Associated Press
Associated Press
PHOENIX — If the Los Angeles Dodgers are to clinch the NL West title in Arizona, they’ve got only one more chance.
Paul Goldschmidt homered and the Diamondbacks blew the game open late to prevent Los Angeles from wrapping up the division with a 9-4 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Goldschmidt’s opposite-field two-run shot on a 3-2 pitch from Stephen Fife (4-4) in the first inning moved him into the NL lead with 34 home runs.
Yasiel Puig hit a solo home run calculated at 442 feet for the Dodgers, who have lost five of six and get one more chance to clinch in Arizona in the series finale Thursday.
The Diamondbacks want to send the Dodgers out of town with that celebratory champagne still on ice.
“It’s still a pride thing,” Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy said. “You understand where things stand but you don’t want to see them celebrate. You knew coming into the season they were our competition, they’re the ones who caught and passed us. … If they go somewhere else, then whatever happens is fine. You just don’t want them to do it on your home field and have to sit there know what’s going on.
“If you can get them out of here without having to see it, then all the better.”
The Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez was ejected after Michael Young was called out at the plate in a close play in the sixth inning.
It was a difficult night, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, but his team remains in a great position with 10 games to play.
“We like where we are at,” he said. “It is one game at a time. Tonight was a little bit frustrating. it was a frustrating game, but other than that, I am not really frustrated so much “
No worries, Gonzalez said.
“We are fine,’ he said. “Win tomorrow. If not, we will win two in San Diego.”
McCarthy (5-9) went six-plus innings to get the victory. He gave up two runs and scattered 10 hits.
Tim Federowicz drove in two runs with a home run and RBI double.
Arizona manager Kirk Gibson was glad that a national television audience got to see Goldschmidt — who is the runaway NL RBI leader with 118 and is hitting .305 — excel.
Gibson hopes the late exposure will help in the MVP voting.
“We were on ESPN tonight and I wanted Goldy to have a good game,” Gibson said. “They’re talking about other very good candidates. We’re certainly biased here. He proves it day in, day out. He’s everything you could want. He’s certainly deserving of Most Valuable Player.”
Arizona led just 4-3 before blowing the game open with five runs in the eighth inning off Ronald Belisario, the sixth of seven pitchers used in the game by Los Angeles. Adam Eaton had a two-run single, Aaron Hill and Martin Prado each an RBI double and Chris Owings walked with the bases loaded.
Fife got the start in place of Clayton Kershaw, whose outing was pushed back three days to Saturday’s game at San Diego to give him some extra late-season rest. Fife never made it out of the third, giving up a two-run homer to Goldschmidt in the first and a two more runs in the third as Arizona took a 4-0 lead. He allowed four runs on six hits in 2 1-3 innings, walking two and hitting two batters.
Gonzalez was tossed by second base umpire Andy Fletcher in the top of the sixth inning after Michael Young attempted to score from first on Gonzalez’s double. Young was called out by first base umpire Jim Joyce, catcher Miguel Montero taking the shortstop Owings’ relay throw and put down the tag although replays showed Young’s hand appeared to touch the plate
Gonzalez said he was criticizing the call because he didn’t think Joyce got into position to see the play.
“I got to second base and I could see clearly that he was safe,” Gonzalez said. “I said, ‘Let’s go. If you guys are going to switch, hustle so you can make the call.’ That is when he threw me out.”
PADRES 3, PIRATES 2
PITTSBURGH — Logan Forsythe and Rene Rivera delivered consecutive RBI singles in the ninth inning off Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon and the Padres rallied for a victory.
Forsythe’s single to right scored pinch-runner Andrew Cashner to tie it and Rivera’s blooper brought home Chris Denorfia as the Padres sent the Pirates to their third straight loss. Dale Thayer (3-5) picked up the win in relief. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.
Melancon (2-2), who inherited the closer’s role when All-Star Jason Grilli went out with a forearm injury in July, blew his third save of the season.
BRAVES 5 NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON — Justin Upton and Dan Uggla each homered in a three-run sixth inning, and the Braves rallied past the Nationals, lowering their magic number for clinching the NL East title to two games.
Brian McCann and Jordan Schafer also drove in runs as the Braves snapped a three-game skid. Atlanta has not won the division since 2005, the last of 11 straight titles.
Kameron Loe (1-2) got one out for the win. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta’s seventh pitcher, rebounded from his loss Tuesday to record his 48th save.
Denard Span extended his hitting streak to 29 straight, the longest in the majors this season.
CARDINALS 4, ROCKIES 3
DENVER — Adam Wainwright pitched effectively into the eighth after a shaky start and helped himself at the plate with three hits as the Cardinals beat the Rockies to expand their lead in the NL Central race.
Wainwright (17-9) gave up two runs in the first and then found his groove to earn his 17th win, second-most in the NL this season.
