Mariners beat Astros 4-0, take AL West lead

The Astros fell into a tie with Boston for the final two American League wild-card spots, with Cleveland 1 1/2 games behind.

Woo (15-7) yielded one hit and one walk and struck out seven, but the All-Star right-hander departed after a couple of warmup tosses in the sixth, having thrown just 67 pitches. It was Woo’s ninth straight outing surrendering three runs or fewer, and he lowered his ERA to 2.94. He has 198 strikeouts this season.

Julio Rodriguez homered in the first inning for the Mariners. Suárez’s 425-foot drive off the train tracks above the Crawford Boxes in left field in the fourth made it 2-0.

Victor Robles led off the seventh with a homer, and Josh Naylor connected in the eighth.

Hunter Brown (12-8) allowed two runs and struck out nine in six innings. Brown has 201 strikeouts this season.

BRAVES 8, TIGERS 1

DETROIT (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered and Bryce Elder pitched seven strong innings as Atlanta beat slumping Detroit.

The Tigers have lost four straight and seven of their last eight. They have been outscored 17-2 in their last three games.

Elder (8-10) allowed one run and five hits. He struck out six and walked none. Elder was facing the Tigers for the first time and has now pitched against every team other than the Braves.

The Braves scored three runs in each of the first two innings against former teammate Charlie Morton. Morton (9-11) allowed six runs while only getting four outs.

Jurickson Profar led off the game with a double, and Morton hit Matt Olson. It was the 200th time Morton had hit a batter, making him the fifth pitcher in MLB history to reach that dubious milestone and the first in 98 years.

ATHLETICS 4, PIRATES 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lawrence Butler hit a go-ahead, three-run homer, Nick Kurtz added a solo shot and the Athletics beat Pittsburgh.

Mitch Keller didn’t allow a baserunner until Kurtz, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, homered with two outs in the fourth to get the Athletics within 3-1.

It was the 33rd homer for Kurtz, who had plenty of family and friends in attendance as he tied Jose Canseco (1986) for the second-most home runs by an A’s rookie. Mark McGwire hit 49 in 1987.

Carlos Cortes had a one-out single in the fifth and Zack Gelof walked with two outs before Butler launched his 21st homer, a 424-foot shot to right-center to put the Athletics up 4-3.

Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales drove in first-inning runs against Luis Severino for a 3-0 lead.

Severino (7-11) allowed three runs — one earned — on seven hits in five innings. Michael Kelly retired Tommy Pham on a double-play grounder with one out and runners on the corners in the ninth for his second big league save.

REDS 7, CUBS 4

CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer hit two of Cincinnati’s season-high five homers as the Reds beat Chicago to keep pace in the National League wild-card race.

The Reds remained two games behind the New York Mets, who beat Washington on Friday night, for the final wild-card spot. The Cubs have the top wild-card spot and have already clinched a playoff berth.

Steer’s two-run homer in the sixth inning off Porter Hodge (2-2) broke a 4-all tie, and Elly De La Cruz took Hodge deep on the next pitch. It was each player’s 20th homer of the season.

The Reds hit their other three homers off Shota Imanaga. Miguel Andujar went deep in the first inning, Matt McLain in the third and Steer in the fourth.

Dansby Swanson hit his 23rd homer of the season in the second for the Cubs. Matt Shaw added a two-run shot in the fourth, but the Cubs didn’t score again.

Connor Phillips (1-0) worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Nick Lodolo, who gave up four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for his 28th save.

ORIOLES 4, YANKEES 2

BALTIMORE (AP) — Trevor Rogers threw six one-hit innings, and Baltimore topped the Yankees, dealing New York a setback in its attempt to catch Toronto atop the AL East.

Ryan Mountcastle homered for the last-place Orioles, who improved to 12-5 in September. Rogers (9-2) continued his sensational partial season, lowering his ERA to 1.35 in 17 starts.

The Yankees remained three games behind the Blue Jays, who lost 20-1 at Kansas City on Friday night.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered for New York to join the 30-30 club for the first time.

Rogers did not allow a hit until the sixth. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks.

WHITE SOX 4, PADRES 3

CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer, Davis Martin pitched six effective innings, and Chicago beat San Diego to end a six-game skid.

Martin (7-10) allowed three runs and six hits with a walk while striking out four. He left with the White Sox lead after scoring twice in the fourth to break a 2-all tie.

Rookie Grant Taylor, the last of three Chicago relievers, pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Dylan Cease (8-12), who spent his first five seasons with the White Sox before being traded to San Diego, gave up four runs and four hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six in his first start against his former club.

Vargas connected for his 15th home run in the first, but San Diego tied it after getting RBI singles from Luis Arreaz in the third and Ryan O’Hearn in the fourth.

The White Sox came back in the bottom of the fourth with consecutive run-scoring singles from Curtis Mead and Will Robertson to take the lead for good.

METS 12, NATIONALS 6

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a three-run homer during a six-run fourth inning that vaulted New York to a pivotal win over Washington.

The Mets, who trailed 4-1 after three innings, began the night with a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third NL wild card.

Francisco Alvarez had a tying two-run double and Francisco Lindor hit the go-ahead run-scoring single before Soto’s career best 42nd home run of the season. Soto had 41 homers for the Yankees last season before signing a record $765 million contract with the Mets.

Lindor finished with three hits and three runs while Brandon Nimmo had a two-run single in the eighth. Pete Alonso, Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuña had an RBI apiece.

