MLB Roundup: Braves sweep Cubs, clinch home-field throughout playoffs

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Olson hit his major league-leading 54th homer, and Atlanta clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Austin Riley had three hits and scored two runs as the Braves (103-56) won for the sixth time in seven games. The NL East champions can match the franchise record for wins with a season-ending sweep of the Nationals.

Chicago has dropped 13 of 19 to fall out of position for an NL wild card. With the three-game sweep by the Braves, the Cubs (82-77) fell a half-game back of Miami for the third wild card.

The Marlins led 2-1 in the ninth inning when their game at the New York Mets was suspended by rain. The Cubs finish with three games at Milwaukee. The Marlins close with three games at Pittsburgh and would have to return to New York on Monday to complete the game against the Mets if it’s needed to determine a postseason spot.

Kyle Wright (1-3) got the win for Atlanta, and Raisel Iglesias earned his 32nd save.

Seiya Suzuki had three hits and two RBIs for the Cubs. Marcus Stroman (10-9) was charged with four runs, two earned, and four hits in two innings.

ORIOLES 2, RED SOX 0

BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Santander homered, DL Hall worked out of a sixth-inning jam and the Baltimore Orioles clinched the AL East title with a 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

Dean Kremer (13-5) allowed two hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings, and the Orioles reached 100 wins for the sixth time in team history and first since 1980.

Now the Orioles — two years after losing 110 games — will enter the postseason as the top seed in the American League.

It was a night of celebration at Camden Yards. The team announced on the scoreboard after the third inning that it had reached an agreement with the state keeping the Orioles in Baltimore for at least the next 30 years. The team’s lease at Camden Yards was set to expire at the end of 2023.

Santander’s homer off Chris Sale (6-5) gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the first.

Tyler Wells pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

MARINERS 3, RANGERS 2

SEATTLE (AP) — J.P. Crawford lined a two-run double with two out in the ninth inning, lifting Seattle to the win and preventing Texas from clinching a playoff berth for at least one day.

Crawford went the other way and drove a 1-1 pitch over the head of left fielder Evan Carter. Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore scored to keep Seattle’s playoff hopes very much alive.

The Mariners (86-73) pulled within one game of idle Houston in the race for the final AL wild card. Seattle also holds the tiebreaker over the Astros.

Adolis García and Leody Tavares homered for the AL West-leading Rangers (89-70). Aroldis Chapman (6-5) got the loss.

Julio Rodríguez hit his 32nd homer for Seattle. Andrés Muñoz (4-7) earned the victory

BLUE JAYS 6, YANKEES 0

TORONTO (AP) — Chris Bassitt reached 200 innings for the first time, Brandon Belt hit a three-run homer and Toronto moved one step closer to an AL wild card.

Daulton Varsho and Matt Chapman each hit a solo homer for the Blue Jays (88-71), who entered in position for the second AL wild card, a half-game ahead of Houston and two games ahead of Seattle.

The Yankees (81-78) were blanked for the 10th time and remained one victory from assuring their 31st consecutive winning season.

Bassitt (16-8) allowed five hits over 7 2/3 innings. He matched his career high with 12 strikeouts and walked one.

Yankees right-hander Luke Weaver (3-6) gave up two runs and six hits in four innings.

WHITE SOX 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Arizona lost to Andrew Vaughn and the White Sox, delaying the Diamondbacks' bid for an NL wild card for at least another day.

Arizona (84-75) is in position for the second NL wild card and its first postseason appearance since 2017. The Diamondbacks would have clinched Thursday with both a win and a Cubs loss at Atlanta.

Vaughn and Yoán Moncada homered for Chicago (61-98). Tanner Banks (1-4) got the win, and Bryan Shaw earned his fourth save in five chances.

Each team had three hits, and Arizona went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Diamondbacks rookie Bryce Jarvis (2-1) was charged with two runs in 2 2/3 innings.

PIRATES 3, PHILLIES 2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered and Bryce Harper was ejected during Philadelphia's loss to Pittsburgh.

Schwarber launched his 46th homer, matching last year’s NL-leading total, with a first-inning drive into the second deck.

But the biggest fireworks occurred when Harper seemingly held his swing on a full count against Luis L. Ortiz in the fourth inning. Harper started to remove his shin guard when third base umpire Ángel Hernández called out the slugger. Harper became enraged and was thrown out.

Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs for Pittsburgh. Ortiz (5-5) struck out four in five innings, and David Bednar earned his 38th save in 41 chances.

Matt Strahm (9-5) took the loss.

BREWERS 3, CARDINALS 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers rookie Garrett Mitchell doubled, walked twice and scored in his first big league game since April.

Corbin Burnes, Julio Teheran (3-5) and Ethan Small combined on a six-hitter for the NL Central champions. Burnes struck out four and walked one in four innings in his final tuneup for the postseason.

The Brewers reinstated Mitchell from the 60-day injured list. The 24-year-old Mitchell, a 2020 first-round pick, hurt his left shoulder on a slide into third base on April 18.

St. Louis lost its 90th game for the first time since going 70-92 in 1990. In addition to that 1990 season, the Cardinals are assured of finishing in last place for only the second time since 1918.

Dakota Hudson (6-3) was charged with three runs and seven hits in five-plus innings.

After Burnes departed, Teheran pitched four innings and Small got three outs for his first career save.

ROCKIES 14, DODGERS 5

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle drove in four runs and Elehuris Montero scored four times, leading Colorado to the victory.

Montero, Charlie Blackmon and Sean Bouchard homered for the Rockies. Chris Flexen (1-8) earned the win.

Colorado had lost nine of its last 10 games. It had scored just 16 runs in its last eight games.

The Rockies pounded out a season-best 18 hits and their 14 runs tied a season high.

With a two-run homer in the first inning, J.D. Martinez became the fourth Dodgers player this season with at least 100 RBIs, a franchise record. Ryan Yarbrough (8-7) got the loss.

ATHLETICS 2, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rookie Ryan Noda hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, sending the Athletics to the victory against the AL Central champions.

Noda’s 16th homer helped Oakland rebound after Minnesota tied the game in the sixth. It was just the third win in the past 14 games for the Athletics, who avoided being swept.

Lucas Erceg (4-4) won in relief of Luis Medina, who allowed one run over six innings. Trevor May worked around Matt Wallner’s one-out double for his 21st save in 24 chances.

Kenta Maeda (6-8), who will likely be used in relief in the postseason, took the loss in relief of Sonny Gray. Maeda allowed one hit – Noda’s homer – in 3 1/3 innings.

TIGERS 8, ROYALS 0

TIGERS 7, ROYALS 3

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit his 511th career homer and Detroit finished a shutout in the completion of a suspended game, and Spencer Torkelson hit a three-run shot to lead the Tigers to the victory in the regularly scheduled matchup.

Cabrera, who is retiring after the season, tied Mel Ott for 25th on the home run list. The 40-year-old slugger has 373 homers for Detroit, tying Norm Cash for second behind Al Kaline’s 399.

At 54-105, the Royals have their most losses since 2005.

Miguel Díaz (1-0) pitched two innings for the win in the suspended contest. José Cisnero (3-4) got the win in the second game.

Kansas City's Cole Ragans (5-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-run ball in the scheduled matchup. Jonathan Bowlan (0-1) got the loss in the suspended game.

Play was suspended because of rain after four innings and an 80-minute wait on Wednesday night.