard fought, back and forth,” M's manager Scott Servais said. “And you just have to keep believing you're never out of it.”

Seattle got a run in the ninth off hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman, who allowed three hits and a walk. He also struck out two but the bases were loaded when All-Star rookie third baseman Josh Jung’ made a nice snag for the game-ending grounder. Jung played only his fourth game since missing six weeks with a fractured left thumb.

It was the first of seven games between Texas and Seattle over the final 10 days of the regular season. The Mariners’ other three games are at home against the Astros.

After leading the AL West for 148 of the season’s first 149 days, Texas is in back in front for the first time since Aug. 29.

Seager, the AL’s leading hitter with a .333 average, snapped a 2-for-22 slide with a first-pitch homer in the first inning off rookie Bryce Miller (8-6). Carter also went deep on the first pitch he saw in the second inning of his 14th big-league game to put Texas up 4-0.

Rangers starter Dane Dunning (11-6) had allowed only one hit until the first three Seattle batters reached to open the sixth inning. Leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford had an infield single, Julio Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and Cal Raleigh followed with his 30th homer to get Seattle within 8-3.

Dunning gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks. The Rangers scored six runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings against Miller.

The Rangers, who won their third game in a row since a 10-20 stretch that had knocked them out of the division lead, extended their lead to 8-0 in fifth when facing Miller and two relievers.

Miller was lifted with two runners on and an out before Tayler Saucedo gave up an RBI fielder’s choice grounder to the first batter he faced, and later walked batters in a row — the second was Jonah Heim with the bases loaded. Garver had a two-run single after Trent Thornton took over on the mound.

Texas then used three pitchers in the top of the sixth. But Andrew Heaney, the second reliever, needed only one pitch to get an inning-ending groundout right after Chris Stratton walked No. 9 batter Josh Rojas with the bases loaded.

Toronto (86-68) remained the AL’s second wild card after a 6-2 win earlier Friday at wild-card leader Tampa Bay (94-61).

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: Rodriguez was hit by a 91.3 mph slider. The young star was clearly in discomfort after getting struck around his left elbow, but stayed in the game after getting checked on by Servais and a trainer.

Rangers: Reliever Josh Sborz, out since Sept. 5 because of a left hamstring strain, threw live BP before the game. Manager Bruce Bochy said Sborz looked sharp but didn’t have an update on the next step for the reliever.

UP NEXT

Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (13-6, 3.77 ERA), who has a 2.83 ERA in eight career starts against the Rangers, faces them in the middle game of the series Saturday night. Trade deadline acquisition lefty Jordan Montgomery (9-11, 3.38) pitches for Texas.

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Bryan Reynolds drove in the tying run in the seventh inning with an RBI single and scored the go-ahead run two batters later on Elly De La Cruz's throwing error the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 on Friday night.

Ke'Bryan Hayes, Henry Davis, Jared Triolo and Endy Rodriguez all had solo homers for the Pirates.

Ian Gibaut (8-4) gave up three hits and a walk in the seventh was victimized by Cruz's errant relay to first on Miguel Andujar's grounder after the Reds got Hayes out at second. Reynolds scored on the play.

“They keep grinding," Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. "They pick each other up. You saw it today. It’s just another bunch of young players. They gave up the lead and came back. They’re doing the little things like running the bases.

“They saw what a playoff game was going to look like. Both teams used seven pitchers. There was big crowd that was really into it."

Rodriguez is all in on the Pirates' future.

“It was a lot of fun," Rodriguez said. "We’re going to the playoffs next year. Look at all the talent. This game made me feel like the playoffs.”

The Reds dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the last wild-card spot in the National League. The Cubs shut out Colorado 6-0 earlier. The Reds were eliminated from the National League Central race but Milwaukee's win over Miami allowed the Reds to stay a half-game behind the Marlins in the wild-card race behind the Cubs.

“The way that game went on back and forth, we thought all along it would end up differently,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Solo homers were the difference. Give them credit there. We just have to keep going.”

Rookie Andrew Abbott gave up solo shots to Hayes in the fourth and Davis in the fifth. It was the 15th for Hayes and sixth for Davis. Abbott gave up four hits and struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings. Buck Farmer gave up Triolo's third home run and Rodriguez's third as the Pirates took a 4-3 lead in the sixth.

TJ Friedl had a two-run homer off Hunter Stratton (1-0) in the bottom of the inning to put the Reds up 5-4 before the Pirates rallied again.

“The mentality hasn't changed,” Friedl said. “We're still in the race. That was a back and forth draining game for both sides. We had every opportunity. We hit them. They hit back. It was one of those games.”

David Bednar got the last three outs for his 37th save of the season and 14th in a row.

Andre Jackson started for the Pirates and loaded the bases with two walks and hitting Joey Votto with a pitch but escaped without allowing a run. The Reds left two runners on in the second and fifth.

De La Cruz led off the second with a single off Luis Ortiz, who replaced Jackson after just one inning. De La Cruz swiped his 30th and 31st bases and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jonathan India.

HEAVY WORKLOAD

Abbott has now pitched 161 innings, which is more than the 131 he pitched in his first two professional seasons.

TRAINERS ROOM

Pirates: Colin Holderman was placed on the injured list before the game with a right thumb sprain. RHP Dauri Moreta was brought up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Reds: Joey Votto was hit by a pitch from Andre Jackson above the right elbow in the first inning but remained in the game. ... Matt McLain took live batting practice before the game and is expected to play in two games for Louisville before he is activated.

UP NEXT

Rookie RHP Connor Phillips (1-0) will start for the Reds on Saturday. The Pirates have not named a starter.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm is used to teams intentionally walking Phillies slugger Bryce Harper in big spots to get him. Even Bohm concedes the move makes sense, teams simply don't want to get beat by the two-time NL MVP.

So it looks like teams such as the Mets are going to get beat by Bohm instead.

Bohm followed an intentional walk to Harper with an RBI single in the 10th, J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer in the sixth and the Philadelphia Phillies moved closer to their second straight playoff appearance with a 5-4 win over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Bohm drove in automatic runner Trea Turner with a single to right off Adam Ottavino (1-6).

“I feel pretty good about him getting it done,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel blew his fourth save of the season when Brett Baty took the closer deep in the ninth on a one-out tying solo shot to center that made it 4-all.

Baty's dramatics were all the Mets could muster in the extra innings and they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The final swing that did them in came when Pete Alonso waved at strike three in the dirt against Seranthony Domínguez (5-5) that left the bases loaded in the 10th.

Behind a solid outing from Taijuan Walker, the defending NL champion Phillies moved their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to four. The Phillies, winners of six of eight, are four game ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card.

“As much as you want to scoreboard watch and see how other teams are doing, we're in a good position to just worry about ourselves,” Bohm said.

Realmuto’s homer off Mets starter Tylor Megill not only sent another packed house into a frenzy, it gave banged-up baserunner Harper an easy trot home.

Harper started the rally when Megill skipped a curveball that plunked the slugger’s left knee. Harper appeared in discomfort as he took his base, and seemed pained when his knee clocked second base on a slide off Bohm’s infield single. Thomson stood atop the dugout steps as he would when considering a pitching change, momentarily concerned as Harper bounced on the bag and tested his knee.

Realmuto took care of any further baserunning when he blasted his 20th homer into the left field seats.

Kyle Schwarber added an RBI single for his 100th RBI of the season in the seventh for a 4-2 lead.

Walker gave the Phillies what they needed to see as the right-hander tries down the stretch to shake off a string of so-so outings and solidify his spot in the postseason rotation.

Walker struck out four, gave up two runs and thwarted a rally when he picked off a baserunner at second base in the fifth. He gave up Alonso’s RBI double in the first and Brandon Nimmo’s RBI single in the fifth that made it 2-0.

Nimmo tied a career high with 64 RBIs.

“Brandon's a splendid player like he is,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “He's always attacking something. Little more power this year. He's a guy that's a really good self-evaluator.”

Francisco Lindor made it 4-3 on a solo shot in the eighth for the Mets.

The Phillies have their postseason horse in ace Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola shows recent signs of rounding into postseason form. Walker, though, had allowed at least three runs in each of his last seven starts -- 11 over 12 1/3 innings in his last two. In a three-game playoff series, the Phillies could use lefty Ranger Suárez. Walker has started 193 out of 197 big league appearances making an extended stretch out of the bullpen unlikely. With a couple more starts like this one over the final few weeks, Walker may not be a question mark come October.

“It's one of those things where it's whatever the team needs,” Walker said. “Start, relief, one inning, multiple innings, whatever it is. It's all hands on deck and whatever's needed.”

WELCOME TO THE TEAM

The Phillies called up RHP Orion Kerkering from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. The 22-year-old Kerkering went 4-1 with 14 saves and a 1.51 ERA across 49 relief appearances with four different minor league teams this season.

Kerkering is eligible for the postseason.

WALL OF FAME

The Phillies inducted former third baseman Scott Rolen into the team's Wall of Fame. Rolen, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July, spent parts of the first seven seasons of his 17-year major league career with the Phillies.

He hit .282 with a .373 on-base percentage and a .504 slugging percentage. He had 207 doubles, 150 home runs, 559 RBIs, 426 walks, 533 runs and 71 stolen bases with the Phillies.

UP NEXT

The Mets will send LHP Jose Quintana (3-5, 3.02 ERA) to the mound against Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (12-6, 3.63 ERA).

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. joined the exclusive 40-40 club, pitcher Charlie Morton left the game in the first inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-6 on Friday night.

With the win, Atlanta moves four games ahead of the Dodgers for the top seed in the National League. The Braves hold the tiebreaker over Los Angeles based on a 4-3 season series.

Acuna’s 40th homer led off the game against Nats left-hander Patrick Corbin. The blast was Acuna’s 34th leadoff home run in his career and eighth this season. He is the first player to have 40 homers and at least 60 stolen bases in one season.

“I am extremely happy," Acuna said through a translator. "Honestly, rounding the bases I don’t know if I was more nervous or excited.

“It’s pretty incredible and just think of how many players have played in the big leagues and my name is alone. But I’m hoping, and I’m sure someone will break that record, too.”

Acuna joins Alphonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996) and Jose Canseco (1988) in hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases.

“It’s elite company, that’s for sure,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m just glad I got a front row seat to watch it.”

Acuna also doubled and scored three runs. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, with eight homers and 15 RBIs in that span. His 143 runs scored are the most since Rodriguez also tallied 143 runs in his 2007 MVP campaign.

“He’s healthy,” Snitker said. “He wasn’t healthy last year and he has been from the get go this year. I think that’s a product of him doing what he can do because he’s healthy again.”

Austin Riley hit a two-run home run off Corbin and finished with four RBIs. Marcel Ozuna added a three-run shot in the seventh.

Morton walked two batters and left the game due to right index finger discomfort after throwing 24 pitches in the first inning. Snitker said Morton will have an MRI on Saturday. The right-hander hopes to be ready for the postseason.

“This is more a question about effectiveness," Morton said. "I can pitch. I can go out there and pitch but the next start I make is probably going to be in the postseason, if I had to guess. It’s not a game in late May or early August. It’s going to be the biggest of the season. That’s where the frustration comes in and the question mark comes in.”

Michael Tonkin (7-2) earned the win with two innings of work, allowing one run. Raisel Iglesias earned his 30th save.

Corbin (10-14) lasted 4 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs on five hits, including both homers, with one walk and one strikeout. CJ Abrams went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs. The Nationals are 7-18 since August 27.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The Braves placed LHP Max Fried on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his left index finger and recalled RHP Darius Vines from Triple-A.

Snitker said Fried can continue to throw and believes the left-hander will be ready to start when the playoffs begin.

“He will be able to come off right before the Division Series,” Snitker said. “Hopefully, he makes his start in that series and he can continue to throw now. It was bad enough where he wasn’t going to make his next start. It’s just kind of unfortunate.”

The Nationals placed RHP Jake Irvin was placed on the 15-day IL with right ankle tendinitis. LHP Joe La Sorsa was recalled from Triple-A.

GOODBYE TO DOO

Nats left-handed closer Sean Doolittle announced his retirement Friday after eleven seasons. He won a World Series with Washington in 2019. Doolittle decided to give up on his season-long rehab after injuring his right knee again this summer in Florida.

“There were times where I have been like, ‘man, I’m never going to play again,'" Doolittle said. “That is sad. But I’ve been so lucky that as I look back on those moments, the gratitude outweighs the sadness.”

NEXT UP

Saturday’s game has been postponed. Sunday will be a split doubleheader at 1:35 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. Snitker said RHP Kyle Wright and RHP Spencer Strider will pitch Sunday but did not reveal order.

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BOSTON (AP) — Masataka Yoshida hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning after Adam Duvall's sacrifice fly, and the Boston Red Sox rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Playing their first game after being eliminated from postseason contention, the Red Sox (76-78) won for just the second time in eight games.

Looking to avoid just their second 100-loss season in 53 years, the White Sox (58-96) lost for the 10th time in their last 13 games.

Red Sox starter Chris Sale went five scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing just three singles and a walk against his former team where he was a five-time All-Star from 2010-16.

“Command was kind of in and out at times, but I made some pitches when I needed to,” said Sale, who missed two months with left shoulder inflammation from early June to August.

“I want to, obviously, do as well as I can every time, but I want to finish the year strong and go into the offseason good, and have a normal good offseason and build up for spring training.”

Chicago right-hander Touki Toussaint, who was claimed off waivers after he was designated for assignment by Cleveland on June 17, gave up a run on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings.

“It felt good to be able to do that, hopefully I can continue to be able to do that,” he said. “You want to finish the season strong. That's the goal for everyone.”

Trevor Story had three hits and rookie Ceddanne Rafaela also had a fifth inning sacrifice fly for Boston.

Duvall’s bases-loaded sacrifice came against Garrett Crochet (0-2) before Yoshida sent his grounder between first and second for the tie-breaking run.

Mauricio Llovera (2-3) worked a scoreless inning for the victory and Chris Martin got the final three outs for his third save.

“I just try to go out and prepare every single day,” said Martin, who hasn't allowed a run in a career-best 20 straight appearances. “I'm not really thinking about the numbers and all that.”

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Chicago scored twice against reliever Garrett Whitlock. Luis Robert Jr. singled, stole second and third before scoring on Andrew Vaughn’s single. Trayce Thompson delivered a go-ahead RBI double to left-center field gap.

LOWLY 100s

The White Sox lost 100 games in 2018, 1970, 1948 and 1932.

BARBIE NIGHT SELLOUT

The Red Sox promotion honored a hit movie of the summer. There was a pink party before the game on the right-field upper deck with T-shirts for fans that purchased special tickets. On its website, the club also called the stadium (Ken)way Park.

The sold-out attendance was 37,102.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: Placed RHP Michael Kopech on the 15-day injured list after he underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his right knee. The team said he’s expected to recover in six to eight weeks. The 27-year-old finished the season with a 5-12 record and a 5.43 ERA in 30 games, making 27 starts.

Red Sox: Placed IF Luis Urias on the 10-day IL with a strained left calf. … RHP Kenley Jansen (Covid-19 list) was in the clubhouse and is expected to be activated Saturday.

UP NEXT

RHP Dylan Cease (7-8, 4.85 ERA) is scheduled to start for the White Sox in the middle game of the three-game set weather permitting. RHP Nick Pivetta (9-9, 4.48) is set to go for the Red Sox.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Three big swings by Aaron Judge resulted in a costly loss for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Judge became the first player in Yankees history with two three-homer games in one season Friday night as New York cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Arizona’s five-game winning streak was snapped, and the Diamondbacks’ lead over the Chicago Cubs for the second of three NL wild-card spots was reduced to one game. Arizona fell to 1-7 against New York teams this season after dropping six of seven to the Mets.

“You can’t make mistakes to him,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s the one guy we talked about pregame that you've got to pitch very tough and to get ahead of him you've got to make pitches and you can’t take anything for granted through the at-bat. You've got to finish the at-bat and make quality pitches all the way through and when you don’t, he hits three homers.”

Judge launched a three-run shot in the third inning and a two-run drive in the fifth off rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt (2-9). The slugger added his third homer in the seventh, a solo drive off Slade Cecconi.

It was the second career three-homer game for Judge — both in the past month. He also went deep three times Aug. 23 at home against Washington to help New York snap its first nine-game losing streak since 1982.

“It’s incredible,” Judge said about becoming the first Yankees player with multiple three-homer games in a season. “You see the list of players that have come through here, the retired numbers out there, but I just tried to do my job.”

Judge became the sixth player in franchise history with multiple three-homer games.

Lou Gehrig, who also hit four homers in June 1926 at Philadelphia against the A’s, leads the Yankees with four such games. Joe DiMaggio and Alex Rodríguez had three, and Tony Lazzeri and Bobby Murcer had two apiece.

“Greatness doing special things,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “Those are things that, kind of the crazy things that happen, but it’s just a special player. Not surprising that he’s on that list.”

It was the 35th time a Yankees player hit three homers in a game. It was the ninth time a major leaguer had three in one game this year and Judge is the only one to do it twice.

Judge went 4 for 4 with a double and tied a career high with six RBIs. The reigning AL MVP got his eighth career four-hit game and first since May 20 at Cincinnati. He drove in six for the fourth time in his career.

Trying to avoid their first losing season since going 76-86 in 1992 during Buck Showalter’s first year as manager, the Yankees moved two games over .500 at 78-76. Still, they are close to being eliminated from playoff contention.

Judge’s first homer gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Two batters after Pfaadt committed an error by misplaying Oswald Peraza’s soft comebacker, Judge lifted a first-pitch sinker into the New York bullpen in right-center.

His two-run drive to right-center in the fifth made it 6-0. After rounding the bases in the seventh, Judge took a curtain call from the Yankee Stadium crowd of 39,143 and tipped his cap as teammate Gleyber Torres stepped out of the batter’s box.

“It was great,” Judge said. “Anytime Yankee fans want to show some love and appreciation, I love it. It was a pretty cool moment right there.”

Judge was left in the on-deck circle when Estevan Florial made the final out of the eighth.

Judge is hitting .267 with 35 homers and 70 RBIs in 100 games this season. He missed nearly eight weeks after spraining his right big toe on June 3 at Dodger Stadium. He returned to the lineup July 28.

The five-time All-Star hit 62 home runs last season, breaking the previous American League record of 61 set by former Yankees slugger Roger Maris in 1961.

In his second start since being claimed off waivers from Seattle on Sept. 14, former Diamondbacks pitcher Luke Weaver (3-5) earned his first win for the Yankees. He allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings for his first victory since July 3 with Cincinnati.

Jhony Brito gave up Christian Walker’s 31st homer in the ninth but pitched 3 2/3 innings for his first career save.

A week after throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Cubs, Pfaddt allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: RHP Miguel Castro was placed on the paternity list and flew to the Dominican Republic. Castro is expected to return Monday for the start of a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox. … Cecconi, who made six appearances earlier this year, was recalled from Triple-A Reno.

Yankees: LHP Wandy Peralta (strained left triceps) was placed on the injured list and will miss the rest of the season. A free agent after this season, Peralta is 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 63 appearances. … RHP Yoendrys Gómez was recalled from Double-A Somerset to replace Peralta and could make a start during the final week. In 19 starts with Somerset, Gómez was 0-3 with a 3.58 ERA. … OF Everson Pereira (hamstring) missed his eighth straight game but is progressing, according to Boone.

UP NEXT

Arizona RHP Zach Davies (2-5, 6.81 ERA) opposes New York LHP Carlos Rodón (3-6, 5.90) on Saturday afternoon, though heavy rain is in the forecast.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays got a big win, while the Tampa Bay Rays lost more than a game.

Chris Bassitt became the American League's second 15-game winner and the Blue Jays beat the Rays 6-2 on Friday night in a matchup of teams holding the top two AL wild-card positions.

Bassitt (15-8) allowed two runs and six hits while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings. He tied Tampa Bay's Zach Eflin for the AL lead in wins.

“Kind of typical him, you know?” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Goes into the seventh. We get in at 3 in the morning, and he's unfazed. Didn't walk anybody. He was really in total control after the first inning, I thought.”

Jordan Romano replaced Jordan Hicks with two on and two outs in the eighth and walked Isaac Paredes on four pitches before retiring Curtis Mead on a grounder to preserve a 4-2 lead. The right-hander then worked the ninth to get his 36th save in 39 chances.

Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer during a two-run ninth for the Blue Jays, who hold the second AL wild card by a game over Houston.

“Obviously, we have a long way to go to get to what we want to do, but I think we're definitely on the right path,” Bassitt said.

The Rays, who have a comfortable lead in the wild-card race and have already clinch a playoff berth, remained 1 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East. The Orioles, who own the tiebreaker, lost at Cleveland on Friday night.

Rays All-Star left fielder Randy Arozarena exited after the fourth inning with right quadriceps tightness. He legged out a double in the first and scored the game's first run on Harold Ramírez's RBI single.

Arozarena is day-to-day.

Tampa Bay center fielder Jose Siri missed his 10th straight game with a broken right hand. Another outfielder, Luke Raley, was placed on the 10-day injured list before the game due to a cervical strain.

After the game, the Rays announced that second baseman Brandon Lowe, who fouled a ball off his leg Thursday, will miss four to six weeks with a fractured right patella.

“There’s a lot to be excited about with this club that we’ve done just a tremendous job of being resilient," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "We’ll be as tested as ever now with some of the guys that we're losing.”

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow (9-7) had given up just one hit and a walk until George Springer had a one-out single in the sixth.

After stealing second, Springer scored to tie it at 1 on Bo Bichette's single that deflected off the glove of diving first baseman Yandy Díaz. Alejandro Kirk picked up an RBI to make it 2-1 on the third consecutive walk by Glasnow, which ended his night.

Kevin Kelly replaced Glasnow and hit Matt Chapman with a pitch to force in a run, then allowed an RBI single to Varsho as Toronto took a 4-1 lead.

“That's how we have to win ballgames,” Bassitt said. “If our pitching is keeping us in games, games like this can happen where we're just going to try to outlast you.”

Mead got the Rays within 4-2 on his first career homer, a seventh-inning drive off Bassitt.

Glasnow permitted four runs, three hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., slowed by knee discomfort, was the DH. He could start at first base Saturday. … 1B Brandon Belt (lumbar spine muscle spasms) is hitting off a pitching machine and could be nearing a return.

Rays: RHP Jason Adam left in the ninth with an oblique injury. … Raley received an injection in the nerve area.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays LHP Hyun Jin Ryu (3-3) and Rays RHP Zack Littell (3-6) are Saturday’s starters.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge became the first New York Yankees player to hit three home runs in a game twice in one season when he connected in the seventh inning Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“It’s incredible,” Judge said after New York's 7-1 victory. “You see the list of players that have come through here, the retired numbers out there, but I just tried to do my job.”

Judge hit a three-run homer in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth off rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt. The slugger added his third homer of the night by reaching the second deck in right field with a solo drive off Slade Cecconi.

“Greatness doing special things,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Those are things that, kind of the crazy things that happen, but it’s just a special player. Not surprising that he’s on that list.”

After rounding the bases, the reigning AL MVP took a curtain call from the Yankee Stadium crowd of 39,143 as teammate Gleyber Torres stepped out of the batter’s box.

“It was great,” Judge said. “Anytime Yankee fans want to show some love and appreciation, I love it. It was a pretty cool moment right there.”

Judge became the sixth player in franchise history with multiple three-homer games.

Lou Gehrig, who also hit four homers in June 1926 at Philadelphia against the A’s, leads the Yankees with four such games. Joe DiMaggio and Alex Rodríguez had three, and Tony Lazzeri and Bobby Murcer two apiece.

It was the 35th time a Yankees player hit three homers in a game.

Judge also doubled during his second career three-homer game — both coming within the past month. He also went deep three times Aug. 23 at home against Washington to help the Yankees stop their first nine-game losing streak since 1982.

Judge’s first homer gave New York a 3-0 lead. Two batters after Pfaadt committed an error by misplaying Oswald Peraza’s soft comebacker, Judge lifted a first-pitch sinker into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.

His two-run drive to right-center in the fifth made it 6-0.

Judge is hitting .267 with 35 homers and 70 RBIs in 100 games this season. He missed nearly eight weeks after spraining his right big toe on June 3 at Dodger Stadium. He returned to the lineup July 28.

“A lot of missed time, a lot of missed opportunities, that’s how I look at it,” Judge said.

The five-time All-Star hit 62 home runs last season, breaking the previous American League record of 61 set by former Yankees slugger Roger Maris in 1961.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

BOSTON (AP) — New Chicago White Sox General Manager Chris Getz is filling out his staff a few weeks into his new job.

The team on Friday named former major league utility infielder Josh Barfield assistant GM, brought in former pitcher Brian Bannister as senior advisor to pitching, and named longtime scout Gene Watson director of player personnel.

The club announced the moves via a press release before opening a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

“We are very pleased to add Josh, Brian and Gene to our baseball operations decision-making and leadership group,” Getz said in the release. “All three are highly respected baseball executives who bring different backgrounds, accomplishments and points of view to our department.”

The 40-year-old Barfield played with San Diego and Cleveland from 2006-09. Bannister, 42, pitched for Kansas City and the New York Mets from 2006-10.

Watson, 54, spent a large portion of his scouting career with the Royals.

Getz was hired on Aug. 31 after longtime executive VP Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn were fired.

Chicago (58-95) comes into Friday looking to avoid it first 100-loss season since 2018 and just it’s second in the last 53 years. The White Sox have only had four in team history.

They have nine games left.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Jared Young each hit two-run homers, Jameson Taillon pitched six scoreless innings and the struggling Chicago Cubs improved their playoff chances with a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies Friday.

Chicago had lost 10 of 13 but it will remain at least tied with Miami for the third and final National League wild card berth. The Marlins will play the Brewers Friday night. Cincinnati, which plays host to Pittsburgh later, was a half-game behind the two teams at the start of the day.

Suzuki singled in the opening inning to bring home Chicago’s first run, then tagged starter Noah Davis (0-3) for his 20th homer in the fourth.

“Yesterday I didn’t get any hits,” Suzuki said through a translator after getting three hits, knocking in three runs and scoring twice. “To bounce back off of that and get a few hits today with a homer is something I’m really, really happy about.”

Young added his second home run in the sixth off reliever Gavin Hollowell and Dansby Swanson had an RBI single in the seventh off Brent Suter.

“The wins, right now, they all feel good; no matter how you get ‘em,” Cubs manager David Ross said after his club stopped a two-game skid.

Taillon (8-10) allowed four hits, walked four and struck out seven to end a streak of seven winless starts. He allowed runners into scoring position in three of his first four innings but worked out of trouble each time.

“This team went out and got me for a reason and I had an opportunity to go out and kind of prove them right,” said Taillon, who signed as a free agent before the season. “Having a good game on a day like today when we really needed it felt really good.”

Drew Smyly and Hayden Wesneski worked the final three innings to finish the shutout.

Davis allowed four hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out four in the first five innings. The last-place Rockies (56-97) have lost five straight and inched closer to the club’s first-ever 100-loss season.

STROMAN WILL START

Ross said All-Star RHP Marcus Stroman will start Saturday; the first time the 32-year-old will open a game since July 31. He spent most of August and early September on the injured list after being diagnosed with a ribcage cartilage fracture.

Stroman (10-8, 3.76 ERA) made a pair of relief appearances during a road series in Arizona after being activated from the injured list Sept. 15.

