MLB Roundup: Despite Loss, Guardians Clinch American League Central Title

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9/22/2024Updated: 9/22/2024

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Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer and scored twice as the St. Louis Cardinals held off the visiting Cleveland Guardians for a 6–5 win on Saturday night.

However, the Guardians still clinched the American League Central. Their magic number was one coming into Saturday’s action, and the second-place Kansas City Royals’ loss to the San Francisco Giants earlier in the day was enough to get the job done.

Jordan Walker hit a two-run shot for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in their past six games.

Jose Ramirez hit a three-run homer and Bo Naylor smacked a solo shot for the Guardians.

Reds 7, Pirates 1

Elly De La Cruz had three hits, four RBIs and two runs to help Cincinnati beat visiting Pittsburgh.

The Reds, who won the opener of the three-game set on Friday, have won five of their past eight games. Cincinnati starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (2–2) held the Pirates scoreless on five hits through five innings, and De La Cruz’s three-run shot to right field in the fourth inning provided the run support.

Billy Cook had a home run among his two hits for the Pirates, who have lost seven of nine.

Nationals 5, Cubs 1

MacKenzie Gore came within eight outs of the eighth no-hitter in franchise history, lifting visiting Washington past Chicago.

The Cubs didn’t get to Gore (10–12) until Patrick Wisdom clubbed a solo shot with one out in the seventh. That was the only hit and run the lefty allowed in his seven innings. Meanwhile, Joey Gallo broke the game open with a three-run homer in the sixth for the Nationals, who had dropped five straight. Jose Tena went 3-for-4 with a run.

Chicago is on the verge of being officially eliminated from postseason contention. Kyle Hendricks (4–12) got the start for the Cubs and yielded four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Tigers 6, Orioles 4 (10 innings)

Riley Greene singled in a run in the top of the 10th inning and Zach McKinstry added a sacrifice fly as Detroit pulled out the victory against host Baltimore.

The Tigers have won five of their past six games in their quest to rise in the American League wild-card mix. They rebounded after squandering a two-run lead in the ninth and had to hang on to extend the game. Orioles All-Star Gunnar Henderson’s two-run double with the bases loaded and no outs tied the score in the ninth. With runners on second and third after Henderson’s double, Cedric Mullins grounded out, Anthony Santander popped out and Colton Cowser flied out against Beau Brieske (3–4), who was summoned from the bullpen after Jason Foley failed to record an out while facing four batters.

The Orioles had a two-game winning streak snapped as they try to catch the New York Yankees atop the AL East. Starter Cade Povich was charged with two runs on two hits in five innings, striking out seven. The Orioles, who homered five times in Friday night’s 7–1 series-opening victory, didn’t have an extra-base hit Saturday until Henderson came through in the ninth.

Mets 6, Phillies 3

Francisco Alvarez homered in the second inning and laced a key two-run double in the seventh for host New York, which beat Philadelphia in the third game of a four-game series.

The win by the Mets prevented the playoff-bound Phillies from clinching their first National League East title since 2011. Philadelphia’s magic number stayed at one heading into the series finale Sunday.

New York remained a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third NL wild-card spot.

Braves 6, Marlins 2

Matt Olson slugged a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning as Atlanta defeated host Miami.

Gio Urshela followed Olson with another two-run homer in the seventh. Former Marlins star Jorge Soler had a solo blast in the second inning.

Marlins starter Adam Oller allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out seven. He kept Miami in the game and left with a no-decision.

Rays 3, Blue Jays 2

Jonathan Aranda homered for the second straight game and starter Taj Bradley broke a seven-game skid as Tampa Bay secured a winning record at home this season by edging Toronto.

Aranda was the Rays’ offensive star Friday after homering off Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios for the game’s only run. On Saturday, he went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. He continued his power surge in the third inning with a two-run shot, swatting a Yariel Rodriguez 95 mph fastball 414 feet to straightaway center. Tampa Bay improved to 41–39 at home this season and are 4–1 on their homestand.

Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-5, while Spencer Horwitz had two hits, a run, an RBI and a walk. Alejandro Kirk drove in a run with his first career triple as the Blue Jays fell to 1–4 on their six-game road trip. Rodriguez (1–7) allowed three runs and four hits in four innings.

Giants 9, Royals 0

LaMonte Wade Jr. and Matt Chapman each belted a pair of solo homers and Mike Yastrzemski also went deep, lifting visiting San Francisco over Kansas City.

Landen Roupp (1–1) picked up his first career major league win after scattering three hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out three. The 26-year-old was making his 22nd appearance (third start) of the season for the Giants.

The reeling Royals had five hits and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position en route to losing their sixth game in a row. Kansas City has also dropped 15 of its past 22.

Diamondbacks 5, Brewers 0

Joc Pederson and Ketel Marte each had a two-run homer and Merrill Kelly tossed five innings of two-hit ball as visiting Arizona notched its third consecutive victory over Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks remained two games behind the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the NL wild-card race.

The Brewers have lost three straight since clinching the NL Central on Wednesday. The Brewers remained four games behind the Phillies and Dodgers for the best record in the National League. The top two teams get a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Mariners 8, Rangers 4

Julio Rodriguez went 4-for-6 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored and Jorge Polanco doubled and had three hits as Seattle kept its playoff hopes alive with a victory over Texas in Arlington, Texas.

J.P. Crawford tripled and had two hits and Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner also had two hits for Seattle, which moved to within 1 1/2 games of idle Minnesota for the final wild-card spot in the American League. The Twins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Josh Smith went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, Travis Jankowski had two doubles with an RBI and a run scored and Ezequiel Duran also had two hits and an RBI and run scored for Texas, which lost its third straight game.

Astros 10, Angels 4

Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker each had four hits and a homer to support Ronel Blanco, who recorded his 14th quality start, as Houston rolled to a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

Tucker finished 4-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs for his second consecutive four-hit game, and Alvarez went 4-for-5 and scored twice. The Astros reduced their magic number to clinch the American League West to three games. Blanco (12–6) won his third straight decision.

Logan O'Hoppe went 4-for-4 with a solo homer for the Angels, who have lost three in a row. Angels starter Reid Detmers (4–8) allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts in two-plus innings.

Yankees 10, Athletics 0

Aaron Judge belted his major-league-leading 54th home run, Carlos Rodon threw six shutout innings and visiting New York bombarded Oakland, giving manager Aaron Boone the 600th career win.

The Yankees reduced their magic number to three to clinch the American League East after the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day. Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run shot and Anthony Volpe added a solo blast.

Judge hit a leadoff homer in the seventh to give the Yankees a 7–0 lead. New York roughed up Oakland ace JP Sears (11–12) for six runs and nine hits in five innings. Rodon (16–9) allowed five hits and one walk with four strikeouts to add to his career high in wins.

Padres 6, White Sox 2

Xander Bogaerts, David Peralta and Elias Diaz all homered as San Diego sent visiting Chicago to the brink of modern major league history.

The Padres are three games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West after Los Angeles lost to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.

Chicago starter Chris Flexen (2–15) yielded eight hits and four runs in five innings, walking two and striking out three. The outcome dropped the White Sox to 36–119 in 2024, putting them one setback away from matching the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a single season in modern big-league history.

Rockies 6, Dodgers 3

Ryan McMahon hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning, Charlie Blackmon went deep in the ninth and visiting Colorado beat Los Angeles.

McMahon reached 20 home runs for the fourth consecutive season and fifth straight not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Mookie Betts hit a two-run home run for the Dodgers, whose magic number for clinching their 11th division title in 12 seasons remained at five.