ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee, and the Brewers also earned a playoff spot Sunday via help on the West Coast moments later. St. Louis (30-28) will be the fifth seed in the NL and open a three-game wild-card series at San Diego on Wednesday. By winning, the Cardinals avoided having to travel to Detroit for two makeup games Monday. The Brewers (29-31) locked up the eighth seed and a third consecutive postseason berth after the Padres beat San Francisco 5-4 in a game that ended about 15 minutes later. The Giants finished with an identical record as the Brewers but lost out on a tiebreaker due to an inferior intradivision record. Milwaukee will face the top-seeded Dodgers in Los Angeles in a three-game series that also starts Wednesday. The Brewers haven’t had a winning record at any point this season. Milwaukee and Houston will be the first teams... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tim Anderson hit two of Chicago’s five solo homers, and the White Sox — already guaranteed a playoff spot — took another step toward the AL Central title by overpowering the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Saturday night. Chicago has won eight of its last 10 games, securing at least a wild card and its first postseason appearance since 2008. José Abreu hit his fifth homer in eight games as the White Sox piled them up, including three in a row in the eighth off Robert Stephenson. Abreu has 18 homers overall. The Reds managed six hits as they had their season-high winning streak snapped at six games. Cincinnati (26-27) wasted a chance to move above .500 for the first time since its season-opening win over the Tigers. Nomar Mazara was in a 3-for-25 slump with 11 strikeouts when he connected off Trevor Bauer (4-4) in the fifth inning for his first homer. One out later, Anderson’s ninth homer made it 2-0. Bauer went seven innings and gave up five hits while throwing 107 pitches. Matt... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor. Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams. Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run. At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988. San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August. Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season. Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.WILD WESTThe surging San Diego Padres go for their ninth straight victory and try to close within a half-game of the West-leading Dodgers when the NL's top two teams square off again at Petco Park. Trent Grisham added some spice to the rivalry when... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.WILD WESTThe surging San Diego Padres go for their ninth straight victory and try to close within a half-game of the West-leading Dodgers when the NL's top two teams square off again at Petco Park. Trent Grisham added some spice to the rivalry when... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.TOUGH ASSIGNMENTClinging to an American League wild-card spot, the Cleveland Indians attempt to stop a six-game losing streak when they face Yu Darvish (7-2, 1.77 ERA) and the first-place Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. On the mound for the Indians... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics signed former All-Star infielder Jake Lamb on Monday after he was designated for assignment last week by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The move with Lamb made sense after Oakland lost Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman last week. Chapman suffered a strained right hip and is expected to undergo surgery. The 29-year-old Lamb looked like a future star at third base just a few years ago. He hit 29 homers in 2016 and then made the NL All-Star team in 2017 while setting career-highs with 30 homers and 105 RBIs. Since then, he’s battled injuries and inconsistency and hit just 12 homers over the past three seasons.He didn’t get much playing time for the Diamondbacks this season and had just five hits in 43 at-bats for a .116 average. He had a prorated salary of $2,042,593. After Lamb was released last week, Arizona GM Mike Hazen said he still believes in Lamb as a player but he needed at-bats that the Diamondbacks couldn’t provide.The A’s cleared a spot on the 40-man roster by moving left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk to the 45-day injured list.