SEATTLE -- Julio Rodriguez hit a run-scoring double and later scored the tiebreaking run after drawing an intentional walk, leading the playoff-contending Seattle over Los Angeles.
Luis Castillo (13-7) added six strong innings for the Mariners, who rebounded from Monday's extra-innings loss to take two of three from Los Angeles. He allowed two runs and three hits in a 104-pitch outing. He struck out eight and walked three.
Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his 13th save.
Jose Suarez (1-3) took the loss for the Angels, who used seven pitchers in a bullpen day.
ASTROS 6, ATHLETICS 2
HOUSTON -- Hunter Brown and Houston held Oakland hitless until Ryan Noda's one-out single in the ninth inning, sending the Athletics to their first consecutive 100-loss seasons since the 1960s.
Brown pitched six innings, Rafael Montero, Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu followed with perfect innings as AL West-leading Houston retired 11 straight batters.
Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer and Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker had solo shots for the Astros, who maintained a one-game lead over second place Texas, with Seattle is another half-game back. Tucker's home run was the 100th of his big league career.
Brown (11-11) struck out seven in five innings, walked two and hit a batter, throwing 78 pitches. He had allowed 11 runs over his last two starts spanning 8 1/3 innings.
Paul Blackburn (4-5) allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in three innings, dropping to 0-5 with a 9.74 ERA in eight appearances against the Astros.
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves clinched their sixth straight NL East title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Wednesday night behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley’s two-run homer.
Kirby Yates struck out Brandon Marsh to end the game and the players danced in a mob near the mound as Phillies fans booed them off the field. Yates earned his fifth save.
Atlanta took special satisfaction in clinching on the same Citizens Bank Park field where the Phillies eliminated them last October in the NL Division Series. The Phillies won that series 3-1 — just as Atlanta won this four-game set.
The Phillies lead the NL wild card and the teams could face each other in October.
Cristopher Sánchez (2-4) struck out a career-best 10 in 7 1/3 innings.
Strider (17-5) won for the fifth time in six starts, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Strider struck out nine to boost his MLB-best total to 259. He also gave the bullpen some needed rest after a rough first three games in Philly.
CARDINALS 1, ORIOLES 0
BALTIMORE (AP) — Richie Palacios homered, rookie Drew Rom and four relievers combined on a three-hitter and St. Louis beat Baltimore to trim the Orioles’ lead in the AL East to two games.
Gunnar Henderson’s two-out triple off Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning gave the Orioles a chance to pull even, but Aaron Hicks popped out.
In a game dominated by strong pitching and tight defense, Palacios provided the lone run with a solo shot over the right-field scoreboard in the fourth inning off Kyle Gibson (14-9). It was his fourth homer of the season and third in two nights.
Making his fifth major league start since being traded from Baltimore to the Cardinals on Aug. 1, Rom (1-2) allowed two hits over 5 1/3 innings and left with a 1-0 lead.
Casey Lawrence got two outs after Rom gave up a one-out double to Anthony Santander in the sixth. Giovanny Gallegos and John King worked an inning apiece before Helsley got three outs to earn his ninth save, the second in two nights.
RAYS 5, TWINS 4
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Randy Arozarena hit a tiebreaking home run with two outs in the ninth inning, helping Tampa Bay beat Minnesota heading into a weekend showdown with AL East leader Baltimore.
Arozarena sent a 448-foot drive to the third deck above left field on a 3-2 sweeper from Griffin Jax (6-10), who leads the staff in losses.
Colin Poche walked pinch hitter Jordan Luplow with one out in the ninth and pinch-runner Andrew Stevenson stole second base, but Robert Stephenson recorded his first save for the Rays by striking out pinch hitter Christian Vázquez to end the game.
Kevin Kelly (5-2) pitched two perfect innings in relief for the victory.
PADRES 6, DODGERS 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Snell scattered one hit over six scoreless innings, Juan Soto and Luis Campusano homered and San Diego won its first series against their NL West rivals in two years.
Snell (14-9), a favourite for the NL Cy Young, allowed just a single to Mookie Betts leading off the game and struck out eight. The right-hander, who leads the majors with 93 walks, issued only one.
Betts got on base twice — stealing second each time — only to be left stranded. He was the Dodgers’ only base runner through seven innings.
Making his third start of the season, rookie Ryan Pepiot (2-1) gave up four runs and six hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked none.
Soto became the seventh player in major league history with two-plus seasons of 30 or more homers and 100-plus walks before turning 25. He joins such elite players as Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle on the list. Soto’s 156 career homers and 627 walks are the most in MLB history before his age-25 season.
RANGERS 10, BLUE JAYS 0
TORONTO (AP) — Jordan Montgomery and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver each hit three-run home runs and Texas shut out Toronto to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the slumping Blue Jays in the AL wild-card race.
Robbie Grossman added a two-run homer as the Rangers (81-64) won their fifth straight. It’s the fourth time this season that Texas has won at least five in a row, matching Baltimore and Boston for most in the AL.
Lowe hit a three-run home run off left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (9-6) in the fourth. Grossman connected off Kikuchi in the fifth. Garver homered off Chad Green in the ninth.
