Johnny Cueto pitched seven uneven innings for his 18th win and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Thursday night, setting up a wild race to the finish for the NL wild card. With three games left the Giants are one game behind the idle New York Mets and one game ahead of St. Louis. The Cardinals beat Cincinnati on Thursday.
Struggling Mike Zunino delivered the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and Seattle held on for a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night, keeping the Mariners on the edge of the AL wild card chase. Seattle is two games behind Baltimore and Toronto with three games to play. The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 4-0 to pull even atop the wild card race.
Freddie Freeman's 30-game hitting streak ended Thursday night when he struck out in the eighth inning of a tie game. The longest hitting streak in the majors since 2011, when Atlanta's Dan Uggla went 33 straight, is over yet the Braves continue winning - especially against Philadelphia. Moments after Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez (3-5) struck out Freeman, Matt Kemp doubled off the wall in right field.
Chris Archer overcame a shaky seventh inning to avoid becoming the majors' first 20-game loser since 2003 and lead the Tampa Bay Rays past the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 on Thursday night. Archer (9-19) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings to help the Rays snap a six-game skid and leave Detroit's Mike Maroth as the only pitcher to lose 20 games this century. Mikie Mahtook hit a solo homer in the fourth off Jose Quintana (13-12) and doubled and scored in a three-run seventh off Chicago's shaky bullpen.
Freddie Freeman's 30-game hitting streak ended when he struck out in the eighth inning of a tie game Thursday night, but the Atlanta Braves managed to score four runs after that off Philadelphia closer Jeanmar Gomez and beat the Phillies 5-2. Tied 1-1 with rookie Dansby Swanson at first base, Freeman whiffed to end the longest hitting streak in the majors since Dan Uggla (33) in 2011.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Bengals receiver A.J. Green followed his disappointing game with a dominating one - 173 yards and a touchdown - and the Cincinnati defense that was inspired by Vontaze Burfict's return clamped down on the Miami Dolphins for a 22-7 victory Thursday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Yadier Molina hit a disputed double that drove in the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning Thursday night, sending the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 4-3.
Byron Buxton tripled, doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Thursday night. After Salvador Perez's pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the ninth pulled the Royals within a run, Terrance Gore ran for him. With Paulo Orlando, who had four hits to match his career high, hitting, Brandon Kintzler picked Gore off first base.
The Yankees spent most of the season trying to overcome an awful April. The Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention despite a 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night that completed a three-game sweep of the AL East champions. New York was in the bottom of the seventh inning when Baltimore's 4-0 victory at Toronto knocked out the Yankees.
The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates played to the first tie game in the major leagues since 2005 when rain forced the teams to stop in the sixth inning Thursday night with the score 1-all. The Cubs and Pirates aren't scheduled to play again this season, and the game won't be made up because it doesn't affect postseason positioning. Willson Contreras had two hits and scored for the NL Central champion Cubs, who have already clinched the best record in the majors.
Ubaldo Jimenez and two relievers combined on a three-hitter and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Blue Jays 4-0 on Thursday night, moving into a tie with Toronto in the AL wild card race with three games remaining. When he started at Toronto on June 12, Jimenez allowed five runs and six hits in 1/3 of an inning, the shortest start of his career. The right-hander returned Thursday and carved up the Blue Jays.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto left Thursday night's game at St. Louis in the eighth inning after suffering a cut on his chin while sliding into second base.
There is zero doubt in Russell Wilson's mind that he'll be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets. Wilson participated fully in practice with the Seattle Seahawks for a second consecutive day Thursday after suffering a sprained MCL in last Sunday's 37-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and it's been feeling great, feeling strong, so I'll be ready to go,'' Wilson said.
NEW YORK (AP) -- David Ortiz was presented an oil painting of himself and a leather-bound book with handwritten letters from current and former Yankees during a pregame ceremony Thursday night to mark his final game in the Bronx.
The Chicago Bears had their coach back on Thursday. A day after missing practice because of a stomach virus, coach John Fox returned to Halas Hall and said quarterback Jay Cutler is not up to playing in a game at this point. ''I think we just didn't want to aggravate it more,'' Fox said.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon says he's entering a rehab facility to ''gain full control of my life.''
Thursday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians was postponed because of bad weather, a move that could force the teams to squeeze in a makeup game next week if it needs to be played because of postseason implications. The wild card-contending Tigers and AL Central champion Indians played a rain-shortened game Wednesday night, which Detroit won 6-3 in five innings. Detroit entered Thursday one game behind Baltimore for the American League's second wild card.
