NEW YORK (AP) — DJ LeMahieu moved into position to become the first player to earn undisputed batting titles in both leagues, Luke Voit hit his major league-leading 22nd homer and the New York Yankees rediscovered their power in an 11-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.
LeMahieu posted his fourth four-hit game and three RBIs while raising his average to .359, passing Washington’s Juan Soto (.346) for the major league lead and opening a large margin over defending AL batting champion Tim Anderson (.328) of the Chicago White Sox.
LeMahieu won the 2016 NL batting title with a .348 average for Colorado. The only player to win batting titles in both leagues was Ed Delahanty.
Voit hit a three-run drive against Nick Vincent in a seven-run sixth inning that staked New York to a 10-3 lead. He moved three ahead of José Abreu of the White Sox for the big league lead in homers.
Yankees rookie Deivi García (3-2) allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and a walk.
New York trailed 3-0 before Tyler Wade’s two-run homer in the fifth against Ryan Stanek, and Aaron Hicks had a two-run homer in the sixth against former Yankee Stephen Tarpley (2-2) for a 5-3 lead.
TWINS 7, REDS 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luis Arraez matched career highs with four hits and three RBIs in his return to the lineup, and Minnesota beat Cincinnati to clinch home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota maintained its one-game lead in the AL Central over the Chicago White Sox. The Twins can wrap up their second consecutive division crown — and the No. 2 seed in the American League — with another win Sunday against Cincinnati or a White Sox loss.
If the teams finish tied, Chicago wins the division because it holds the tiebreaker over the Twins.
Arraez had three of Minnesota’s season-high eight doubles as the Twins made sure there will be postseason baseball at Target Field.
Because Cleveland lost to Pittsburgh, Minnesota is guaranteed to play its best-of-three wild-card series at home, where the Twins are a major league-best 24-6.
Tyler Clippard (2-1), the first of four relievers, pitched one perfect inning for the win.
Joey Votto had an RBI double for Cincinnati. In the playoffs for the first time since 2013, the Reds can finish as high as fifth in the National League field.
Marwin Gonzalez doubled in the fourth and scored on a wild pitch by Luis Castillo (4-6) for a 4-2 lead. Castillo allowed four earned runs in four innings.
WHITE SOX 9, CUBS 5
CHICAGO (AP) — Yoan Moncada homered, José Abreu hit a three-run double and the playoff-bound White Sox beat the NL Central champion Cubs 9-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field to snap a season-high six-game skid.
The crosstown Cubs clinched their third division title in five years when St. Louis lost 3-0 to Milwaukee. They will be home at Wrigley Field for a best-of-three playoff series beginning Wednesday.
The White Sox remained a game behind AL Central leader Minnesota. Chicago also took sole possession of second place, with Cleveland losing to Pittsburgh.
The White Sox need another victory Sunday over the Cubs and a Minnesota loss at home to Cincinnati to win the division title by virtue of the tiebreaker Chicago holds over the Twins.
Kris Bryant propelled the Cubs to a 5-2 lead, launching his fifth career grand slam in the third inning off rookie Dane Dunning.
But the South Siders took advantage of some shaky defense while chasing Jon Lester (3-3) in a five-run fourth.
Matt Foster (6-1) worked a perfect fourth for the win.
BREWERS 3, CARDINALS 0
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Woodruff allowed two hits in eight innings and Milwaukee beat St. Louis to boost its playoff prospects in a big way.
Ryan Braun and Daniel Vogelbach hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth.
Woodruff (3-5) retired 19 straight after pitching around leadoff hits in the first and second. Milwaukee (29-30) is fourth in the NL Central but can earn a trip to the postseason with a win Sunday in St. Louis or losses by the Giants and Phillies.
Woodruff struck out 10 and walked one as he beat the Cardinals for the second time this season. He threw a season-high 108 pitches, 73 for strikes.
Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 15 tries.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (5-3) took the loss.
RAYS 4, PHILLIES 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mike Zunino, Brandon Lowe and Willy Adames each hit a run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth inning as AL East champion Tampa Bay damaged Philadelphia's postseason hopes.
Andrew McCutchen had four hits for Philadelphia, which has lost six of seven. But the Phillies avoided elimination when San Francisco lost to San Diego later. Heading into the final day of the regular season, the Phillies need a win over the Rays and losses by the Giants and Brewers to grab the final NL wild card.
Tampa Bay clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL about 30 minutes before game time, when Oakland lost to Seattle in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Rays have an AL-best 20 comeback wins this season. The Phillies have lost a major league-leading 21 games after holding a lead.
