Max Scherzer earned his 200th career win after pitching six perfect innings on Monday as the visiting New York Mets clinched a playoff spot with a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pete Alonso hit a monstrous three-run homer in the fourth inning that sparked the fifth straight victory for the Mets, who remained a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for second in the National League East. The Brewers trail the idle Philadelphia Phillies by 2 1/2 games for the third and final NL spot.
Scherzer (10-4), who missed the previous 15 days with a left oblique injury, struck out nine on just 68 pitches. He became the 120th pitcher to record 200 wins, but only the third active pitcher to reach the milestone, joining former teammate Justin Verlander (243 wins) and Zack Greinke (223 wins).
Brewers starter Corbin Burns (10-8) allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.
Astros 4, Rays 0
Jose Altuve hit his major league-leading 11th homer, Luis Garcia pitched five shutout innings and Houston won its second straight AL West title with a win over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In his 86-pitch opener, Garcia (13-8) used his quirky, swingy swing to hold the Rays to just two hits. Alex Bregman finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as the Astros earned their eighth win in their last nine games.
Harold Ramirez went 3-for-4, but the Rays mustered just five hits. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen (10-6) allowed four runs on six hits in six innings.
Braves 5, Nationals 2
Kyle Wright picked up his 19th major league win as Atlanta beat Washington for its ninth straight home win.
The Braves improved to 11-3 against the Nationals this year. The home winning streak is the team’s longest of the season and longest since the club’s current record of 13 in 2019.
Wright (19-5) went six innings and allowed two runs on eight hits. Travis d’Arnaud and Eddie Rosario each had two hits and an RBI. Nationals starter Corey Abbott (0-3) allowed four runs on six hits in four innings.
Guardians 11, Gemini 4
Josh Naylor and Amed Rosario both hit three home runs, Luke Mayle also had a deep hit, and Cleveland cruised to a win over visiting Minnesota. The Guardians won four of five in the deciding series.
Steven Kwan went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run, while Miles Straw tripled and scored three runs for the Guardians, who extended their American League Central lead to four games over the idle Chicago White Sox and seven more descending Gemini.
Rosario, Naylor, Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez also had two hits apiece for the Guardians, who open a three-game series with the White Sox on Tuesday in Chicago. Nick Gordon had a homer and an RBI single for the Twins.
Sailors 9, Angels 1
Carlos Santana hit two home runs, including a grand slam, Ty France hit a three-run homer and Logan Gilbert struck out a career-high 11 to lead Seattle to a victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif., avoiding a sweep.
Gilbert (13-6) went six innings, allowing one run on four hits. Angels starter Jose Suarez (6-8) and Gilbert were shutout in a 1-0 game through four innings, with the only run coming on French’s RBI double in the first. Santana then opened the game with his fifth grand slam.
Suarez finished with five runs on seven hits in five innings. Shohei Ohtani and Matt Duffy each had two hits for the Angels.
Tigers 11, Orioles 0
Tyler Alexander was hitless for the Orioles through six innings as visiting Detroit put a huge dent in Baltimore’s playoff hopes with a shutout victory.
Alexander (4-10) gave up two hits in the seventh before flying out after pitching. He struck out four and walked two. The Tigers won for just the second time in Alexander’s last 14 games and just the second time in eight games overall.
The Orioles, who have lost nine of their last 14 games, used outfielder Ryan McKenna on the mound in the ninth inning. He gave up two runs. Baltimore starter Tyler Wells (7-7) allowed five runs on four hits in three-plus innings.
Marlins 10, Cubs 3
Brian De La Cruz hit a walk-off grand slam in the third inning to lead host Miami to a victory over Chicago.
De La Cruz went 2 for 5 with four RBI, while John Bertie and Charles LeBlanc also homered for the Marlins. Bertie went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two stolen bases and leads the majors with 36 steals. Christopher Morel went home for the Cubs.
Edward Cabrera (6-3) got the win, allowing three hits and three runs over five innings. On his 79th and final innings, he clutched his left side in discomfort.
