Pirates fall short of division crown
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CINCINNATI — The Pirates couldn’t stop Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto, who drove in the go-ahead run and got his 20th victory on Sunday, a 4-1 win that gave the NL Central title to the St. Louis Cardinals and forced Pittsburgh to settle for a wild card.
Pittsburgh needed to beat the Reds and have the Cardinals lose later in the day at Arizona to pull even for first place and set up a one-game tiebreaker Monday. Instead, Cueto (20-9) settled the division race with eight impressive innings.
The Pirates will head home to play the Giants at PNC Park on Wednesday, with the winner facing the Nationals. Pittsburgh also hosted the wild card game last year and beat the Reds before losing to the Cardinals.
Manager Clint Hurdle indicated that Edinson Volquez likely will start the playoff game.
Cole did his part, giving up one run and six hits in seven innings and matching his career high with 12 strikeouts.
Cardinals 1, Diamondbacks 0
PHOENIX — The St. Louis Cardinals clinched their second straight NL Central title before the first pitch Sunday and closed out the regular season with a win over Arizona.
Tigers 3, Twins 0
DETROIT – David Price pitched Detroit to its fourth straight AL Central title with the type of performance the Tigers acquired him for, taking a shutout into the eighth inning of a victory that wrapped up the division on the regular season’s final day.
Ian Kinsler hit a solo homer in the third, and the Tigers added two more runs in the eighth off Kyle Gibson (13-12).
The Tigers face the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Division Series.
Yankees 9, Red Sox 5
BOSTON — Derek Jeter bid baseball adieu with an RBI single, a dugout full of hugs and a final wave to the fans on Sunday as he concluded his Hall of Fame career by helping the New York Yankees beat the rival Boston Red Sox.
Jeter’s departure gave some import to an otherwise meaningless game between the longtime AL East rivals who will watch the playoffs together from the outside for the first time in 20 years. The last-place Red Sox — the defending World Series champions — are the first team in big league history to go from worst to first and back to worst in three consecutive seasons.
Braves 2, Phillies 1
PHILADELPHIA — Emilio Bonifacio led off the game with home run and Freddie Freeman added an RBI single in the first, and Atlanta finished a disappointing late-season collapse with a win.
Five relievers stymied the Phillies, holding them to just four hits, two by Hamels.
Mets 8, Astros 3
NEW YORK — Jose Altuve talked his way into the lineup and wrapped up the American League batting title with two more hits for Houston, beaten by the New York Mets after Bobby Abreu sparked the decisive rally with a base hit in his final big league at-bat.
Orioles 1, Blue Jays 0.
TORONTO – Gio Gonzalez allowed five hits in five shutout innings for his first victory in three starts as Baltimore (96-66) snapped a three-game losing streak, then learned it will face AL Central champ Detroit when the division series begins Thursday. The Tigers clinched shortly after the Orioles left the field.
Royals 6, White Sox 4
CHICAGO — Kansas City’s chance for the AL Central title was erased by Detroit’s victory on Sunday, and the Royals went on to a comeback win over Chicago in the final game for retiring White Sox captain Paul Konerko.
Indians 7, Rays 2
CLEVELAND — Rookie Zach Walters and Carlos Santana each had two RBIs, leading Cleveland over Tampa Bay to conclude a disappointing season for both clubs.
Athletics 4, Rangers 0
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Oakland Athletics finally clinched their third consecutive playoff berth — on the last day of the regular season after a prolonged slump.
Sonny Gray threw a six-hitter to win for the first time in five September starts, Josh Reddick had an RBI triple as the A’s clinched the American League’s second wild card.
Cubs 5, Brewers 2
MILWAUKEE — Anthony Rizzo had a two-run homer among his three hits, and the young Chicago Cubs finished 2014 on a high note.
Giants 9, Padres 3
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey and Adam Duvall homered, and the San Francisco Giants geared up for the NL wild-card game by beating San Diego.
The Giants will play at Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Mariners 4, Angels 1
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners’ comeback attempt for a wild-card berth fell just short.
Felix Hernandez threw five shutout innings to secure the American League ERA title, but the Mariners were eliminated from the postseason despite a win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Dodgers 10, Rockies 5
LOS ANGELES — Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to finish with a major league-leading 116 RBIs, Matt Kemp added a two-run shot and the Los Angeles Dodgers charged to fifth straight victory heading into postseason play.
Zack Greinke (17-8) set a career high for wins and remained unbeaten in his last eight starts, going 5-0 since Aug. 15. He allowed one run and four hits in five innings, struck out six and walked one while finishing 12-0 in 15 starts against NL West opponents.