WELCOME BACK … AND GOODBYE

Colorado’s Kris Bryant, one of the brightest stars on the Cubs’ 2016 world championship club, got a long enough ovation from the home crowd in his first at-bat that he paused to tip his helmet. The roar was almost as loud a few pitches later, however, when umpire Dan Iassogna called Bryant out looking at a third strike. Bryant finished 0 for 4.

SELECT COMPANY

Suzuki is the third Japanese-born major leaguer to hit at least 20 home runs while driving in at least 70 runs in a season; joining Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: Cody Bellinger was struck on the right foot by a bouncing Davis pitch in the first but jogged to first without a visit from a trainer. He remained in the game.

UP NEXT

Colorado RHP Chris Flexen (1-8, 7.19) faces Stroman on Saturday afternoon.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Sept. 23

1908 — In a crucial game with the Chicago Cubs, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants failed to touch second base as the apparent winning run crossed home plate. This resulted in a great dispute and the game was eventually declared a tie and played over on Oct. 8 when the Cubs and Giants ended the season in a tie.

1939 — Brooklyn’s Cookie Lavagetto went 6-for-6 to lead the Dodgers’ 27-hit attack in a 22-4 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Lovagetto had four singles, a double and a triple and scored four runs. He was the only Dodger without an RBI. Dixie Walker, Gene Moore and Johnny Hudson each drive in three runs.

1952 — The Brooklyn Dodgers clinched the NL title, the first time since 1948 that the pennant wasn’t decided in the season’s final game.

1957 — Hank Aaron’s 11th-inning homer gave the Milwaukee Braves a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and the NL pennant. It was the first time since 1950 that a New York team hadn’t finished first.

1979 — Lou Brock stole base No. 938, breaking Billy Hamilton’s record, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 7-4 in 10 innings.

1983 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia recorded his 300th career victory with a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

1984 — The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 4-1, making Sparky Anderson the first manager to win more than 100 games in each league.

1986 — Rookie left-hander Jim Deshaies set a major league record by striking out eight batters to start the game and finished with a two-hitter and 10 strikeouts to lead the Houston Astros past of the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

1987 — Albert Hall of the Atlanta Braves hit for the cycle in 5-4 win over the Houston Astros.

1988 — Jose Canseco became the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season as the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-8 in 14 innings.

1992 — Bip Roberts tied the NL record with his 10th consecutive hit, then grounded out against Pedro Astacio to end his streak in the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1998 — Houston’s Craig Biggio became the second player this century to have 50 steals and 50 doubles in a season, joining Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.

2001 — Sammy Sosa became the first player to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season, but Moises Alou’s two-run shot rallied Houston to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2008 — The New York Yankees’ streak of postseason appearances ended. Boston beat Cleveland 5-4, minutes before the Yankees’ win. The Red Sox victory clinched at least the AL wild card and eliminated New York, which had made 13 straight postseason appearances.

2013 — Alex Rios of Texas hit for the cycle in a 12-0 rout of Houston. Rios finished off the cycle with a triple to right-center field in the sixth inning.

2016 — David Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the first inning to set the RBIs record for a player in his final season, and the AL East-leading Boston beat Tampa Bay 2-1 for its ninth straight victory. Ortiz’s 37th homer came off Chris Archer and raised his RBIs total to 124, one more than Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920. The 40-year-old’s 540th homer, his 300th on the road, struck an overhanging catwalk above the right-field seats.

2022 — Albert Pujols, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season no matter what happened, becomes the fourth player to reach the 700-home run mark - after Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. He does so by going deep twice, first off Andrew Heaney in the 3rd inning and then off Phil Bickford in the 4th for #700. The Cardinals win handily, 11 - 0, over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Growing up in the Boston suburbs, Suzyn Waldman fell madly in love with two things: baseball and Broadway shows.

During the 1950s and '60s, the long arm of AM radio brought both into her home.

“I can still hear Ned Martin of the Red Sox reciting poetry about the mountains in Anaheim,” said Waldman, the pioneer announcer and former star of musical stage who's been calling New York Yankees games for decades. "I can still hear Curt Gowdy with that Wyoming twang.

“Not everyone can remember who their first television broadcasters were — but everyone knows who the radio team was. Everyone.”

Like many fans, especially older ones, Waldman originally got hooked by America's pastime listening to ballgames on an AM signal. In fact, next month will mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Series broadcast to a national radio audience, when Graham McNamee and Ford Frick were among those who called the 1923 Fall Classic between the Giants and Yankees on NBC.

A century later, however, some consider AM stations a dying medium in the modern age of digital technology. Several major automakers are eliminating broadcast AM radio from newer models — prompting lawmakers on Capitol Hill to propose legislation that would prevent the practice for safety and other reasons.

A bill with bipartisan support, the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” is winding its way through Congress.

“Not all change is progress," Waldman said.

To be sure, from satellite radio and streaming services to FM stations and cell phone apps, baseball fans nowadays have all sorts of options for tuning in their favorite team — even all 30 teams — whether their car features AM radio or not.

But those options aren't necessarily free. And it's not necessarily that simple.

Because for generations of fans, the warm memory of climbing into the family car on a hot summer night and finding the ballgame on that dashboard dial, leaning in to listen pitch by pitch with mom or dad over the persistent static of crackling AM airwaves, is the kind of age-of-innocence nostalgia that evokes “Field of Dreams."

“I still like baseball on the radio," John Thorn, official historian for MLB, said in an email. "I suspect that is not only because it is my favorite game, but also because it is a stop-action sport whose rhythms are well-suited to pauses, visualization by the listener, and reflection about the wonder of being 'there' at a distant game.”

Even if the future of AM radio is uncertain, there's no denying its impact on the growth and popularity of baseball.

The marriage dates all the way back to Aug. 5, 1921, when Harold Arlin delivered the first play-by-play broadcast of a big league game between the Phillies and Pirates at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on KDKA.

“Joined at the hip," said longtime New York Mets announcer Howie Rose, who is 69. "What radio has meant to baseball and vice versa is probably the quintessential symbiotic relationship.”

It's a romantic history, too, thick with unmistakable voices and signature calls forever immortalized as the familiar soundtracks to those grainy old highlight reels of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.

And beloved broadcasters, community icons still inexorably linked to their teams even generations later: Mel Allen (Yankees), Red Barber (Brooklyn Dodgers), Ernie Harwell (Detroit Tigers), Russ Hodges (New York Giants), Bob Prince (Pittsburgh Pirates), Chuck Thompson (Baltimore Orioles), just to name a few.

And charming tales, including a young Ronald Reagan, long before becoming the 40th president of the United States, announcing Chicago Cubs games in Iowa during the 1930s by recreating play-by-play at Wrigley Field that was initially transmitted via Morse code.

“Some clubs resisted the advent of radio, as they later would the introduction of television, believing it would deter attendance at the game," the 76-year-old Thorn said. “But like the introduction of night baseball in 1935, radio had already brought major league games to the working class, and especially to women.”

Indeed, AM radio provided a gateway to the game for all sorts of folks at a time in America when ballpark stands were mostly filled with white men.

Before cable television took over, it was the long range of clear-channel AM stations that carried baseball all over the country and gave fans living far from big league cities the chance to follow a favorite team.

“Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson, Atlanta Braves, under the covers. My dad would come in, get on me, and then go, `What’s the score?’ The Braves, that’s the one thing we could pick up,” said 67-year-old Mets manager Buck Showalter, raised on the Florida panhandle. “Listening to Hank Aaron, Rico Carty. I can tell you the whole Braves lineup.”

KMOX in St. Louis, with its powerful signal reaching all over the central and southern United States, spawned countless Cardinals fans from Minnesota to Mississippi and beyond, as Hall of Fame broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Buck described the scintillating exploits of Stan Musial, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and more.

“You think about the teams that first started broadcasting on the radio, whether it was the Pirates or the Cardinals or the Reds, on these enormous clear-channel stations, it definitely grew the game," said 65-year-old Mets announcer Gary Cohen.

"It definitely brought the game home for fans who were too far away to attend in person. At a time when most baseball was during the day and a lot of working people couldn’t attend, they could listen on the radio. So yeah, I mean, the connection between AM radio and baseball is not only one in terms of just entertaining the fans, but also creating fans.”

One of them was Rick Rizzs, the longtime Seattle Mariners broadcaster who spent his childhood on the South Side of Chicago.

“With that little magical transistor radio, that AM radio, you could not only get your teams, but maybe four or five other teams, wherever you were located," said Rizzs, who turns 70 in November.

"So your baseball horizon was expanded, not just the Cubs and the White Sox, but to the Milwaukee Braves, at the time, or maybe when the weather was just right you could get the St. Louis Cardinals or the Detroit Tigers, or whoever was playing somewhere nearby. But because of AM radio, it expanded your chance to hear about all the stars that you had in your mind.”

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers capitalized on two physical and one mental blunder by the San Francisco Giants to win 7-2 Thursday night in the series opener.

The Giants have dropped six of seven on their road trip to fall further out of the NL wild-card race.

Will Smith tripled off John Brebbia (3-1) and Martinez followed with the fly to right. Mike Yastrzemski wasn't that deep when he caught the ball flat-footed and then held it for a moment, apparently forgetting there were only two outs.

That gave Smith time enough to charge home for a 3-2 lead.

“Yaz made a very uncharacteristic mental error,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They usually don't make those kind of mistakes.”

Two wild pitches by reliever Luke Jackson led to two runs for the NL West champion Dodgers in the seventh.

Jackson's pitch went all the way to the backstop, allowing Chris Taylor to score from third after Taylor reached on third baseman J.D. Davis' throwing error. James Outman, who doubled, moved up to third.

Outman scored on another wild pitch by Jackson, extending the Dodgers' lead to 5-2.

“You can’t turn it off and turn it on,” Taylor said. “It’s still the same objective, nothing changes just because we clinched. We’re trying to win games and head into the postseason the same way we started.”

Freddie Freeman singled in the eighth to tie his career high of 199 hits set last year. He then stole his 21st base of the season and scored on Martinez's 95th RBI for a 6-2 lead.

Shelby Miller (2-0) got the victory with one inning of relief.

Former Dodger Joc Pederson homered 430 feet into straightaway center off reliever Alex Vesia to tie the game at 2-all in the sixth.

Dodgers rookie Emmet Sheehan retired the first 10 batters he faced, striking out eight. Wilmer Flores walked on a 3-2 pitch before Pederson grounded into a double play to end the fourth.

“I build confidence every start, but for sure the last two have been great,” Sheehan said. “That's helped me a lot.”

Sheehan loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. He hit Yastrzemski and walked Marco Luciano and Blake Sabol back-to-back. After a visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, Sheehan walked Tyler Fitzgerald on eight pitches to force in the Giants' first run.

“When he got to that fifth inning there was a little bit of running low on fuel in the tank,” Roberts said.

With the bases loaded again, Vesia replaced Sheehan and struck out pinch-hitter Davis to end the long inning.

Sheehan allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings, struck out a season-high nine and walked four. He hasn't given up a hit in two starts and 10 2/3 innings against the Giants.

He has pitched himself into the Dodgers' postseason conversation.

“He’s probably got one of the top fastballs in our organization,” Roberts said. “He’s doing his part in kind of handling himself in big spots in big games against good teams.”

Sheehan said he's ready “for anything they want me to do.”

The Dodgers led 2-0 on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly in the third and Martinez's 30th homer in the fourth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford (right hamstring strain) will have treatment through the weekend and be reevaluated next week. ... RHP Alex Cobb (left hip impingement) is not doing any baseball activity and will be reevaluated next week.

LIKE SON, LIKE MOTHER

Brusdar Graterol’s mother, Ysmalia, tossed out the first pitch two nights after seeing her son pitch in the major leagues for the first time.

“Now we know where he gets it,” public address announcer Todd Leitz said after Ysmalia stood atop the mound and fired a rocket to her son behind the plate.

The crowd cheered as they shared an embrace.

Graterol was reunited with his mother for the first time in seven years Sunday when she arrived from Venezuela She plans to be in the U.S. through at least the end of the postseason.

UP NEXT

LHP Sean Manaea (6-6, 4.82 ERA) goes for the Giants on Friday. LHP Caleb Ferguson (7-3, 2.56) will be the Dodgers' opener.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tarik Skubal had a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven strong innings for his fourth consecutive win, and the Detroit Tigers handed the Athletics their eighth consecutive loss, beating Oakland 7-3 on Thursday night.

Kerry Carpenter had his ninth multi-hit game this month and the 34th of the season for Detroit. Matt Vierling added two hits, an RBI and scored twice for the Tigers, who are 6-2 on their final road trip of the season.

“Tarik Skubal set a nice tone for us,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Everything that you like about pitching, Tarik did tonight. He was completely dominant and that came with throwing strikes and being ahead in counts.”

Brent Rooker hit his 28th home run for the last-place A’s (46-107), who need to win their final nine games to avoid matching the 1979 A’s (54-108) for the most losses in Oakland history.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s team committed three errors, hit into two double plays and failed to advance a runner past first base in their latest setback.

Skubal (7-3), who was born in Hayward 20 minutes south of Oakland, had another strong outing for Detroit while pitching in front of a small crowd of 6,160 at the Coliseum. The left-hander allowed two hits, an infield single in the third and a ball that center fielder Parker Meadows appeared to drop but was ruled a hit in the second inning.

Skubal walked one and had at least one strikeout in every inning he pitched. He finished one strikeout shy of his career high while winning for the second time in four career starts at the Coliseum.

On Thursday he won there while pitching in front of a large section of friends and family.

“To be able to throw in front of my grandparents, that’s pretty special. Then obviously aunts and uncles and cousins, you don’t take that stuff for granted,” Skubal said. “To be able to perform in front of them and perform well, there’s definitely some motivation.”

Over his last three games Skubal has allowed one run in 19 innings, a 0.47 ERA.

Hinch said there was nothing major that Skubal did to turn his season around, The 26-year-old is simply rounding into shape after missing the first three months of the season recovering from left flexor tendon surgery.

“He’s nasty,” Hinch said. “Probably hard to think of it this way but he’s like in mid-season form because this is midseason for him. He’s kind of catching his stride a little bit as the season’s coming to an end.”

Kotsay, who watched it all from the home dugout, agreed.

“This kid’s really throwing the ball well,” Kotsay said. “A three-pitch mix, and the changeup is a swing-and-miss changeup. Our hitters were in between all night. Late on the heater, ahead of the breaking ball and changeup.”

Tigers reliever Brenan Hanifee retired six batters in his major league debut to complete the game. Hanifee threw a wild pitch that allowed the A’s to score their first run in the ninth before Rooker’s solo drive to center.

Detroit’s offense got going early.

Vierling blooped Luis Medina’s first pitch into right field and landed just past a diving Brent Rooker for a double. After moving to third on a flyout, Vierling scored when A’s shortstop Nick Allen fielded Spencer Torkelson’s grounder then threw wildly to the plate for an error.

Andy Ibáñez followed with an RBI triple that skipped past center fielder Esteury Ruiz and rolled to the wall, scoring Torkelson.

Vierling drove in Parker Meadows when he bounced a single up the middle in the sixth .to make it 3-0 Zach McKinstry followed with a sharp double to right, and Vierling scored when Brent Rooker’s throw was wide and missed the cutoff man for another A’s error. McKinstry then scored on a balk by Oakland pitcher Luis Medina (3-10)

The Tigers led 6-0 following Ibáñez’s RBI single off Mason Miller in the eighth.

Medina, who last won on July 18, allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. He is the first A’s rookie pitcher to lose 10 games or more since 2017 when Daniel Gossett and Jharel Cotton both did it.

WINE FOR MIGGY

As part of Miguel Cabrera’s retirement tour in his final season, Kotsay presented the Tigers slugger with a magnum bottle of wine from nearby Napa Valley. Cabrera, who went 0 for 3 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth after fouling a ball off his left foot, accepted the wine and raised the corked bottle as if taking a drink while walking off the field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: OF J.J. Bleday (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday and could rejoin the big league club next week.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (1-0, 2.70 ERA) makes his third career start Friday night in Oakland. The Detroit rookie had 6 strikeouts in 10 innings over first two games. Athletics LHP Ken Waldichuk (3-8, 5.40) has six consecutive no-decisions going into the game and 15 overall this season, tying the franchise record for a starting pitcher shared by Ron Darling (1993).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Andújar had thee hits and drove in three runs, Joshua Palacios hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates held off a late rally by the slumping Chicago Cubs to win 8-6 on Thursday night.

The loss was the 10th in the last 13 games for the Cubs, who fell into a tie with Miami for the final NL wild-card spot.

“We didn’t play our style of baseball,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “When we hit, we didn’t pitch. Some calls didn’t go our way. We’re not going to win when we don’t play clean baseball. Guys that don’t make mistakes, made mistakes. That’s just where we’re at right now.

“We got nine games left to play our style of baseball. We got to play better.”

Pittsburgh's Johan Oviedo (9-14) threw six scoreless innings, giving up four hits. The right-hander walked five but escaped trouble on multiple occasions and held the Cubs hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae each drove in a run for the Pirates, whose bullpen surrendered six runs in the last three innings.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the third when an error by shortstop Dansby Swanson on a potential double play set the stage for Andújar to drive in Joe and Bryan Reynolds with a two-out double into the right-center field gap.

Andújar knocked in another run in the fifth. His hits and RBIs all came against Kyle Hendricks (6-8), who went six innings and gave up seven hits and three runs (one earned).

“Obviously a little frustration, but no panic at all,” Hendricks said. “We still know what we’re capable of. We’re right where we want to be. It’s all in our control. We just got to play fundamental baseball and get back to playing the brand of baseball that we’re used to.”

The Pirates made it 5-1 in the eighth inning when Bae drove in Jared Triolo with a two-out RBI triple. Joe scored Bae with an RBI single before he was thrown out at second.

Mike Tauchman had an RBI double in the eighth and scored later on an RBI groundout from Nico Hoerner to get the Cubs within 5-4.

“This is a playoff-type atmosphere,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The crowd was in the game. They got back in the game because the Cubs kept punching back. I think you saw from our young players that they continue to go, continue to play, continue to execute and it was fun to watch.”

Palacios homered in the ninth to make it 8-4.

Swanson hit a two-run homer in the ninth off All-Star David Bednar before the closer retired the next three batters.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Brandon Hughes (right knee inflammation) is scheduled to make an appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday. ... RHP Nick Burdi (appendectomy) is slated to throw for Iowa on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Pirates: The team has not announced who will oppose Cincinnati Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.68 ERA) on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

Cubs: RHP Jameson Taillon (7-10, 5.27) is scheduled to start against RHP Noah Davis (0-2, 9.58) when Chicago hosts the Colorado Rockies to begin a three-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

73 — Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, 2001

70 — Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals, 1998

66 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 1998

65 — Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals, 1999

64 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 2001

63 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 1999

62 — x-Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 2022

61 — Roger Maris, N.Y. Yankees, 1961

60 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1927

59 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1921

59 — Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins, 2017

58 — Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics, 1932

58 — Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers, 1938

58 — Mark McGwire, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, 1997

58 — Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, 2006

57 — Luis Gonzalez, Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001

57 — Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, 2002

56 — Hack Wilson, Chicago Cubs, 1930

56 — Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners, 1997

56 — Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners, 1998

54 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1920

54 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1928

54 — Ralph Kiner, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1949

54 — Mickey Mantle, N.Y. Yankees, 1961

54 — David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, 2006

54 — Alex Rodriguez, N.Y. Yankees, 2007

54 — Jose Bautista, Toronto, 2010

53 — Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles, 2013

53 — x-Pete Alonso, N.Y. Mets, 2019

53 — x-Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves, 2023

52 — Mickey Mantle, N.Y. Yankees, 1956

52 — Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants, 1965

52 — George Foster, Cincinnati Reds, 1977

52 — Mark McGwire, Oakland Athletics, 1996

52 — Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, 2001

52 — Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians, 2002

52 — Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 2017

51 — Ralph Kiner, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947

51 — Johnny Mize, N.Y. Giants, 1947

51 — Willie Mays, N.Y. Giants, 1955

51 — Cecil Fielder, Detroit Tigers, 1990

51 — Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves, 2005

50 — Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox, 1938

50 — Albert Belle, Cleveland Indians, 1995

50 — Brady Anderson, Baltimore Orioles, 1996

50 — Greg Vaughn, San Diego Padres, 1998

50 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 2000

50 — Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers, 2007

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ramón Laureano drew a bases-loaded walk off Jacob Webb for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, sending the Cleveland Guardians to a 5-2 victory over the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

The Guardians scored three times in the bottom of the eighth — all charged to Cionel Pérez (4-2) — immediately after the Orioles tied the game with two in the top half. Bo Naylor’s run-scoring single and Gabriel Arias’ RBI grounder followed Laureano’s walk that plated Josh Naylor.

“Cionel has been absolutely exceptional for us, but he just had an off-night,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Give our guys credit for coming back and scoring two, but we didn’t do anything early offensively to help us out.”

The Orioles, who are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2016, hold a 1 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the division and for the best record in the AL. The Rays beat the Angels 5-4 earlier in the day.

Trevor Stephan (7-7) gave up two runs in one inning and Emmanuel Clase picked up his major league-best 42nd save in 53 opportunities for Cleveland, which has eight games remaining and trails first-place Minnesota by 8 1/2 games in the AL Central.

“It’s awesome watching Emmanuel,” Guardians starter Hunter Gaddis said. “I wish I had a 100 mph cutter like he does. That would be sick.”

The Guardians did not have an extra-base hit in the game and scored just one of their three eighth-inning runs on a single. Bo Naylor’s high fly to short right field bounced off the glove of second baseman Adam Frazier, but was ruled a hit.

“We had a pop-up and kind of an 18-hopper towards first base in the eighth, but we also didn’t chase anything,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “Pérez had a real good, I don’t know if it’s a split or changeup, but we didn’t chase it.”

The Orioles trailed 2-0 until the top of the eighth, when they scored twice against Stephan. Ryan O’Hearn doubled in Adley Rutschman with the tying run, one batter after Anthony Santander brought home Ramón Urías.

Cleveland opened the scoring in the fifth with two runs off rookie Grayson Rodriguez. José Ramírez singled in Bo Naylor and a sacrifice fly by Josh Naylor scored Steven Kwan.

“I thought Grayson had a good start and he threw well,” Hyde said. “That’s a pesky team that battles at the plate, so they’re tough to pitch against.”

Rodriguez worked five innings, giving up two runs while striking out seven.

Gaddis allowed one hit in three innings, exiting shortly after being struck on the upper right calf by Rutschman’s liner.

“My leg doesn’t feel great, that’s for sure,” Gaddis said. “Outside of that, everything felt good today. My body and my pitches.”

Hyde managed his 700th career game, 699 of them with the Orioles.

IN THE MIX

Hyde is keeping a close eye on RHP Tyler Wells, who was optioned to the minors on July 30. The 6-foot-8 starter has pitched in 10 total games for Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie, posting a 5.52 ERA without a decision.

“He’s definitely an option for us down the stretch,” Hyde said.

Wells went 7-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 appearances before being sent down, winning just once in his final seven starts for Baltimore.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle (left shoulder inflammation) could return from the 10-day injured list when first eligible to be activated on Sept. 27. Mountcastle sat out six straight games with the ailment before being placed on the IL.

Guardians: RHP Triston McKenzie (right elbow sprain), who has been on the IL since June 14, is slated to start Sunday against Baltimore. Francona said McKenzie will be limited to 70 pitches in his first MLB game since June 10.

UP NEXT

Guardians RHP Shane Bieber (5-6, 3.77 ERA) will be activated from the 60-day IL to take on Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (12-5, 4.17 ERA). The 2020 AL Cy Young winner last pitched for Cleveland on July 9, which was its final game before the All-Star break.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos homered and drove in four runs to reach a career-best 103 RBIs in a season, and the Philadelphia Phillies maintained their hold on the top NL wild-card spot with a 5-4 victory over the New York Mets on Thursday night.

Alec Bohm also homered and Bryce Harper added a pair of hits for the defending NL champion Phillies, who opened a seven-game homestand with their fifth win in their last seven game. Philadelphia (84-69) is 3 games ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card.

Mark Vientos homered, and Jeff McNeil singled, doubled, tripled and drove in a run for the Mets.

Castellanos hit a 92 mph fastball from Jeff Brigham (1-3) 454 feet off the facing of the second deck in left field in the sixth inning to put Philadelphia in front 5-4. Castellanos’ two-run single in the first gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead, and he got another RBI in the third with a sacrifice fly. His previous single-season career best was 101 RBIs in 2017 when he was with Detroit.

“It's pretty cool to get 100 RBIs,” Castellanos said. “It means you're getting a lot of at-bats, playing a lot of games and driving in a lot of guys.”

It has been a bounceback season for Castellanos following a subpar 2022 in which he hit 13 homers and drove in 62 runs after signing a five-year, $100 million deal prior to the season.

“I thought he'd be back to his normal self, and this is pretty close, if not better,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said.

He earned his second trip to the All-Star game this season, and his 28 homers are six shy of his career high set in 2021 with Cincinnati.

“Just getting back to my foundation, the things I do every day, the mind set of control what I can control, believe that it's going to be good in the end if I just stay consistent,” Castellanos said of the key to the season.

Philadelphia left-hander Ranger Suárez (4-6) gave up four runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

José Alvarado tossed a scoreless ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.

The Mets pulled within a run in the fourth on Francisco Alvarez’s sacrifice fly and tied it at 4 in the sixth on Vientos’ leadoff drive to left.

New York threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and third with one out. But Craig Kimbrel got Alvarez to pop out foul to first base and struck out Brett Baty.

“We just couldn't get that last one,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said of the tying run. “We gave ourselves opportunities.”

Mets starter David Peterson struck out seven but allowed four runs on five hits in four innings.

FAMILIAR FOES

The Mets and Phillies will face off in six of the final nine contests, with three more scheduled in Philly this weekend before they close out the regular season Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in New York. The Phillies improved to 3-4 against the Mets this season.

WALK MAN

Schwarber walked to lead off the contest, upping his season total to 123 to pull within six walks of tying the club record set by Lenny Dykstra in 1993. Schwarber is second in MLB in walks, trailing only San Diego’s Juan Soto.

UP NEXT

RHP Tylor Megill (8-8, 4.94) takes the mound for the Mets against Philadelphia RHP Taijuan Walker (15-5, 4.40) on Friday night.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Everyone knows about Ronald Acuña Jr., his bid to join the 40-40 club and his MVP candidacy. Matt Olson leads the majors in homers. The NL East champion Atlanta Braves know Ozzie Albies is doing his part, too.

Albies went 4 for 6, including his 32nd homer, and topped 100 RBIs in a season for the second time by driving in four runs, Acuña scored his 140th run of 2023 — the most in the majors in 16 years — and Olson delivered home run No. 53 to lift Atlanta past the last-place Washington Nationals 10-3 on Thursday night.

“What he brings, it's so vital to the whole lifeline of the whole club. I've said for years: ‘You know what? You play the game the way Ozzie does, you’re going to play it right,’” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The kid does everything right on the field. ... Prepares. The work ethic. He’s the model player, really.”

The Braves out-hit the Nationals 18-8, and every member of Atlanta's daunting starting lineup reached base at least once.

Olson raised his RBI total to 132, equaling Gary Sheffield in 2003 for the most by a Braves player since the club moved to Atlanta. Austin Riley, Michael Harris II and Orlando Arcia each collected three hits.

