St. Petersburg, Florida, Sept. 27 (BNA): Mike Zunino popped a tiebreaking two-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays claimed the American League East crown with a 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Coupled with the New York Yankees’ 5-3 comeback win over the Boston Red Sox, the victory gave the Rays their second consecutive division title and fourth overall in organizational history, Reuters reports.
Zunino had two hits and two runs, and Brandon Lowe went 4-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs. Joey Wendle and Yandy Diaz each had two hits, a run and an RBI.
Rookie Shane McClanahan (10-6) exited after five innings that required 84 pitches but matched the club high with his 10th win, sharing the lead with Josh Fleming. The left-hander yielded six hits and struck out three while walking one.
Cardinals 8, Cubs 5
Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly as visiting St. Louis rallied past Chicago for its team-record 15th straight victory.
Harrison Bader added a solo homer and RBI single as the Cardinals reduced their magic number for reaching the National League wild-card game to three. Cardinals starting pitcher Jon Lester allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits and three walks. Kwang Hyun Kim (7-7) earned the victory with a scoreless inning in relief.
Ian Happ drove in three runs for the Cubs, who lost for the 12th time in their last 14 games.
Yankees 5, Red Sox 3
Giancarlo Stanton crushed a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, and the New York Yankees tied host Boston for the top American League wild-card spot.
Stanton’s first-pitch blast gave the Yankees their first lead of the contest. The slugger homered and had four RBIs in a New York win Friday to kick off the pivotal three-game series.
The visitors extended their winning streak to five. Bobby Dalbec homered in the ninth for the Red Sox, who had won seven in a row entering the series.
Phillies 3, Pirates 0
Left-hander Ranger Suarez tossed a four-hit shutout to lift host Philadelphia past Pittsburgh and remain just 1 1/2 games back of NL East-leading Atlanta.
Suarez (7-5) struck out seven and walked none for the Phillies, who won their fifth in a row. Suarez, a former closer, threw only 97 pitches while recording his first career shutout.
Matt Vierling homered and singled and Bryce Harper added a home run. J.T. Realmuto provided two hits for the Phillies. Pirates right-hander Wil Crowe (4-8) lasted only 4 2/3 innings and gave up eight hits and three runs with four walks and two strikeouts.
Athletics 2, Astros 1
Starling Marte scorched a walk-off double with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving host Oakland its second straight win over AL West-leading Houston.
The A’s overcame yet another home run by the Astros’ Kyle Tucker off Sean Manaea to stay alive in the AL West, where they now sit in third place, trailing Houston by seven games with seven remaining.
Oakland also remained four games behind wild-card co-leaders New York and Boston, with Toronto two games out and Seattle three back. Andrew Chafin (2-3), who worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, was credited with the win, and Astros closer Ryan Pressly (5-3) took the loss.
Indians 6, White Sox 0
Rookie right-hander Eli Morgan allowed one hit over six shutout innings to lead host Cleveland past Chicago in the fourth game of their five-game series.
Morgan struck out six and walked one in his 17th major league start. Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez homered, and Myles Straw had two hits and scored two runs for the Indians.
White Sox starter Lance Lynn (10-6) allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter for the White Sox, who clinched the AL Central with a win in the series opener on Thursday.
Tigers 5, Royals 1
Miguel Cabrera had a two-run double and two-run single and the host Detroit collected their fifth win in six games by defeating Kansas City.
Jonathan Schoop had two hits and scored two runs, while Jeimer Candelario added two hits and an RBI. Drew Hutchison (3-1) only allowed an unearned run in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Michael Fulmer got the last four outs for his 12th save.
Detroit starter Tarik Skubal gave up one hit in four scoreless innings. Making his second career start, Kansas City starter Jon Heasley held the Tigers scoreless on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Hunter Dozier had two extra-base hits and an RBI for the Royals.
Blue Jays 6, Twins 1
Marcus Semien tied the single-season home run record for second basemen with his 43rd as Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Sep 25, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos (2) hits a solo home run to win the game against the Washington Nationals in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Joey Wendle (18) rounds third and scores in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong (11) hits a sacrifice fly ball during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
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Sep 25, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Joey Wendle (18) rounds third and scores in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Jays starter Robbie Ray allowed three hits over six innings while picking up his 13th win. Teoscar Hernandez and George Springer also homered for Toronto, which remained two games behind the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the race for the American League’s two wild-card spots.
