Guardians pull away from Twins for 9-2 win
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Steven Kwan homered to lead off the game, Tanner Bibee had seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 strong innings, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 9-2 on Sunday to pull within a half-game of the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox.
The Indians are one game ahead of Toronto, and have a 5 1/2-game lead over Minnesota, in the race for the final AL wild-card spot. Cleveland hosts the White Sox for a three-game series beginning Monday.
Travis Bazzana drove in three runs for Cleveland, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Bibee (6-15) gave up just two runs on four hits. The 27-year-old right-hander had allowed 10 runs over 8 1/3 innings in his previous two September starts.
Minnesota All-Star Joe Ryan’s tough second-half continued.
Making his second start since coming off the injured list, Ryan (6-10) surrendered four runs on seven hits in four innings. He is 0-5 with an 8.48 ERA in five starts since the All-Star Game. He had given up eight runs on a franchise-record six homers allowed in a start against the Guardians on July 20.
Kwan sent the second pitch of the game from Ryan into the row of flowers in the overhang in right field at Target Field for just his third homer of the season. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Jo Adell added a solo home run in the third.
REDS 4, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Eugenio Suárez hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning and Tyler Stephenson had a sacrifice fly in the eighth as the Cincinnati Reds slipped past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Sunday.
After allowing 47 runs over a three-game stretch coming in, Reds pitchers kept the best team in the majors mostly in check to salvage the series finale and avoid a winless six-game road trip.
The Brewers, who scored 33 runs in the first two games of the series, jumped in front 2-0 in the second on Joey Ortiz’s ninth home run of the season, a 408-foot shot off Chase Burns.
Robert Gasser, making his 18th start of the season, limited the Reds for five innings. He departed after surrendering a leadoff single to Elly De La Cruz in the sixth. Antonio Senzatela came on and gave up a single to Sal Stewart before being tagged by Suárez for a three-run homer that gave Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.
Jake Bauers led off the seventh with his 26th homer of the season to tie it.
Stephenson’s sacrifice fly in the eighth put the Reds in front 4-3.
Brandon Williamson (4-4) gave up one run and two hits in four innings of relief. Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his 23rd save in 26 tries.
Burns gave up two hits and two runs in three innings while throwing 56 pitches. It marked the second consecutive game in which he was lifted after three innings as the team works to manage the 23-year-old right-hander’s remaining workload.
PIRATES 4, CUBS 3
CHICAGO (AP) -- Brandon Lowe hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Pittsburgh’s three-run sixth inning, and the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday to avoid a sweep of their weekend series.
Bryan Reynolds had two hits for Pittsburgh, including an RBI single in the first. Carmen Mlodzinski, Luke Weaver and Mason Montgomery combined for 3 2/3 hitless innings in relief of Bubba Chandler (8-9).
The Pirates (75-75) closed out a 4-2 stay in Chicago. They swept the White Sox before dropping two of three against the Cubs.
Miguel Amaya homered for Chicago, and Michael Busch had two hits. Matthew Boyd (8-5) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in his second straight loss.
The Cubs (83-67) dropped into a tie with Philadelphia for the top spot in the NL wild-card standings.
Montgomery worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances.
BLUE JAYS 8, ORIOLES 1
TORONTO (AP) -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a solo home run among his four hits, George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto also went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 on Sunday.
Toronto began the day one game behind Cleveland in the race for the final AL wild card. Baltimore entered three games back.
The Orioles are 3-9 in September.
Dylan Cease (11-5) struck out nine while allowing one run and four hits in five innings. He’s 5-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star break.
Springer, Guerrero and Okamoto went back-to-back-to-back off Trevor Rogers in the fifth inning.
Guerrero came out for a curtain call after his ninth homer, a 350-foot drive that was his first at home this season. It came in Toronto’s 75th home game.
Springer’s homer was his 15th. Okamoto’s was his 32nd.
Guerrero singled in the first, doubled in the third and singled in the seventh.
Springer had four RBIs, adding a bases-clearing double off Cam Sanders in the ninth.
RAYS 14, ASTROS 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Freddy Peralta pitched five hitless innings, and Jonathan Aranda hit two of Tampa Bay’s four home runs to help the Rays finish off a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 14-4 victory on Sunday.
Peralta (9-11) walked three and threw 86 pitches for the Rays, who became the first AL team to reach 90 wins this season. The right-hander won his fourth straight start and has surrendered two runs over his last 23 innings.
Victor Mesa Jr. had three of the Rays’ 15 hits. He had a two-run triple in the first inning off Hayden Wesneski (5-2) before scoring on Chandler Simpson’s groundout to give Tampa Bay the lead for good.