Max Fried (8-1), who got extra rest between starts while dealing with a blister issue on his index finger, allowed one run — on Alex Call’s homer in the third — and three hits in six innings while striking out seven. He lowered his ERA to 2.55.

“Outing felt great. Toward the end, the finger filled up with a little bit of fluid. Drained it. Kind of take it day-by-day,” Fried said. “It's something that obviously happens often. It's more about managing it and dealing with it.”

The left-hander said he enjoys having Albies on the team for more than what the second baseman does in the field and at the plate.

“He’s a little firecracker. He’s always got high energy. He’s always smiling. He always comes to the ballpark and is in a really great mood,” Fried said. “When you see him play with the joy that he plays with every day, its infectious and contagious.”

Acuña, who received some “M-V-P!” chants during at-bats, went 1 for 6 and remained one homer shy of becoming just the fifth player in major league history with at least 40 homers and 40 steals in the same season. He has 39 home runs and 68 steals, including one Thursday.

His triple to left off rookie Jake Irvin (3-7) got the Braves going in the third, and Albies brought him home with a double to right. Acuña is the first player to reach 140 runs since 2007, when Alex Rodriguez got to 143.

Riley, Harris, Marcell Ozuna and Travis d’Arnaud tacked on RBIs as Atlanta batted around. Irvin allowed five runs, seven hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

“You got to attack. You can’t fall behind,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “Jake just fell behind a lot of good hitters. And when you fall behind, you got to give them good pitches to hit. That’s what happened tonight.”

Olson's homer came on reliever Cory Abbott's first pitch of the eighth.

Albies hit a two-run shot off Abbott in the ninth.

“I play hard, no matter what," Albies said. “We can be winning (by) a lot, losing (by) a lot. Doesn’t matter.”

Ks IN RELIEF

Abbott gave up eight hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings — and set a Nationals record by recording eight strikeouts in a relief appearance.

COMMAND(ERS) PERFORMANCE

The new owner of the NFL's Washington Commanders, Josh Harris, threw out the ceremonial first pitch as part of a cross-promotion with the Nationals.

UP NEXT

Washington LHP Patrick Corbin (10-13, 5.00 ERA) starts against Atlanta RHP Charlie Morton (14-12, 3.66) on Friday night in the second game of the four-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole retired the first 16 hitters and pitched eight outstanding innings to strengthen his Cy Young Award credentials as the New York Yankees moved back over .500 with a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.

Cole (14-4) allowed a run and two hits in his longest outing since pitching a two-hit shutout against Minnesota on April 16. He struck out nine, walked none and permitted two baserunners while lowering his AL-best ERA to 2.75.

“He was just dialed in,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought he was putting it where and how he wanted to all night. I don’t know if it was his best stuff but I thought he was so sharp.”

Cole won his fourth straight decision since getting tagged for six runs in an 8-1 loss to Boston on Aug. 19. He also allowed two runs or fewer for the major league-best 25th time this year, improving to 8-2 following a New York loss. The Yankees are 22-10 in his starts.

Cole reached 200 innings for the second straight season and sixth time overall. He also is the only pitcher to reach the mark in five seasons since 2017 and the only Yankee pitcher to reach the mark in the past decade.

“It’s a nice, round numbers that a lot of pitchers shoot for,” Cole said. “It’s a testament to everybody’s preparation behind the scenes and obviously my teammates on the field making plays for me, getting the opportunity to get deep (in games) and pitch with a lead.”

It was the fifth time Cole pitched at least seven innings and allowed three or fewer baserunners, the most in team history.

“He had his good stuff, fastball, slider, cutter,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He was tough tonight, he really was.”

Jake Bauers hit a three-run homer four batters in against Jose Berríos (11-11), Aaron Judge and Estevan Florial added RBI doubles and the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep.

Toronto had its five-game winning streak stopped and is a half-game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three American League wild-card spots.

Cole lost his perfect game bid on his 69th pitch when Alejandro Kirk doubled to right-center. After allowing the hit, Cole struck out Kevin Kiermaier and retired former Houston teammate George Springer.

“I knew he hadn’t given up anything yet, so I guess it’s at least on your mind, but I don’t think you get caught up in it yet,” Boone said. “You just realize how efficient he’s being."

Kirk is 8 for 18 of Cole.

“Kirk just finds a way to get to the center of the ball off me like a lot,” Cole said. “I was convinced the cutter was going to get underneath the bat but I think it was just a little bit too up in the strike zone.”

Cole got two more strikeouts in the seventh by fanning Bo Bichette and Davis Schneider to end the inning at 88 pitches.

Cole allowed his second hit when Matt Chapman started the eighth with a double. Chapman ended the shutout bid by scoring on a wild pitch, but Cole retired Whit Merrifield and Kirk as Clay Holmes warmed up and exited to a nice ovation from the crowd.

Holmes allowed two runs in the ninth on an RBI fielder’s choice by pinch-hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr and a fielding error by Gleyber Torres.

Trying to avoid their first losing season since 1992, the Yankees moved to 78-77 with nine games remaining and avoided getting swept at home by Toronto for the second time in three seasons.

Berrios allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

WEB GEMS

Kiermaier made a diving catch on a sinking liner by Ben Rortvedt to open the seventh and Springer made a diving catch on Torres for the second out of the seventh.

Springer also made a diving catch on a liner by DJ LeMahieu with the bases loaded to end the eighth.

“I know on paper they’re the best in the business,” Schneider said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Guerrero (right knee) was held out of the lineup after an MRI showed inflammation. Guerrero took swings throughout the game, which convinced Schneider he could be an option … 1B Brandon Belt (back spasms) took swings in the batting cage for the third straight day but will not be activated when first eligible on Friday.

Yankees: Slumping OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton took early batting practice on the field and was rested. Boone said there is no consideration to shutting him or Judge down for the rest of the season.

UP NEXT:

Toronto RHP Chris Bassitt (14-8, 3.78 ERA) opposes RHP Tyler Glasnow (9-6, 3.53) in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Friday. Bassitt is attempting to join Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin as the AL’s only 15-game winners.

New York RHP Luke Weaver (2-5, 6.77) makes his second start since being claimed from Seattle last week and opposes Arizona rookie RHP Brandon Pfaadt (2-8, 5.86) on Friday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins added a solo shot, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in the final game of a four-game series.

The Brewers’ magic number to clinch their second National League Central title in three years fell to two with nine games to play.

Milwaukee (87-66) could wrap up the division title as soon as Friday in Miami with another victory and a loss by the Chicago Cubs. The number to just clinch a postseason berth is two over the Marlins.

The Brewers have won eight of their last 11 and 22 of their last 31 games.

St. Louis (67-86) fell to 20 games behind first-place Milwaukee in enduring its first losing season since 2007. The Cardinals, now shut out 12 times this season, have lost seven of their last 11 games.

RAYS 5, ANGELS 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Manuel Margot flared a run-scoring single to right field to complete a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and playoff-bound Tampa Bay beat Los Angeles.

Tampa Bay, which holds the top AL wild card, is 1 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Baltimore, which holds the tiebreaker.

Pinch-hitter Harold Ramírez and Yandy Díaz started the ninth with singles off Angels closer Carlos Estévez (5-5). Ramírez went to third on Curtis Mead’s fly ball and scored to tie it at 4 on Isaac Paredes RBI single.

After Randy Arozarena struck out and Josh Lowe walked to load the bases, Margot delievered his opposite-field game-winning hit that handed Estévez his fourth blown save in 34 chances.

BRAVES 10, NATIONALS 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. scored his 140th run of 2023 — the most in the majors in 16 years — after tripling, Matt Olson hit his 53rd homer and Ozzie Albies went deep for one of his four hits, lifting NL East champion Atlanta past last-place Washington.

The Braves out-hit the Nationals 18-8, and every member of Atlanta’s daunting starting lineup reached base at least once. Olson raised his RBI total to 132, equaling Gary Sheffield in 2003 for the most by a Braves player since the club moved to Atlanta. Albies went 4 for 6, including his 32nd homer, with four RBIs to top 100 in a season for the second time in his career.

Austin Riley, Michael Harris II and Orlando Arcia each collected three hits.

Max Fried (8-1), who got extra rest between starts to avoid developing a finger blister, allowed one run — on Alex Call’s homer in the third — and three hits in six innings while striking out seven. He lowered his ERA to 2.55.

YANKEES 5, BLUE JAYS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole retired the first 16 hitters and pitched eight outstanding innings to strengthen his Cy Young Award credentials as New York moved back over .500 with a victory over Toronto.

Cole (14-4) allowed a run and two hits in his longest outing since pitching a two-hit shutout against Minnesota on April 16. He struck out nine, walked none and permitted two baserunners while lowering his AL-best ERA to 2.75.

Cole won his fourth straight decision since getting tagged for six runs in an 8-1 loss to Boston on Aug. 19. He also allowed two runs or fewer for the major league-best 25th time this year and improved to 8-3 following a New York loss.

Jake Bauers hit a three-run homer four batters in against Jose Berríos (11-11), Aaron Judge and Estevan Florial added RBI doubles and the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep.

GUARDIANS 5, ORIOLES 2

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ramón Laureano drew a bases-loaded walk off Jacob Webb for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, sending Cleveland past AL East-leading Baltimore.

The Guardians scored three times in the bottom of the eighth — all charged to Cionel Pérez (4-2) — immediately after the Orioles tied the game with two in the top half. Bo Naylor’s run-scoring single and Gabriel Arias’ RBI grounder followed Laureano’s walk that plated Josh Naylor.

Baltimore, which is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2016, holds a 1 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the division and for the best record in the AL. The Rays beat the Angels 5-4 earlier in the day.

Trevor Stephan (7-7) gave up two runs in one inning and Emmanuel Clase picked up his major league-best 42nd save in 53 opportunities for Cleveland, which has eight games remaining and trails first-place Minnesota by 8 1/2 games in the AL Central.

PIRATES 8, CUBS 6

CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Andújar had thee hits and drove in three runs, Joshua Palacios hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning, and Pittsburgh held off a late rally by slumping Chicago.

The loss was the 10th in the last 13 games for the Cubs, who fell into a tie with Miami for the final NL wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh’s Johan Oviedo (9-14) threw six scoreless innings, giving up four hits. The right-hander walked five but escaped trouble on multiple occasions and held the Cubs hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae each drove in a run for the Pirates, whose bullpen surrendered six runs in the last three innings.

PHILLIES 5, METS 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos homered and drove in four runs to reach a career-best 103 RBIs in a season, and Philadelphia maintained its hold on the top NL wild-card spot by beating New York.

Alec Bohm also went deep and Bryce Harper added a pair of hits for the defending NL champion Phillies, who opened a seven-game homestand with their fifth win in their last seven game. Philadelphia (84-69) is 3 games ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card.

Mark Vientos homered, and Jeff McNeil singled, doubled, tripled and drove in a run for the Mets.

Castellanos hit a 92 mph fastball from Jeff Brigham (1-3) 454 feet off the facing of the second deck in left field in the sixth inning to put Philadelphia in front 5-4.

DODGERS 7, GIANTS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and Los Angeles capitalized on two physical and one mental blunder by San Francisco in the series opener.

The Giants have dropped six of seven on their road trip to fall further out of the NL wild-card race.

Will Smith tripled off John Brebbia (3-1) and Martinez followed with the sac fly to right. Mike Yastrzemski wasn’t that deep when he caught the ball flat-footed and then held it for a moment, apparently forgetting there were only two outs.

That gave Smith time enough to charge home for a 3-2 lead.

Two wild pitches by reliever Luke Jackson led to two runs for the NL West champion Dodgers in the seventh.

TIGERS 7, ATHLETICS 3

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tarik Skubal had a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven strong innings for his fourth consecutive win, and Detroit handed Oakland its eighth consecutive loss.

Kerry Carpenter had his ninth multi-hit game this month and the 34th of the season for Detroit. Matt Vierling added two hits, an RBI and scored twice for the Tigers, who are 6-2 on their final road trip of the season.

Brent Rooker hit his 28th home run for the last-place A’s (46-107), who need to win their final nine games to avoid matching the 1979 A’s (54-108) for the most losses in Oakland history.

Skubal (7-3), who was born in Hayward 20 minutes south of Oakland, had another strong outing for Detroit while pitching in front of a small crowd of 6,160 at the Coliseum. The left-hander allowed two hits, an infield single in the third and a ball that center fielder Parker Meadows appeared to drop but was ruled a hit in the second inning.

NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got good news Thursday when an MRI on his right knee showed inflammation and no structural damage.

Guerrero was held of the starting lineup for the second straight night as the Blue Jays completed a three-game series with the Yankees. He is day-to-day and could be available off the bench on Thursday night. Toronto opens a three-game series in Tampa, Florida against the playoff-bound Rays on Friday.

“I think having the MRI kind of give him peace of mind was a good thing,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “He knows his body really well. He plays a lot. So he knows when he’s feeling good and when he’s feeling eh."

Guerrero was a late scratch Wednesday and underwent an MRI during Toronto’s 6-1 win.

“I was worried about it, but I found out the results and it was a little bit of relief,” Guerrero said through translator Hector LeBron. “Of course I’m sad that I can’t be in the lineup, try to do my best. I guess I got to take a rest or something but I’ll be OK.

The slugger had been slated to bat third as the designated hitter for the Blue Jays, who are in a close playoff race. Toronto was a game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three American League wild-card spots.

“It's very hard for me not being in the lineup but thank God we're in an OK position right now,” Guerrero said. “We're holding onto a playoff spot. So I'd rather take care of this now and not risk myself losing the rest of the season or a playoff.”

About two hours before Wednesday game, Schneider said Guerrero’s sore right knee has been “barking” for a couple of days and he’s been “grinding” through it.

Guerrero went 0 for 5 Tuesday night in a 7-1 victory and was lifted for a pinch-runner in the ninth inning after reaching on an error. He said he had been dealing with knee pain all season but woke up with the inflammation Tuesday.

A three-time All-Star, Guerrero is hitting .264 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and a .781 OPS in 147 games. He has played 115 games at first base after appearing in the field 128 times last season when he batted .274 with 32 homers and 97 RBIs and an .891 OPS in 160 games.

He became the first Toronto player to win the Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities in Seattle — making him and his dad the first father-son duo to both win the event.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Manuel Margot flared a run-scoring single to right field to complete a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Thursday

Tampa Bay, which holds the top AL wild card, is 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore in the AL East. The Orioles, who hold the tiebreaker, lost to Cleveland on Thursday night.

“We know that the Orioles are above us,” Margot said through a translator. “We can't control what they can do. We've just have to be able to control what we can.”

Pinch-hitter Harold Ramírez and Yandy Díaz started the ninth with singles off Angels closer Carlos Estévez (5-5). Ramírez went to third on Curtis Mead’s fly ball and scored to tie it at 4 on Isaac Paredes RBI single.

After Randy Arozarena struck out and Josh Lowe walked to load the bases, Margot delievered his opposite-field game-winning hit that handed Estévez his fourth blown save in 34 chances..

Margot’s RBI double cut the Rays deficit to 4-3 in the sixth. Paredes also had a first-inning run-scoring double and has 92 RBIs.

Andrew Kittredge (2-0) worked a scoreless ninth to get the win.

The late rally prevented the Rays was dropping two of three to the 69-84 Angels, who stopped a six-game skid with an 8-3 win on Wednesday night.

“We've got to create some momentum here,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Last night was tough, for eight innings (today) it was tough. I'm glad we had the ninth.”

Rays starter Zach Eflin failed in his bid to become the AL's first 16-game winner. The right-hander allowed two runs, six hits and struck out 10 in five innings.

Jo Adell put the Angels ahead 4-2 on his sixth-inning two-run homer off Shawn Armstrong. who entered with a 39 2/3 innings homerless streak.

“I think it was the best we’ve played for a while for three days and to just come out with one win, it’s very frustrating,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “This game isn’t easy. But when you get opportunities to get runs home and don’t do it, (protecting) one run is a tough assignment, to close a game against a really good lineup coming to the top.”

Eflin stayed in the game after taking Jared Walsh's 105.9 mph line drive infield single off his right leg with two outs in the fourth. After Adell walked, David Fletcher lined an RBI single that Lowe misplayed in right field to allow a second run to score as the Angels took a 2-1 lead.

Elfin said he is fine.

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe finished his at-bat after hitting a hard foul off his left knee in the seventh but left after the eighth. He walked gingerly leaving the clubhouse.

“He's sore,” Cash said. “I think he's going to be very sore tomorrow. Nothing other than that.”

Angels starter Griffin Canning gave up two runs and three hits over five innings.

FLASHING LEATHER

Angels 3B Michael Stefanic drove toward the line to snare Margot's 110.1 mph liner in the fourth.

FOOTBALL FRENZY

Rays reliever Robert Stephenson ran sprints in the outfield wearing a San Francisco 49ers helmet on and jersey of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Stephenson is from San Francisco.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: RHP Tyler Anderson (knee discomfort) had his scheduled start Friday pushed back to Sunday

Rays: Cash said OF Luke Raley (neck) is “going to miss some time.".. … Reliever Jason Adam (left oblique strain) returned from the 15-day IL.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Davis Daniel (0-0) will be recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake Friday night to go against Minnesota RHP Pablo López (10-8).

Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (9-6) will face Toronto RHP Chris Bassitt (14-8) on Friday night. Glasnow is 0-3 with a 6.88 ERA in eight ‘starts against the Blue Jays. who hold the second AL wild card spot. Bassitt is looking to join Eflin as the only AL’s 15-game winners.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

PHOENIX (AP) — Rookie sensation Corbin Carroll was all smiles Wednesday, a few minutes after stealing his 50th base of the season, cracking his 25th homer and leading the streaking Arizona Diamondbacks to their fifth straight win.

If the 22-year-old is fazed by September playoff-chase baseball, he certainly hasn't shown it. Ten days remain in MLB's regular season, and the playoff races are hot, particulary in a crowded National League.

“This is the fun part,” Carroll said.

Of course, that depends on which way you're trending.

For every team rising this time of the year, there's almost always another team going in the opposite direction. During their five-game winning streak, the D-backs took three straight from the Chicago Cubs and two more from the San Francisco Giants, two teams backsliding in the NL wild-card picture.

The Giants fell to 76-76 after Wednesday's games and need a minor miracle to get into the postseason.

“These were must-win games and, going back several games, those were also must-win games,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Now, the math is not on our side. Every game is one we have to win.”

The NL wild-card race has been tight for the better part of a month, with the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Marlins, Reds and Giants scrambling to claim three playoff positions. It's exactly the kind of drama MLB hoped for when it expanded the playoff field from 10 to 12 teams before the 2022 season.

Here are some of the other storylines as the long 162-game regular season reaches its end.

The American League playoff race isn't quite as crowded, but it's still a good one.

The Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and surprising Seattle Mariners are in a close fight for the AL West — the three teams were separated by just a half-game in the standings after Wednesday. Simultaneously, all three are contending with the Toronto Blue Jays for a potential AL wild-card spot.

When the dust finally settles, three of the four teams will be in the playoffs. One will not.

“It’s just fun to be playing meaningful games,” Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman said on Wednesday. “Every game matters right now and every win is one step closer to our goal.”

The NL MVP race continues to be an epic showdown between Ronald Acuña and Mookie Betts.

The two have remarkably similar numbers in many respects: Acuña was batting .337 with 39 homers and 100 RBIs while Betts has a .310 batting average, 39 homers and 103 RBIs. Acuña's prowess on the basepaths could push him over the top. The Braves speedster leads all of baseball with 67 stolen bases. Betts has done all of his hitting while providing defensive help in right field, second base and even shortstop.

The two have been so good that poor Matt Olson — who has slugged 52 homers in the middle of the Braves order — probably doesn't have a chance, but he's having a career year nonetheless.

The NL Cy Young race is also close, though San Diego's Blake Snell made a statement with seven hitless innings against the Rockies earlier this week. Snell appears to be the favorite, but Arizona's Zac Gallen, Atlanta's Spencer Strider and Chicago's Justin Steele are among those who could make a case in their final start or two.

Shohei Ohtani is likely a lock for the AL MVP after arguably the best five-month stretch in MLB history.

But Seattle's Julio Rodríguez has at least entered the periphary of the race after a mammoth second half.

The 22-year-old, two-time All-Star, hit .429 with a 1.197 OPS in August, almost single-handedly willing the Mariners into the playoff race. He's cooled off slightly in September, but has still hit 10 homers over the past 30 days.

The Mariners have been one of the best stories in the sport over the past few months. They were sellers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline — sending star closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks — but defied expectations with a great run of baseball over the next 1 1/2 months.

San Francisco's Logan Webb has thrown 207 innings this season after a six-inning outing against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He's the only pitcher in baseball who has thrown at least 200 innings through Wednesday.

There are a handful of other pitchers who will probably reach the mark — including Arizona's Zac Gallen (197 innings) and New York's Gerrit Cole (192) — but it's still remarkable how the starting pitcher workhorse has quickly disappeared from baseball's landscape.

Just ten years ago, 34 pitchers reached the 200-inning mark.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — This time of year, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is usually starting to think about getting some rest for his everyday players and putting together pitching plans for the playoffs.

Not yet this season in what is shaping up for a wild West finish in the American League.

The reigning World Series champion Astros will go into the final 10 days of the regular season with only a half-game lead in the AL West over both Seattle and Texas after all were off Thursday. The Mariners play their final 10 games against those other two teams.

“These tight (races), they can build character. So, let’s see what kind of character we’ve got,” Baker said.

“It’s kind of cool to see three teams fighting for one spot, two spots with the wild card,” Mariners first baseman Ty France said. “It’s exactly how we wanted to finish, and hopefully we can take care of business.”

Seattle opens a three-game series at Texas on Friday night with those teams tied for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot, and Toronto right ahead of them. The Mariners then go home for three games against Houston and four more against the Rangers.

Houston has 85 wins after their walk-off victory Wednesday over AL-best Baltimore to stay in front and avoid being swept at home. That is one more win than the Mariners and Rangers — all three teams have 68 losses.

The Astros pretty comfortably won each of the last five AL West titles determined over full 162-game schedules, including by 16 games last season. They have been to the AL Championship Series six years in a row, even as a 29-31 wild card during the COVID-altered 2020 season. They went to the World Series four times in that span, winning two of them.

Only 39-39 at home, the Astros host 102-loss Kansas City this weekend before going to Seattle and NL wild-card contender Arizona.

“I don’t think it’s going be a problem for us to go out there and focus and win some games,” said Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, adding that their past success should help them.

Texas, already ensured its first winning record since 2016, led the AL West for 148 of the season’s first 149 days through Aug. 26. But the Rangers had lost 20 of 30 games before back-to-back wins over Boston.

“It’s been a heck of a ride ... some steep, steep hills, up and down. It’s unlike I’ve seen, to be honest, when you look at this roller-coaster ride,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, a three-time World Series champion with San Francisco before being out of the dugout the past three seasons.

”But I missed it. ... If you told me I’d been in this situation last year when I wasn’t doing this, I would have done a cartwheel around this ballpark.”

The Rangers have two multiple Cy Young Award winners, but Jacob deGrom (elbow surgery) hasn't pitched since April and trade-deadline acquisition Max Scherzer is on the injured list with a strained muscle in his shoulder. Five of their six All-Stars have been on the IL since that July 11 game, with slugger Adolis Garcia and rookie third baseman Josh Jung the last to return this week.

Seattle and Texas last met the first weekend in June, when the Rangers swept three games at home, including 16-6 and 12-3 wins. The Mariners, who last season made the playoffs for the first time since 2001, were then 29-30 and 9 1/2 games out of the division lead.

While only 1-5 against Texas so far, the Mariners have won eight of 10 against the Astros. Houston went 9-4 against the Rangers, hitting 16 homers and outscoring them 39-10 in a three-game road sweep just two weeks ago to take sole possession of the division lead for the first time all season.

The Mariners had a pair of eight-game winning streaks in August while led by their young star Julio Rodriguez, whose 176 hits are tied with Texas leadoff hitter Marcus Semien for most in the AL. But they lost at least three games in a row three times in September before they swept three games in Oakland this week.

Seattle does have experience with the emotions and swings of a playoff chase. The M's won 90 games each of the last two seasons, just missing a postseason berth in 2021. They won in the wild-card round against Toronto last year before Houston swept them in the AL Division Series.

“You lose two games in a row and oh my god, the sky is falling. And then you win two games in a row and everybody’s, ‘Oh we’re a lock.’ It just comes and goes so quickly,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “After you’ve gone through it once or twice like we've done the last couple of years, you understand it’s just about today's game first of all, then move on to the next day. You really can’t control anything else.”

No team controls its destiny as much as Seattle because of the schedule, though the Rangers will try to seize that same opportunity.

“We’ve got a seven-game set with the team that we need to beat the most," Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. "It's right in front of us. ... It's going to a week full of like just-about playoff baseball.”

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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley and AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins added a solo shot, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in the final game of a four-game series.

The Brewers’ magic number to clinch their second National League Central title in three years is two with nine games to play.

“We're in a good spot right now,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “We're playing well. We're not there yet. Let's take care of business. Right now, it's finish the job.”

Milwaukee (87-66) could wrap up the division title as soon as Friday in Miami with another victory and a loss by the Chicago Cubs. The number to just clinch a postseason berth is two over the Marlins.

The Brewers have won eight of their last 11 and 22 of their last 31 games.

“We're playing solid, all-around baseball in all three areas,” Counsell said.

St. Louis (67-86) fell 20 games behind first-place Milwaukee in enduring its first losing season since 2007. The Cardinals, now shut out 12 times this season, have lost seven of their last 11 games.

“It is what it is,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We've had some injuries. It's been that type of year.”

Wade Miley (9-4) breezed through six innings on 92 pitches. He gave up three hits and only one runner reached second base. He struck out seven and walked two while stranding five runners.

“We're playing a fun brand of baseball and we're close to being where we want to be at,” Miley said. “The intensity has picked up. It's a very talented team. I just go out and pitch. Nothing is done until it's done.”

Miles Mikolas (7-13) pitched into the sixth inning, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk. He had lost eight of his last nine decisions dating back to July 27.

“I'm trying to get through the season working on stuff,” Mikolas said. “I'm just going out there trying to have some fun. It's a year to go back and see what I did good and hold on that and change what I did bad.”

Perkins led off the third inning with a home run to right field, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. It was the first home run for Perkins since June 17 at Pittsburgh. He returned to the club Sunday from the 10-day injured list. Perkins had been sidelined by an oblique injury since Aug. 11.

“Up and down the order today, everyone was having good at-bats,” Perkins said. “I try to play my game and play as well as I can.”

The Brewers extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning. Right fielder Jordan Walker misjudged Brice Turang’s ball for a two-base error and followed it with a throwing error, allowing Turang to take third. One out later, Sal Frelick singled to left for the run.

Milwaukee chased Mikolas in the sixth. Willy Adames led off with a double followed by singles by Rowdy Tellez and Andruw Monasterio for a run. Caratini cleared the bases by drilling a 3-2 slider into the right field stands, making it 6-0. It was his first homer since Aug. 11.

“Three-run homers are game changers,” Counsell said. "We've gotten that hit more often."