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___NOT JUSTIN, SHANEIt hasn’t taken Shane Bieber long to become Cleveland’s ace — and maybe the best pitcher in baseball this season. The right-hander looks to stay unbeaten as the Indians open a three-game series in Minnesota. Bieber, who is 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA and leads the majors in numerous categories, is already 2-0 against the Twins this year. Bieber began last season as Cleveland’s No. 5 starter, but his ascension and the trades of Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger have solidified him as the Indians’ No. 1 starter.DODGER (BLACK AND) BLUEA couple of starting pitchers are dinged up for the major league-leading Dodgers. Walker Buehler went on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of a lingering blister on the index finger of his right hand. A little bit later, Dustin May was pulled after just one inning with a bruised left foot after he was hit by a sharp grounder against Arizona. “I think tomorrow when we get back home... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks kept up their roster overhaul on Thursday, parting ways with former All-Star infielder Jake Lamb.Lamb was designated for assignment after struggling for the majority of three straight seasons. First baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith, who was the No. 7 overall pick in 2017, will take Lamb's place on the roster and be making his big-league debut.“Those are hard conversations to have,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Jake Lamb has meant so much to this organization and he’s meant so much to me as well.”The 29-year-old Lamb looked like a future star at third base just a few years ago. He hit 29 homers in 2016 and then made the NL All-Star team in 2017 while setting career-highs with 30 homers and 105 RBIs. Since then, he's battled injuries and inconsistency and hit just 12 homers over the past three seasons.He didn’t get much playing time for the D-backs this season and had just five hits in 43 at-bats for a .116 average. He had a prorated salary... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Former All-Star infielder Jake Lamb has been designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks after struggling for nearly three straight seasons.The 29-year-old Lamb looked like a future star at third base just a few years ago. He hit 29 homers in 2016 and then made the NL All-Star team in 2017 while setting career-highs with 30 homers and 105 RBIs. Since then, he's battled injuries and inconsistency and hit just 12 homers over the past three seasons.He didn't get much playing time for the D-backs this season and had just five hits in 43 at-bats for a .116 average. He had a prorated salary of $2,042,593.The team made the move on Thursday and thanked Lamb for his seven years in the desert on social media. Lamb's spot on the roster was taken by first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft. The 24-year-old Smith, who played in college at Virginia, will be making his major league debut. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Diamondbacks first. Tim Locastro homers to center field. Kole Calhoun singles to right field. David Peralta singles to center field. Kole Calhoun to third. Eduardo Escobar strikes out swinging. Josh Rojas out on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to Mauricio Dubon. David Peralta to second. Kole Calhoun scores. Stephen Vogt strikes out swinging.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Diamondbacks 2, Giants 0.Giants third. Chadwick Tromp homers to center field. Austin Slater flies out to deep right center field to Jon Jay. Donovan Solano singles to center field. Mike Yastrzemski grounds out to shortstop. Donovan Solano out at second.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Diamondbacks 2, Giants 1.Giants sixth. Austin Slater singles to left field. Donovan Solano homers to left field. Austin Slater scores. Mike Yastrzemski grounds out to shallow right field, Josh Rojas to Jake Lamb. Evan Longoria flies out to deep center field to Tim Locastro. Wilmer Flores doubles. Alex Dickerson pinch-hitting... [More]