Montgomery (9-11) allowed four hits in seven innings. Martín Pérez worked the eighth and Ian Kennedy finished.
Kikuchi allowed six runs and five hits in five innings. He gave up two home runs for the first time since June 4 against the Mets.
METS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1
NEW YORK -- Arizona ace Zac Gallen was hit hard in a damaging loss for the Diamondbacks as Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos powered New York to victory.
Joey Lucchesi (3-0) carried a shutout into the eighth inning. He was charged with an unearned run and five hits over seven-plus innings in his return from Triple-A Syracuse. He walked three and struck out two.
Arizona dropped into a tie for the third National League wild card with Cincinnati.
Gallen (15-8), who was coming off the first nine-inning shutout of his career, was tagged for seven runs _ six earned _ and eight hits over five-plus innings.
MARLINS 2, BREWERS 0
MILWAUKEE -- Braxton Garrett pitched six innings of four-hit ball and Miami beat NL Central-leading Milwaukee after dropping the first two games of the four-game series.
Miami (75-71) moved within one-half game of Cincinnati and Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot.
Garrett (9-6) struck out seven and walked two. The Marlins turned two double plays behind the 26-year-old left-hander, who didn't allow a runner past second base.
Three relievers completed a seven-hitter for Miami, with Tanner Scott working the ninth for his eighth save.
Colin Rea (5-6) followed opener Trevor Megill and allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings for the Brewers, who were shut out for the 11th time this season.
ROCKIES 7, CUBS 3
DENVER (AP) — Kris Bryant went deep for the second straight game, one of four home runs by Colorado, and the Rockies earned their first series win in a month.
Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero each hit a two-run homer in a four-run fifth, and Ryan McMahon homered and finished with three hits for the Rockies, who took two of three from the playoff-contending Cubs.
Ty Blach (3-1) gave up nine hits in five innings but held the Cubs in check, allowing three runs. Gavin Hollowell worked two scoreless innings and Tyler Kinley, the fourth Colorado reliever, got the last five outs for his third save.
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (7-10) came in 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against Colorado, including a complete game at Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2018, when he was with Pittsburgh. He allowed just one hit through three innings before Colorado scored a run in the fourth and took the lead in the fifth.
METS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Arizona ace Zac Gallen was hit hard in a damaging loss for the Diamondbacks as Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos powered New York to victory.
Joey Lucchesi (3-0) carried a shutout into the eighth inning. He was charged with an unearned run and five hits over seven-plus innings in his return from Triple-A Syracuse. He walked three and struck out two.
Arizona dropped into a tie for the third National League wild card with Cincinnati.
Gallen (15-8), who was coming off the first nine-inning shutout of his career, was tagged for seven runs — six earned — and eight hits over five-plus innings.
GIANTS 6, GUARDIANS 5, 10 INNINGS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and San Francisco rallied past Cleveland in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Xzavion Curry (3-4) walked a pair to load the bases with no outs. Wade hit a fly ball to left and Patrick Bailey beat a strong throw from left fielder Steven Kwan, sliding under Bo Naylor’s tag at the plate. The call was upheld upon video review.
J.D. Davis tied the game in the eighth with a towering three-run homer to left.
Camilo Doval (6-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first win since Aug. 20.
PIRATES 7, NATIONALS 6
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit his 21st homer and singled twice to help Pittsburgh beat Washington.
Josh Palacios and Liover Pegeuro added two hits and an RBI apiece for the Pirates, who jumped on Jackson Rutledge (0-1) early in his major league debut — then held on late.
Pittsburgh rookie Quinn Priester (3-2), back up for his second stint in the majors after six rocky starts earlier in the season, worked four-plus innings to earn the victory. David Bednar endured a bumpy ninth, allowing a run and loading the bases with one out before getting C.J. Abrams to strike out and Lane Thomas to fly out to end it.
Dominic Smith hit his ninth home run for Washington. Rookie catcher Drew Millas hit his first major league homer for the Nationals.
REDS 4, TIGERS 3
DETROIT (AP) — TJ Friedl hit a two-run triple in the second inning and seven relievers combined on five shutout innings as Cincinnati beat Detroit.
The Reds bullpen has pitched 11 scoreless innings as the Reds have won the first two games of the series. The Reds (76-71) are tied with Arizona for the final NL wild card.
Reds starter Connor Phillips allowed three runs in four innings before the bullpen took over. Daniel Duarte (2-0) pitched the eighth to get the win and Alexis Díaz, who got the win in Tuesday’s 10-inning victory, pitched the ninth for his 36th save.
Eduardo Rodriguez (11-8) allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO -- Michael Massey homered for the second straight game, Salvador Perez had three hits and two RBIs and Kansas City won its second straight against Chicago.
Four pitchers combined to limit Chicago to one run on five hits while striking out nine.
Rookie Steven Cruz opened with two scoreless, two-hit innings. Fellow rookie Alec Marsh (1-8) followed, allowing one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings for his first major league victory. James McArthur got five outs, and Tucker Davidson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Chicago starter Mike Clevinger (7-8) allowed two runs _ on Massey's drive in the second _ and six hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out seven and didn't give up a walk.
Nick Loftin drove in two runs, with a single and double, after entering as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
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