GOOD PITCHING

The Brewers' three pitchers Thursday allowed six total hits. Milwaukee has not given up double-digit hit totals in 26 consecutive games, the longest active streak or otherwise in the majors this season. It's the longest in MLB since the Washington Nationals did it in 2018. The 1968 Baltimore Orioles had a 30-game streak.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

RHP Devin Williams celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday. The St. Louis native last pitched on Sunday against Washington and tossed a scoreless ninth inning. He has 35 saves this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: Christian Yelich (back) remains day-to-day. He has missed 11 of the last 12 games with his lone game played in that span being last Friday. “I think when he's ready to play, he'll play,” Counsell said. “We've exercised caution.”

Cardinals: C Willson Contreras (left wrist tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day IL after the game. He had an MRI taken before the game. He left Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning. … RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder) is scheduled to throw Saturday. He received an anti-inflammatory shot in his shoulder Wednesday to help with discomfort and swelling.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Corbin Burnes (9-8, 3.56) vs. Marlins’ TBA at Miami. Burnes will be making his 31st start of the season and first against the Marlins. Burns is looking for his first win since July 20 at Philadelphia, a span of 10 starts during which he is 0-3 with a 3.69 ERA.

Cardinals: RHP Dakota Hudson (6-2, 5.12) vs. San Diego’s RHP Matt Waldron (1-3, 5.16). Hudson’s last start at Petco Park ended in a 12-2 loss. His own throwing error fueled a seven-run second inning highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Manny Machado and Franmil Reyes.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Sept. 22

1911 — Cy Young, 44, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for his 511th and final major league victory.

1936 — The Detroit Tigers swept the St. Louis Browns 12-0 and 14-0 to record the biggest double shutout in major league history.

1954 — Karl Spooner of Brooklyn became the first pitcher in the majors to strike out 15 in his first game as the Dodgers beat the New York Giants 3-0.

1966 — The Baltimore Orioles clinched their first AL pennant in 22 years with a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City A’s. Their last pennant came in 1944 when they were the St. Louis Browns.

1968 — Cesar Tovar played one inning at each position for the Minnesota Twins, becoming the second major leaguer in history to do it. Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A’s was the other.

1969 — Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants became the second player to hit 600 career home runs — joining Babe Ruth. The two-run shot off San Diego’s Mike Corkins in the seventh inning, gave the Giants a 4-2 win.

1973 — Baltimore’s Al Bumbry tied the major-league record with three triples as the Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 and clinched the American League East title.

1977 — Bert Blyleven tossed a 6-0 no-hitter for Texas against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

1986 — Fernando Valenzuela of Los Angeles became the first Mexican to win 20 games, beating the Houston Astros 9-2 while allowing two hits.

1990 — Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs stole his 300th base in an 11-5 loss to the New York Mets, to become the second player with 300 homers, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays was the other.

1993 — Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers faced three Seattle batters before hurting his right elbow. Ryan finished his career with 324 wins, 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.

2000 — Houston’s Jose Lima set an NL single-season record by allowing his 47th homer in the Astros’ 12-5 loss to Cincinnati. The major league record for home runs allowed in a season is 50, set by Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven in 1986.

2003 — Detroit set an AL record with its 118th loss, falling 12-6 to Kansas City. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117) set the record.

2003 — Second baseman Alfonso Soriano broke a major league record by hitting his 13th leadoff homer of the year in the New York Yankees’ 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox.

2006 — Alfonso Soriano became baseball’s first 40-40-40 player in Washington’s 3-2 win over the New York Mets. Soriano hit his 40th double and stole his 41st base. With 45 homers, he already was only the fourth major league player with 40 homers and 40 steals in a season.

2018 — The Atlanta Braves capped a most surprising season by clinching their first NL East crown since 2013, with Mike Foltynewicz taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. A year after going 70-92, manager Brian Snitker and his Baby Braves surged back into the playoffs.

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Sept. 26

1908 — Ed Reulbach of the Chicago Cubs became the only pitcher to throw two shutouts in a doubleheader, beating the Dodgers 5-0 and 3-0.

1926 — The St. Louis Browns beat the New York Yankees 6-1 and 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes. The first game took 55 minutes.

1952 — The New York Yankees clinched their fourth straight AL pennant with a 5-1, 11-inning win over the Philadelphia A’s.

1961 — Roger Maris tied Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record with his 60th homer, off Baltimore’s Jack Fisher.

1981 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros became the first player to pitch five no-hitters, hurling a 5-0 victory over Los Angeles at the Astrodome.

1983 — Bob Forsch of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched the second no-hitter of his career by defeating Montreal 3-0.

1993 — Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners became the eighth pitcher to strike out 300 batters in a season with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of a 3-2, 12-inning loss to Oakland.

1998 — Curt Schilling became the fifth pitcher to strike out 300 batters in consecutive seasons when he fanned Kevin Orie in the seventh inning of Philadelphia’s 4-3 loss to Florida in the first game of a doubleheader.

2000 — The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 7-1 to clinch the NL East and win their record ninth straight division title.

2007 — The New York Yankees clinched their 13th straight postseason appearance, beating Tampa Bay 12-4.

2007 — Michael Young reached 200 hits for the fifth consecutive season with a pair of RBI singles among his three hits and Texas pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2. Young joined Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki as the only players since 1940 with five consecutive 200-hit seasons.

2008 — The Tampa Bay Rays won their first AL East championship when the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees. They became the first team other than Boston and New York to win the division since Baltimore did it in 1997.

2008 — Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki matched Lou Gehrig’s record with his eighth season of at least 200 hits and 100 runs. Suzuki scored his 100th run of the season in the third inning against Oakland. Gehrig reached the marks in 1927-28, 1930-32, 1934 and 1936-37.

2018 — Jacob deGrom was dominant, throwing eight stellar innings and leaving with a major league-best 1.70 ERA as the New York Mets blanked the Atlanta Braves 3-0. DeGrom (10-9) made his final regular-season start, striking out 10 and allowing just two singles against the NL East champions.

2018 — Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez started with eight straight strikeouts to match a modern-era big league record, and the Colorado Rockies routed the Philadelphia Phillies 14-0. By striking out his first eight batters, he tied a post-1900 mark set by Houston’s Jim Deshaies on Sept. 23, 1986, and equaled by the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom on Sept. 15, 2014.

2019 — The Minnesota Twins become the first team to hit 300 home runs in a season.

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Sept. 27

1914 — Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps collected his 3,000th hit in the opening game of a doubleheader, a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees at League Park II. Lajoie doubled off of Marty McHale for the milestone hit.

1923 — Lou Gehrig hit his first homer in the majors off Bill Piercy of the Boston Red Sox. On the same date 15 years later, he hit his 493rd and last off Dutch Leonard of the Senators.

1930 — Hack Wilson hit two home runs for the Chicago Cubs, giving him an NL-record 56 for the season.

1935 — The Chicago Cubs clinched the NL pennant and won their 21st consecutive game with a doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs won the pennant with the opening-game victory.

1936 — Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston played in his only major league game as a late-inning substitute at first base for Johnny Mize of the St. Louis Cardinals. He made one error in two chances and struck out in his only at-bat.

1940 — Rookie Floyd Giebell pitched the Detroit Tigers to a pennant-clinching 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. It was Giebell’s second and last major league win.

1967 — Philadelphia’s Jim Bunning tied the National League record with his fifth 1-0 loss of the season.

1968 — Bob Gibson of St. Louis pitched his 13th shutout of the season for a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros. Gibson (22-9) struck out 11, walked none and held the Astros to six singles.

1973 — The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 in 11 innings as Nolan Ryan struck out 16, including No. 383 of the season, a modern major league record.

1993 — Randy Myers became the first NL reliever with 50 saves in a season as the Chicago Cubs beat Los Angeles 7-3.

1996 — San Francisco’s Barry Bonds became the second player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season. Jose Canseco was the other. Bonds, who had 42 homers, stole his 40th base in a 9-3 win over Colorado.

1998 — Mark McGwire gave baseball a new magic number, hitting two homers to reach No. 70 in the St. Louis Cardinals’ season finale against Montreal. It was McGwire’s fifth homer in the season-ending, three-game series. McGwire’s 70th and final home run of the season was a line shot over the left-field wall on a first-pitch fastball from Carl Pavano in the seventh.

1998 — The New York Yankees won their seventh straight game and ended their incredible regular season with 114 victories. With a .704 winning percentage, the Yankees (114-48) became the first team since the 1954 Cleveland Indians (111-43) to play .700 ball over an entire season.

2000 — Anaheim’s Darin Erstad was 4-for-5 with an RBI in a 9-7 loss to Oakland. Erstad with 99 RBIs, broke the major league record for RBIs in a season by a leadoff batter set by Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra (98) in 1997.

2005 — The Atlanta Braves clinched their 14th straight division title thanks to Philadelphia’s loss to the New York Mets. The Braves began their record-setting streak in 1991 — when they were in the NL West.

2012 — R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win 20 games in more than three decades, matching his career high with 13 strikeouts and leading the New York Mets to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2017 — J.D. Martinez hit his 16th homer in September during a three-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted Arizona to a 4-3 win over San Francisco. Martinez tied Ralph Kiner’s 1949 NL record for home runs in September.

2017 — From worst to wild card, the Minnesota Twins completed a most remarkable reversal. A couple hours after losing 4-2 to Cleveland, the Twins earned an AL wild-card berth the Angels lost 6-4 in 10 innings to White Sox. A season after winning just 59 games, the Twins became the first team to lose at least 100 and then make the postseason the following year.

2020 — Major League Baseball concludes its abbreviated 2020 season, with the postseason field set as the Phillies and Giants are eliminated with losses today. For the first time, two postseason teams have sub-.500 records: the Astros who finish second in the AL West, and the Brewers, who limp into the final wild card slot in the NL, both with records of 29-31. Happiest are the Cardinals whose 5 - 2 win over the Brewers means they won’t need to play a make-up doubleheader against the Tigers today, their place in the postseason having been secured by finishing second in the NL Central.

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Sept. 28

1919 — In the shortest nine-inning game in major league history, 51 minutes, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1.

1920 — A grand jury indicted eight members of the Chicago White Sox on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series in the “Black Sox Scandal.”

1938 — Gabby Hartnett hit his famous “Homer in the Gloamin’” in the ninth inning against Mace Brown to give the Chicago Cubs a 6-5 victory, their ninth straight, at Wrigley Field. It was a key triumph en route to the Cubs’ NL pennant.

1941 — Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s to finish the season with a .406 average. No player has batted .400 since.

1951 — Allie Reynolds pitched his second no-hitter of the season as the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 8-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. The Yankees clinched the AL pennant with an 11-3 victory in the nightcap.

1960 — Ted Williams homered in his final major league plate appearance, against Baltimore’s Jack Fisher. Williams did not take a curtain call, but he trotted out to left field in the ninth and was replaced immediately by Carroll Hardy and retired to a standing ovation. It was Williams’ 521st career home run. The Red Sox rallied for two runs in the ninth for a 5-4 victory.

1974 — Nolan Ryan pitched his third of seven career no-hitters, striking out 15 batters and beating the Minnesota Twins, 4-0, at Anaheim Stadium.

1975 — Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A’s combined to no-hit the California Angels, 5-0, on the final day of the season.

1995 — Greg Harris of the Montreal Expos became the first pitcher in major league history to pitch with both hands. Harris faced four batters, two from his usual right side and two from the left, in the ninth inning of a 9-7 loss to Cincinnati.

1997 — San Diego’s Tony Gwynn tied Honus Wagner’s record by winning his eighth NL batting title. Gwynn finished at .372, becoming the first player to win four consecutive NL batting titles since Rogers Hornsby won six straight from 1920-25.

2001 — Alex Rodriguez of Texas hit his 50th homer in an 11-2 victory over Anaheim and became the 20th player to hit 50 homers in a season.

2006 — James Loney tied a franchise record with nine RBIs, including a grand slam and a two-run homer, to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 19-11 victory at Colorado.

2012 — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0. The seven no-hitters matched the modern record (since 1900) for one season, tying 1990 and 1991. Pittsburgh (76-81) assured itself of a 20th consecutive non-winning season with the loss, extending its major North American professional sports record.

2016 — John Jaso hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in Pittsburgh’s 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2017 — Giancarlo Stanton homered twice to become the first player to hit 59 in a season since 2001, and the Miami Marlins opened the last series of Jeffrey Loria’s tenure as owner by beating the Braves 7-1.

2022 — Aaron Judge ties one of the most hallowed records in baseball - the 61 home runs hit by Roger Maris in 1961, which still stands as the American League record six decades later. He takes Tim Mayza deep with a man on base in the 6th inning of a game at Rogers Centre, breaking a 3 - 3 tie to lead the Yankees to an 8 - 3 win. While three players have exceeded that total in the National League, all were active in the steroids era and their accomplishment has been tainted as a result - which is not the case for Judge.

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Sept. 22

1911 — Cy Young, 44, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for his 511th and final major league victory.

1936 — The Detroit Tigers swept the St. Louis Browns 12-0 and 14-0 to record the biggest double shutout in major league history.

1954 — Karl Spooner of Brooklyn became the first pitcher in the majors to strike out 15 in his first game as the Dodgers beat the New York Giants 3-0.

1966 — The Baltimore Orioles clinched their first AL pennant in 22 years with a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City A’s. Their last pennant came in 1944 when they were the St. Louis Browns.

1968 — Cesar Tovar played one inning at each position for the Minnesota Twins, becoming the second major leaguer in history to do it. Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A’s was the other.

1969 — Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants became the second player to hit 600 career home runs — joining Babe Ruth. The two-run shot off San Diego’s Mike Corkins in the seventh inning, gave the Giants a 4-2 win.

1973 — Baltimore’s Al Bumbry tied the major-league record with three triples as the Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 and clinched the American League East title.

1977 — Bert Blyleven tossed a 6-0 no-hitter for Texas against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

1986 — Fernando Valenzuela of Los Angeles became the first Mexican to win 20 games, beating the Houston Astros 9-2 while allowing two hits.

1990 — Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs stole his 300th base in an 11-5 loss to the New York Mets, to become the second player with 300 homers, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays was the other.

1993 — Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers faced three Seattle batters before hurting his right elbow. Ryan finished his career with 324 wins, 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.

2000 — Houston’s Jose Lima set an NL single-season record by allowing his 47th homer in the Astros’ 12-5 loss to Cincinnati. The major league record for home runs allowed in a season is 50, set by Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven in 1986.

2003 — Detroit set an AL record with its 118th loss, falling 12-6 to Kansas City. The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117) set the record.

2003 — Second baseman Alfonso Soriano broke a major league record by hitting his 13th leadoff homer of the year in the New York Yankees’ 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox.

2006 — Alfonso Soriano became baseball’s first 40-40-40 player in Washington’s 3-2 win over the New York Mets. Soriano hit his 40th double and stole his 41st base. With 45 homers, he already was only the fourth major league player with 40 homers and 40 steals in a season.

2018 — The Atlanta Braves capped a most surprising season by clinching their first NL East crown since 2013, with Mike Foltynewicz taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. A year after going 70-92, manager Brian Snitker and his Baby Braves surged back into the playoffs.

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Sept. 23

1908 — In a crucial game with the Chicago Cubs, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants failed to touch second base as the apparent winning run crossed home plate. This resulted in a great dispute and the game was eventually declared a tie and played over on Oct. 8 when the Cubs and Giants ended the season in a tie.

1939 — Brooklyn’s Cookie Lavagetto went 6-for-6 to lead the Dodgers’ 27-hit attack in a 22-4 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Lovagetto had four singles, a double and a triple and scored four runs. He was the only Dodger without an RBI. Dixie Walker, Gene Moore and Johnny Hudson each drive in three runs.

1952 — The Brooklyn Dodgers clinched the NL title, the first time since 1948 that the pennant wasn’t decided in the season’s final game.

1957 — Hank Aaron’s 11th-inning homer gave the Milwaukee Braves a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and the NL pennant. It was the first time since 1950 that a New York team hadn’t finished first.

1979 — Lou Brock stole base No. 938, breaking Billy Hamilton’s record, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 7-4 in 10 innings.

1983 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia recorded his 300th career victory with a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

1984 — The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 4-1, making Sparky Anderson the first manager to win more than 100 games in each league.

1986 — Rookie left-hander Jim Deshaies set a major league record by striking out eight batters to start the game and finished with a two-hitter and 10 strikeouts to lead the Houston Astros past of the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

1987 — Albert Hall of the Atlanta Braves hit for the cycle in 5-4 win over the Houston Astros.

1988 — Jose Canseco became the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season as the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-8 in 14 innings.

1992 — Bip Roberts tied the NL record with his 10th consecutive hit, then grounded out against Pedro Astacio to end his streak in the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1998 — Houston’s Craig Biggio became the second player this century to have 50 steals and 50 doubles in a season, joining Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.

2001 — Sammy Sosa became the first player to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season, but Moises Alou’s two-run shot rallied Houston to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2008 — The New York Yankees’ streak of postseason appearances ended. Boston beat Cleveland 5-4, minutes before the Yankees’ win. The Red Sox victory clinched at least the AL wild card and eliminated New York, which had made 13 straight postseason appearances.

2013 — Alex Rios of Texas hit for the cycle in a 12-0 rout of Houston. Rios finished off the cycle with a triple to right-center field in the sixth inning.

2016 — David Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the first inning to set the RBIs record for a player in his final season, and the AL East-leading Boston beat Tampa Bay 2-1 for its ninth straight victory. Ortiz’s 37th homer came off Chris Archer and raised his RBIs total to 124, one more than Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920. The 40-year-old’s 540th homer, his 300th on the road, struck an overhanging catwalk above the right-field seats.

2022 — Albert Pujols, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season no matter what happened, becomes the fourth player to reach the 700-home run mark - after Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. He does so by going deep twice, first off Andrew Heaney in the 3rd inning and then off Phil Bickford in the 4th for #700. The Cardinals win handily, 11 - 0, over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

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Sept. 24

1940 — Jimmie Foxx of the Red Sox hit his 500th career home run off Philadelphia’s George Caster in the first game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park. Foxx’s homer came in the sixth inning after Ted Williams homered. Joe Cronin followed with a homer and, later in the inning, Jim Tabor also homered. The four homers in the inning were a first in the AL.

1969 — The New York Mets clinched the NL East title, with Gary Gentry pitching a four-hitter in a 6-0 victory over St. Louis.

1974 — Detroit’s Al Kaline doubled down the right-field line off Dave McNally of Baltimore for his 3,000th career hit. The Orioles beat the Tigers 5-4 at Memorial Stadium.

1977 — Jack Brohamer of the Chicago White Sox had four extra base hits and hit for the cycle in an 8-3 win over the Seattle Mariners at the Kingdome.

1984 — Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hitter and led the Chicago Cubs to their first league title since 1945 with a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

1988 — Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays, one strike from a no-hitter, gave up a bad-hop single to Julio Franco. Stieb settled for a 1-0, one-hit victory over Cleveland.

1998 — Boston’s Tom Gordon set a major league record for most consecutive saves with his 42nd to preserve the Red Sox’ 9-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

2004 — The Atlanta Braves clinched their 13th consecutive division title, winning the NL East with an 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins. The Braves’ record streak of division championships began with the 1991 NL West title and excludes the 1994 strike-shortened season.

2006 — Trevor Hoffman became baseball’s career saves leader, earning No. 479 to pass Lee Smith and help NL West-leading San Diego beat Pittsburgh 2-1. It was his NL-leading 43rd save in 48 chances.

2008 — Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners to end the season with a major league record 62 saves.

2014 — The New York Yankees were eliminated from postseason contention after losing to the AL East champion Orioles 9-5. The Yankees missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1992 and ’93.

2016 — Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees 3-0 to send New York to its third consecutive shutout defeat — the first time that has happened to New York since 1975.

2022 — The Braves’ Kyle Wright, who had only won two regular season games in four seasons, becomes the first 20-game winner in the majors this year with a 6 - 3 win over Philadelphia. The win moves Atlanta within one and a half games of the Mets, holders of first place in the NL East.

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Sept. 25

1941 — Pete Reiser’s homer and Whitlow Wyatt’s five-hitter helped Brooklyn beat the Boston Braves 6-0 and clinch the Dodgers’ first pennant in 21 years.

1955 — Detroit’s Al Kaline, at the age of 20, became the youngest player to win a batting title, finishing his second season with a .340 average. Ty Cobb was one day older when he won the crown, batting .350 in 1907, also playing for Detroit.

1956 — Sal Maglie of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1960 — The New York Yankees clinched manager Casey Stengel’s 10th and last American League pennant with a 4-3 victory over Boston.

1965 — Satchel Paige, at 60, became the oldest player in the majors, taking the mound for Kansas City and pitching three scoreless innings over the Boston Red Sox. He gave up one hit, to Carl Yastrzemski.

1965 — Willie Mays, who hit 51 home runs in 1955, joined Ralph Kiner as only the National Leaguers to have more than one 50-home run season.

1974 — Dr. Frank Jobe transplanted a tendon from Tommy John’s right wrist to the Dodger pitcher’s left elbow. The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction allowed John to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.

1980 — Oakland’s Brian Kingman lost his 20th game when the A’s were defeated by the Chicago White Sox 6-4. Kingman was the first pitcher to lose 20 games with a winning team since Dolf Luque went 13-23 for the 1922 Cincinnati Reds.

1984 — Rusty Staub of the Mets became the second player to hit homers as a teenager and past his 40th birthday. Staub’s game-winning home run off Larry Anderson to give the Mets a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. Ty Cobb was the other major leaguer to accomplish the feat.

1987 — San Diego’s Benito Santiago set a modern major league record for rookies by hitting safely in his 27th consecutive game in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1998 — The New York Yankees set the AL record for wins with their 112th, beating Tampa Bay 6-1 to break the victory mark held by the 1954 Cleveland Indians.

2001 — Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz became the first teammates to hit three home runs apiece in a game as Milwaukee defeated Arizona 9-4.

2003 — Toronto’s Carlos Delgado became the sixth player to homer in four straight at-bats in one game as the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-8 at SkyDome. Delgado tied the game at 8-8 in the eighth with his fourth homer, a solo shot off Lance Carter.

2007 — Prince Fielder, at 23 years, 139 days old, became the youngest major league player to hit 50 home runs in a season, connecting twice in Milwaukee’s 9-1 rout of St. Louis.

2013 — The New York Yankees failed to make the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years, getting mathematically eliminated during their 8-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

2016 — Jose Fernandez, 24, ace right-hander for the Miami Marlins, was killed in a boating accident.

2017 — Aaron Judge broke Mark McGwire’s major league record for home runs by a rookie, hitting a pair for the second straight day to raise his total to 50 and lead the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 11-3.

2018 — Max Scherzer became the 17th pitcher since 1900 to strike out 300 batters in a season, reaching that milestone by fanning 10 in seven innings during Washington’s 9-4 win over Miami.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reese Olson continues to make his case for being a part of the Detroit Tigers rotation next season.

The rookie won for the third time in his last four starts, combining with two relievers on a three-hitter to help the Tigers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday night and avoid a sweep in the three-game series.

“His mix was incredible tonight against a good hitting lineup. He was relentless in the strike zone,” manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's demonstrating that he belongs and he can do different things to different opponents. When his pitch mix is right he's as good as anyone that we have.

"When you come into Dodger Stadium and pitch as well as he did, he is going to come out with his chest held high."

Olson (5-7) allowed one run on two hits in six innings. The 24-year-old right-hander has given up just five runs in 30 innings over his last five starts.

His only mistake came in the sixth inning when Max Muncy drove an elevated slider into the stands in right-center to trim the Tigers' lead to 2-1.

“To go out there and do what I've been doing these past couple weeks is a good confidence boost," Olson said. "When I am able to mix, I can have success.”

Miguel Diaz went 1 1/3 innings and Will Vest worked 1 2/3 innings for his second save.

Kerry Carpenter had two doubles and scored a pair of runs. The outfielder went 4 for 11 during the series and has hit safely in 36 of his last 44 games.

Tyler Nevin and Carson Kelly both had two hits and drove in a run for Detroit.

Muncy had both hits against Olson. His 36th homer match his career high from 2021.

“It means a lot. It still has been a frustrating season. I know some of my numbers look pretty good but with the opportunities I have had, they should be better,” Muncy said.

Bobby Miller (10-4) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven in six innings for Los Angeles, which had a five-game winning streak snapped.

“It was clear the secondary (pitches) he didn't have feel for it. The changeup was in and out, curveball and slider in and out. The fastball was good. He got some swing and miss with that," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "For him to go six innings and give up two runs and give us a chance to win, that's all we can ask.”

With the loss, the NL West champions remain 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the NL's best record.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead for the second straight night.

Carpenter led off the second with a double to left-center, advanced to third on Andy Ibanez's ground out and scored on Nevin's looping base hit to left-center.

Nevin has hit safely in his last six games and has gone 9 for 23 during that span.

Detroit had the bases loaded in the third with none out in the third, but could only get one across. Carson Kelly had a base hit to left before Matt Vierling drew a walk and Zach McKinstry was hit by a pitch. Dodgers center fielder James Outman made a diving catch on a low liner by Spencer Torkelson, which scored Kelly but prevented any further damage.

The Tigers extended their lead to 4-1 with runs in the seventh and the eighth.

Parker Meadows reached on a throwing error by Muncy to keep the seventh alive. Meadows stole second and scored on Kelly's RBI base hit to left-center.

In the eighth, Carpenter reached on a two-out double to right and scored on Ibanez's single.

Los Angeles responded in the home half when Austin Barnes walked with one out, advanced to third on Mookie Betts' double and scored on Freddie Freeman's grounder.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez is planning on making his scheduled start Sunday at Oakland. He left Monday's game in the fourth inning due to a left scapular spasm.

UP NEXT

Tigers: Open a four-game series at Oakland on Thursday. LHP Tarik Skubal (6-3, 3.25 ERA) goes for the Tigers against Athletics' RHP Luis Medina (3-9, 5.56 ERA).

Dodgers: Host San Francisco for four games in their final home series of the regular season. A starting pitcher has not been named for Thursday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

CHICAGO (AP) — Joshua Palacios hit a three-run homer in a seven-run fourth inning and the Chicago Cubs' postseason drive remained stalled with their sixth loss in seven games, 13-7 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

Connor Joe hit a two-run homer in the sixth as All-Star Justin Steele (16-5) lost his second straight start, allowing six runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.

Chicago (79-73), which has lost nine of 12, remained a half-game ahead of Miami (79-74) for the third NL wild card spot, with Cincinnati (79-75) another half-game back.

Steele was chased in the fourth when the Pirates hit six straight singles. All of the runners scored, with Palacios homering off José Cuas to cap the rally.

“It just seemed like whether they hit it hard or not, they put it in play and turned out to be a hit,” Steele said. “It was just one of them nights.”

Ian Happ’s third career grand slam, a drive off Mitch Keller (13-9) in a five-run fifth, cut the deficit to 8-6. Christopher Morel started the inning with his 24th homer, a 440-drive to left that sailed to Waveland Avenue.

Joe, who had three hits, homered off Mark Leiter Jr. Jared Triolo added a solo shot for Pittsburgh.

Steele has had breakout season and is an NL Cy Young Award contender. The left-hander looked strong through the first three innings, allowing two hits and striking out six.

Then the Pirates offense broke out.

“That was a funky inning,” Cubs manager David Ross said. "It happened fast. It was like his slider flattened out a little bit and they were jumping on pitches.

“Six straight hits, the alarms goes off a little bit. Like what's going on?”