He went 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs to help the Cardinals stretch their lead to two games over Pittsburgh after the Pirates lost 3-2 loss to San Diego. St. Louis also reduced its magic number for clinching a playoff spot to three with 10 games to play.
Tyler Chatwood (7-5) allowed four runs in six innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Chatwood is rounding back into form after missing nearly a month with an inflamed right elbow.
Ross Ohlendorf (4-1) allowed three runs over six innings.
MARLINS 4, PHILLIES 3, 10 INN
PHILADELPHIA — Ed Lucas homered in the 10th inning to lift the Marlins to a victory over the Phillies.
The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning but could not score after Roger Bernadina struck out and Freddy Galvis grounded out to end it.
The homer was the fourth of the season for Lucas. Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton tied the game 3-all in the sixth inning with a two-run, homer to center field that was measured at 460 feet.
Brad Hand (1-1) got the victory for pitching a scoreless ninth.
Cesar Jimenez (1-1) was the loser as Miami snapped its seven-game skid to Philadelphia.
METS 5, GIANTS 4
NEW YORK — Josh Satin hit a two-run single to cap a four-run rally in the ninth inning that sent the Mets past San Francisco.
Shut down by Matt Cain for almost eight innings, the makeshift Mets lineup put together a surprising comeback. Pinch-hitter Zach Lutz had an RBI double and Juan Centeno, making his major league debut, knocked in a run with a single off closer Sergio Romo (4-8).
Satin had three RBIs, including a sacrifice fly against Cain in the eighth. Vic Black (2-0) pitched a perfect inning for the win.
Gregor Blanco hit a two-run homer for San Francisco.
BREWERS 7, CUBS 0
MILWAUKEE — Sean Halton hit his first career grand slam, Tyler Thornburg allowed just two singles over six innings, and the Brewers beat the Cubs.
Thornburg (3-1) struck out four and walked two as he reached six innings for the sixth straight start since being recalled from Triple A Nashville on June 29. He has allowed five earned runs in 36 innings as a starter and has also made 11 relief appearances for the Brewers this season. At Nashville, he was 0-9 with a 5.79 ERA in 15 starts.
Jimmy Nelson pitched two innings and Michael Blazek got the last three outs to preserve the four-hit shutout.
Halton’s homer capped a five-run first inning off Chris Rusin (2-5).
RAYS 4, RANGERS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Desmond Jennings had an RBI single in the 12th inning and Tampa Bay took over the top spot in the AL wild-card race by beating Texas 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Texas has a half-game lead over Cleveland, which lost at Kansas City, for the second wild card.
Jose Lobaton opened the 12th with a single off Joseph Ortiz (2-2) and pinch-runner Sam Fuld went to second on Yunel Escobar’s bunt. Fuld scored on Jennings’ hit to right center.
Brandon Gomes (2-1) struck out Ian Kinsler with runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the 12th for the Rays, who have won two of the first three games of the four-game series.
Texas took a 3-2 lead in the 11th when Elvis Andrus scored from first base on Adrian Beltre’s two-out single.
The Rays tied it on David DeJesus’ RBI single in the bottom of the inning as Matt Joyce drew a two-out walk from Rangers closer Joe Nathan and pinch-runner Freddy Guzman stole second and scored on DeJesus’ single. It was Nathan’s third blown save in 42 chances this season.
Sean Rodriguez, who had just two hits in his previous 16 at-bats against Rangers’ starter Derek Holland, tied it at 2-all in the sixth with a two-run homer off the left-hander.
ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 3, 12 INN.
BOSTON — Chris Davis hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the 12th inning to lift Baltimore.
Matt Wieters had two RBI doubles for Baltimore, which closed to one game of Texas for the AL’s second wild-card spot. The Rangers lost 4-3 in 12 innings to the wild card-leading Rays.
Despite the loss, the Red Sox reduced their magic number to one for clinching their first postseason berth since 2009 when Cleveland lost to Kansas City on Wednesday.
T.J. McFarland (2-1) worked the 11th for the win and Jim Johnson got the final three outs for his AL-leading 47th save.
The Orioles played their 114th errorless game, surpassing the 2008 Houston Astros for the majors’ most since 1900.
J.J. Hardy and Brian Roberts had consecutive one-out singles and both advanced on a wild pitch by Franklin Morales (2-2). After pinch-hitter Steve Pearce was intentionally walked, Manny Machado fouled out before Davis’ grounded one up the middle into center field.
Boston had runners on first and second with one out in the 11th, but Stephen Drew grounded into a double play.
David Ortiz hit his 28th home run — a two-run shot — and Mike Naploi added a solo homer for the Red Sox.
ROYALS 7, INDIANS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bruce Chen worked five innings and Salvador Perez doubled home two runs for Kansas City.
Cleveland is a half-game behind in the AL wild-card race while the Royals are 2½ games back.