Giants first. Mike Yastrzemski called out on strikes. Alex Dickerson homers. Evan Longoria grounds out to shortstop, Ketel Marte to Christian Walker. Brandon Belt pops out to shallow center field to Nick Ahmed.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Giants 1, Diamondbacks 0.Diamondbacks seventh. Christian Walker grounds out to shallow left field, Evan Longoria to Brandon Belt. Eduardo Escobar homers to right field. Nick Ahmed grounds out to shortstop, Brandon Crawford to Brandon Belt. Jake Lamb walks.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Giants 1, Diamondbacks 1.Giants eighth. Brandon Crawford singles to deep left field. Mauricio Dubon strikes out on a foul tip. Wilmer Flores pinch-hitting for Chadwick Tromp. Wilmer Flores doubles. Brandon Crawford to third. Mike Yastrzemski hit by pitch. Alex Dickerson singles to shallow left field. Mike Yastrzemski to second. Joey Rickard to third. Brandon Crawford scores. Evan Longoria singles to center field. Alex Dickerson to third. Mike Yastrzemski scores. Joey Rickard scores. Brandon Belt grounds out to shallow infield. Evan Longoria out at second.3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Giants 4, Diamondbacks 1.

Rockies first. Garrett Hampson walks. Trevor Story walks. Nolan Arenado doubles to deep left center field. Trevor Story scores. Garrett Hampson scores. Charlie Blackmon flies out to right field to Kole Calhoun. Josh Fuentes called out on strikes. Elias Diaz lines out to shallow infield to Nick Ahmed.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 0.Diamondbacks fourth. Starling Marte singles to right field. David Peralta singles to right field. Starling Marte to third. Christian Walker out on a sacrifice fly to deep left field to Sam Hilliard. Starling Marte scores. Eduardo Escobar flies out to left field to Sam Hilliard. Nick Ahmed strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 1.Rockies sixth. Brendan Rodgers strikes out swinging. Sam Hilliard singles to shallow center field. Drew Butera strikes out swinging. Garrett Hampson singles to shortstop. Sam Hilliard scores. Trevor Story singles to third base. Garrett Hampson out at third.1 run, 3... [More]

Giants third. Mike Yastrzemski strikes out on a foul tip. Wilmer Flores walks. Evan Longoria homers to center field. Wilmer Flores scores. Hunter Pence strikes out swinging. Joey Bart strikes out swinging.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Giants 2, Diamondbacks 0.Diamondbacks fourth. Ketel Marte lines out to second base to Evan Longoria. Christian Walker doubles to deep left field. David Peralta doubles to deep right center field. Christian Walker scores. Eduardo Escobar singles to center field. David Peralta scores. Stephen Vogt flies out to deep left field to Hunter Pence. Nick Ahmed grounds out to shortstop, Brandon Crawford to Wilmer Flores.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Diamondbacks 2, Giants 2.Giants fifth. Mike Yastrzemski walks. Wilmer Flores homers to left field. Mike Yastrzemski scores. Evan Longoria singles to left center field. Hunter Pence strikes out on a foul tip. Joey Bart called out on strikes. Brandon Crawford called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left... [More]

Diamondbacks first. Kole Calhoun doubles to right center field. Stephen Vogt flies out to center field to Ramon Laureano. Starling Marte singles to shallow center field. Kole Calhoun to third. David Peralta walks. Christian Walker walks. David Peralta to second. Starling Marte to third. Eduardo Escobar out on a sacrifice fly to Robbie Grossman. Christian Walker to second. David Peralta to third. Starling Marte scores. Nick Ahmed homers to left field. Christian Walker scores. David Peralta scores. Jake Lamb walks. Daulton Varsho lines out to left field to Robbie Grossman.5 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Diamondbacks 5, Athletics 0.Athletics second. Robbie Grossman flies out to Kole Calhoun. Stephen Piscotty singles to shortstop. Tony Kemp flies out to center field to Starling Marte. Sean Murphy doubles to deep right field. Stephen Piscotty scores. Marcus Semien flies out to deep right field to Kole Calhoun.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Diamondbacks 5, Athletics 1.Diamondbacks second.... [More]

Padres first. Fernando Tatis Jr. called out on strikes. Manny Machado homers to center field. Tommy Pham grounds out to shallow infield, Ketel Marte to Christian Walker. Ty France walks. Wil Myers homers to left field. Ty France scores. Trent Grisham strikes out swinging.3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Padres 3, Diamondbacks 0.Padres second. Jurickson Profar singles to center field. Francisco Mejia flies out to center field to David Peralta. Edward Olivares flies out to deep left field to David Peralta. Fernando Tatis Jr. homers to left field. Jurickson Profar scores. Manny Machado homers to left field. Tommy Pham flies out to center field to Starling Marte.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Padres 6, Diamondbacks 0.Padres third. Ty France homers to left field. Wil Myers strikes out swinging. Trent Grisham called out on strikes. Jurickson Profar hit by pitch. Francisco Mejia homers to right field. Jurickson Profar scores. Edward Olivares called out on strikes.3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors,... [More]