Steele has allowed 12 runs in his last two outings,

“I don't feel like it was two back-to-back bad starts,” Ross said. “Bad numbers-wise, but not bad starts,”

Keller, like Steele a first-time All Star, yielded seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Pirates beat the the Cubs for just the second time in 12 games this season.

Pittsburgh rebounded from a 14-1 loss on Tuesday.

“Obviously, I'm never trying to give up a grand slam or five runs or whatever it might have been,” Keller said. “But I just know we were still winning, I had to keep us in the game.”

Keller struck out six and with 204 for the season became the third Pirates right-hander to reach 200. He is the Pirates winningest pitcher in a season since Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams both had 14 victories in 2018.

Four relievers allowed three hits in 3 1/3 scoreless innings.,

STRO’ READY TO GO

Cubs All-Star RHP Marcus Stroman said before the game he’ll gladly accept any bullpen role down the stretch.

Stroman was activated Sept. 15 after six weeks on the IL, then made a pair of scoreless relief appearances against Arizona. Those were his first bullpen outings since 2014 as a rookie with Toronto.

Stroman was 10-8 through 25 starts with the when he went on the IL with hip inflammation on Aug. 2. He was diagnosed with a right rib cartilage fracture on Aug. 16.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Nick Burdi (appendectomy) pitched an inning and allowed a run in a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. … RHP Brandon Hughes (right knee inflammation) tossed a scoreless inning at Iowa on Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

Pirates RHP Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.27) faces Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-7, 3.77) on Thursday in the series finale.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Tyrone Taylor homered twice and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on Wednesday night to take another step toward their second NL Central title in three years.

“I was doing cage work today just listening to him talk about his approach,” Taylor said of Donaldson. “It’s cool to be around him.”

Donaldson homered off Zack Thompson (5-7), the former AL MVP’s second home run since he was released by the New York Yankees and signed by Milwaukee. Twelve of Donaldson’s 22 big league hits this year have been home runs.

Mark Canha hit a three-run double in the ninth inning for Milwaukee, which began the night six games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs. Acquired from the Mets ahead of the trade deadline, Canha has 30 RBIs in 42 games with the Brewers after getting 29 in 89 games with New York.

Milwaukee has won 21 of its last 30 games.

“We’re just coming in every day, keeping it light, having fun, having a good time,” Houser said. “We’ve got a bigger picture in mind. We don’t just want to get into the playoffs. We want to go and win a World Series.”

St. Louis lost its 85th game for the first time since 1999. The Cardinals (67-85) already were assured of their first losing season since 2007.

Taylor had the fourth multihomer game of his career, hitting solo drives in the fourth off Thompson and in the ninth against Casey Lawrence.

“He's just continuing to put the ball in the air and do damage with it,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “In the bottom of the lineup, that kind of production has changed our offense.”

Adrian Houser (7-4) won his third straight decision, giving up one run and four hits in six innings. Three relievers finished a six-hitter.

“Sometimes when guys might be sitting on a sinker, we'd pop in a four (seamer) there and they're a little off of it because it's a little bit straighter," Houser said. “We did a great job of mixing it up.”

St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras left in the sixth inning with left wrist discomfort.

“This is a guy that just wants to be in there,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Contreras. “He doesn't care where we are in the standings. He's going to wake up and want to win tomorrow.”

Goldschmidt hit an RBI single in the first.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Elvis Peguero was placed on the 15-day injured list with fluid in his right elbow, a move retroactive to Sunday. RHP JB Bukauskas was recalled from Triple-A Nashville

Cardinals: INF/OF Alec Burleson had surgery for fractured left thumb sustained in Tuesday’s game. OF Dylan Carlson had surgery on his left ankle. Both are expected to be ready for next season.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee LHP Wade Miley (8-3, 3.38) will face RHP Miles Mikolas (7-12, 4.84) in the final game of the four-game set on Thursday. The Brewers are 13-8 in Miley’s starts. He is 2-4 with a 2.85 ERA in eight career starts in St. Louis. Mikolas has eight wins against Milwaukee, his most against any team.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

NEW YORK (AP) — Stingy pitching might just carry these Toronto Blue Jays into the playoffs.

Kevin Gausman tossed six shutout innings, outdueling Michael King as they traded strikeouts all night, and Toronto beat the New York Yankees 6-1 on Wednesday for its fifth consecutive victory.

“It's just fun to be playing meaningful games," Gausman said. "Every game matters right now and every win is one step closer to our goal.”

Locked in a heated pennant race, the Blue Jays scored five times in the final two innings and stayed a game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three American League wild cards. Toronto hasn't lost since getting swept at home in four games by the Rangers last week.

“A complete 360," Gausman said. “Coming off the worst series of the year and then sweeping Boston and obviously coming here and winning the first two, it’s been night and day demeanor-wise, clubhouse energy.”

Spencer Horwitz had three RBIs, Bo Bichette drove in two runs and the Blue Jays drew five walks in the eighth from two relievers — including four in a row and two with the bases loaded.

“Guys were patient,” manager John Schneider said. "Loved the way they kind of kept passing the baton.”

That made a hard-luck loser of King (4-7), a converted reliever who set career highs across the board with 13 strikeouts over seven innings on 101 pitches in his seventh start this season. The lone run he allowed came on Bichette's infield hit that glanced off his glove in the third, the last of three consecutive two-out singles by Toronto.

It was the most strikeouts for a Yankees pitcher since Gerrit Cole whiffed 14 against Minnesota on Sept. 7, 2022.

“Pretty special performance by him,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “It's exciting to see. Hopefully a glimpse of what's to come.”

But without much offensive support, New York (76-76) dropped its third straight as its improbable postseason hopes keep dwindling away. The Yankees have mustered only four runs during their skid — and Boone wasn't around for much of the latest loss after getting ejected in the second inning.

He was tossed by plate umpire Lance Barrett for arguing balls and strikes, Boone's seventh ejection this year — tied with David Bell of the Cincinnati Reds for most among major league managers. Boone has been ejected 33 times in six seasons as a big league skipper, all with New York.

“I thought he called a lot of pitches (that were) low and I let him know that and I got thrown out,” Boone said.

Gausman (12-9) bounced back from a wild outing last week, when he walked six over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Texas. This time, he struck out 10 and walked three while scattering three harmless hits.

“He got better with each inning," Schneider said. “He’s as good as they get.”

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three starts versus the Yankees this year. He joined Pedro Martinez (2001) and Chris Sale (2017) as the only pitchers since 1970 with three double-digit strikeout games against the Bronx Bombers in one season.

“We got that one run and it was in the back of my mind and I kind of said, that might be the difference tonight," Gausman said. “It was nice seeing some runs towards the end of the game and kind of separating that lead a little bit.”

Chad Green, Jordan Hicks and Erik Swanson closed it out for Toronto.

Rookie catcher Austin Wells doubled off Gausman and launched his first major league home run into the second deck in right field off Swanson in the ninth.

SLUMPING SLUGGER

Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and has two hits in 39 at-bats over his last 11 games. He is batting .188 this season.

“Terrible,” he said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a late scratch from the lineup because of right knee discomfort. He had an MRI during the game, and the team expects to know more Thursday. “He didn’t feel quite right, his pregame hitting routine," Schneider said. "Just obviously want to be careful with him. So didn’t want to push it today.” ... Schneider said LHP Yusei Kikuchi was feeling good and is expected to take his next scheduled turn with a pretty normal routine between starts. Kikuchi was removed from Tuesday night's outing in the sixth inning as a precaution because of a left upper trap muscle cramp.

Yankees: LHP Wandy Peralta (triceps) was unavailable out of the bullpen. ... Rookie OF Jasson Domínguez had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas. The team said the procedure included the addition of internal bracing, and the recovery process is expected to take 9-10 months.

UP NEXT

In a matchup of All-Star pitchers, Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos (11-10, 3.49 ERA) starts the series finale Thursday night against Cole (13-4, 2.81), perhaps the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday.

The procedure on Greene's non-throwing elbow was performed in Dallas by Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister.

The Tigers anticipate Greene, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft, will be ready by the start of next season.

Greene was injured while making a diving catch on a line drive by Tim Anderson during the fifth inning of a Sept. 1 game against the Chicago White Sox.

The 22-year-old batted .288 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs in 99 games in his second major league season. He missed 34 games earlier in the season due to a left fibula stress reaction.

Manager A.J. Hinch said before Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers that he doesn't want Greene to change his aggressive approach despite a run of injuries.

“I know what’s in his heart and DNA and how he is going to continue to make plays," Hinch said. “He has been on the unlucky side of these injuries and some have been worse than others. We will try to figure out the best way to keep him healthy over the long term.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Drury homered twice with five RBIs and the Los Angeles Angels stopped a six-game skid by beating the AL wild card-leading Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Tampa Bay remained 2 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.

“We were watching the game earlier,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt said of the Orioles' 2-1 loss at Houston. “The situation that we are in, knowing that they lost, we just didn't take advantage of the situation.”

Drury hit a three-run drive off Aaron Civale (7-5) during a four-run second that put the Angels ahead 6-0. He made it 8-1 on his 23rd homer, a two-run drive in the sixth against Erasmo Ramírez.

“Pretty impressive,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “He can really hit.”

Los Angeles had been outscored 38-13 during its skid.

The teams combined to strike out 30 times, including 19 by Los Angeles batters. The Angels' Jo Adell fanned four times, and four teammates struck out three at-bats each.

“If we're going to score eight, we'll take the 19, I guess,” Nevin said with a smile. “It wasn't exactly pretty, but we got it done.”

The 19 strikeouts tied the Rays' record for a nine-inning game.

Civale allowed six runs and seven hits over three innings. Since being acquired from Cleveland on July 31, he is 2-2 and has lasted 5 1/3 innings or fewer in eight of nine outings.

Reid Detmers. who missed his scheduled start Sunday due to illness, lasted just four innings despite being staked to a six-run lead. The lefty allowed one run, three hits and two walks but struggled with his command and threw 96 pitches. He did hold the Rays to 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Tampa Bay converted 2 of 16 chances with runners in scoring position overall.

Issac Paredes had a third-inning RBI single off Detmers, who had a no-hitter in his only other start against the Rays on May 10 last year.

Yandy Díaz cut the deficit to 8-3 when he flared a two-run double down the right-field line in the sixth off Andrew Wantz (2-0). Díaz went 1 for 4 , dropping his average to .322.

Tampa Bay’s Luke Raley will have an MRI exam Thursday on his left arm following a swing while pinch-hitting in the seventh.

“My left arm just kind of went numb,” Raley said. “So, Just kind of had dead arm. We’re going try to get figured out. It’s not super painful. It’s just I feel like I have no strength.”

Raley sat out the previous three games due to neck stiffness.

GRIDIRON WORKOUT

Rays reliever Jake Diekman wore a Nebraska football helmet in the outfield during a pregame pitcher strength drill that involved catching a football while running pass patterns. Diekman is from Wymore, Nebraska.

GETTING ON-BASE

Los Angeles 1B Nolan Schanuel singled in the first to reach base in 24 straight games starting his career. It is the longest streak since current Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli had a 24-game run in 2003 with the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Zach Eflin (15-8) is looking to become the AL’s first 16-game winner Thursday against Angels RHP Griffin Canning (7-7). Atlanta RHP Spencer Strider tops the major’s with 18 victories.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a late scratch from the Toronto Blue Jays' lineup Wednesday night against the New York Yankees because of right knee discomfort.

Guerrero had an MRI during the game, and the team expects to know more Thursday.

“He didn’t feel quite right, his pregame hitting routine,” manager John Schneider said after Toronto's 6-1 victory. “Just obviously want to be careful with him. So didn’t want to push it today.”

The slugger had been slated to bat third as the designated hitter for the Blue Jays, who are in a tight playoff race. Toronto remained a game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three American League wild-card spots.

About two hours before Wednesday night's game, Schneider said Guerrero’s sore right knee has been “barking” for a couple of days and he's been “grinding” through it, but there’s nothing structurally wrong.

Approximately 40 minutes before the scheduled first pitch, however, the Blue Jays announced Guerrero had been removed from the starting lineup.

Toronto rookie Spencer Horwitz was shifted from first base to DH. Cavan Biggio moved from second base to first and was bumped up a slot in the batting order to third. Whit Merrifield was inserted at second base, hitting sixth.

Guerrero went 0 for 5 on Tuesday night in a 7-1 victory at Yankee Stadium and was lifted for a pinch-runner in the ninth inning after reaching on an error.

A three-time All-Star, Guerrero is hitting .264 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and a .781 OPS in 147 games this season. Back in July, he became the first Toronto player to win the Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities in Seattle — making him and his dad the first father-son duo to both win the event.

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — It's the $250 million question: Why has it taken until Sept. 20 for the high-priced San Diego Padres to start playing like everyone thought they would have all season?

The Padres extended their season-best winning streak to seven games by beating the last-place Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Wednesday. Luis Campusano tied the game with a bases-loaded single with one out in the seventh and Ji Man Choi followed with a sacrifice fly for his first RBI with the Padres.

“We kind of proved it to ourselves that it's in there," said shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who hit a walk-off, two-run homer the night before. "Really sad and it sucks that it took long, but I really have no answer for that.”

Campusano and Choi were both pinch-hitting and the moves paid off for manager Bob Melvin, whose Padres have struggled offensively most of this underwhelming season.

Campusano lofted a single to right to bring in Juan Soto, who started the rally with a walk. Choi’s fly ball to the warning track in center brought in Trent Grisham, who was pinch-running for Garrett Cooper, who singled and advanced on Matthew Batten’s single.

“Two really good at-bats when we needed them,” Melvin said. “Our pinch-hit numbers have been horrible this year. A lot of things we have not done this year very well are showing up here during the streak.”

Choi, obtained from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, still doesn’t have a hit with the Padres. He missed 29 games with a left ribcage strain.

“I'm very happy that we got the win overall, but also a little disappointed because I thought it was a pretty good line drive that ended up getting caught,” Choi said through an interpreter.

Said Bogaerts: “You see it today, guys coming off the bench and getting the job done. For the most part of the year, some get it done; more times than not we don't get it done. It's been a grind. I’m sure we all are happy the way we are finishing. We're still hoping for a miracle. We're still in until they tell us otherwise.”

The Padres came into Wednesday 5 1/2 games back in the race for the NL’s third wild-card spot, with four teams ahead of them. The Padres, who have been under .500 since May 12, have nine games left. San Diego reached the NL Championship Series last year and then increased its payroll to about $250 million, the third-highest in the majors.

It took a sweep of the Oakland Athletics, who have the worst record in the majors, for the Padres to win four consecutive games, the last team in the majors to do so this season. They extended the streak by sweeping the Rockies, who have the NL’s worst record.

Asked if there's a level of frustration, Bogaerts said: “In honesty, you’d probably say yeah, right? But it would be worse if we never found it. It's still bad that it took long but at least we figured out what was in there and we’re kind of showing it right now. This is what everyone expected, this is what we expected, to play this level of baseball. It's really tough that it’s this late.”

Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 31st save, retiring Brendan Rodgers with a runner on third. Luis Garcia (2-3) got the win and Rockies starter Chase Anderson (0-6) took the loss.

“We had a walk-off last night and a one-run win today. Next thing you know, we'll win an extra-inning game,” Melvin said.

The Padres are winless in 11 extra-inning games.

A day after breaking up San Diego's combined no-hitter leading off the ninth, Rodgers homered to left-center with one out in the first off Seth Lugo. Rodgers, last year's NL Gold Glove winner at second base, didn't make his season debut until July 31 after hurting his left shoulder early in spring training and needing surgery.

The Rockies made it 2-0 when San Diegan Sean Bouchard singled in rookie Nolan Jones with two outs. Jones singled and took third on Ryan McMahon's single.

Bogaerts hit a leadoff single off Anderson and scored on Soto's groundout. Anderson threw seven no-hit innings in his previous start, against San Francisco. Bogaerts who won two World Series titles with Boston and signed a $280 million, 11-year contract with the Padres in December, had three hits.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: LHP Tim Hill had surgery on his left ring finger to repair ligaments and clean up scar tissue. He will begin a throwing program in six to eight weeks and is expected to be ready for spring training. ... 2B Ha-Seong Kim missed his fourth straight game with a stomach ailment.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Noah Davis (0-2, 9.58 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday in the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs, who are expected to counter with RHP Jameson Taillon (7-10, 5.27).

Padres: RHP Matt Waldron (1-3, 5.16) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of the final home series, against RHP Dakota Hudson (6-2, 5.12) and the St. Louis Cardinals.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit two home runs and saved the game with a brilliant throw as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings, handing the NL East champions their fifth loss in six games.

The Braves rallied from a four-run deficit and had a chance to walk off with the win in the ninth after pinch-runner Luke Williams stole second and third.

Orlando Arcia hit a fly ball down the right-field line that appeared deep enough to bring home the tagging Williams. But Castellanos made the catch in foul territory, spun around and threw home in time for Garrett Stubbs to tag the runner on the right shoulder before his foot touched the plate.

Craig Kimbrel (8-6) claimed the win and Matt Strahm earned his second save.

In the 10th, Bryson Stott lined an opposite-field double down the third-base line that brought home two runs off A.J. Minter (3-6).

ASTROS 2, ORIOLES 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Mauricio Dubon’s RBI single with one out in the ninth inning lifted Houston to the win over Baltimore, helping the Astros avoid a sweep and stay a half-game ahead of Texas for first place in the AL West.

Yainer Diaz doubled to right field off Danny Coulombe (5-2) to start Houston’s ninth, and he moved to third on a groundout by Chas McCormick.

Dubon then singled into the gap in right field to score Diaz.

Closer Ryan Pressly (4-5) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

Anthony Santander drove in Baltimore’s only run with a single in the first inning as the Orioles maintained their 2 1/2-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which lost to the Los Angeles Angels.

TIGERS 4, DODGERS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rookie Reese Olson won for the third time in his last four starts, combining with two relievers on a three-hitter to help Detroit beat Los Angeles.

Olson (5-7) allowed one run on two hits in six innings. His only mistake came in the sixth inning when Max Muncy drove an elevated slider into the stands in right-center to trim the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

The 24-year-old right-hander has given up just five runs in 30 innings over his last five starts. Will Vest worked 1 2/3 innings for his second save.

Kerry Carpenter had two doubles and scored a pair of runs. Tyler Nevin and Carson Kelly both had two hits and drove in a run for Detroit.

Muncy had both hits against Olson. His 36th homer was a career high.

Bobby Miller (10-4) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven for Los Angeles.

DIAMONDBACKS 7, GIANTS 1

PHOENIX (AP) — Merrill Kelly threw 6 2/3 strong innings, Corbin Carroll hit his 25th homer and stole his 50th base of the season, and Arizona won its fifth straight game by beating San Francisco.

Kelly (12-7) gave up one run on three hits, walking two and striking out five.

Arizona’s four-run seventh put the game out of reach. Carroll and Ketel Marte led off with back-to-back homers off reliever Ryan Walker, extending Arizona’s lead to 5-1. Gabriel Moreno and Emmanuel Rivera added RBI singles.

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (10-13) gave up three runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four. The Giants have lost five of their past six.

Carroll is the second player in MLB history with more than 25 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season in an age-22 season or younger, joining César Cedeño, who had 25 homers and 56 stolen bases in 1973.

TWINS 5, REDS 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jorge Polanco's two-run single capped a three-run ninth inning, helping Minnesota overcome Hunter Greene’s 14 strikeouts to beat Cincinnati.

With Minnesota trailing 3-2, Willi Castro singled leading off the ninth against Reds closer Alexis Díaz (9-5), then stole second and took third on catcher Luke Maile’s throwing error. Kyle Farmer followed with a tying single.

Polanco hit a bases-loaded, two-out single off Sam Moll that scored Farmer and Christian Vázquez. Griffin Jax pitched the bottom of the inning for his third save.

Greene allowed one run – Castro’s second home run in two days in the seventh – and three hits with one walk over seven innings.

Jhoan Duran (3-6) allowed a walk with two strikeouts to get the win.

NATIONALS 13, WHITE SOX 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lane Thomas hit a grand slam for Washington in a rout of Chicago.

Joey Meneses and Dominic Smith also homered for Washington, which had a season high in runs and won back-to-back games for the first time since taking three in a row from Aug. 24-26.

Gavin Sheets drove in two runs for Chicago, which has dropped nine of its last 12 games and 14 of 19.

Thomas broke the game open after Jesse Scholtens allowed Luis García’s single, hit Jake Alu and walked CJ Abrams to load the bases in the third inning. Thomas hammered a curveball to left for his 26th home run and second career grand slam to put Washington up 8-1.

Thomas also walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

Josiah Gray (8-12) gave up a run on five hits in five innings and struck out four for his first victory since July 22. Reliever Tanner Banks (0-4) took the loss.

RANGERS 15, RED SOX 5

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien drove in three runs and scored for the AL-best 115th time, Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver hit back-to-back homers and playoff-chasing Texas beat Boston.

Rookies Josh Jung and Evan Carter each added two-run homers for the Rangers, who remain a half-game behind Houston for the AL West lead and tied with division foe Seattle for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot.

Left-hander Martin Perez (10-4) struck out five while allowing three hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Jon Gray.

Boston, last in the AL East after losing 12 of 15 games, dropped its fifth consecutive series even after jumping ahead 4-0. Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer in the first and Bobby Dalbec had a leadoff shot in the second.

The first seven Texas batters reached base in the bottom of the second off Brayan Bello (12-10).

ROYALS 6, GUARDIANS 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nelson Velázquez hit a three-run homer, Angel Zerpa shut down Cleveland in relief of Zack Greinke, and Kansas City rolled to the victory and a three-game sweep.

Zerpa (3-3) got the final out of the fourth inning and allowed three hits the rest of the way. He struck out four without a walk.

Bobby Witt Jr. and Edward Olivares also drove in runs to send the Royals on their final road trip having won six of their past seven games.

Lucas Giolito (8-14) allowed four runs, three of them earned, on seven hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

PADRES 3, ROCKIES 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Luis Campusano tied the game with a bases-loaded single with one out in the seventh and Ji Man Choi followed with a sacrifice fly for his first RBI with San Diego, who beat Colorado to extend their season-best winning streak to seven.

Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 31st save, retiring Brendan Rodgers with a runner on third. Luis Garcia (2-3) got the win and Rockies starter Chase Anderson (0-6) took the loss.

A day after breaking up San Diego’s combined no-hitter leading off the ninth, Rodgers homered to left-center with one out in the first off Seth Lugo.

The Rockies made it 2-0 when Sean Bouchard singled in rookie Nolan Jones with two outs.

Xander Bogaerts, who had three hits, hit a leadoff single off Anderson and scored on Soto’s groundout.

MARINERS 6, ATHLETICS 3

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dominic Canzone homered and drove in four runs as Seattle beat Oakland to complete a three-game sweep and maintain their position in the tight AL West race.

Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh added back-to-back homers to give Seattle 200 home runs in a season for the seventh time in franchise history. Raleigh also doubled, giving him 52 extra-base hits, the most by a Mariners catcher in a season.

Seattle remained tied with Texas for the third AL wild-card berth and one-half game behind Houston in the AL West. The Rangers and Astros both won.

Rodríguez reached 100 RBIs, becoming the third player age 22 or younger with at least 30 homers, 30 stolen bases and 100 RBIs in a season, joining Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2019).

George Kirby (11-10) scattered eight hits across seven innings, allowing three runs and striking out three. Justin Topa pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

In his major league debut, Joey Estes (0-1) allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits with two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

ANGELS 8, RAYS 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Drury homered twice with five RBIs and Los Angeles stopped a six-game skid by beating AL wild card-leading Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay remained 2 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.

Drury hit a three-run drive off Aaron Civale (7-5) during a four-run second that put the Angels ahead 6-0. He made it 8-1 on his 23rd homer, a two-run shot in the sixth against Erasmo Ramírez.

Civale allowed six runs and seven hits over three innings.

Reid Detmers lasted just four innings despite being staked to a six-run lead. The lefty allowed one run, three hits and two walks but struggled with his command and threw 96 pitches

Yandy Díaz cut the deficit to 8-3 when he flared a two-run double down the right-field line in the sixth off Andrew Wantz (2-0).

BLUE JAYS 6, YANKEES 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Gausman tossed six shutout innings and Toronto beat New York for their fifth consecutive victory.

Locked in a heated playoff race, the Blue Jays scored five times in the final two innings and stayed a game ahead of Texas and Seattle for the second of three American League wild cards.

Spencer Horwitz had three RBIs, Bo Bichette drove in two runs and the Blue Jays drew five walks in the eighth from two relievers — including four in a row and two with the bases loaded.

That made a hard-luck loser of Michael King (4-7), a converted reliever who struck out 13 over seven innings on 101 pitches.

Gausman (12-9) bounced back from a wild outing last week, when he walked six over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Texas. This time, he struck out 10 and walked three while scattering three hits.

BREWERS 8, CARDINALS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Tyrone Taylor homered twice and Milwaukee beat St. Louis to take another step toward their second NL Central title in three years.

Donaldson homered off Zack Thompson (5-7), the former AL MVP’s second home run since he was released by the New York Yankees and signed by Milwaukee.

Mark Canha hit a three-run double in the ninth inning for Milwaukee. Acquired from the Mets ahead of the trade deadline, Canha has 30 RBIs in 42 games with the Brewers after getting 29 in 89 games with New York.

St. Louis lost its 85th game for the first time since 1999. The Cardinals (67-85) already were assured of their first losing season since 2007.

Taylor hit solo drives in the fourth off Thompson and in the ninth against Casey Lawrence.

Adrian Houser (7-4) won his third straight decision, giving up one run and four hits in six innings.

METS 8, MARLINS 3

MIAMI (AP) — Mark Vientos had his first career multi-homer game, Brandon Nimmo hit a home run, double and single, and New York beat Miami.

Kodai Senga threw six innings of two-run ball while Brett Baty also went deep for the Mets, who clinched the three-game series against the playoff-contending Marlins.

Senga (12-7) gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked two.

Vientos gave New York an early lead with his solo shot in the second, driving a slider from Eury Pérez (5-6) over the wall in left. Vientos connected with his second solo shot off reliever George Soriano in the sixth.

Josh Bell hit a solo homer for Miami in the sixth.

Baty and Nimmo hit solo blasts against off Johnny Cueto in the eighth and ninth.

PIRATES 13, CUBS 7

CHICAGO (AP) — Joshua Palacios hit a three-run homer in a seven-run fourth inning and Pittsburgh beat Chicago, which lost for the sixth time in its last seven games.

Connor Joe hit a two-run homer in the sixth as All-Star Justin Steele (16-5) lost his second straight start, allowing six runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.

Chicago, which has lost nine of 12, remained a half-game ahead of Miami for the third NL wild-card spot.

Ian Happ’s third career grand slam, a drive off Mitch Keller (13-9) in a five-run fifth, cut the deficit to 8-6.

Keller yielded seven runs and nine hits while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings as the Pirates beat the the Cubs for just the second time in 12 games this season.

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dominic Canzone homered and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep and maintain their position in the tight AL West race.

Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh added back-to-back homers to give Seattle 200 home runs in a season for the seventh time in franchise history. Raleigh also doubled, giving him 52 extra-base hits, the most by a Mariners catcher in a season.

Seattle (84-68) kept pace with Texas (84-68) and division-leading Houston (85-68), which both won Wednesday. The Rangers and Mariners are also tied for the third and final AL wild card, one game behind Toronto, which beat the New York Yankees later Wednesday. Seattle heads to Texas for a three-game series starting Friday.