The Rays’ three-run fifth came against Zack Wheeler (4-2) and gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead. Wheeler gave up four runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings.
Pete Fairbanks (6-3) earned the victory and Aaron Slegers went the final three innings to earn his second save.
PIRATES 8, INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland had a setback in its bid to host a first-round playoff series, losing to Joe Musgrove and major league-worst Pittsburgh.
Musgrove (1-5) earned his first victory in a year, allowing three hits while striking out 10 in a season-high seven innings. The right-hander did not allow a run in his final two outings, striking out 21 over 13 frames.
Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes had five hits and Colin Moran drove in four runs.
The Indians, who had their six-game winning streak snapped, fell one game behind the Chicago White Sox for second place in the AL Central. The second-place team would finish fourth overall in the American League, allowing it to host a best-of-three wild-card series.
Cleveland was shut out for the fifth time and did not push a runner past second base. Nick Tropeano and Dovydas Neverauskas finished off the five-hitter.
Aaron Civale (4-6) gave up a career-high eight runs in four innings, including homers to Moran, Bryan Reynolds and José Osuna.
PADRES 6, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 17th home run and San Diego left San Francisco in need of help to make the playoffs.
San Francisco fell to 29-30 and is tied with Milwaukee for the final NL playoff spot. The Giants need a win Sunday over San Diego and a Brewers loss to St. Louis to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Tommy Pham and Mitch Moreland also went deep for the playoff-bound Padres, who are 7-2 against the Giants this season.
Tatis homered on the first pitch in the fourth from Johnny Cueto (2-3), a 424-foot drive into the left field stands. Pham and Moreland homered on back-to-back pitches from Tony Watson in the ninth.
Craig Stammen (4-2) worked two scoreless innings in relief of starter Zach Davies, who allowed three hits in three innings.
DODGERS 7, ANGELS 6
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts exited early after getting hit by a pitch, giving the Dodgers a scare with the playoffs approaching, but Los Angeles beat the Angels following a power outage in the ballpark.
Joc Pederson hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning shortly before the lights went out at Dodger Stadium. The Freeway Series resumed in the top of the seventh after a 25-minute delay.
Edwin Ríos homered in the seventh and Will Smith added a solo shot in the eighth, giving the NL West champions 116 homers to lead the majors.
The Angels closed to 7-6 on David Fletcher’s two-run double in the ninth before Adam Kolarek earned his fourth career save and first this season.
The Dodgers led 3-0 in the first, when Angels starter Julio Teheran (0-5) needed 52 pitches to get through the entire nine-man lineup.
Betts was plunked in the left hip by Teheran and stayed in the game until scoring the first run. He was replaced in right field to start the second and is day to day.
Tony Gonsolin (2-2) allowed four runs in six innings.
NATIONALS 4, METS 3, 1st game
NATIONALS 5, METS 3, 2nd game
WASHINGTON (AP) — New York was eliminated from playoff contention in a mistake-filled loss to Washington in the opener of a doubleheader, and not much changed in the nightcap as an error extended a big inning for Washington, which swept the twinbill.
Entering Saturday, the Mets (26-33) needed to win their three remaining games and receive help from multiple teams to sneak into the final wild-card spot in the expanded playoffs. Instead, New York is in danger of finishing tied with Washington (25-34) in the NL East cellar.
Trea Turner started off the Nationals’ decisive third inning of the second game with a homer to left field off Rick Porcello (1-7). Yadiel Hernández and Kurt Suzuki drove in runs for before first baseman Alonso’s fielding error with two out opened the door for two unearned runs.
Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer, his team-leading 14th, off Aníbal Sánchez (4-5) into the visitor’s bullpen in the fourth.
Todd Frazier had a run-scoring single in the sixth for New York, but reliever Wander Suero struck out two batters with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Daniel Hudson worked the seventh for his 10th save.
In the first game, New York couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning and lost 4-3, ensuring it would miss the postseason for the fourth straight year.
Andrew Stevenson hit two homers — including one inside the park — for the Nationals, and Max Scherzer (5-4) worked six solid innings to finish with a winning record for the 11th consecutive season, tying the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw for the longest active streak in the majors.
Reliever Miguel Castro (2-2) took the loss in the first game. Will Harris worked the seventh for his first save.
MARINERS 5, ATHLETICS 1, 8 inn., 1st game
MARINERS 12, ATHLETICS 3, 2nd game
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — J.P. Crawford hit an RBI double in an eight-run third inning as Seattle completed a doubleheader sweep over AL West champion Oakland.
