DENVER (AP) Pittsburgh clinched a playoff spot for the third straight year by winning 13-7 at Colorado on Wednesday, with Neil Walker recording a career-high six RBIs, including a three-run homer.
The Pirates are guaranteed of at least a wild card but still have a chance of overtaking St. Louis, which leads the National League Central division by four games. Both teams have 10 games to play in the regular season, including a potentially decisive series between them at Pittsburgh.
The Los Angeles Dodgers moved closer to being the third NL side to book a playoff position as they ended a four-game losing skid by downing Arizona.
In the American League, Kansas City edged Seattle in 10 innings to move in on the first division title for the Brewers since 1985; and Toronto widened its lead over New York in the AL East division by shutting out the Yankees.
Pittsburgh’s Walker provided the bulk of the offense with a mistimed two-run single in the first and a towering three-run homer in the third off fill-in Colorado starter Christian Bergman (3-1).
Walker ended his night with a run-scoring single as part of a six-run ninth which broke open a previously tight game.
Despite the victory and the securing of a playoff spot, the Pirates could not make up ground on St. Louis, which cruised to a 10-2 home win against Cincinnati.
Matt Carpenter hit a pair of two-run homers and Lance Lynn pitched six scoreless innings for the Cardinals, who improved their major league-best record to 96-56.
Randal Grichuk and Peter Bourjos also homered as the Cardinals hit four for the first time this season.
Los Angeles’ Chase Utley hit a leadoff homer and added a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning to lift the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over Arizona.
Utley’s double to the wall in right field in the eighth drove in Jimmy Rollins, whose bunt single leading off the inning was Los Angeles’ first hit since Utley’s homer on the first pitch.
The Dodgers moved seven games clear atop the NL West.
Toronto moved 3-1/2 games clear of the Yankees atop the AL East, thanks to three-run shot by Russell Martin which set up a 4-0 win.
Martin, who used to play for the Yankees, connected off Andrew Bailey in the seventh. Martin matched his career high for homers with 21 as Toronto took two of three games in the vital series.
Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman (3-0) gave up no runs and one walk in seven innings in his third outing since returning from a long-term knee injury. He lowered his ERA to 1.89.
Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain singled home pinch-runner Paulo Orlando in the 10th inning to lift the Royals to a 4-3 win against Seattle.
The victory reduced the Royals’ magic number – a combination of their wins and their closest rival’s defeats – to two for clinching the AL Central crown. They can lock it up Thursday with another victory over Seattle if Minnesota lose to Cleveland.
Kansas City has not won a division since taking the AL West in 1985 and going on to win the World Series.
The Los Angeles Angels honed in on the second AL wild card by winning 6-5 at Houston, with David Freese hitting a go-ahead two-run double in a three-run eighth inning.
In the eighth, Mike Trout hit a leadoff double before David Murphy drew a walk with one out. Freese’s double sailed just beyond the left fielder and made it 5-4. Carlos Perez’s RBI single made it 6-4.
Baltimore’s Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning as the Orioles downed Washington 4-3 to damage the Nationals playoff hopes.
With two outs in the seventh, Machado lined Max Scherzer’s 122nd and last pitch over left-center field for his 30th homer of the season.
The Orioles moved within four games of the final AL wild card spot while the Nationals missed a chance to draw level with San Francisco for the last NL playoff berth.
Milwaukee ended a run of nine successive losses to the Chicago Cubs by winning 4-1, with Zach Davies allowing only two hits over six innings.
Davies (2-2) allowed two singles in the second inning but none thereafter and issued only one walk.
The Cubs dropped three games behind Pittsburgh but still look assured of at least the second NL wild card.
Minnesota’s Phil Hughes pitched five scoreless innings in his return to the rotation as the Twins beat Cleveland 4-2 and moved within a game of Houston, which provisionally holds the second AL wild-card spot.
San Diego drove a further nail into the coffin of San Francisco’s playoff amibitions as Jedd Gyorko hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Padres a 5-4 win.
Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman broke a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer after driving in two in the seventh as the Braves stunned the New York Mets 6-3.
Tampa Bay’s Drew Smyly held Boston scoreless into the seventh inning and guided the Rays to a 6-2 win in a fight between two teams trying to avoid the ignominy of finishing last in the AL East.
Texas’ Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre each hit three-run homers as the Rangers beat Oaklkand 10-3 to take a three-game lead in the AL West division.
Detroit’s Victor Martinez hit his 200th career home run as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4.
Miami’s Dee Gordon hit a winning double with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Marlins a 4-3 win against Philadelphia.
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