“We’re in a really good spot, I think,” Canzone said. “The pitching is (going) really well, the hitting is coming around. This was a great sign to just be able to sweep the A’s and go into this series a little bit hot.”

Rodríguez reached 100 RBIs, becoming the third player age 22 or younger with at least 30 homers, 30 stolen bases and 100 RBIs in a season, joining Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2019).

“He’s had an unbelievable year, following up a crazy rookie year where he jumped on the scene,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He has been awesome for us.”

Added Rodríguez: “I was helping the team win. That’s what feels really good, to be able to, whenever guys get on base, be able to drive them in and have that good at-bat.”

George Kirby (11-10) scattered eight hits across seven strong innings, allowing three runs and striking out three. The right-hander earned his first win since Aug. 5 against the Angels.

“Felt really good today,” Kirby said. “Just attacked like I usually do and limit the walks and usually good things happen. We hit the ball really well today and played really good defense too. Good team win today.”

Justin Topa pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Zack Gelof and Brent Rooker homered for the A’s, who lost their seventh in a row and suffered their 19th sweep of the year, extending an Oakland record.

The Athletics (46-106) moved within two losses of the Oakland record set in 1979 and fell 60 games below .500 for the first time since 1919.

In his major league debut, Joey Estes (0-1) allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits with two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. The 21-year-old right-hander became the 24th pitcher to start for the Athletics this season, tying the 1915 Philadelphia A’s for the major league record.

"It’s been a crazy journey for me," Estes said. "I’m not really worried about results. I’m happy just to be living in this moment. I’ve worked very hard to get here.”

SEATTLE DOMINANCE

The Mariners finished the season series 12-1 against the A’s, their best record against a divisional opponent in franchise history and Oakland’s worst record against any opponent in a season series of at least 12 games in club history.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Sean Newcomb underwent lateral meniscus surgery on his left knee and is expected to be ready for spring training.

ROSTER MOVES

The A’s optioned RHP Devin Sweet to Triple-A Las Vegas and transferred Newcomb to the 60-day injured list to clear a roster spot for Estes.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Following an off day, RHP Bryce Miller (8-5, 3.88 ERA) opens the critical series against the Rangers.

Athletics: RHP Luis Medina (3-9, 5.56) opens a four-game home series against Detroit on Thursday. The Tigers counter with LHP Tarik Skubal (6-3, 3.25), who has won each of his last three starts.

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PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll swiped his 50th base of the season, followed with his 25th homer and then made a nice, running defensive play to track down a line drive in left field that wrapped up Arizona's 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Just another day in one of the most prolific seasons for a rookie in baseball history.

Carroll had four hits, including a solo homer, Merrill Kelly threw 6 2/3 strong innings and the Diamondbacks won their fifth straight game. Arizona is one game in front of the Chicago Cubs for the second of three National League wild-card berths.

“I'm proud of it, but at the same time, we've talked about this as a team,” Carroll said. “This is the time of the year where we're not worried about personal accomplishments. That's out the window at this point. All that matters is getting the win.”

The Diamondbacks have been winning a lot lately. Much of the reason is Carroll, who is the first rookie to enter the 25-50 club.

The Giants have lost five of their past six, fell to 76-76 for the season, and are 3 1/2 games back for the final playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

“These were must-win games and, going back several games, those were also must-win games,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Now, the math is not on our side. Every game is one we have to win.”

Kelly (12-7) gave up one run on three hits, walking two and striking out five. The veteran right-hander bounced back from a tough outing in New York last weekend, when he gave up seven runs in five innings against the Mets.

Arizona's four-run seventh put the game out of reach. Carroll and Ketel Marte led off with back-to-back homers off reliever Ryan Walker, extending Arizona's lead to 5-1. Gabriel Moreno and Emmanuel Rivera added RBI singles to push the margin to 7-1.

“Today was great,” Carroll said. “It's fun to add those runs late, take the pressure off the bullpen. Those are probably the games that are the most fun.”

Moreno and Christian Walker both had three hits. Alek Thomas added an RBI double. Marte's homer was his 24th of the season.

“It's a lot of players putting the bat down, handing off to the brother behind them,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “Conceptually, we're talking about connecting everything, staying connected at all times through nine innings, and it shows up like this.”

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (10-13) gave up three runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four. The 26-year-old workhorse has thrown 207 innings this season, which leads baseball.

LaMonte Wade Jr. started the game with a homer, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The D-backs responded in the bottom of the first when Walker's infield single brought home Carroll.

The D-backs had 14 hits while the Giants had just three.

SPEEDY AND STRONG

Carroll — one of the leading candidates for NL Rookie of the Year — stole his 49th and 50th bases on Wednesday. The second stolen base coaxed an errant throw by Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, allowing Carroll to advance to third.

Carroll is the third D-backs player to steal 50 bases, joining Tony Womack and Eric Byrnes. Womack stole 72 bases in 1999 while Byrnes had 50 in 2007.

He's also the second player in MLB history with more than 25 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season in an age-22 season or younger, joining César Cedeño, who had 25 homers and 56 stolen bases in 1973.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants SS Brandon Crawford (right hamstring tightness) left the game in the third inning and was replaced by Paul DeJong. ... RHPs Alex Cobb and Keaton Winn were placed on the 15-day injured list. Cobb left Tuesday's game in the third inning with a hip injury. To fill their spots, LHP Kyle Harrison and RHP Sean Hjelle were recalled from Triple-A Sacramento

UP NEXT

The Giants travel to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game series starting Thursday.

The Diamondbacks have a day off Thursday before traveling to face the New York Yankees in a three-game series starting Friday.

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HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros were in desperate need of a win Wednesday after dropping four of five and letting their lead in the AL West dwindle.

Held scoreless through seven innings, things looked bleak before some late-game heroics lifted them to the victory.

Mauricio Dubon’s RBI single with one out in the ninth gave the Astros to a 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, allowing Houston to avoid a sweep and stay a half-game ahead of Texas for first place in the AL West.

“That was a big win,” manager Dusty Baker said. “It was nice to see the guys happy and partying because it’s been a morgue in there for the past two days. That was a huge game.”

Yainer Diaz doubled to right field off Danny Coulombe (5-2) to start Houston’s ninth, and he moved to third on a groundout by Chas McCormick.

Dubon smacked a single into the gap in right field to score Diaz and start the celebration.

“We needed this," Dubon said. “Getting a walk-off win in late September with how the standings are, it’s pretty special for everybody.”

The Astros had just two hits when Jeremy Peña’s RBI double tied it with one out in the eighth.

Closer Ryan Pressly (4-5) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado said nothing had to be said before the game for the Astros to know the urgency they need to play with as the regular season winds down.

“Everybody knows we have to win games and nobody has to say anything for us to know that we’ve got to win games and that’s the bottom line,” he said.

Anthony Santander doubled and drove in Baltimore’s only run with a single in the first inning. The Orioles maintained their 2 1/2-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which lost to the Los Angeles Angels later Wednesday.

Orioles starter Kyle Bradish allowed two hits and struck out nine in six scoreless innings.

Houston’s Cristian Javier gave up five hits and a run while tying a season high with 11 strikeouts in five innings.

“That was the best that Javi has looked this year,” Baker said. “He looked like the old Javier.”

Adley Rutschman doubled with one out in the first before the Orioles made it 1-0 when he scored on a single by Santander.

Javier settled down after that, retiring 10 of the next 11 before Adam Frazier singled with one out in the fifth. Javier walked Ramon Urias but struck out Gunnar Henderson before retiring Rutschman to end the threat.

McCormick singled to open Houston’s third, but Bradish didn’t allow another hit until Jake Meyers singled to start the sixth.

He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Maldonado. Bradish struck out Altuve and looked to have struck out Peña to end the inning. But Rutschman was called for catcher’s interference to put Peña on first and extend the inning. The Astros still came up empty when Kyle Tucker lined out.

“Tough lineup to pitch against, and he was outstanding,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Only gave up a couple hits, worked out of that jam there, got the unfortunate catcher’s interference but a big out against Tucker there to end that inning. He was really good ... and deserved a win.”

Shintaro Fujinami walked pinch-hitter Yordan Alvarez with no outs in the eighth before walking Jose Altuve with one out. He was replaced by Mike Baumann, who was greeted with the double from Peña that tied it at 1-all.

Baumann intentionally walked Tucker to load the bases, but Alex Bregman struck out before Jose Abreu grounded out to end the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday, with left shoulder inflammation. ... OF Ryan McKenna was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the roster.

Astros: OF Michael Brantley missed a third straight game Wednesday with right shoulder soreness. Baker said before the game that his shoulder was still sore, and he was day to day. ... RHP Ryne Stanek, who has been out since Sept. 4 with a sprained right ankle, threw a scoreless inning in his first rehabilitation start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Grayson Rodriguez (6-4, 4.53 ERA) will start for Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series at Cleveland on Thursday night. The Guardians had not announced their starter.

Astros: Houston is off Thursday and LHP Framber Valdez (12-10, 3.20) will start in the opener of a series against Kansas City Friday.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zack Greinke walked off the mound at Kauffman Stadium in the fourth inning Wednesday, acknowledging the ovation from a sparse late-September crowd, and then watched Royals reliever Angel Zerpa completely befuddle the Guardians the rest of the way in a 6-2 victory that wrapped up a three-game series sweep.

If it was Greinke's last start for Kansas City, it certainly was memorable.

The 39-year-old former Cy Young winner allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. And while he departed with two outs in the fourth, which meant Greinke didn't qualify for his first win since May, he did earn his 1,094th strikeout over his two stints in Kansas City, moving him past Bret Saberhagen for fourth in franchise history.

“It's been great to see him to what he's been doing,” the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. said. “What he's done has been awesome.”

It might not be done, either.

The Royals have talked about honoring Greinke during their final homestand, perhaps with a start in the season-finale against the New York Yankees. That could depend on whether Greinke's elbow feels OK after he had trouble getting loose between innings Wednesday; the feeling he could only describe as “not normal” eventually resolved itself.

Asked about the departing ovation, Greinke replied: “It was cool." But he refused to bite on any questions about his future beyond this season, including whether the six-time All-Star could be contemplating retirement.

Meanwhile, Zerpa (3-3) allowed three hits the rest of the way, striking out four without a walk. It was just the latest impressive performance by Kansas City's bullpen, which has been responsible for their last eight wins.

Nelson Velázquez provided half of the Royals offense with his three-run shot in the first. He has 12 homers in 33 games since arriving in Kansas City, and 11 of those have been in Kauffman Stadium, where deep alleys and a 410-foot center field wall make it one of the most difficult ballparks in baseball to go yard.

Witt and Edward Olivares also drove in runs to help send the Royals on their final road trip having won six of their past seven games. That includes their first sweep of the Guardians since April 12-14, 2009.

“Certainly it's way better than the alternative,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Like we've talked about all year, I've been impressed with these guys and the way they've approached it. You know, by no means is anyone in there satisfied with what the total body of work is, but you can only play the games that are scheduled that day.”

Lucas Giolito (8-14) allowed four runs, three of them earned, on seven hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings for Cleveland. The rough outing came after the right-hander tossed seven innings of two-hit ball against Texas last weekend.

“Didn’t really have much of anything," Giolito said. “Just like a grinder.”

Velázquez's three-run shot, which came after Cleveland made errors on its first two defensive plays, made it 3-0 in the first. The Guardians got their only two runs across in the fourth, when Zerpa came in and shut them down to the finish

“We were set up for Greinke and then that kid Zerpa came in and really pitched well,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. "We knew he was tough on lefties, but he got everybody out. He did a really good job.”

CHANGES AFOOT

The Royals are expected to hire longtime Braves scout Brian Bridges as their new scouting director, though they have yet to make an official announcement. The move comes after new White Sox general manager Chris Getz hired Royals senior advisor Gene Watson and could be the start of several changes to Royals GM J.J. Picollo's front office.

STADIUM SITUATION

The Royals are pushing back a self-imposed deadline of the end of September for deciding on a location for their new ballpark. The club is deciding between a new location in Jackson County, where Kauffman Stadium currently sits, and a competing effort from neighboring Clay County. The stadium will be a part of a $2 billion development.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians RHP Triston McKenzie (elbow) could return to the rotation Sunday against Baltimore. He allowed two homers while throwing 62 pitches in his second rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

The Guardians have yet to announce a starter for Thursday, when they begin a four-game series against the Orioles. The Royals also have not announced a starter for the opener of their trip Friday night in Houston. ___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are making their postseason plans without shortstop Wander Franco on the roster.

Franco was placed on administrative leave indefinitely by Major League Baseball last month while authorities in the Dominican Republic investigate the All-Star for an alleged relationship with a minor.

When asked before Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels if the team has to plan for the playoffs without Franco being available, Rays manager Kevin Cash said “yeah.”

The 22-year-old will be paid and receive service time while on administrative leave under an agreement with the players’ association that did not set a timetable for a decision on whether he will be disciplined by MLB.

Franco was placed on the restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an investigation following social media posts suggesting he was in a relationship with a minor. The AP has not been able to verify the reported posts.

MLB said the shift to administrative leave was not disciplinary under the sport’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

MLB could wait until the Dominican Republic investigation is concluded before deciding whether there will be any discipline.

MLB and the union agreed to the joint domestic violence policy in 2015.

Franco has salaries of $2 million this season and next as part of a $182 million, 11-year contract that started in 2022.

He is in his third big league season and is hitting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 40 attempts over 112 games.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — With all of their All-Stars back in the lineup, the Texas Rangers are starting to feel good again going into their most important stretch of the season.

“This is more who we were,” manager Bruce Bochy said.

Marcus Semien drove in three runs from the top of the order and scored for the AL-best 115th time, Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver hit back-to-back homers and the playoff-chasing Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 15-5 on Wednesday. All-Star third baseman Josh Jung, in his third game back after missing six weeks with a fractured left thumb, and fellow rookie Evan Carter each added two-run homers.

“Great at-bats up and down the lineup, guys hitting mistakes for homers and guys taking their walks,” said Heim, the switch-hitting All-Star catcher. “It’s encouraging to see, and just got to keep putting it together.”

Texas (84-68) remained a half-game behind Houston for the AL West lead after the Astros (85-68) had a walk-off win over AL East-leading Baltimore to avoid being swept in three games at home. The Rangers are tied with division foe Seattle for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Mariners beat Oakland 6-3 Wednesday before heading to Texas for a three-game weekend series.

All-Star right fielder Adolis Garcia, in his third game back after missing 10 games with a right patellar tendon strain in his right knee, walked in the second inning and scored on Heim’s homer. That was the 100th run scored this season for Garcia, who got his 102nd RBI with a double in the fourth.

“You look at the two guys we just got back, I love their at-bats,” Bochy said. “It stretches out your lineup. ... It's always good to have success, it breeds confidence as they say, and you can see it in the guys right now.”

The Rangers play seven of their last 10 games against the Mariners, including the last four in Seattle.

Semien is the only of the Rangers six All-Stars, including pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who hasn’t had a stint on the injured list. The second baseman is the lone Ranger to start all 152 games, plus the All-Star Game on July 11 with teammates Garcia, Heim, Jung and shortstop Corey Seager — who all have since missed time injured. Eovaldi was out seven weeks with a forearm strain.

Veteran left-hander Martin Perez (10-4) struck out five over 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Jon Gray, who has allowed 11 runs over 8 2/3 innings his last three starts.

"He’s done a tremendous job since he’s gone to the bullpen. He’s picked us up so many times,” Bochy said of Perez, an All-Star last season and a starter until Texas acquired Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline.

“They know that I’m a starter. ... It doesn’t matter if you’re from the bullpen or if I have to start game, I just want to get people out and help my team to win,” Perez said.

Boston, last in the AL East, lost for the 12th time in 15 games even after jumping ahead 4-0. Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer in the first and Bobby Dalbec had a leadoff shot in the second off Gray.

The first seven Texas batters reached base in the bottom of the second off Brayan Bello (12-10). Heim's three-run homer came just before Garver went deep, and Semien’s two-run single snapped the 4-all tie and put Texas ahead to stay.

Semien drew a bases-loaded walk in the third after an RBI single by Leody Taveras, who added a sacrifice fly an inning later.

Bello allowed eight runs and eight hits over three innings. He walked four, hit a batter and struck out two.

LOTS OF HITS AND RUNS

Texas, which finished with 16 hits, broke franchise records with at least 10 runs for the 26th time and 15 runs for the sixth time. The Rangers had 25 games with 10 runs in 2008, and five games with 15 runs in 1998. ... Every Texas starter had a base hit and scored a run, and only one didn't have an RBI. Jung had three hits and scored three times. Carter, in his 13th big league game, also had three hits and scored twice.

100/100 FOR GARCIA

Garcia is the only the second Rangers player in the past 18 seasons to score 100 runs and drive in 100. The other in that span was Josh Hamilton in 2012, when he had 128 RBIs and 103 runs scores.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: 2B Luis Urias exited the game with left calf tightness. He was lifted for a pinch-runner after his single in the seventh inning.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Boston opens its final homestand Friday night against the Chicago White Sox.

Rangers: After their final off day of the regular season, the Rangers open their final home series against Seattle on Friday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lane Thomas hit a grand slam and the Washington Nationals routed the Chicago White Sox 13-3 on Wednesday.

Joey Meneses and Dominic Smith also homered for Washington, which had a season high in runs and won back-to-back games for the first time since taking three in a row from Aug. 24-26.

Washington won by at least 10 for the first time since a 14-4 victory over San Francisco on April 29, 2022.

Gavin Sheets drove in two runs for Chicago, which has dropped nine of 12 and 14 of 19. The White Sox (58-95) are 37 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 62-100 in 2018.

Thomas broke the game open after Jesse Scholtens allowed Luis García’s single, hit Jake Alu and walked CJ Abrams to load the bases in the third inning. After taking the first pitch, Thomas hammered a curveball to left for his 26th home run and second career grand slam to put Washington up 8-1.

Thomas, who also walked twice and was hit by a pitch, said he made a conscious effort to be more patient at the plate — especially after a postgame conversation Tuesday with his wife.

“I got in the car last night and I was kind of in a bad mood,” Thomas said. “She was like ‘Just kind of suck it up and stop swinging at those (bad) pitches.’ I was kind of surprised that came out of her mouth. I can’t have her yelling at me after the game.”

Before the blast, Thomas was 4 for 33 lifetime with the bases loaded, including 1 for 13 this season.

Scholtens surrendered six runs in two innings, including Smith’s solo homer to lead off the fourth.

Meneses homered for the second day in a row, a two-run shot in the fifth off Deivi García.

“We didn’t pitch very well and we didn’t hit,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Nine free passes (via walk or hit batsman), a couple errors. There’s not much to really talk about in this game.”

Josiah Gray (8-12) earned his first victory since July 22. The right-hander gave up a run on five hits in five innings and struck out four.

Gray, Washington’s lone All-Star selection, surpassed his victory total from last season. It was the first time he completed five innings in consecutive starts since doing so 10 times in a row in June and July.

“I think the first goal is to stay healthy, and then you want to perform,” Gray said. “You want to go out there every outing and put the team in a position to win. The last two outings, I’ve been able to do that.”

Washington took the lead in the second on Ildemaro Vargas’ RBI single off Tanner Banks (0-4). Abrams later added a two-run double to make it 4-1.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: Chicago activated LHP Garrett Crochet (shoulder) from the injured list and placed RHP Gregory Santos (elbow inflammation) on the 15-day IL. Santos went 2-2 with a 3.39 ERA and five saves in 60 games.

Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams’ turn in the rotation will be skipped. Williams has thrown 141 innings after not surpassing 91 innings in each of the last three seasons. “He wants to finish the year off, so I thought the best thing was to skip him one and let him have one more,” manager Dave Martinez said. … Martinez said LHP MacKenzie Gore (finger blister) will not pitch again this season. Gore has been on the injured list since Sept. 9.

UP NEXT

White Sox: After Thursday’s off day, RHP Touki Toussaint (4-7, 5.40 ERA) makes his second career start against Boston and first since 2018 when Chicago begins a three-game series Friday at Fenway Park.

Nationals: RHP Jake Irvin (3-6, 4.34), who has a 2.48 ERA in five home starts since July 31, faces Atlanta for the first time as Washington begins a four-game series Thursday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Castellanos' teammates didn't want him to catch it. Neither did his manager. Even the Phillies right fielder thought about dropping the fly ball as it sailed toward him in foul territory.

Then a voice told him to make the catch.

Good thing he listened.

After hitting two home runs, Castellanos saved the game with a brilliant throw as Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 in 10 innings Wednesday, handing the NL East champions their fifth loss in six games.

The Braves rallied from a four-run deficit and had a chance to walk off with the win in the ninth after pinch-runner Luke Williams stole second and third.

Orlando Arcia hit a fly ball down the right-field line that appeared deep enough to bring home the tagging Williams. But Castellanos made the catch in foul territory, spun completely around and threw home in time for Garrett Stubbs to tag the runner on the right shoulder.

“I thought I should drop it,” Castellanos said. “Then, at the last minute, a voice popped in my head and said, ‘Catch it and throw him out.’”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson was certainly pulling for Castellanos to let the ball hit the ground. He figured there was little chance to throw out Williams from roughly 280 feet away, especially when Castellanos wasn't able to make the catch with his momentum going toward home plate.

“He made a heck of a play," Thomson said. “We were all sitting there in the dugout murmuring, ‘Drop it, drop it, drop it.'”

In the 10th, Bryson Stott came through after an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs, lining an opposite-field double down the third-base line that brought home two runs off A.J. Minter (3-6).

Craig Kimbrel (8-6) claimed the win and Matt Strahm earned his second save, limiting the Braves to Ozzie Albies' sacrifice fly.

Castellanos staked the Phillies to a 4-0 lead with a pair of homers off Bryce Elder, but the Braves tied it in the eighth with Austin Riley's run-scoring single and Marcell Ozuna's towering drive that ricocheted off the brick wall in right for an RBI double.

The Phillies strengthened their hold on the NL wild-card lead with 10 games remaining, coming into the day with a 3 1/2-game buffer for a postseason spot. They also won two of three in the series against their division rivals, who they may see again in the playoffs.

A year ago, Philadelphia upset the Braves in the NL Division Series on a surprising run to the World Series.

“We want to play some tight baseball,” Castellanos said, “because October is getting pretty close.”

The Phillies kept Ronald Acuña Jr. in the ballpark after he went deep twice the previous night, leaving the Braves slugger/speedster one homer shy of becoming the first player in baseball history with at least 40 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season.

Acuña went 1 for 5 with a run scored, remaining at 39 homers and 67 stolen bases.

Castellanos led off the second with a 432-foot drive to center and followed in the fourth with a two-run shot off Elder.

It was the fourth multihomer game of the season and 13th of his career for Castellanos, who has 27 homers on the season.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola retired the first nine Atlanta hitters before Acuña lined a single to start the fourth. Nola went six innings, surrendering two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts.

Elder struggled with his control in another rough outing for a Braves starter. He walked five, gave up three hits and didn't strike out anyone in 3 2/3 innings.

“It wasn’t any good, obviously,” Elder said. “I thought it was pretty worthless actually.”

Over the last 16 games, Atlanta’s rotation is 4-6 with a 6.87 ERA, allowing 86 hits and 59 walks in 77 1/3 innings.

WELCOME BACK

Jesse Chavez made his first appearance for the Braves in more than three months.

The 40-year-old right-hander took over for Elder in the fourth and needed just 25 pitches to work 2 1/3 scoreless innings, giving a big boost to a Braves’ bullpen that also has struggled in recent weeks.

Chavez went on the disabled list after being struck in the left leg by a comebacker from Detroit’s Miguel Carbera on June 14. Initially, the injury wasn’t thought to be serious, but when Chavez was slow to recover, it was discovered that he had actually sustained a microfracture.

The reliever lowered his ERA to 1.44 over 31 1/3 innings this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves RHPs Nick Anderson (shoulder strain) and Collin McHugh (shoulder inflammation) were both rocked in their first rehab appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett, hurting their hopes of being on the postseason roster. Anderson gave up three hits, a walk and two earned runs while retiring only one hitter. McHugh also lasted just 1/3 of an inning and was charged with four runs on two hits and two walks.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Return home Thursday to start a four-game series against the Mets. LHP Ranger Suarez (3-6, 3.80 ERA) gets the nod for Philadelphia, while LHP David Peterson (3-8, 5.22) is set to go for New York.

Braves: LHP Max Fried (7-1, 2.64), whose start was pushed back in hopes of avoiding a finger blister, is scheduled to start the opener Thursday of a four-game series at Washington. RHP Jake Irvin (3-6, 4.34) gets the ball for the Nationals.

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HOUSTON (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles placed first baseman Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his left shoulder Wednesday.

The Orioles had hoped to avoid putting Mountcastle on the IL, but manager Brandon Hyde said Mountcastle tried to swing before Wednesday’s series finale at Houston and it “didn’t go as well as we were hoping.”

Mountcastle has missed the last six games with the injury. The move is retroactive to Sunday.

“It was going really well with his progression, and he was feeling better,” Hyde said. “He tried to swing the other day and he was a little bit sore. We were hoping that this session (Wednesday) was going to be an improvement from that last one and it just wasn’t.”

Hyde said the Orioles hope that Mountcastle will be ready to return as soon as he’s eligible to come off the injured list.

Mountcastle is hitting .269 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs for the AL East leaders.

Outfielder Ryan McKenna was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the roster.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals are pushing back their self-imposed deadline of the end of September for deciding on a location for their new ballpark, though they remain confident that their final proposal will be put before voters on an April ballot.

The Royals are trying to decide between a downtown location, called the East Village, that would keep the replacement for aging Kauffman Stadium in Jackson County and a competing location across the Missouri River in neighboring Clay County.

Royals owner John Sherman has said multiple times the club hoped to decide on a location by the end of the month. But it must first reach an agreement with political leaders on a proposed financing package; the current lease with Jackson County includes a portion of a 3/8-cent sales tax that has paid for renovations and upkeep on Kauffman Stadium.

The stadium and accompanying ballpark village are expected to cost about $2 billion, the largest public-private partnership in Kansas City history. Sherman has said Royals ownership would pay for half of that total along with any overages.

“Leaders in both counties know a critical piece of the evaluation process will be negotiated lease terms so that the Royals, our future partner and, most importantly, the voters can know what to expect,” the team said in a statement Wednesday.

“With the framework of our current lease and willing partners on all sides, we are optimistic that the process will result in a win-win for the Royals and our next home,” the statement continued. “Although we will not have a site selected by the end of this month, we are more confident than ever that a world-class ballpark and surrounding district for entertainment, retail and housing will build on our region’s momentum, serve our citizens well, and further establish Kansas City as a top tier destination.”

Sherman has been planning on a replacement for Kauffman Stadium since purchasing the club in 2019, though the process was set back a bit by the pandemic. It has continued to move slowly as the Royals try to reconcile their needs with those of the two counties and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have shared the lease with Jackson County to help pay for Arrowhead Stadium.

Last month, the team unveiled plans for the two dramatically different locations. The downtown plan would consist of a ballpark anchoring a 27-acre development near the already thriving Power & Light District, while the Clay County location would provide a 90-acre tract capable of developing more commercial and residential properties.

Both of the plans, neither of which is finalized, were produced by Kansas City-based sports architecture giant Populous, which has renovated or designed more than 20 stadiums currently in use across Major League Baseball.