Chen was pulled in the sixth after giving up a single to Michael Bourn and walking Nick Swisher to lead off the inning.
Francisley Bueno replaced Chen and recorded two outs with three pitches.
Royals relievers Tim Collins, Will Smith and Greg Holland preserved the lead, allowing just one hit.
The Royals broke the game open with three runs off four Indians pitchers in the eighth. Alcides Escobar had a two-run single, while Jarrod Dyson walked with the bases loaded.
Rookie Danny Salazar (1-3), who had allowed just one run in 13 2-3 innings in his first three September starts, took the loss, giving up four runs and six hits in six innings.
ANGELS 5, ATHLETICS 4, 11 INN.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Josh Hamilton hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth inning then put the Angels ahead with a sacrifice fly in the 11th.
Hamilton connected against Grant Balfour, who blew his third save of the season. Jesse Chavez (2-4) was the loser.
Mike Trout added a two-run home run for the Angels, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes each hit two-run home runs for the A’s, who lost for the third time in 12 games. They entered Wednesday with a a six-game lead over Texas in the AL West.
Juan Gutierrez (1-4) pitched the 10th for the win. Ernesto Frieri worked the 11th for his 35th save in 39 chances.
A’s starter A.J. Griffin gave up Trout’s homer with one out in the first. He retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced. Griffin allowed two runs and one hit. He walked two and struck out six.
Angels starter Jason Vargas allowed four runs and seven hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out five.
TWINS 4, WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO — Scott Diamond pitched into the seventh inning for his first win since June, and Minnesota avoided a three-game sweep.
Diamond (6-11) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings to earn his first big league win since June 20 against the White Sox. Since then, he was 0-5 with a 6.20 ERA in eight starts and spent more than a month at Triple-A Rochester.
Minnesota had scored four runs during the first two games of the series, but matched that in the first two innings, scoring once in the first and three times in the second against John Danks (4-14).
Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello, Eric Fryer and Brian Dozier drove in runs that helped the Twins win for the second time in eight games.
Glen Perkins pitched a scoreless ninth for his 36th save in 40 tries, snapping the White Sox’s five-game winning streak against the Twins.
YANKEES 4, BLUE JAYS 3
TORONTO — Vernon Wells had a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and Mariano Rivera earned a four-out save as New York rallied from three runs down to snap a four-game skid.
Robinson Cano drove in the Yankees’ first run in this three-game series with a one-out single in the eighth. Alfonso Soriano followed with an RBI double, helping New York avoid falling farther behind in the AL wild-card race.
New York entered 3½ games behind Tampa Bay and Texas for the second wild card. The Yankees have 10 games remaining.
David Huff (3-1) pitched 3 2-3 innings of relief to earn the win.
Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 4 with a walk as the Yankees improved to 8-2 this season following a shutout loss. New York, which lost 2-0 Tuesday, has gone 34-11 following shutout defeats since Joe Girardi took over as manager before the 2008 season.
Colby Rasmus homered for the fourth straight game and Ryan Goins hit his first career homer but the Blue Jays couldn’t hold on to a 3-0 lead, losing for the sixth time in eight games.
MARINERS 8, TIGERS 0
DETROIT — Hisashi Iwakuma extended his scoreless innings streak on the road to 25 and Seattle’s Justin Smoak homered off Justin Verlander.
Iwakuma (13-6) matched his career high going eight innings, giving up just four hits and one unintentional walk. His 25-inning scoreless streak on the road matches a franchise record.
Verlander (13-11) allowed three runs, four hits, walked three and struck out six over seven innings. He was hoping to win consecutive starts for the first time in more than three months.
The AL Central-leading Tigers had won three straight and six of seven to close in on their third straight division title. Seattle had lost eight of nine.
Iwakuma, who became an All-Star this year in his second season, joined Randy Johnson (1994) and Brian Holman (1989) as Mariners who have thrown 25 straight scoreless innings on the road.
Smoak’s solo shot — his 17th homer — gave Seattle a 3-0 lead in the sixth.
REDS 6, ASTROS 5, 13 INN.
HOUSTON — Jay Bruce’s two-run double in the 13th inning put Cincinnati ahead for good.
Rookie base-stealing specialist Billy Hamilton got his first three career hits, had four steals, an RBI and scored the go-ahead run in his first major league start.
Hamilton walked to start the 13th and stole second before Shin-Soo Choo walked. They advanced on a wild pitch before Jorge De Leon (0-1) intentionally walked Joey Votto with one out.
Bruce’s third double of the game made it 6-4. He had seven hits and 10 RBIs in the series.
Alfredo Simon (6-4) pitched three scoreless innings for Cincinnati. Aroldis Chapman allowed a hit and a run in the 13th, but struck out Chris Carter to end the 5-hour, 18-minute game for his 37th save.
Brandon Barnes hit a solo homer and Carlos Corporan drove in two runs for Houston.