Robbie Grossman provided a pair of home runs in his first career multi-homer game for the A’s.
In the opener, Crawford hit a tying single in the sixth inning and a go-ahead single in the eighth inning for Seattle.
Kyle Seager homered in both games, and Tim Lopes connected in the second.
Seager hit a two-run drive in the eighth inning of the opener and a solo shot in the second game for the Mariners.
Grossman connected on solo drives in the first and fifth innings against right-hander Justin Dunn (3-1).
Tommy La Stella tripled to begin the sixth in Game 1, but the A’s couldn’t capitalize against former Oakland right-hander Kendall Graveman (1-3).
Liam Hendriks (3-1) pitched a perfect seventh before finding trouble in the eighth, when Ty France also singled home an insurance run for Seattle. France doubled in a run in the second game.
A’s right-hander Paul Blackburn (0-1) lost Game 2 in his season debut.
BLUE JAYS 5, ORIOLES 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Cavan Biggio broke up a no-hit bid with a solo home run in the sixth inning, Randal Grichuk added a three-run shot and Toronto beat Baltimore for its fourth straight win.
The Blue Jays need a victory in Sunday’s regular-season finale, and a Miami win over the Yankees in New York, to move up to second place in the AL East and the fifth seed in the league. If not, Toronto will drop to eighth, and a first-round playoff meeting with the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays.
Baltimore’s John Means (2-4) held the Blue Jays hitless until Biggio broke a scoreless tie with his eighth homer. Means struck out nine and walked one in six innings.
Chase Anderson (1-2) got the win, striking out the first four batters he faced in a two-inning relief stint. Anthony Bass picked up his seventh save in nine chances.
Austin Hays had three hits and José Iglesias had two doubles and drove in a run, but the Orioles lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
RANGERS 6, ASTROS 1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jeff Mathis hit a tiebreaking, three-run home run and Leody Taveras followed with a solo shot, all in a five-run seventh inning, as Texas beat playoff-bound Houston.
Mathis homered to left center, his third of the season, against rookie Brandon Bielak (3-3) before Taveras hit his fourth off fellow rookie Andre Scrubb. Rougned Odor added a two-out RBI single.
Houston rested almost one-third of its regular position players and pulled starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. after four scoreless innings. Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa and Martin Maldonado were given Saturday off, and Yuli Gurriel left after two at-bats.
Jimmy Herget (1-0) earned his first major league win after allowing the Astros to tie the score 1-1 in the seventh when Jack Mayfield’s sacrifice fly to center scored Aledmys Diaz.
RED SOX 8, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie right-hander Tanner Houck struck out 10 in another dominant performance, Christian Vazquez capped a big inning with a grand slam, and Boston routed Atlanta.
Giving the Red Sox reason to be hopeful after a dismal season, Houck (3-0) surrendered his first earned run in three big league starts but thoroughly stifled baseball’s most explosive offense.
Boston did all its scoring in an eight-run second capped by Vazquez’s second career grand slam.
The 24-year-old Houck surrendered only three hits, walked three and held the Braves scoreless until Dansby Swanson led off the fifth with his 10th homer.
Tucker Davidson (0-1) was making his big league debut for the Braves, who already locked up the NL East and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Wildness and a shaky defense doomed him in the second.
TIGERS 4, ROYALS 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Niko Goodrum and Austin Romine keyed a three-run first inning and Detroit edged Kansas City.
The Tigers got to Kansas City's Carlos Hernandez (0-1) on Goodrum’s RBI single and Romine's two-run double in the first. Hernandez allowed four runs, three earned, in 1 2/3 innings.
Adalberto Mondesi homered in the first for Kansas City and had an RBI double in the third.
Matthew Boyd (3-7) pitched six innings, allowing five hits and three runs.
The Tigers’ bullpen tossed three shutout innings. Bryan Garcia pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
ROCKIES 10, DIAMONDBACKS 3
PHOENIX (AP) — Elias Diaz and Ryan McMahon each hit two-run homers, German Márquez threw seven impressive innings and Colorado overcame some sloppy fielding to beat Arizona.
Márquez (4-6) avoided trouble for most of the night, working around several miscues by his defense. The Rockies were charged with four errors for the first time since 2016.
Márquez needed just 88 pitches to get through his seven innings and gave up five hits and one walk. He gave up three runs but none were earned.
Raimel Tapia had three hits, Trevor Story had two hits including a triple, and Charlie Blackmon added a single and two RBIs.
Luke Weaver (1-9) gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings.
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