“Leaders in both Jackson County and Clay County know that we and the Chiefs need clarity on our stadium plans in time for the public to be fully informed for a vote in April 2024,” the Royals said. “We take our responsibilities very seriously to act in the best interests of both the Royals and our region, and we will continue our work to make sure this project is done right.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Sept. 21

1934 — Daffy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers for 3-0 victory in the second game of an Ebbets Field doubleheader. Daffy’s brother Dizzy, held Brooklyn hitless until the eighth inning in the opener and won 13-0.

1947 — Boston’s Johnny Pesky had two hits in each game of a doubleheader and finished the day with 202 hits. Pesky surpassed the 200-hit mark for the third time in as many major league seasons. He is the only player to lead a league in hits in his first three seasons in the game.

1964 — Manager Gene Mauch’s first-place Phillies lost 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Chico Ruiz’s steal of home in the sixth inning. It was Philadelphia’s first of 10 straight losses, a streak that cost them the NL pennant.

1970 — Oakland’s Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter in his eighth major league start, beating Minnesota 6-0.

1995 — Colorado’s John Vander Wal set a major league record with his 26th pinch-hit of the season with a home run in the seventh inning against San Francisco.

2000 — Colorado’s Jeff Cirillo doubled twice in a 13-4 win over San Diego, giving him 51 doubles for the year. Cirillo and Todd Helton (57) became the seventh pair of teammates in major league history to reach 50 doubles in the same season.

2001 — Albert Pujols hit a grand slam and doubled in a run in St. Louis’ 9-5 win over Pittsburgh. The slam gave him the major league record for extra base hits by a rookie (83), one more than Johnny Frederick’s total for Brooklyn in 1929.

2001 — Ranger infielder Alex Rodriguez hits his 47th home run tying the major league record for home runs in a season by a shortstop. Cubs legend Ernie Banks established the record in 1958.

2006 — David Ortiz hit his 51st and 52nd homers, breaking the Red Sox record for most homers in a season of 50 set in 1938 by Jimmie Foxx. The homers also set the major league record by a designated hitter at 45, two more than he hit when he set the record last season.

2008 — Baseball said farewell to Yankee Stadium, the home of baseball’s most famous team. What began with a Babe Ruth home run on an April afternoon in 1923 ended with Mariano Rivera retiring Brian Roberts on a grounder to first baseman Cody Ransom, completing a 7-3 victory over Baltimore.

2013 — Matt Carpenter broke Stan Musial’s team record for doubles by a left-handed batter in a season and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2. Carpenter’s fifth-inning double was his 54th of the season, one more than Musial’s total in 1953.

2016 — Rookie Gary Sanchez hit two more homers and drove in five runs to lead the New York Yankees to an 11-5 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays. Sanchez homered in his fourth straight game. The catcher hit a three-run shot in a four-run second off Alex Cobb and added his 19th homer in 43 games this season on a solo drive in the sixth against Justin Marks. Including two games last season, Sanchez became the first player in major league history to hit 19 homers in his first 45 games. Wally Berger, with the Boston Braves in 1930, went deep 19 times in his first 51 games.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brusdar Graterol never gave up hope that his mother would be able to see him pitch in person in the major leagues.

On Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, it finally happened.

Graterol's mother, Ysmalia, was in a suite and saw her son pitch a scoreless eighth inning as Los Angeles rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

“It was so incredible. I’ve always wanted to pitch in front of my mom. Being so successful as I’ve been pitching lately, it was so emotional and nice to have her here," Graterol said through an interpreter after the game. “We never really gave up on any situation and luckily we found a way to get her to the United States.”

Graterol saw his mom for the first time in seven years on Sunday night when she arrived from Venezuela. The 25-year old right-hander said he was paralyzed with emotion the first time they saw each other.

“All I heard my mom say was that I was very big and very beautiful," he said. "And the only thing that I told her when I calmed down, I told her that she smelled like home.”

Graterol said the process of getting his mom to the United States started to gain momentum the last two weeks after getting one important document that sped up the process.

Graterol was signed to a contract by the Minnesota Twins in 2014 after a tryout in Venezuela. He was traded to the Dodgers in 2020.

When Graterol came out for the eighth inning, he said there were plenty of emotions and memories going through his head, but that once his music started playing and he went through his warmups, he was feeling calm.

Graterol retired the Tigers in order on 13 pitches, including nine strikes. After getting Jake Rogers to ground out to end the inning, he pointed to where his mom was sitting and then used his mitt to hide his tears as he was walking to the dugout.

“It was emotional. How can you not appreciate that moment for Brusdar and his family? That was one of the top moments I have been a part of,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The players rallied around it and it was good to see.”

Graterol's mom missed her son getting married and the birth of her granddaughter, but she is making up for lost time. Graterol said his mother will be here through at least the end of the end of the postseason.

“There have been a lot of things that have been very hard. When I made my debut, she wasn't here. When I got married, she wasn't here. When I had my daughter, she wasn't here,” Graterol said. “Those are very difficult times. But to be able to now share that and be there with her is special.”

The Dodgers trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth before tying it on David Peralta's RBI ground-rule double. Max Muncy then drove in Mookie Betts with a base hit with two outs in the ninth to give the NL West champions their sixth walk-off win of the season.

Graterol has tossed 21 consecutive scoreless innings, a Dodger season high. His teammates, though, were happier to see a family reunion.

“He's the nicest guy in the clubhouse. A big teddy bear,” designated hitter J.D. Martinez said. “There's a lot of stuff around the world that guys don't have control of. For that dream to come true, every parent should see their son at this level.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy's base hit with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday night scored Mookie Betts and gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, extending their winning streak to five games.

Betts got aboard with a single to center for his third hit of the night. After Freddie Freeman lined out to center, Betts advanced to second after Will Smith was hit by a pitch. Muncy then lined a curveball from Alex Lange (7-5) into right field. Kerry Carpenter threw home on one bounce as Betts rounded third, but Betts beat the tag when his left hand crossed the plate.

“A lot of good things happened tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Max had a couple of tough at-bats, but for him to finish it off by driving in the winning run was great.”

Alex Vesia (2-5) got the win with a scoreless ninth as the NL West champions reduced their magic number to three for a first-round bye. J.D. Martinez homered and had a pair of hits.

Spencer Torkelson and Parker Meadows homered for the Tigers, who dropped to 3-2 on their West Coast road trip.

Torkelson, the game's third batter, drove a cutter by Caleb Ferguson into the stands in left center for a solo shot. The top pick in the 2020 amateur draft has 29 home runs, including 14 in the last 44 games.

Meadows hit his second big league home run to make it 2-0 in the third inning when he lined Ryan Pepiot's fastball to right-center. Before the at-bat, Meadows was 3 for 30 in his last 10 games.

Martinez, who had two home runs and five RBIs Monday night, put the Dodgers on the board with a drive to left-center to lead off the fourth.

He got aboard with the tying run in the eighth on a base hit with two outs. Chris Taylor, who came in as a pinch-runner, stole second and scored on David Peralta's ground-rule double down the left-field line.

“We've got a good lineup up and down and we have way to manufacture runs,” Martinez said. “Whether it is Chris stealing a bag and giving us a chance to tie the game and Peralta coming through, there's a lot of different ways we can beat you.”

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pointed to Taylor's stolen base as the pivotal moment of the game.

“What hurt us was giving Taylor second base,” he said. “Those little things against good teams are going to suffocate you if you don't take advantage of your opportunities.”

SPECIAL MOMENT

Brusdar Graterol kept the Dodgers in the game by pitching a scoreless eighth inning. His mother, Ysmalia, was in the stands, marking the first time she had seen him pitch in the majors.

“It was so incredible. I’ve always wanted to pitch in front of my mom. Being so successful as I’ve been pitching lately, it was so nice to have her here," Graterol said through an interpreter.

SWEET 16

Miguel Cabrera moved past Adrián Beltré for 16th place on MLB’s career hit list with a single to lead off the seventh inning.

Cabrera, who is retiring at the end of the season, has 3,167 hits during his 21-year career. He is batting .349 (15 for 43) in his last 11 games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez is feeling slightly better after leaving Monday's game in the fourth inning due to a left scapular spasm. He is still tentatively scheduled to start Sunday at Oakland. ... RHP Alex Faedo was placed on the injured list due to a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

Dodgers: RHP Daniel Hudson (right knee) threw a live session during batting practice and threw a lot of strikes, according to Roberts. Depending on how he came out of it, Hudson could throw again in four or five days.

UP NEXT

Tigers: Rookie RHP Reese Olson (4-7, 4.30 ERA) is 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA in three September starts.

Dodgers: RHP Bobby Miller (10-3, 4.02) is second among NL rookies in wins.

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — If this was Blake Snell's final start for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, it sure was a memorable one.

The NL Cy Young Award contender lowered his big league-leading ERA to 2.33 and struck out 10 in seven brilliant innings for the Padres, who took a combined no-hitter into the ninth before beating the Colorado Rockies 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Snell, Robert Suarez and All-Star closer Josh Hader finished with a two-hitter. Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to lift the Padres to their season-high sixth straight win.

San Diego manager Bob Melvin said it wasn’t a difficult decision to take out Snell after seven innings.

“He was pretty realistic. He even said to me, ‘It’s going to be tough for me to finish nine.’ Over 100 pitches, seven innings, pretty good inning. It wasn’t that tough,” Melvin said.

Snell, who has never gone eight innings in the majors, threw 104 pitches before making way for Suarez, who worked a perfect eighth. Hader (1-3) came on to start the ninth and promptly allowed Brendan Rodgers’ leadoff single up the middle.

“It's just going to be a lot of pitches,” Snell said when asked if he had wanted to go longer. "I’m a guy that understands my body really well and understands the risk-reward of injury with pushing it. With how hard I was throwing today, it’s not worth it.

“I understand a no-hitter’s an amazing accomplishment,” the 30-year-old lefty added. "It’s so hard to do. I understand that. I also understand how much I value health. It’s an individual accolade. It’s cool for the team, we get a no-hitter, but it’s cool when the bullpen comes in and you trust them.”

Snell walked four to increase his major league-high total to 95.

“Fastball-changeup was really good. The curveball was a good put-away pitch," he said. "I didn't use the slider that much. I didn't feel I needed to. I just had a good mix. The fastball sets up everything and I was locating that pretty well."

Snell is trying to become the seventh pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues. He won the AL prize in 2018 with Tampa Bay.

“Got to finish the season," he said when asked how Tuesday night's start might help his cause. "I don't look at that. I've got my next start against San Fran. I've got to be ready for that and they're a good team and they've got a lot to play for.”

He's expected to pitch Monday night in San Francisco. He could then make a final start at the Chicago White Sox during the season's last weekend.

Snell is eligible for free agency after the season and the Padres are extreme longshots to return to the playoffs. They’ve massively underperformed coming off an appearance in the NL Championship Series last year and with a $250 million payroll, third-highest in baseball.

The Padres are 5 1/2 games out of the third NL wild-card spot, with four teams ahead of them and only 10 games left.

Center fielder Trent Grisham and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. both made nice running catches in the sixth to keep the no-hitter going, and Grisham made another nice grab in the seventh.

Joe Musgrove threw the Padres’ only no-hitter on April 9, 2021, in his second start with his hometown team.

Bogaerts homered off Tyler Kinley (0-3), his 19th.

“I thought it might go foul. I squared it up pretty good for being out in front, but I wasn't sure,” Bogaerts said.

Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner made his first start since being placed on the injured list May 14 with a skull fracture. He was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos the previous day.

Feltner allowed two runs in five scoreless innings while striking out five and walking two.

The Padres loaded the bases with one out in the eighth before Jurickson Profar, who recently rejoined the team after being released by the Rockies, grounded into a double play.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: Manny Machado was out of the lineup with tennis elbow that has limited him to DH duty this month. ... 2B Ha-Seong Kim missed a third straight game with what Melvin described as a stomach ailment.

UP NEXT

Rockies RHP Chase Anderson (0-5, 6.00 ERA) and Padres RHP Seth Lugo (7-7, 3.83) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday afternoon.

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Even out on Puget Sound during an off-day fishing excursion last week, Luis Castillo did his share of winning: He pulled in the most salmon and left Mariners manager Scott Servais in awe and admiring his skill set yet again.

No surprise to anybody in Seattle the way Castillo's spectacular season is going.

“I'm a guy who loves to fish," Castillo explained with a smile after his latest pitching gem. “There's always been the saying out there that in the sea life is sweeter. It was a happy moment with Scott and the pitching coach. We had a beautiful morning.”

J.P. Crawford homered in the ninth inning and Jarred Kelenic hit a pair of RBI singles to support Castillo's eighth consecutive winning decision, leading Seattle past the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Castillo (14-7) struck out eight over seven innings, topping 200 Ks while pushing toward 200 innings — a mark that will mean more to him given it shows how dependable and competitive he has been.

In all 31 starts, Castillo has lasted at least five innings.

“He loves to fish,” Servais said. “The little things about players, the things that you can connect with them with are so valuable. That's what it's about, it's about relationships, trusting guys. And we trust the Rock, anytime, against anybody, in any situation. It's fun to get to know him because there's a lot going on inside. He caught more fish, but it was a great experience. It was a lot of fun."

Castillo has won three straight starts and is 8-0 over his last 12 since a July 14 loss to Detroit. Castillo needs one win to match his season high, set with Cincinnati in 2019.

Seattle (83-68) remained tied with Texas for the last AL wild card berth and closed within a half-game of AL West-leading Houston (84-68).

“Wow, I can't say enough about the season Luis Castillo has had,” Servais said. “He just keeps adding on, awesome outing tonight. He has been so solid. He is the rock. Every time out there he's given us great effort, a chance to win and he's on a great roll right now. ... I hope he's got a few more outings like that in him, we're going to need it here down the stretch.”

The A's (46-105) lost their sixth straight and fell 59 games below .500 for the first time since the Philadelphia A's were 47-106 on Oct. 2, 1920.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay was ejected in the fifth by first base umpire Jansen Visconti for arguing a check swing. Then later that inning Julio Rodriguez's single was overturned upon review after the A's challenged. Rodriguez then singled in the ninth for his first hit at the Coliseum this season in 16 at-bats.

The game was played under smoky skies from wildfires in Northern California and Oregon.

Crawford and Teoscar Hernandez each added RBI doubles for Seattle, which jumped on A's starter Paul Blackburn (4-6) early. He is 5-12 over 27 career games versus AL West teams.

He appreciated Castillo's day, too.

“It’s fun to watch that guy pitch,” Blackburn said, “and when he’s on, he’s definitely hard to hit.”

The A's, who avoided being shut out for the 16th time after a 5-0 defeat Monday, are 1-11 against Seattle this season with one game remaining.

STEAL AWAY

A day after Esteury Ruiz stole two more bases to give him 61 on the year, the Oakland outfielder was caught stealing following a third-inning single — just his 11th time being caught all season.

Ruiz needs six more to break Kenny Lofton’s AL rookie record of 66 set in 1992.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: C Cal Raleigh returned to the lineup following his first day off since July 26 in Monday's series-opening shutout. He added an RBI single in the seventh and also scored a run on a wild pitch by Easton Lucas.

Athletics: OF JJ Bleday, sidelined since Aug. 14 with a sprained left knee, ran the bases with sliding incorporated and hit early batting practice off the machine. He is scheduled to repeat that baseball activity Thursday then begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday playing seven innings of defense before serving as designated hitter Saturday. He could rejoin the A's for their series in Minnesota beginning Tuesday.

UP NEXT

RHP George Kirby (10-10, 3.57 ERA) pitches Wednesday afternoon's series finale for Seattle having gone 2-0 for his career vs. Oakland over five previous starts, while the A's send RHP Joey Estes to the mound for his major league debut. He will be the 61st pitcher in Oakland history to start in his debut and fifth this season.

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PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll took off for third base and Ketel Marte bolted for second. A chaotic 10 seconds followed, with a bang-bang play, a dropped baseball, another dash by Carroll, an errant throw by Wilmer Flores, a scramble home by Marte, and finally, a raucous celebration for the Diamondbacks.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo admits he wasn't sure what had just happened.

“I blinked my eyes,” he said, “and we had scored a couple runs.”

Carroll and Marte combined for a crucial double steal that led to two runs, Zac Gallen earned his 16th win on the mound and the Diamondbacks won their fourth straight game by beating the San Francisco Giants 8-4 on Tuesday night.

The D-backs remained a half-game in front of the Chicago Cubs for the second of three National League wild-card berths. The Giants, who have dropped four of five, fell three games behind the Cubs for the final playoff spot.

Arizona trailed 2-0 early but took a 5-2 lead in the second inning, partly thanks to that electric double steal. With two outs, Carroll sprinted toward third and Flores couldn't handle catcher Patrick Bailey's throw. The ball trickled away and Carroll scrambled toward home. Flores threw to the plate but misfired, allowing Marte, who started the play by stealing second, to round third and score as well.

“I was like, ‘Oh god, I better make it,’” Carroll said. “Once that ball got away and Ketel scored, too, I was fired up. That felt good.”

It was Carroll’s 48th stolen base of the season. Flores was charged with two errors on the play.

The D-backs pushed their advantage to 7-2 in the fourth on Marte's two-run single, which was part of a four-hit night. Carroll also had two RBIs.

Gallen (16-8) — a contender for the NL Cy Young Award — got the win but labored through five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out six.

“I felt fine the first four innings and then I'm not sure what happened in the fifth,” Gallen said. “But my job is to give us a chance to win and the offense kind of bailed me out tonight. Gave me a nice cushion.”

The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the first when LaMonte Wade Jr. led off with a sinking liner that Carroll couldn't corral in right field, allowing Wade to reach third with a triple. Mike Yastrzemski brought home Wade on a sacrifice fly, and Joc Pederson added a solo homer, his 14th of the season.

WEB GEM

Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas made a fantastic catch in the eighth, likely saving a run.

Michael Conforto hit a drive to deep center off reliever Kevin Ginkel, but Thomas made a leaping grab on the warning track for the third out, just before crashing into the wall.

COBB LEAVES EARLY

Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (7-7) exited in the third inning after apparently aggravating a left hip injury that's bothered him since mid-June. The righty gave up five runs over the first two innings.

Left-hander Alex Wood entered for Cobb and gave up three earned runs over five innings.

Cobb said the pain became too much to be an effective pitcher.

“You walk off that mound, put your team in the position that they're in during a must-win game, there's no worse feeling,” Cobb said.

ROOF OPEN

The Diamondbacks opened the retractable roof at Chase Field for the first time in months.

The temperature was 95 degrees at first pitch, but cooled off quickly. It's been a particularly brutal summer in Phoenix, with a record-setting 54 days hitting at least the 110-degree mark.

UP NEXT

The teams wrap up their two-game series Wednesday afternoon. The Giants will throw RHP Logan Webb (10-12, 3.31 ERA) and the D-backs will counter with RHP Merrill Kelly (11-7, 3.45).

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CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Alexander Canario hit a grand slam for his first major league home run in an eight-run eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs ended a five-game losing streak with a 14-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer later in the eighth for the Cubs, who are a half-game ahead of Miami for the final NL wild card, with Cincinnati one game behind Chicago.

“It was just nice to take a breath,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “You had to feel good, all the way around. Just relentless all night and we piled it on at the end.”

Canario, a 23-year-old who debuted on Sept. 6, had five RBIs. He hit an RBI double in the sixth for his first big league hit and drove a hanging slider from into the left-field bleachers for a 10-1 lead against Kyle Nicolas.

Chicago teammate Christopher Morel was so filled with emotion he pulled off his own jersey in the Cubs dugout.

“It's incredible, it's surreal,” Canario said through a translator. “It's something I've always dreamed of, especially with the bases loaded.”

Although he had been called up nearly two weeks ago, Canario had only one plate appearance before Tuesday. His double came in his fourth at-bat, the slam in his fifth.

“I was always ready for the moment,” Canario said. “Just to be able to contribute to the team overall and just to be able to contribute with such a big moment into the score in the game like that.”

Nicolas, a 24-year-old right-hander, gave up six runs while getting one out in his debut for a 162.00 career ERA.

Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki also homered for the Cubs, and Suzuki had three of Chicago's 12 hits. The Cubs are 10-1 against the Pirates this season.

“They've given us trouble,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “Throughout the year, we've missed in the middle of the plate a ton to them and they've done damage.”

In a game that started after a 1-hour, 25-minute rain delay, Javier Assad (4-3) allowed one run and five hits in five innings with eight strikeouts. Drew Smyly, José Cuas, Mark Leiter, Jr. and Luke Little finished a five-hitter.

Pirates batters struck out 16 times, one shy of their season high.

Pittsburgh’s Bailey Falter (2-9) allowed Swanson's 21st homer and was replaced in the second by Quinn Priester, who gave up four runs and five hits in six innings

Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a solo homer for Pittsburgh (70-81), which was assured its fifth consecutive season without a winning record.

ON THE BALL

Canario got the home run ball from the fan who it in exchange for a bat and a bag of licensed merchandise.

PIRATES MOVES

Pittsburgh selected the contract of Nicolas from Triple-A Indianapolis before the game and optioned RHP Thomas Hatch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: DH/OF Andrew McCutchen (partially torn left Achilles) was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Cubs: INF Nick Madrigal was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday with a right hamstring strain, and INF Jared Young was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Madrigal missed most of July with a similar injury. ... RHP Adbert Alzolay (right forearm strain) played long-toss on Tuesday. … RHP’s Brandon Hughes (right knee inflammation) and Nick Burdi (appendectomy) were set to continue rehab assignments at Triple-A Iowa.

UP NEXT

Pirates ARHP Mitch Keller (12-9, 4.04) faces Cubs LHP Justin Steele (16-4, 2.73) on Wednesday in a matchup of All-Stars. Steele allowed six runs in seven innings in a 6-4 loss at Arizona on Friday.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Austin Hays hit two homers and had four RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles in a 9-5 victory over slumping Houston on Tuesday night, cutting the Astros’ AL West lead to a half-game over Texas.

Hays hit a three-run shot off Astros starter Hunter Brown (11-12) into the left-field Crawford Boxes to put Baltimore up 5-2 in the third inning. He followed with a solo shot to deep left-center field in the seventh, putting Baltimore up 8-5.

“It’s just been who we are all year,” Hays said. “It doesn’t matter what happened the day before, good or bad. We just move on to the next day, turn the page and prepare for whatever we’ve got that day.”

Houston entered Tuesday with a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL West over Texas and Seattle with 11 games remaining, but that lead was trimmed to one-half a game by the Astros’ loss and the Rangers’ 6-4 win against Boston. Houston has lost four of its last five games and six of its last eight.

The Orioles have won four straight and have a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay for the AL’s best record.

“What an amazing game by Hays,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We didn’t play our best baseball. We don’t usually beat ourselves, but our offense picked us up, and we did some good things.”

A two-run sixth inning extended Baltimore’s lead to 7-3 after James McCann scored Cedric Mullins on a bunt single and Gunnar Henderson singled to score Adam Frazier.

Heston Kjerstad also homered for Baltimore in the seventh.

Brown allowed seven runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, while striking out five and walking two.

Orioles starter Kyle Gibson went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits, while striking out five and walking two. DL Hall (3-0) worked 2/3 of an inning to earn the win, and Cionel Perez earned his second save.

“We’re able to turn things around when we need to,” Gibson said. “This was just a full team win against a really good team who has proven that they’re one of the better teams in the AL. To come in here and do that was pretty special.”

Ryan O’Hearn hit a two-run homer to give Baltimore a first-inning lead. Houston tied it at 2 in the bottom of the inning when Kyle Tucker hit a two-run home run, his 28th of the season.

“I’ve got concern, but concern is not going to solve the issue,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said on the team’s struggles at home. “We’ve got four more games here, and we’re going to have to figure it out. I don’t know exactly what it is. We’ve tried to put our finger on it.”

Alex Bregman hit a homer in the third, cutting Baltimore’s lead to 5-3 and Yainer Diaz homered in the sixth, making it 7-5.

“You’ve got to execute in all three phases if you want to win, and we didn’t do that,” Bregman said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Baltimore: 1B Ryan Mountcastle (left shoulder discomfort) was out of the lineup again for a sixth consecutive game on Tuesday, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he’s feeling better and is close to a return.

Houston: RHP reliever Ryne Stanek (ankle) was placed on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. Stanek suffered a sprained right ankle on Sept. 4.

FRUSTRATION MOUNTING

Astros bench coach Joe Espada was ejected in the bottom of the sixth inning after appearing to complain about a strike call from home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi. Cuzzi stopped the game to yell back at Espada before quickly tossing him.

ROAD WARRIORS

Baltimore improved to 50-26 on the road this season, marking just the second time in franchise history that the Orioles won 50 games on the road. The club record of 52 road wins was set in 1997.

HE SAID IT

“We’re putting up a lot of runs right now, and our pitching staff just continues to do what they’ve done all year. I feel like we’re clicking right now.” — Austin Hays

UP NEXT

In the series finale on Wednesday, Houston RHP Cristian Javier (9-4, 4.74 ERA) is scheduled to square off against Baltimore RHP Kyle Bradish (11-7, 3.12 ERA).

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — William Contreras homered and Tyrone Taylor scored twice and drove in a run as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee stopped a two-game skid and reduced its magic number to clinch the NL Central to six. The Brewers hold a six-game lead over the Chicago Cubs with 11 to play.

“I think we’ve been good handling ourselves, you know, on the field and like controlling our emotions and just try to keep things easy and small,” Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames said. “So, I think we’ve been doing a great job about all that. So, we are really excited about it.”

Richie Palacios homered for the last-place Cardinals, who were eliminated from playoff contention.

Contreras’ solo homer in the third snapped a 16-inning scoring drought for Milwaukee.

“You can’t say enough about just the season William is having, how durable he’s been, the big hits,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s having a tremendous, tremendous season.”

The Brewers opened the fourth with four straight doubles. Adames, Josh Donaldson, Taylor and Sal Frelick all doubled and scored to give Milwaukee a 5-2 lead.

“The guys, that was the second time through the lineup, I think they felt more comfortable facing the pitcher and you know, they just got good pitches to hit and they had great at-bats,” Adames said. “It was fun.”

Taylor also walked twice and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s sacrifice fly in the eighth. Contreras scored on Adames’ single in the ninth to pad the Brewers’ lead.

Colin Rea (6-6), recalled Monday from Triple-A Nashville, allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings of relief. He allowed three hits, walked three and struck out two.

“I wasn’t particularly sharp tonight,” Rea said. “I think my command was a little spotty and my stuff just wasn’t quite there, but I thought we did kind of a good job of working around that. I had a few walks in there, which I don’t like, but we did a good job of limiting the baserunners as far as that goes.”

Trevor Megill served as the opener for the Brewers, giving up two runs in one inning. Hoby Milner, Abner Uribe, Joel Payamps and Andrew Chafin combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

Drew Rom (1-3) allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings as the Cardinals had their two-game winning streak snapped. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out three.

“I wonder if maybe I’m tipping a little bit or maybe they’re seeing something out of my hand that I need to work on,” Rom said. “Ultimately, I just need to make better pitches and execute my pitches better. Most everything they hit was down the middle for the most part.”

Alec Burleson doubled home Lars Nootbaar, stole third and scored on Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the first. Palacios added a solo home run in the fifth.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

The win was No. 700 for Counsell, who is in his ninth season as Brewers manager. He has the most wins and most games managed (1,321) in franchise history.