CJ Abrams homered and had three RBIs for the last-place Nationals.

Brooks Raley (2-0), the third of seven Mets pitchers, retired all three batters he faced. Brandon Sproat, one of three rookies in the New York rotation, allowed four runs in four innings.

Washington’s Andrew Alvarez (1-1) gave up six runs, four earned, in 3 1/3 innings.

ROCKIES 7, ANGELS 6

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle had a tying two-run single and scored the go-ahead run on Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice fly in a four-run sixth inning as Colorado beat Los Angeles.

Tyler Freeman had three hits including a double and Hunter Goodman had an RBI triple for Colorado, which snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 3-14 in September.

The Angels have lost eight straight games.

Goodman’s first-inning triple brought Freeman across to start the scoring, and Blaine Crim brought in another on a sacrifice fly.

Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman both went deep in the second inning to bring the Angels ahead 3-2, but Freeman’s second hit of the game brought the tying run across for Colorado.

The Rockies bullpen combined for four innings of one-hit ball in relief of starter Bradley Blalock (2-5), who allowed eight hits and six earned runs while striking out four. Victor Vodnik earned his ninth save of the year.

Mitch Farris (1-2) took the loss in his fourth career start, allowing eight hits and seven runs with five strikeouts.

RED SOX 11, RAYS 7

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jarren Duran hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, Garrett Crochet struck out nine in six innings and Boston eliminated Tampa Bay from postseason contention with a win.

With the win, the Red Sox are tied with Houston for the AL’s second wild card, 1 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland.

Duran’s 16th home run of the season gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. He also singled during Boston’s seven-run eighth inning. Nate Eaton had an RBI single in the eighth, Ceddanne Rafaela chipped in with an RBI hit, and Boston also capitalized on two errors and a hit batter.

Everson Pereira hit a grand slam off Chris Murphy with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to cut the Red Sox lead to 11-7.

The Rays struck early. Yandy Díaz doubled on the first pitch and scored on Nick Fortes’ RBI single. Rookie Carson Williams followed with his fifth home run, and Díaz added his 25th of the season leading off the third.

Boston answered in the second when Eaton scored from first on Nathaniel Lowe’s single. Alex Bregman tied it in the third with his 18th homer, a 362-foot shot to left.

Crochet (17-5) gave up three runs on four hits and three walks. The Red Sox chased starter Drew Rasmussen after three innings. Garrett Cleavinger (1-6) gave up the home run to Duran.

ROYALS 20, BLUE JAYS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer in Kansas City’s seven-run first inning and the Royals beat Toronto.

The Royals sent 10 batters to the plate against Max Scherzer (5-4), who exited after recording just two outs and allowing seven hits in the shortest non-injury start of his career. It was Scherzer’s shortest outing since facing just one batter while pitching for Washington on June 11, 2021, before leaving with an injury.

Following a homer by George Springer in the top of the first inning, the Royals quickly tied it in the bottom of the inning on Carter Jensen’s leadoff double and Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single. Witt scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s double into the left field corner to give Kansas City the lead for good.

After a walk to Maikel Garcia – and Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker’s ejection – Perez connected for his 30th home run. Michael Massey’s two-run homer gave Kansas City a 7-1 lead.

Batting leadoff for the first time, Jensen hit three doubles – two against Scherzer in the first and a two-run double in the third. Jensen became the first Royals player with multiple doubles in the same inning.

Jac Caglianone hit a three-run homer in the seventh as the Royals had 10 runs and 13 hits in 1 1/3 innings against catcher Tyler Heineman. Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the last two outs in the eighth inning.

Pasquantino had four of Kansas City’s franchise-record 27 hits, doubling twice as the Royals had with eight extra-base hits in the first three innings.

GUARDIANS 6, TWINS 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bo Naylor snapped an eighth-inning tie with his second two-run single of the game, and Cleveland beat Minnesota for its eighth straight victory.

The Guardians (82-71) won for the 13th time in 14 games to pull within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Tigers in the AL Central. Cleveland was coming off a three-game sweep of Detroit, which lost 10-1 to the visiting Braves on Friday with three games looming in Cleveland next week.

José Ramírez had a two-out double off Cole Sands (4-6) in the eighth and Kyle Manzardo was intentionally walked. Ramírez stole his 40th base and Manzardo followed with his second to set the table for Naylor, who lined a full-count pitch to right field for a 4-2 lead.

Steven Kwan and Angel Martínez had two-out RBI doubles in the ninth off Michael Tonkin to cap the scoring.

CARDINALS 7, BREWERS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a three-run double in St. Louis’ five-run fifth inning, and Alec Burleson added three hits to help beat Milwaukee.

Sonny Gray (14-8) allowed one run and nine hits while striking out seven in six innings, and the Cardinals won for the third time in five games.

Jacob Misiorowski (5-3) allowed two runs and five hits with three walks in 3 2/3 innings for the Brewers, who had won three straight since a loss to the Cardinals in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Sal Frelick lined his 11th homer of the season to right field to lead off the third inning and pull Milwaukee to 2-1. Frelick is 8 for 26 (.308) with two home runs and eight RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.

Lars Nootbaar hit a two-out RBI single to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the first after Misiorowski walked Brendan Donovan and Iván Hererra to start the inning. St. Louis made it 2-0 in the second when Thomas Saggese scored from third on a double-play grounder.