MLB roundup: Guardians clinch playoff spot on walk-off HBP

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C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, scoring Petey Halpin as the Cleveland Guardians clinched an American League playoff berth with a 3-2 win over the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday.

Rangers closer Robert Garcia (4-8) intentionally walked Gabriel Arias to face rookie Kayfus with two outs in the ninth, but he struck him on the right arm with his second pitch. Halpin was pinch-running for Johnathan Rodriguez, who had walked, and Kyle Manzardo followed with a single.

Cleveland locked up a wild-card spot but is also tied with the Detroit Tigers for first place in the Central Division. The Guardians would win a tiebreaker and the teams are assured of playing each other in the first round of the postseason.

Cade Smith (8-5) worked 1 2/3 innings and was the winner. Texas needs one victory to ensure it will finish with a winning record.

Tigers 2, Red Sox 1

Jahmai Jones went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI single in the fifth inning, leading Detroit to a 2-1, postseason-clinching win over host Boston.

The leadoff-hitting designated hitter has been a spark for the Tigers this week, going 7-for-15 with five RBI across his last six games. Keider Montero, who was not announced as the starting pitcher before the series, struck out seven across 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball.

Nick Sogard had the lone RBI and was one of seven different players to record a hit for the Red Sox, who will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the AL playoffs depending on whether they win or lose to Detroit on Sunday.

Yankees 6, Orioles 1

Aaron Judge hit his 53rd homer and drove in three runs as the Yankees rolled to a victory over the visiting Orioles and a share of first place in the AL East.

After Judge’s latest homer, Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon added solo shots in the second. Including the postseason, it was the 59th time Judge and Stanton homered in the same game, and the Yankees are 52-7 in those games.

Baltimore starter Tomoyuki Sugano (10-10) allowed four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. For New York, rookie Cam Schlittler pitched seven stellar innings, surrendering just two hits and zero runs.

Reds 7, Brewers 4

Andrew Abbott pitched effectively into the sixth inning and visiting Cincinnati turned mistakes into a big inning en route to a victory over Milwaukee, positioning the Reds to grab the final National League wild-card spot.

Cincinnati remained tied for the last NL postseason berth with the Mets. The Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets heading into the last day of the regular season. Abbott (10-7) allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 38 chances.

The Brewers, who won the NL Central last weekend, clinched the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason over Philadelphia. Milwaukee, which has lost five of its last six games, holds the tiebreaker over the Phillies. Robert Gasser (0-2), making his second big league start since coming back from Tommy John surgery, allowed four runs (all unearned) on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Royals 4, Athletics 2

Michael Wacha threw six scoreless innings to help visiting Kansas City to a win over the Athletics in Sacramento, Calif.

Wacha (10-13) had lost his last two starts and four of five but limited the A’s to two hits while striking out five and walking three. Mike Yastrzemski had two hits and scored twice, Bobby Witt Jr. delivered two hits and an RBI and Vinnie Pasquantino contributed one hit and two RBIs for the Royals, who will try to win their third straight series and finish the season over .500 on Sunday.

A’s starter Luis Morales (4-3) surrendered three runs (two earned) and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two. Shea Langeliers had three hits and an RBI for the A’s.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 3

Michael Busch homered twice, tripled, doubled and drove in four runs to help Chicago clinch home-field advantage for their National League wild-card series with a win over visiting St. Louis.

Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong also homered for the Cubs, who will open the playoffs against the Padres next Tuesday. Jameson Taillon (11-7) allowed one run and three hits and two walks over six innings, striking out eight. Needing just a single to hit for the cycle when he came up with two outs in the eighth inning, Busch was intentionally walked with a runner on third base.

Cardinals rookie right-hander Michael McGreevy (8-4) went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Nolan Arenado and Jordan Walker homered for the Cardinals, who have lost three in a row.

Blue Jays 5, Rays 1

Trey Yesavage pitched five scoreless innings for his first major league win and Alejandro Kirk homered as Toronto defeated visiting Tampa Bay.

Yesavage (1-0), making his third major league start and his first at home, allowed five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings. Ernie Clement started the scoring with a two-run double in the second to help the Blue Jays win their third straight and remain tied for first in the AL East with the Yankees. Toronto could clinch the division with a win or a Yankees loss on Sunday.

Jonathan Aranda hit a solo home run for the Rays, who have lost three in a row. Junior Caminero had two infield hits and a walk. Joe Boyle (1-4) was done after five innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five.

Mets 5, Marlins 0

Clay Holmes pitched six scoreless innings and Pete Alonso homered and drove in two runs as New York remained in playoff contention, defeating host Miami.

In the battle for the final National League wild-card berth, New York is tied with the Cincinnati Reds, who defeated the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds hold the tiebreaker, so for the Mets to reach the playoffs, they must win Sunday and have the Reds lose to the Brewers.