Every Rays starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run.
MARLINS 6, DODGERS 4
MIAMI (AP) -- Pinch-hitter Agustín Ramírez hit a game-ending, two-run homer, and the Miami Marlins rallied with four runs in the ninth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Sunday.
Xavier Edwards and Jakob Marsee led off the ninth with consecutive infield singles against Tanner Scott (1-6), and Javier Sanoja followed with a tying two-run double.
Brock Stewart relieved Scott and Ramírez hit a 2-1 fastball over the wall in left-center.
Dax Fulton (2-0) got the last two outs in the top of the ninth after Mookie Betts’ RBI double put Los Angeles ahead 4-2.
Miami (74-76) took two of three from NL-West leading Los Angeles and won the season series 4-2.
Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula homered -- a three-run shot in the fourth -- for his first career hit. The 21-year-old, who was promoted from Double-A on Friday after Shohei Ohtani was placed on the injured list, also doubled and walked.
YANKEES 2, METS 0
NEW YORK (AP) -- Cam Schlittler took over the major league ERA lead, combining on a three-hitter that helped the New York Yankees close in on a record 61st postseason berth with a 2-0 win over the Mets on Sunday,
Schlittler (14-6) allowed one hit over six innings, his 21st start this year allowing one run or none. The only other pitcher 25 or younger with more in the last 110 years was the Los Angeles Angels’ Dean Chance with 22 in 1964, according to Major League Baseball.
Schlittler’s 1.945 ERA dropped below the 1.952 of Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski. Schlitter struck out eight and walked two as Toronto went 0 for 11 against his fastball.
Ben Rice led off his his 38th home run for the Yankees and Austin Wells ended an 0-for-20 slide with a third-inning homer into the right field second deck off Christian Scott (4-5).
Aaron Judge struck out three times and is 3 for 17 since returning Tuesday from a broken rib.
The Yankees (86-63), who lead the AL wild-card race and trail Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East, took two of three in the weekend Subway Series. They were in position to clinch their ninth postseason berth in 10 seasons depending on other team’s results Sunday.
Schlittler (14-6) pitched 4 2/3 hitless innings before Brett Baty doubled off the right field wall on his 73rd pitch. Schlitter finished his 94-pitch outing by taking an 111.5 mph comebacker by Bo Bichette off the back of his right hamstring that deflected to Wells. Schlittler walked off the field and went directly to the clubhouse.
TIGERS 8, ROCKIES 1
DETROIT (AP) -- Jackson Jobe struck out eight a career-high over 6 1/3 innings while pitching into the seventh inning for the first time, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies 8-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep that extended their winning streak to four.
Colorado matched its longest losing streak this season at seven games, completing a winless six-game trip and dropping to 5-20 since Aug. 16. The Rockies (50-94) have lost 94 or more games in five straight seasons.
Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson homered for Detroit (70-79).
Jobe (2-2) got 16 swings and misses. He allowed Adael Amador’s first-inning homer and just two more hits while walking one. The 24-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in five of seven starts since returning from Tommy John surgery in August.
Greene reached 20 homers for the third straight season when he hit a two-run drive in the first off Gabriel Hughes (0-8), who allowed five runs and five hits in two innings.
CARDINALS 3, WHITE SOX 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Alec Burleson hit a bases-clearing double, sparking the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox to wrap up a three-game series on Sunday.
Chicago entered the game leading the Cleveland Guardians by two games in the AL Central Division. The White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 14 games, begin a three-game series Monday in Cleveland.
Michael McGreevey (7-9) allowed three hits and one run, walked three and had six strikeouts in six innings for St. Louis.
George Soriano allowed a single and a walk to start the ninth before he pitched out of the jam to earn his fourth save in 12 opportunities.
Rookie David Sandlin (2-2) had a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings before he faltered. Sandlin was recalled Sunday morning from Triple-A Charlotte with Tyler Schweitzer being optioned.
NATIONALS 6, ANGELS 5
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Daylen Lile tripled to key a four-run rally in the eighth inning, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews added RBIs and the Washington Nationals beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Los Angeles dropped to 56-93 and must win at least seven of its last 13 games to avoid its first 100-loss season.
Washington improved to 3-61 when trailing after seven innings, sweeping the Angels for the first time.
Erik Tolman (1-1) threw a run-scoring wild pitch and Moisés Ballesteros hit a sacrifice fly that put Los Angeles ahead 4-2 in the eighth.
Jack Sinclair got his first professional save, allowing Christian Moore’s run-scoring groundout.
Moisés Ballesteros and Zach Neto hit solo homers for the Angels. Neto matched his career best of 26 homers.