Nola shines as Phillies edge Mets 1-0, extend NL East lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola returned to form with three-hit ball over six innings and Jhoan Duran stranded two runners when he struck out the final two batters to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 1-0 on Monday night.

The Phillies stretched their lead in the NL East to eight games over the Mets, pulling away in a race that seemed to tighten when New York completed a three-game sweep of Philadelphia late last month.

New York stumbled since that series in Citi Field and lost their third straight game, and fourth in five games.

Nola (4-8) shook off a season derailed by injuries and career-worst stretches to look like the right-hander who anchored the rotation for most of the last decade. He walked only two and struck out seven. Nola’s last pitch was a 93 mph sinker that got Brandon Nimmo swinging to end the sixth and earned him a standing ovation as he walked off the field.

Duran was the last of three Phillies relievers and worked a scoreless ninth for his 28th save to keep the Mets as the only big league team this season that hasn’t won when trailing after eight innings.

The Phillies, who beat the Mets for the third time in 10 meetings this year. needed Nola to deliver with a lineup weakened by the losses of infielder Trea Turner and Alec Bohm, both placed on the injured list.

GUARDIANS 10, ROYALS 2

CLEVELAND (AP) — Slade Cecconi took a bid to end Cleveland’s long no-hitter drought into the eighth inning, and the Guardians rolled to a win over Kansas City and leapfrogged the Royals in the AL wild-card race.

Cecconi (6-6) was six outs from the first no-hitter in the majors this season — and Cleveland’s first since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981 — when Kansas City’s Michael Massey singled leading off the eighth.

On Cecconi’s 95th pitch, Massey lined a 2-1 fastball into left-center. The right-hander received a nice ovation from the crowd in Progressive Field before Cecconi got Carter Jensen to hit into a double play.

Cleveland (73-70) won its fourth straight game and moved past the Royals (73-71) into second place in the AL Central. Cleveland entered the four-game series 2 1/2 games behind Seattle for the third and final wild card spot.

Kyle Manzardo, Daniel Schneemann and Nolan Jones had two RBIs apiece for Cleveland, which set season highs with 16 hits and seven doubles.

The Guardians tagged Ryan Bergert (2-2) for four RBI doubles and six runs in the fourth inning while opening an 8-0 lead. C.J. Kayfus, Brayan Rocchio, Schneemann and Jones hit the doubles.

BRAVES 4, CUBS 1

ATLANTA (AP) — Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson homered and Bryce Elder had his fourth straight strong outing as Atlanta beat Chicago.

The Cubs, who lead the NL wild-card race, lost for the fourth time in five games.

Olson went 2 for 4 and hit his 23rd home run of the season in the eighth inning.

Elder (7-9) pitched one-run ball for 6 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out six, walked one and allowed five hits. He has allowed four earned runs in his last four starts over 26 1/3 innings.

Tyler Kinley worked a perfect eighth for his 13th straight scoreless appearance for the Braves. Rasiel Iglesias pitched the ninth inning and earned his 25th save.

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (9-7) gave up three runs in the first inning before settling down. He retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced and was lifted after six innings. He gave up five hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

The Cubs scored in the seventh when Matt Shaw’s sacrifice fly to center scored Nico Hoerner.

NATIONALS 15, MARLINS 7

MIAMI (AP) — Josh Bell became the second Washington player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, finishing with four hits and six RBIs to lead the Nationals over Miami.

Dylan Crews and Luis García Jr also homered as the Nationals matched their season high for runs and hits (19).

Miami drew just 7,992, its 12th crowd this season under 8,000.

Bell’s RBI single in the fifth put Washington ahead 3-1 and, batting right-handed, he hit a two-run drive off Josh Simpson for a 10-2 lead in the sixth.

Hitting left-handed, Bell added a two-run homer in the sixth against Josh Simpson, a 413-foot, 110 mph drive four rows into the nearly empty right-field upper deck for his 19th long ball this season. Bell added an RBI single in the ninth, matching his career high for hits.

Washington’s Danny Espinosa homered from both sides of the plate twice in the same series against Cincinnati, on June 30 and July 3, 2016, a four-game series in which he had five homers and 15 RBIs.

Crews also had four RBIs for the Nats, who won for the sixth time in seven games.

Cade Cavalli (3-1) gave up two runs and six hits in five innings.

RANGERS 5, BREWERS 0

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Michael Helman drove in all the Texas runs with a grand slam and a double, lefty Jacob Latz pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and the playoff-chasing Rangers beat MLB-best Milwaukee.

The Rangers (75-70) moved within 3 1/2 games of idle Houston, the closest they have been to the AL West lead since also trailing by 3 1/2 on May 30. Texas, with 17 games remaining, just won two of three against the Astros.

Milwaukee (89-56), which in this three-game series could become the first team to officially clinch a playoff spot, was held scoreless for the 11th time this season. Cole Winn, Jacob Webb and Chris Martin finished off the Rangers’ 14th shutout win.

Texas didn’t even have a base runner against Brewers starter Jose Quintana (11-6) until Jake Burger’s leadoff walk in the fifth. The bases were loaded after Kyle Higashioka doubled off the very top of the 8-foot wall in left and Jonah Heim drew a walk before Helman’s fourth homer of the season.

Helman added a two-out RBI double in the seventh.

Latz (2-0) made his third consecutive start in what had been the rotation spot of 11-game winner Nathan Eovaldi before he went the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain. The left-hander struck out four and walked one while allowing only three singles.

MARINERS 4, CARDINALS 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Josh Naylor hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth inning to help Seattle beat St. Louis.