Minnesota, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Jorge Polanco singled, advanced to second on a walk to Josh Donaldson, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Garver, whose potential extra-base liner to center was backhanded by Springer before crashing into the fence.
Angels 14, Mariners 1
Shohei Ohtani hit two run-scoring triples and walked with the bases loaded as Los Angeles put a crimp in Seattle’s postseason hopes with a blowout in Anaheim, Calif.
Luis Rengifo homered and Phil Gosselin and Jared Walsh each drove in four runs for the Angels, who won for just the second time in their past nine games. Left-hander Jhonathan Diaz (1-0) pitched seven innings of relief, allowing just one run on three hits, to earn his first major league victory. Angels starter Jaime Barria, a right-hander, left after two scoreless innings with arm fatigue.
The Mariners had their season-high six-game winning streak snapped and fell three games behind both Boston and the New York Yankees in the chase for the American League’s two wild-card playoff berths.
Braves 10, Padres 8 (10 innings)
Jorge Soler drove in four runs, including one on a double in the 10th, to help visiting Atlanta beat San Diego in 10 innings.
Soler, who went 3-for-5, hit a line-drive double that scored Travis d’Arnaud, who began the inning at second base, and sent Orlando Arcia, who had walked, to third. Arcia then scored on a long sacrifice fly by Ozzie Albies. The winning pitcher was Richard Rodriguez (5-4) and Will Smith earned his 34th save. The losing pitcher was Daniel Hudson (5-3).
San Diego starter Vince Velasquez pitched three innings and allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Atlanta starter Huascar Ynoa allowed a season-high seven runs on seven hits and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Giants 7, Rockies 2
Brandon Belt hit a pair of home runs as San Francisco won for the fourth time in the past five games by beating Colorado in Denver.
The Giants came into the night one home run away from tying the franchise record of 235 in a single season, set in 2001. Belt’s first homer came in the first inning and tied the record; his second, a three-run shot in the fifth, set it.
Colorado starter Jon Gray (8-12) went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs off five hits with five strikeouts. Prior to Saturday night’s game, the Rockies held a ceremony in which they retired Larry Walker’s No. 33 as the team celebrated his Hall of Fame induction.
Orioles 3, Rangers 2
Kelvin Gutierrez capped a three-run seventh inning with a two-run home run and Baltimore defeated visiting Texas.
The seventh-inning rally broke up a scoreless game and gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the four-game series.
Jose Trevino and Nathaniel Lowe had solo home runs for the Rangers. Texas right-hander Jordan Lyles (9-13) allowed all three runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Brewers 2, Mets 1
Corbin Burnes bolstered his National League Cy Young candidacy by tossing seven strong innings, earning the victory as Milwaukee cut its magic number for winning the NL Central to one by edging the visiting New York Mets.
Eduardo Escobar delivered a two-run single in the third inning for the Brewers, who can clinch the fourth full-season division title in franchise history with a win in Sunday’s series finale or a loss by the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won 15 in a row.
The loss was the fourth straight and 12th in 15 games for New York, eliminated from playoff contention prior to first pitch due to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. New York was in first place in the NL East for 114 days.
Reds 7, Nationals 6
Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off solo homer with one out in the ninth inning and Cincinnati defeated visiting Washington.
Castellanos, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, hit an 0-1 fastball from Patrick Murphy (0-3) to center field for his 31st home run.
The Reds, who won on a walk-off for the second night in a row, remain six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild card. Mychal Givens (4-3) pitched one inning for the win.
Diamondbacks 7, Dodgers 2
Zac Gallen got the better of a duel with Clayton Kershaw and Arizona earned a rare victory against playoff-bound Los Angeles.
Gallen (3-10) gave up one run on just three hits over six innings, while Ketel Marte and Carson Kelly hit home runs as the Diamondbacks won for just the third time in 18 games against the Dodgers this season.
Trea Turner hit two home runs for the Dodgers, who lost for just the third time in their last 14 games. Los Angeles fell to 5-2 on their nine-game road trip.
Source: Bahrain News Agency