“Offensively, a lot of guys did stuff,” Counsell said. “I think pitching-wise, a lot of guys contributed. So, just a good team win.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: OF Christian Yelich (stiff back) missed his fourth straight game and 10th in the past 11, but showed enough improvement to avoid being placed on the injured list. He is day-to-day.

Cardinals: Burleson was replaced at first base by Luken Baker in the second inning after Burleson broke his left thumb sliding into third in the bottom of the first.

UP NEXT

Brewers RHP Adrian Houser (6-4, 4.53 ERA) starts Wednesday night against Cardinals LHP Zack Thompson (5-6, 4.34).

Houser is 4-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 career games (11 starts) versus St. Louis, and the Brewers are 12-6 when he starts this season. Thompson will make his first career start against Milwaukee, but he is 3-0 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts this season against NL Central teams.

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NEW YORK (AP) — George Springer celebrated his 34th birthday with his 57th career leadoff homer, Bo Bichette hit a two-run drive and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 7-1 on Tuesday night.

Toronto stayed one game ahead of Seattle and Texas for the second AL wild card. The Yankees are seven back for the last playoff berth, needing to overcome the Mariners and Rangers.

Yusei Kikuchi (10-6) was pulled one batter into the sixth because of a left upper trap muscle cramp. Kikucki allowed one run in five-plus innings for his first win since Aug. 2.

Springer reached 20 homers for the eighth time when he connected off Clarke Schmidt (9-9). Springer also walked ahead of Bichette’s first homer since Aug. 20.

Alejandro Kirk padded the lead with a two-run shot in the ninth.

ORIOLES 9, ASTROS 5

HOUSTON (AP) — Austin Hays had two homers and four RBIs as Baltimore beat slumping Houston, cutting the Astros’ lead in the AL West to a half-game over Seattle and Texas.

Hays hit a three-run shot off starter Hunter Brown (11-12) to put the Orioles up 5-2 in the third inning. He followed with a solo shot in the seventh that made it 8-5.

Houston has lost four of five and six of eight. AL-leading Baltimore has won four straight and has a 2 1/2-game edge over second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Ryan O’Hearn and Heston Kjerstad also homered for the Orioles. DL Hall (3-0) got two outs in relief and Cionel Pérez earned his second save.

Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer for the Astros. Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz also went deep.

PADRES 2, ROCKIES 0

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blake Snell lowered his major league-leading ERA to 2.33 and struck out 10 in seven brilliant innings for the San Diego Padres, who took a combined no-hitter into the ninth before beating Colorado.

Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer off Tyler Kinley (0-3) with two outs in the ninth to give the Padres their season-high sixth straight win.

Snell, who has never gone eight innings in the majors, threw 104 pitches before making way for Robert Suarez, who worked a perfect eighth. All-Star closer Josh Hader (1-3) came on to start the ninth and promptly allowed Brendan Rodgers’ leadoff single. The last-place Rockies finished with two hits.

Snell is trying to become the seventh pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues. He won the AL prize in 2018 with Tampa Bay.

TWINS 7, REDS 0

CINCINNATI (AP) — Willi Castro hit a two-run homer and made two spectacular catches in center field, Kenta Maeda combined with four relievers on a four-hitter and Minnesota beat Cincinnati in another step toward its third AL Central title in five seasons.

Ryan Jeffers added a solo homer for the Twins, who opened an eight-game lead over second-place Cleveland with 10 to play.

Cincinnati, shut out for the 10th time, remained just outside playoff position in the National League.

In his first season after Tommy John surgery, Maeda (6-7) won his third straight start after four no-decisions. He allowed one hit in five innings, retiring his first 11 batters. He struck out eight and walked one.

Fernando Cruz (1-2) took the loss.

RAYS 6, ANGELS 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Osleivis Basabe hit a tiebreaking two-run double in a four-run eighth inning and playoff-bound Tampa Bay topped Los Angeles.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases against Aaron Loup (2-3) before Basabe lined his double to center field. René Pinto followed with a two-run single.

Randy Arozarena homered for the AL wild card-leading Rays, who remained 2 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East. Yandy Díaz had three hits and Robert Stephenson (3-4) won in relief.

Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto homered for the Angels, who have lost six in a row.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery earlier in the day, and his doctor said he expects the two-way star will be available as a hitter on opening day next season and will return to the mound as a pitcher in 2025.

MARLINS 4, METS 3

MIAMI (AP) — Jake Burger hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning and Miami beat New York after blowing a late lead.

Josh Bell had an early RBI double and Braxton Garrett did not allow an earned run in six stellar innings for the Marlins, who are a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for the final NL wild card.

All-Star infielder Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .354 batting average, was a late scratch from Miami’s lineup because of a left ankle sprain.

Miami took a 3-1 lead into the ninth, but Tanner Scott (9-5) gave up a two-run double to Brandon Nimmo with two outs.

Mets reliever Trevor Gott (0-5) hit Nick Fortes with a pitch leading off the bottom half and gave up Burger's two-out single.

BRAVES 9, PHILLIES 3

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered twice on his bobblehead night and stole his 67th base, leaving him one long ball shy of becoming Major League Baseball’s first 40-60 player, and Atlanta beat Philadelphia to stop a four-game losing streak.

Spencer Strider (18-5) increased his major league-leading wins total and struck out 11 to increase his big league-high total 270 with his 17th career double-digit strikeout game, his 11th this season.

Acuña homered on the first pitch of the game from Cristopher Sánchez (2-5) and had another solo homer off Yunior Marte in the sixth. Acuña has a Braves record 33 leadoff homers, including seven this season.

NL East champion Atlanta avoided its first five-game skid since September 2017. Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs with three hits, including a two-run double, as the Braves outhit the Phillies 13-4.

Bryce Harper hit his 19th homer for Philadelphia, which leads the NL wild-card race.

BREWERS 7, CARDINALS 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — William Contreras homered and Tyrone Taylor scored twice and drove in a run as Milwaukee downed St. Louis.

The Brewers stopped a two-game skid and reduced their magic number to clinch the NL Central to six.

Richie Palacios homered for the last-place Cardinals, who were eliminated from playoff contention.

Contreras’ solo homer in the third snapped a 16-inning scoring drought for Milwaukee. The Brewers opened the fourth with four straight doubles. Willy Adames, Josh Donaldson, Taylor and Sal Frelick all doubled and scored to give Milwaukee a 5-2 lead.

Colin Rea (6-6), recalled Monday from Triple-A Nashville, allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings of relief.

Drew Rom (1-3) gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.

DIAMONDBACKS 8, GIANTS 4

PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte had four hits, Zac Gallen earned his 16th win and Arizona won its fourth straight game by beating San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks remained a half-game in front of the Chicago Cubs for the second of three National League wild-card berths. The Giants, who have dropped four of five, fell three games behind the Cubs for the final playoff spot.

Arizona trailed 2-0 early but took a 5-2 lead in the second inning, partly thanks to a daring double steal by Marte and Corbin Carroll that led to two runs when third baseman Wilmer Flores committed two errors on the play.

Marte and Carroll also had two RBIs apiece. Gallen (16-8) labored through five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks.

Alex Cobb (7-7) exited in the third after apparently aggravating a left hip injury that’s bothered him since mid-June. He allowed five runs over the first two innings.

CUBS 14, PIRATES 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs rookie Alexander Canario hit a grand slam for his first major league home run in an eight-run eighth inning, and Chicago ended a five-game losing streak by routing Pittsburgh.

Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer later in the eighth for the Cubs, who remained a half-game ahead of Miami for the final NL wild card.

Canario, a 23-year-old who debuted on Sept. 6, had five RBIs. He hit an RBI double in the sixth for his first big league hit.

Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki also homered for the Cubs, and Suzuki had three of Chicago’s 12 hits. The Cubs are 10-1 against the Pirates this season.

In a game that started after a 1-hour, 25-minute rain delay, Javier Assad (4-3) allowed one run in five innings with eight strikeouts. Pirates batters struck out 16 times, one shy of their season high.

Bailey Falter (2-9) allowed Swanson’s 21st homer and was replaced in the second by Quinn Priester. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a solo homer for Pittsburgh (70-81), which was assured its eighth consecutive season without a winning record.

MARINERS 7, ATHLETICS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — J.P. Crawford homered in the ninth inning and Jarred Kelenic hit a pair of RBI singles to support Luis Castillo’s eighth consecutive win, leading Seattle over Oakland.

Castillo (14-7) has won three straight starts and is 8-0 over his last 12 since a July 14 loss to Detroit. The Mariners remained tied with Texas for the final AL wild card and closed within a half-game of AL West-leading Houston.

The A’s (46-105) lost their sixth in a row and fell 59 games below .500 for the first time since the Philadelphia A’s were 47-106 on Oct. 2, 1920.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay was ejected in the fifth by first base umpire Jansen Visconti for arguing a check-swing.

The game was played under smoky skies from wildfires in Northern California and Oregon.

Crawford and Teoscar Hernandez added RBI doubles for Seattle, which jumped on A’s starter Paul Blackburn (4-6) early. The A’s are 1-11 against the Mariners this season with one matchup left.

RANGERS 6, RED SOX 4

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Josh Jung hit a tiebreaking single in a two-run seventh inning and Texas beat Boston in its bid for a playoff berth.

Adolis García launched his career-best 35th homer for the Rangers, his first since coming off the injured list.

Texas, which ended a four-game losing streak, remained tied with Seattle for the third AL wild card. Both teams closed within a half-game of first-place Houston in the AL West.

The Rangers play the Mariners in seven of their last 10 games.

Aroldis Chapman (6-4) retired five consecutive batters for the win, striking out three. Jose Leclerc pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was ejected in the seventh by plate umpire Ben May.

Chris Murphy (1-2) took the loss for the Red Sox, who have dropped five of six.

DODGERS 3, TIGERS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy’s base hit with two outs in the ninth inning scored Mookie Betts with the winning run, and Los Angeles defeated Detroit for its fifth consecutive victory.

Betts got aboard with a single for his third hit of the night and advanced to second when Will Smith was hit by a pitch. Muncy then lined a curveball from Alex Lange (7-5) into right field, and Betts beat the tag at home plate.

J.D. Martinez homered and Alex Vesia (2-5) worked a scoreless ninth as the NL West champions reduced their magic number to three for a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage in the Division Series.

Spencer Torkelson and Parker Meadows went deep for the Tigers.

ROYALS 7, GUARDIANS 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MJ Melendez homered and drove in three runs, late-season revelation James McArthur struck out three straight batters to end an eighth-inning threat, and Kansas City held off Cleveland.

Maikel Garcia had three hits and Nick Loftin added two RBIs for the last-place Royals, who have won five of six. They ended a five-series losing streak to the Guardians and will go for the sweep of their AL Central rivals on Wednesday.

Alec Marsh (2-8) earned the win despite a shaky showing after opener Steven Cruz, but it was McArthur who stole the show. His three punchouts left two in scoring position in the eighth, setting up Collin Snider to handle the ninth for his first career save.

Logan Allen (7-8) allowed four runs and eight hits in three innings.

NATIONALS 4, WHITE SOX 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pinch-hitter Joey Meneses launched a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Washington defeated Chicago.

Jackson Rutledge, a 2019 first-round draft pick, allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings in his first home start for Washington. The last-place Nationals had lost six of seven.

Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada homered for the White Sox, who have lost 13 of 18.

Robert Garcia (2-2) retired both hitters he faced. Kyle Finnegan gave up Moncada’s run-scoring single in the ninth but earned his 26th save.

Meneses connected off Bryan Shaw. Aaron Bummer (4-5) took the loss.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals reliever James McArthur earned his first big league win and first career save in a span of three days this week.

He didn't get his first anything Tuesday night even though it may have been his best performance yet.

Inheriting a two-on, no-out mess in the eighth inning of a one-run game against Cleveland, the big right-hander proceeded to strike out the next three batters he faced, allowing Kansas City to eventually close out a 7-6 win over the Guardians.

“I can't say enough about him,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who watched McArthur allow seven runs in a single inning in his big league debut against the same bunch of Guardians in late June. “I mean, the way he's developed here lately, the big outs he's been getting, he's been tremendous.”

MJ Melendez homered and drove in three runs to pace the Kansas City offense, while Makail Garcia had three hits and Nick Loftin added two RBIs. The Royals finished with 13 hits while winning for the fifth time in their last six games.

They also ended a five-series losing streak to the Guardians and will go for the sweep of their AL Central rivals Wednesday.

Alec Marsh (2-8) earned the win despite a shaky showing after opener Steven Cruz, but it was McArthur who stole the show. His three punch-outs left two in scoring position in the eighth, setting up Collin Snider to handle the ninth for his first career save.

“Just trying to keep my best stuff down in the zone," said McArthur, who has retired 22 straight batters and 31 of the past 32, the only blemish a double by the White Sox's Andrew Vaughn. “Pretty special moment.”

Logan Allen (7-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks for Cleveland in just three innings.

“We had chances early on, when they were kind of battling command. We couldn't make them pay for it,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “That's happened to us more than we'd want.”

Melendez gave the Royals a 2-0 lead in the first with his 15th homer of the season, and they added two more runs in the third when the small-ball aficionados strung together a double, four singles and a walk.

Cleveland finally scored in the fifth when Josh Naylor followed an error by right fielder Nelson Velázquez with a two-run single, but Kansas City answered back in the bottom half. Velázquez and Loftin drove in runs before Tyler Cropley, making his big league debut, added a sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 7-2 lead.

The Guardians began a comeback in the sixth with Stevan Kwan's two-out, two-run triple. It continued with a run-scoring triple by Andrés Giménez in the seventh and Bo Naylor's leadoff homer in the eighth, pulling Cleveland within a run.

That's when McArthur inherited a two-on, no-out mess and struck out the next three batters to end the inning.

“It was awesome watching that,” Snider said. “That's a big stage and a big moment in the game for us.”

SINGER SHUT DOWN

The Royals ended RHP Brady Singer's season after he complained of back pain following a shaky outing in the series opener against Cleveland. Singer was just 8-11 with a career-worst 5.52 ERA and did not win after beating Boston on Aug. 8.

BIEBER ON THE BUMP

Guardians RHP Shane Bieber, who has been out with elbow inflammation, had no problems during his bullpen session Tuesday and will start Friday night's game against Baltimore. He has not started a game since July 9.

TRANSACTIONS

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (thoracic outlet syndrome) returned to the injured list after symptoms returned. He is expected to see a shoulder specialist Wednesday. ... RHP Jonathan Bowlan was recalled from Triple-A Omaha and LHP Anthony Veneziano was selected from the same club. ... INF Matt Beaty was designated for assignment.

Guardians: RHP Michael Kelly (back strain) was activated from the injured list. He took the roster spot of LHP Matt Moore, who was claimed by the Marlins after appearing in five games for Cleveland.

UP NEXT

Guardians LHP Lucas Giolito (8-13, 4.59 ERA) tries to snap a four-game losing streak in the series finale Wednesday. Royals RHP Zack Greinke (1-15, 5.39) will try once more to add a second win to the one he earned on May 3 against Baltimore.

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NEW YORK (AP) — George Springer celebrated his 34th birthday with his 57th career leadoff homer, Bo Bichette hit a two-run drive and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 7-1 on Tuesday night.

Toronto stayed one game ahead of Seattle and Texas for the second AL wild card. The Yankees are seven back for the last playoff spot, needing to overcome the Mariners and Rangers.

Yusei Kikuchi (10-6) was pulled as a precaution one batter into the sixth because of a left upper trap muscle cramp after being checked out by athletic trainer Jose Ministral and the Blue Jays expect the left-hander to make his next start. Kikucki allowed one run and four hits in five-plus innings for his first win since Aug. 2 and reached double-digit wins for the first time.

Springer reached 20 homers for the eighth time when he connected off Clarke Schmidt (9-9) and walked ahead of Bichette’s first homer since Aug. 20.

“Happy 34th birthday to Georgie, the young man,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.

Springer leadoff homers trail only Rickey Henderson's 81. Springer homered for the first time on his birthday, becoming the 16th Blue Jays player to achieve the feat and the first since Randal Grichuk against Texas on Aug. 13, 2019.

“I’m just happy to help out there and my job is to hopefully be on base for the guys behind me,” Springer said. “For me to hit a home run, that’s cool, it’s great. I’m not trying to (homer) but for us to take an early lead is obviously big and I think it allowed us to just kind of be who we are.”

Alejandro Kirk padded the lead with a two-run shot in the ninth and Kevin Kiermaier scored on an error by rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Bichette reached three times and took third when third baseman Oswald Peraza committed a throwing error on a grounder by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After Peraza’s fourth error,

Bichette gave Toronto a 2-1 lead when Cavan Biggio’s single dropped in front of center fielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Bichette hit a 390-foot shot for his first homer since Aug. 20 after Springer took two close pitches for the walk.

“I’m just trying to get to first base,” Springer said. “I know who’s up behind me.”

Bichette is 7 for 39 in 10 games since returning from a second injured list stint due to a strained quadriceps without a rehab assignment. The shortstop reached three times for the second time since coming back Sept. 8.

“I just had to figure myself out and I feel like I’m in a good place now,” Bichette said.

“It’s kind of a tall ask having a guy come back and not going on a rehab assignment and get your timing at the big league level,” Schneider said. “I think if there’s anyone who can do it it’s Bo.”

Kikuchi was lifted after walking DJ LeMahieu to start the sixth. Yimi Garcia got Giancarlo Stanton to bounce into a double to end the sixth.

Trevor Richards and Jordan Hicks pitched a perfect inning apiece before Kirk connected for the first time since July 29.

Gleyber Torres hit an RBI double in the first as the Yankees (76-75) dropped to one game over .500 with 11 games to play. New York struck out 12 times and was held to one run or fewer for the 27th time.

“Just not a great night for us offensively,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Schmidt allowed four runs and four hits in five innings. The right-hander allowed more than three earned runs for the second time in his last 21 starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: 1B Brandon Belt (back spasms) took swings in the batting cage. … RHP Adam Cimber (right shoulder impingement) pitched a scoreless inning in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Buffalo.

Yankees: OF Everson Pereira (hamstring) has a low grade strain and the team will determine in the next few days if he needs an injured list stint.

UP NEXT:

Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (11-9, 3.40 ERA) opposes New York RHP Michael King (4-6, 2.77) Wednesday.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Spencer Strider wore a Ronald Acuña Jr. 30-60 T-shirt and said: “He's going to negate the shirt pretty quickly.”

New T-shirts with 40-70 may be needed soon.

Acuña homered twice on his bobblehead night and stole his 67th base, leaving him one long ball shy of becoming the majors' first 40-60 player, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Tuesday night to stop a four-game losing streak.

“I just thank God I've been able to stay healthy,” Acuña said through a translator. “I feel like if I am healthy I am able to do the things I've done.”

Strider (18-5) increased his major league-leading wins total and struck out 11 to increase his big league-high total 270 with his 17th career double-digit strikeout game, his 11th this season.

Acuña homered on the first pitch of the game from Cristopher Sánchez (2-5) and had another solo homer off Yunior Marte in the sixth.

“The ability to go out and get the lead the first pitch of the game is unbelievable,” Strider said. “The guy is the most talented player on the planet.”

Acuña has a Braves record 33 leadoff homers, including seven this season — three on the first pitch. Of his 205 hits this season, 51 have come in the first inning.

No player has ever had 40 homers and 60 steals in a season, much less 40 homers and 70 stolen bases. Fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” after Acuña singled off Michael Lorenzen in the fifth and stole second.

“He's just putting together a special, special year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

NL East champion Atlanta avoided what would have been its first five-game skid since September, 2017. Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs with three hits, including a two-run double in the fifth, as the Braves outhit the Phillies 13-4.

Philadelphia, while second in the NL East, leads the NL wild card race.

Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer, his 19th, off Strider in the sixth.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before the game he was curious to see how Braves hitters adjusted to seeing Sánchez for the second time in a week.

“Obviously, it’s a great lineup and they do make adjustments,” Thomson said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

The first indication came quickly on Acuña's first-pitch homer.

Sánchez (2-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in four innings.

Kevin Pillar hit a two-run single in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Ozuna hit a two-run double in a four-run fifth.

MANUEL SENDS THANKS

Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who is recovering from a stroke he sustained Saturday, expressed thanks on Tuesday to fans for their support. Manuel posted his appreciation on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I want to thank all the people who are pulling for me,” Manuel wrote. “I am touched that you are showing me love." The 79-year-old had a blood clot removed on Saturday.

NO ANSWER FOR STRIDER

Acuña said he’s glad he doesn’t have to face Strider.

“I faced him in spring training,” Acuña said when asked what his approach would be against the right-hander. “He struck me out four times. I don’t have any approach.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves RHP Jesse Chavez (shin) was activated from the 60-day injured list while RHP Nick Anderson (right shoulder strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett. The news provides hope either or both could be part of the postseason bullpen. Chavez, who had been on the IL since June 14, returned to the Atlanta bullpen following three scoreless outings at Gwinnett. ... LHP Max Fried, who was held back to avoid developing a finger blister, is scheduled to start Thursday's opener of a series at Washington. ... LHP Lucas Luetge was designated for assignment. ... RHPs Daysbel Hernández (right forearm inflammation) and Collin McHugh (right shoulder inflammation) also began rehab assignments at Gwinnett.

UP NEXT

Braves RHP Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.50) will face RHP Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.62) on Wednesday as the three-game series ends.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Meneses pinch-hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Jackson Rutledge, a former first-round selection, allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first home start for Washington. The Nationals had lost six of seven.

Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada homered for Chicago, which has lost eight of 11 and 13 of 18.

Washington went ahead when the White Sox went to the bullpen in the seventh inning. Left-hander Aaron Bummer (4-5) allowed two of the four hitters he faced to reach, and was lifted when right-handed hitting Meneses was announced as a pinch hitter for Blake Rutherford.

Meneses remained in to face right-hander Bryan Shaw and lifted a 1-1 slider into the visitors’ bullpen in left-center. It was Meneses' second career home run as a pinch hitter.

“I'm not used to it, so it's not easy, but I think DHing has helped me better prepare myself for those situations,” Meneses said via an interpreter. “I personally don't think anybody likes to pinch hit in general. It's not easy.”

It was the 12th homer in 144 games for Meneses, one shy of his total over 56 games last season.

“I know he's worked all year to drive the ball a little bit better, but one thing I know about Joey: If we put runners on base, there's a good chance he'll hit it hard,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.

Kyle Finnegan gave up a run in the ninth on Moncada's one-out RBI single but avoided further damage to earn his 26th save.

Rutledge, the franchise’s first-round pick in 2019, made his first start at Nationals Park. While it was smoother than his big-league debut Wednesday at Pittsburgh, when he allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 innings, he had two missteps on the first pitch of an inning.

Robert led off the fourth with his second home run in as many nights, launching a changeup to left to open the scoring. It was Robert’s 37th homer of the season, second in the American League behind Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani, and one of his three hits on the night.

“Robert is only one pitch away from just going on a streak, and here he is," White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said.

Moncada blasted Rutledge’s first offering of the seventh to right to put Chicago up 2-1. Rutledge got Andrew Vaughn to ground out, then was lifted after yielding six hits and a walk.

“I feel like my signature as a starting pitcher is I get deep into games” Rutledge said. “Just being a guy who saves the bullpen, being a guy who just gets quick outs. I only struck out two guys, but to me, it doesn't really matter. I'd rather take a first-pitch ground ball than a five-pitch strikeout.”

Robert Garcia (2-2) replaced Rutledge and retired the only two hitters he faced.

White Sox starter José Ureña took a shutout into the sixth before surrendering Jacob Young’s leadoff triple and Lane Thomas’ sacrifice fly two batters later. Ureña allowed a run and four hits in six innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Cade Cavalli played catch for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March, making 25 throws from 45 feet. “I don’t know how else to describe it,” Cavalli said. “It was an awesome feeling.” … Washington placed OF Travis Blankenhorn (plantar fasciitis) on the 10-day injured list and recalled Rutherford from Triple-A Rochester. Blankenhorn hit .161 with a homer and an RBI in 10 games this month. … INF/OF Jake Alu (sore left thumb) was out of the lineup.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-9, 4.77 ERA), who is 0-6 with a 6.00 ERA in nine starts since becoming a regular member of Chicago's rotation Aug. 1, takes the mound as the three-game series concludes.

Nationals: RHP Josiah Gray (7-12, 4.07) is winless in eight starts since July 27 but did strike out a season-high 10 in a 2-0 loss Thursday at Pittsburgh in his last outing.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Osleivis Basabe hit a tiebreaking two-run double in a four-run eighth inning and the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out against Aaron Loup (2-3) before Basabe lined his hit to center over the head of former Rays' player Brett Phillips. René Pinto followed with a single that drove in two more runs.

“I was a little anxious going into that at-bat, especially after having a couple strikeouts earlier in the day,” Basabe said through a translator. “I knew I had hit it well. I didn't realize he was playing so far in. Once I saw that he was running back, I was hoping it would score those runs.”

Basabe was called up from Triple-A Durham last month when Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave indefinitely by Major League Baseball while authorities in the Dominican Republic investigate the Tampa Bay Rays’ All-Star shortstop for an alleged relationship with a minor.

Randy Arozarena homered for the AL wild card-leading Rays, who started the day 2 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East. The Orioles, who were playing the Houston Astros, hold the tiebreaker.

“We're playing for the division,” Arozarena said through a translator. “The 10 games from here on out are very important for us in order to win that division.”

Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto homered for the Angels, who have lost six in a row.

Los Angeles left fielder Randal Grichuk departed with two outs in the ninth after being hit by a high pitch by Shawn Armstrong.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said the pitch got Grichuk “pretty square” on the helmet extension that protects the face.

“He seems to checking out fine,” Nevin said.

Tampa Bay needed just five pitches to take a 2-0 lead in the first when Yandy Díaz had a leadoff double and Arozarena followed with his 23rd homer off Patrick Sandoval.

Díaz had three hits to lift his batting average from from .319 to .323.

O’Hoppe made it 2-1 on a fourth-inning solo homer off rookie Taj Bradley. Neto tied it at 2 against Robert Stephenson (3-4) in the eighth.

Sandoval allowed two runs and five hits in five innings.

“After the first three hitters, I thought he threw the ball very well,” Nevin said. “It's just the pitch count (of 100) got high. No reason to push him any further.”

Bradley gave up one run and three hits over five innings and had his winless streak reach 10 starts, dating to June 27.

It was announced before the game that Angels star Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery Tuesday, and his doctor said he expects the two-way star will be available as a hitter on opening day next season and will return to the mound in 2025.

Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23, ending his pitching season. He continued as a batter through Sept. 3 until an oblique strain.

ON-BASE MACHINE

Los Angeles 1B Nolan Schanuel walked in the third to reach base in 23 straight games to start his career. It ties the St. Louis Cardinals’ Luis Alicea for the fifth longest run in the majors since 1961.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: CF Mike Trout (fractured left hamate) accompanied the team on the final road trip of the season and took dry swings.

Rays: SS Taylor Walls was reinstated from the paternity list. … RHP Jason Adam (left oblique strain) threw live batting practice.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Aaron Civale (7-3) will face Angels LHP Reid Detmers (3-10) on Wednesday night. Civale is 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in eight starts with Tampa Bay since being acquired from Cleveland on July 31. He has lasted 5 1/3 or fewer innings in seven of the eight outings.

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