Holmes (12-8), a converted reliever, allowed just one hit and three walks. The Mets also got nearly perfect relief pitching from Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz as Miami was held to just one hit all game. Eury Perez (7-6) took the loss despite striking out a career-high 11. He allowed three hits, three walks and three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Astros 6, Angels 1

Christian Walker hit a pair of solo home runs to help visiting Houston, which was eliminated from postseason contention, post a victory over Los Angeles.

Despite the win, the Cleveland Guardians’ victory over the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers’ triumph over the Boston Red Sox confirmed the American League’s wild-card teams, leaving the Astros out of the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Zach Cole and Jesus Sanchez also homered and drove in two for Houston. J.P. France (1-0) allowed one run on two hits in three innings of relief Caden Dana (0-4) threw seven innings for Los Angeles, surrendering five runs on five hits. Jo Adell’s RBI double in the sixth accounted for all of the offense for Los Angeles, which will miss the postseason for the 11th straight year.

Giants 4, Rockies 3

Casey Schmitt smacked a three-run homer, and Justin Verlander won what could be his final game in San Francisco, which held on for a victory over visiting Colorado.

In an early 2-0 hole, the Giants seized the upper hand for good with Schmitt’s homer in the bottom of the second, his 12th of the year. Verlander (4-11) won for the fourth time in his last seven decisions after an 0-8 start, and Spencer Bivens got two clutch outs for his second save after the Rockies made it a one-run game in the ninth.

Colorado took its early lead on homers from Hunter Goodman, his 31st in the first inning, and Brenton Doyle, his 15th in the second. Kyle Freeland (5-17) allowed three runs on three hits over six innings, taking over the major league lead in losses.

Twins 5, Phillies 0

Rookie Mick Abel pitched six scoreless innings against his former team, lifting Minnesota to a road victory over Philadelphia. Byron Buxton, James Outman and Ryan Fitzgerald homered for the Twins.

A 24-year-old right-hander, Abel (3-4) was a key piece of the July trade that sent star closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies. He has mostly struggled since joining Minnesota but authored the best outing of his Twins tenure in this one, allowing three hits — all singles — and a walk while striking out nine.

Philadelphia starter Ranger Suarez (12-8) gave up three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings before leaving with a thigh contusion after getting hit by a comebacker to the mound. Alec Bohm had two of the Phillies’ seven hits.

Nationals 6, White Sox 5

James Wood’s solo homer capped a three-run seventh inning, and the Nationals rallied for a win against the visiting White Sox.

Julian Fernandez (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for his first major league win, and Jose A. Ferrer worked the ninth for his 11th save, allowing a run before striking out Chase Meidroth with the tying run on third to end it.

Colson Montgomery and Brooks Baldwin each hit two-run home runs for Chicago, which has lost six of seven. Montgomery finished a triple short of the cycle.

Pirates 3, Braves 1

Rookie Bubba Chandler recorded another strong start, and Henry Davis hit a home run to help visiting Pittsburgh beat Atlanta in the second game of their three-game series.

Chandler (4-1), the Pirates’ third-round draft choice in 2021, was born and raised in Georgia and was facing the Braves for the first time. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts. In his final three starts, Chandler allowed two runs in 16 2/3 combined innings, a 1.08 ERA.

Davis tied the game in the third inning with a 425-foot solo homer to left-center field, his seventh. Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (7-14) pitched six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out five.

Dodgers 5, Mariners 3

Enrique Hernandez’s two-run double with one out in the ninth inning broke a tie as Los Angeles defeated host Seattle in a matchup of playoff teams.

Dalton Rushing homered for the National League West champion Dodgers, who won their fourth consecutive game. Left-hander Alex Vesia (4-2) struck out the side in the eighth to earn the victory, and Edgardo Henriquez worked the ninth for his first save of the season.

Jorge Polanco went deep for the American League West champion Mariners, who lost their second in a row following a 17-1 stretch. Mariners closer Andres Munoz (3-3) walked the first two batters in the ninth, Michael Conforto and Alex Call, before Miguel Rojas hit a soft grounder to first base to advance both runners. Hernandez then lined a ball that one-hopped off the wall in the left field corner to score both runners.

Padres 5, Diamondbacks 1

Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Elias Diaz all homered as San Diego eased to a win over visiting Arizona.

Playing a few hours after the Chicago Cubs clinched home-field advantage for their National League wild-card series starting on Tuesday, the Padres used the game as the first of two tune-ups for postseason play. Starting pitcher Michael King was pulled after 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while fanning three. Yuki Matsui (3-1), the first of five relievers, worked 2 1/3 innings to earn the win.

Eduardo Rodriguez (9-9) allowed five runs on six hits in six innings for the Diamondbacks. Arizona, eliminated from playoff contention during Friday night’s 7-4 loss to the Padres, rested key players such as All-Stars Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll.

–Field Level Media