Naylor, who homered in his last two games, turned on a hanging curveball from Cardinals reliever Gordon Graceffo (3-1) for a two-run shot after Julio Rodríguez got Seattle on the board with an RBI single. After his double, Naylor made a heads-up play and stole third base, allowing him to score with ease on a sacrifice fly from Jorge Polanco.

T he Mariners scored four runs in the sixth inning to erase St. Louis’ advantage. The Cardinals jumped out in front 2-0 on a two-run home run by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning, his 17th of the season.

That was all the offense St. Louis could muster against Mariners starter Bryan Woo (13-7) before three relievers combined to close out the win. Andrés Muñoz secured his 33rd save.

GIANTS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 5

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb pitched six solid innings and five San Francisco players homered to help the Giants beat Arizona.

Webb (14-9) allowed four runs — one earned — on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Jung Hoo Lee, Dominic Smith, Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman and Patrick Bailey each hit a home run.

San Francisco has won 12 of 15. The Giants (73-71) are three games behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League, 1 1/2 games in front of the Diamondbacks.

The Giants scored five times in the sixth inning to break a 4-all tie. Reliever Brandyn Garcia (0-1) was charged with the first three runs (two earned).

Jake McCarthy tripled with the bases loaded to give Arizona a 3-0 lead in the second inning and Blaze Alexander hit a two-out single that drove in Ketel Marte in the third. Gabriel Moreno homered to lead off the eighth.

Arizona’s Corbin Carroll was 0 for 4 and had his 24-game on-base streak snapped.

RED SOX 7, ATHLETICS 0

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Garrett Crochet struck out 10 in seven innings, Trevor Story and Carlos Narváez homered and Boston defeated the Athletics.

The Red Sox moved to three games behind idle Toronto for the AL East lead, and one game back of the idle New York Yankees in the race for the first AL wild-card spot.

The A’s have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Crochet (15-5), coming off a shaky start against Cleveland on Sept. 2, allowed less than four hits for the first time since Aug. 17. He did not walk a batter for the third straight game.

Story’s 24th homer of the season, a no-doubter to left-center, gave the Red Sox an early lead. Boston improved to 54-20 when scoring first this season.

Jarren Duran had two hits, including an RBI single for the 500th hit of his career. Alex Bregman, Narváez, Story, and Masataka Yoshida also had two-hit games.

Narváez hit a 422-foot solo homer in the fifth to extend Boston’s lead, and Bregman added an RBI single two batters later.

For the A’s, Luis Morales (3-1) allowed seven hits and five earned runs, striking out two and walking one in his sixth career start. It was the first time in his MLB career that he gave up more than two runs.

PADRES 4, REDS 3, 10 INNINGS

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to bring in Jake Cronenworth, and San Diego beat Cincinnati.

Former Padres right-hander Nick Martinez (10-12) started the 10th for the Reds and committed a throwing error on Freddy Fermín’s bunt that moved Cronenworth, the automatic runner, to third. Tatis then lifted a fly ball to left field to drive in the run and was mobbed by his teammates near first base.

Jackson Merrill hit a tying, two-run triple with two outs in the sixth inning for the Padres. Wandy Peralta (6-1) got the last out in the top of the 10th.

San Diego came into the night one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Padres continue to hold the second of three NL wild-card spots, three games ahead of the New York Mets.

The Reds took a 3-0 lead on TJ Friedl’s leadoff homer, Elly De La Cruz’s RBI single in the third and Austin Hays’ one-out shot in the sixth, all off Yu Darvish.

Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo pitched two-hit ball for five scoreless innings before Scott Barlow took over and allowed Tatis’ leadoff single and Gavin Sheets’ two-out RBI double. Barlow walked Ramón Laureano before making way for Brent Suter, who allowed Merrill’s triple to right-center. Friedl, the center fielder, had the ball hit off his glove as he tried to make a running catch just inside the warning track.

The 39-year-old Darvish allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

DODGERS 3, ROCKIES 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Glasnow and Blake Treinen combined to pitch eight innings of no-hit ball before Tanner Scott gave up Colorado’s first hit in the ninth and Los Angeles rallied for a victory.

Glasnow struck out 11 and walked two on 105 pitches — one off his season high — 65 for strikes over seven innings in his first career start against Colorado.

Blake Treinen followed with a 1-2-3 eighth. Scott came on in the ninth and promptly gave up a double to Ryan Ritter before retiring the next three batters to end the game.

The Dodgers remained a game ahead of second-place San Diego in the NL West race.

Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a no-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth inning at Baltimore on Saturday night, and the Orioles rallied for a 4-3 win.

The Dodgers took a 3-1 lead in the seventh on Mookie Betts’ two-out, two-run single to center that scored Andy Pages, who was hit by a pitch, and Shohei Ohtani, who doubled with two outs.

The Rockies led 1-0 on Kyle Farmer’s sacrifice fly that scored Jordan Beck, who walked leading off the second. The Dodgers tied it 1-1 on Freddie Freeman’s RBI double off reliever Juan Meija in the bottom of the sixth.

TWINS 12, ANGELS 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Royce Lewis homered twice and drove in four runs as Minnesota beat sloppy Los Angeles.

James Outman also went deep as the Twins moved to 4-0 against the Angels this season, outscoring them 33-7.

Los Angeles committed four errors, including two by third baseman Yoan Moncada.

Lewis’ first homer grazed off the tip of Bryce Teodosio’s glove at the center field wall in the second.

Simeon Woods Richardson (6-4) allowed three runs and struck out six in five innings. Travis Adams struck out four in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Luke Keaschall had an RBI single, Matt Wallner had a two-run double, and Austin Martin doubled and scored three runs. The Twins were still 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.

Angels starter Caden Dana (0-1) struck out a career-high nine, walked five and allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Sebastián Rivero had an RBI double in his first major league game in almost three years.