CLEVELAND (AP) —
Lane Thomas hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Josh Naylor had a pair of RBIs and the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians clinched a first-round bye in the postseason with a 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Tanner Bibee (12-8) allowed one run on four hits in seven innings to win for the first time at home since July 19. The right-hander struck out seven in what could be his final outing until Game 1 of the ALDS.
Thomas and Kyle Manzardo both went deep gainst Carson Spiers (5-7) in a three-run first inning as the Guardians improved their AL-best home record to 49-28.
Cleveland will get five days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the division series on Oct. 5 at Progressive Field.
TIGERS 2, RAYS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings and Detroit took another step toward an improbable postseason appearance with a victory overTampa Bay.
Skubal (18-4), a leading candidate to win the AL Cy Young award, struck out seven batters while walking only one. He will get a chance for a 19th win on Sunday if the Tigers need him to beat the Chicago White Sox on the final day of the regular season to make the postseason.
The Tigers (83-74) began the day tied with Kansas City for the second and third wild-card spots — the Royals hold the tiebreaker — and one game ahead of the Minnesota Twins. Sellers at MLB’s trade deadline, Detroit is an MLB-best 28-11 since Aug. 11.
Reliever Beau Brieske retired the first five batters he faced before Brandon Lowe homered with two outs in the ninth, pulling the Rays to within 2-1, but he struck out Josh Lowe for his first save.
BREWERS 7, PIRATES 2
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Willy Adames secured his first 30-20 season in Milwaukee’ win over Pittsburgh.
Adames stole second after an infield single, his first of two hits, with one out in the second inning. It was the 20th stolen base for the seven-year veteran to go along with 32 home runs. He and 20-year-old rookie Jackson Chourio (21 homers, 21 stolen bases) are the first Brewers teammates to go 20-20 in the same season.
Hoby Milner (5-1) pitched a perfect fifth inning for the win in relief of Tobias Myers, who allowed two runs and six hits in the first four.
Adames was the first of four straight batters to reach against Bailey Falter (8-9) with one out in a three-run second. Rhys Hoskins walked after Adames’ single and ahead of an RBI double from Sal Frelick. Joey Ortiz then dribbled a two-run single past a diving Nick Yorke at second base.
Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the bottom half. Jared Triolo hit an RBI single; Bryan De La Cruz scored on Yorke’s sacrifice fly.
CUBS 10, PHILLIES 4
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cody Bellinger tripled, singled twice and drove in four runs, and Chicago routed Philadelphia.
Kyle Schwarber hit his 38th homer of the season and Bryce Harper hit his 30th for the Phillies, who clinched their first NL East title in 13 years on Monday night. Manager Rob Thomson played his regular lineup, minus catcher J.T. Realmuto, as Philadelphia seeks to secure home-field advantage in the NL playoffs.
The Phillies (93-65) have four games remaining and need to finish at least tied with the Brewers to get a first-round playoff bye. Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to move within 2 1/2 games of the Phillies.
Philadelphia can also clinch home field through the NL Championship Series by ending the season tied with or ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
BRAVES 5, METS 1
ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II had three more hits, including a solo home run and an RBI double, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach shut down New York again as Atlanta cruised to a win in the opener of a pivotal three-game series.
Atlanta trails the Mets by one game in the National League playoff race with five remaining. New York began the night a half-game ahead of Arizona for the second of three wild cards, while the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.
Schwellenbach (8-7) threw seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits while striking out four. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters over 14 innings in two wins against the Mets this season.
MARLINS 4, TWINS 1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cratering Minnesota took another step backward in the American League wild-card race, as Jonah Bride homered to spark a four-run second inning off Bailey Ober for the loss to Miami.
Bride had three hits, while Nick Fortes and Xavier Edwards each had two and helped fuel the defining rally in the second against Ober (12-8), who failed to finish six innings for just the second time in his last 17 starts.
The Twins (81-76), who have lost 23 of their last 34 games and 14 of 20, dropped to two games below the postseason cut behind both Detroit and Kansas City. The Tigers and Royals occupy the last two of the three wild-card spots, tied at 83-74. The Twins hold the tiebreakers after winning the season series against both of them, but there are only five games to go.
ROYALS 1, NATIONALS 0, 10 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyle Isbel snapped Kansas City’s 27-inning scoreless streak by sprinting home on a throwing error in the 10th inning, Cole Ragans gave up three hits in six innings, and the Royals held on to the second American League wild card with a victory over Washington.
Isbel, the Royals’ automatic runner to begin the 10th, reached third on Bobby Witt Jr.’s infield single to short and crossed the plate on Nasim Nuñez’s low throw to first to end Kansas City’s seven-game slide.
Kansas City and Detroit are both 83-74 but the Royals own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams are 1 1/2 games up on Minnesota.
Kyle Finnegan (3-7) escaped the 10th without further damage.