Thursday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians has been postponed because of bad weather, a move that could force the teams to squeeze in a makeup game next week if it needs to be played because of postseason implications. The Tigers and Indians played a rain-shortened game Wednesday night, which Detroit won 6-3 in five innings, but the scheduled series finale Thursday never began. Cleveland has clinched the AL Central.
Randy Gregory has been suspended 10 games by the NFL on top of the four-game ban the Dallas defensive end was already serving for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. The announcement Thursday was expected after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Gregory had withdrawn his appeal. Gregory won't be eligible until Week 16, before Dallas' Monday night game against Detroit on Dec. 26.
Wilmer Difo hit his first major league homer, and Pedro Severino his second, helping the injury-depleted NL East champion Washington Nationals move closer to clinching home-field advantage in the Division Series by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 at a near-empty stadium on a dreary Thursday. Second baseman Difo and catcher Severino, both rookies, were in the lineup instead of Daniel Murphy (last started 12 days ago) and Wilson Ramos (out for the season), respectively. Last in the NL West, Arizona has nothing at stake the rest of the way.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Ron Rivera says running back Jonathan Stewart will miss his second straight game this Sunday with a hamstring injury when the Carolina Panthers visit the Atlanta Falcons.
David Ortiz began making his mark on the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York with two long home runs at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 2003. "It's incredible," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. On Thursday, Ortiz will take his last at-bats in the rivalry when the Red Sox conclude their series with the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- Dez Bryant missed medical appointments and team meetings over two days away from the Dallas Cowboys this week. Coach Jason Garrett says the star receiver was trying to avoid bad news about his injured right knee.
A day after fans said goodbye, family members and friends of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez were set to attend a private funeral Mass on Thursday. Fernandez and two friends were killed in a boat crash off South Beach early Sunday morning. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, manager Don Mattingly, hitting coach Barry Bonds and the players including Marcel Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton wore white T-shirts emblazoned with Fernandez's image and the letters ''RIP'' as they slowly walked the hearse away from Marlins Park in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood Wednesday.
Jeff Samardzija gave San Francisco a chance to grab momentum after a big offensive outburst a night earlier, but the playoff-hopeful Giants wasted it with a costly dud in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. Rockies right-hander Tyler Chatwood (12-9) struck out nine in eight innings and outdueled Samardzija (12-11), shutting down San Francisco a day after the Giants pounded 19 hits in a 12-3 win. San Francisco dropped to 1 1/2 games behind the Mets for the top wild card and remained a game up on St. Louis for the second spot after the Cardinals lost to Cincinnati.
Miguel Cabrera hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning. Detroit trails the Orioles by one game for the AL's second wild card, and the Tigers certainly caught a break in this one. The rain was a factor throughout the evening - there was also a delay during the third inning - and it was certainly coming down when Detroit began its rally in the fifth.
Mark Teixeira hit a game-winning grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning, and the New York Yankees staved off playoff elimination at the last possible moment with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. Boston clinched the AL East title nearly 30 minutes before Teixeira connected, thanks to Toronto's 3-2 loss against Baltimore. The victory by the Orioles put the Yankees on the brink of wild-card elimination following a surprising charge late this season.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Adam Duvall's two-run single was all Cincinnati needed as the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Wednesday night.
John Jaso hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Jaso tripled off Chicago reliever Pedro Strop in the seventh inning to clinch the first cycle in the history of PNC Park and the first for the Pirates since 2004. Jaso's final hit was a fly ball to center field.
NEW YORK (AP) -- he Boston Red Sox have won the AL East, clinching the division championship when the Toronto Blue Jays lost to Baltimore. David Ortiz and the Red Sox, who had already secured at least a wild-card spot in the playoffs, will open their postseason schedule Oct. 6 seeking a second World Series crown in four years.
TORONTO (AP) -- Hyun Soo Kim hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning off Roberto Osuna, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Toronto 3-2 on Wednesday night to move within one game of the AL wild card-leading Blue Jays.
The Marlins walked half a block alongside a hearse carrying their ace away from Marlins Park at the start of a funeral motorcade Wednesday, and then peeled away with watery eyes to go back inside and play a game. Drained by four days of grieving Jose Fernandez's death, they didn't have much left for the New York Mets. Jay Bruce hit his 32nd home run, James Loney also homered and the Mets helped their NL wild-card chances by beating Miami 5-2.
Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 30 games, Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer and Daniel Castro drove in three runs, leading the surging Atlanta Braves to a 12-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. The Braves won for the ninth time in their last 10 games, building some momentum for 2017 and their move to SunTrust Park. Adam Morgan (2-11) lasted five innings, giving up 10 hits and nine runs, the most he's allowed in a dismal season.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 30 games on Wednesday night, the longest in the majors this season.
Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 12-4 Wednesday to keep pressure on the other AL wild-card contenders. Kyle Seager added another three-run drive in the eighth, his 30th home run this season, as Seattle pulled within 1 1/2 games of Baltimore for the second AL wild card. Houston dropped three games back as its magic number for elimination was cut to two.
Eric Decker's ailing shoulder is banged up even more. The New York Jets wide receiver dealt with what appeared to be a minor injury last week while preparing for Kansas City, but it worsened in the 24-3 loss on Sunday . Coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that Decker was ''probably'' going to have an MRI and his availability for the game against the Seattle Seahawks is uncertain.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will practice Wednesday and all indications are he will be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets. Coach Pete Carroll said he needs to see how Wilson recovers from practice but as of now he's expecting his quarterback to be able to play. Wilson sprained the MCL in his left knee while being pulled down awkwardly by San Francisco's Eli Harold in the third quarter of Seattle's 37-18 win Sunday.
The Chicago Cubs announced a five-year contract extension with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on Wednesday, rewarding him for an overhaul that has the long-suffering franchise eyeing its first championship since 1908. The extension comes with the Cubs wrapping up one of the greatest seasons in franchise history and their fans believing that this just might be the team to end the 108-year World Series title drought. Chicago clinched the best record in the majors with more than a week left in the regular season.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday after missing a game because of a sprained right thumb.
Andrew Luck cherishes his European roots. All of which makes this weekend's business trip to London, one of his childhood hometowns, a little different. This time, there will be nowhere for one of the NFL's higher-profile quarterbacks to hide.
In the meantime, they have just a few days left to get Jimmy Garoppolo's shoulder, Jacoby Brissett's thumb, or emergency quarterback Julian Edelman ready to play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. During a teleconference with Edelman and Buffalo reporters, Ryan hopped on the line and introduced himself as a reporter named ''Walt Patulski,'' who in reality was the Bills' No. 1 pick in the 1972 draft.
New York Mets prospect Tim Tebow homered on the first pitch he saw Wednesday in his instructional league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals club. Tebow hit a high fastball in the bottom of the first inning over the left field fence off Cardinals prospect John Kilichowski, a left-hander who pitched for Vanderbilt University and two minor league affiliates for the Cardinals this year.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been a bit shaky against the run through three weeks, though in fairness much of that can be traced to a who's-who of running backs that they've had to track down. Oh, but that first game: The Chiefs gave up big chunks of yards to Gordon and teammate Danny Woodhead in falling into a 21-3 halftime lead.
Pete Rose is appealing directly to baseball's Hall of Fame to restore his eligibility, arguing the lifetime ban he agreed to in 1989 was never intended to keep him out of Cooperstown. A seven-page letter to Hall president Jeff Idelson on Tuesday makes the case that the settlement agreement reached by Rose and then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti didn't include a provision that he be ineligible for election to the Hall of Fame. ''At the time Pete agreed to the settlement, the consequences of being placed on the ineligible list were clear and specific - and did not include a Hall of Fame prohibition,'' according to the letter, signed by Rose's longtime attorney Raymond C. Genco and attorney Mark Rosenbaum.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles could make his season debut Sunday night at Pittsburgh, though coach Andy Reid acknowledged that it would depend on how he practices this week.
Add another reporter to the NFL beat: Rex Ryan. Introducing himself as ''Walt Patulski from The Buffalo News,'' the Bills coach popped in during a conference call New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was holding with reporters in the team's media room. Ryan asked Edelman directly if he was playing quarterback against the Bills on Sunday, given the Patriots' uncertainty at the position with Tom Brady suspended and his two backups managing injuries.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have settled on a London itinerary, quite possibly for the foreseeable future. After three years of experimenting with the schedule, the Jaguars (0-3) are flying across the pond the same day they did a year ago. Jacksonville, which will leave Thursday afternoon and arrive Friday morning, is looking for similar results Sunday against AFC South rival Indianapolis (1-2).
FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- Dallas receiver Dez Bryant won't practice Wednesday after injuring his right knee in last week's win over Chicago.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Texans have placed star defensive end J.J. Watt on injured reserve.
MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Marlins have scheduled a public memorial service for pitcher Jose Fernandez, who was killed in a weekend boat crash along with two friends.
