ASTROS 11, ANGELS 3
HOUSTON -- Yuli Gurriel hit a grand slam and a two-run home run on his way to a career-high seven RBI, and the Houston Astros clinched a postseason berth by routing the Los Angeles Angels 11-3 on Friday night.
George Springer added a three-run shot in the eighth for the Astros, who are still looking to secure the AL West title. The defending World Series champions began the day with a 3 1/2-game lead over second-place Oakland.
Houston starter Gerrit Cole (15-5) allowed 3 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings in his fifth consecutive victory. He also struck out 12, giving him 1,006 for his career and moving him in front of teammate Justin Verlander (269) for most in the AL this season with 272.
Gurriel hit his third career grand slam in the first inning. He connected for his 12th home run against Andrew Heaney (9-10) in the third and singled in Tyler White in the fifth.
It was his first career multi-home run game. His brother Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also homered twice for Toronto on Friday night, marking the first time in major league history that brothers had multi-home run games on the same day.
Gurriel's seven RBI were the most for a Houston player since J.R. Towles set a franchise record with eight 11 years ago on Friday.
Mike Trout homered for the second consecutive game for the Angels, who lost their third in a row. They have allowed 42 runs combined in those three losses.
Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman hit consecutive singles with one out in the first and Heaney walked Marwin Gonzalez to load the bases. Gurriel then belted an opposite-field shot to right field.
Gonzalez walked again with one out in the third before Gurriel drove an 81-mph curveball into the Crawford Boxes in left field.
Heaney allowed six runs in three innings.
Jose Fernandez doubled with two outs in the sixth before Trout's 37th home run cut Houston's lead to 7-2. Andrelton Simmons tripled with one out in the seventh and scored on a single by Francisco Arcia.
On the injury front, SS Carlos Correa was out of the lineup and Astros Manager A.J. Hinch said he'll sit out until at least Monday as he continues to deal with soreness in his lower back.
"Carlos is still not right," Hinch said. "He's played through it and it hasn't worked out." Correa was on the disabled list from June 26-Aug. 10 and has been struggling since his return, hitting just .174 with 1 home run and 13 RBI in 34 games.
YANKEES 10, ORIOLES 8 CC Sabathia won for just the second time since the All-Star break, Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks hit two-run home runs, and New York beat Baltimore to close in on its second consecutive AL wild card.
RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 3 Austin Meadows drove in three runs, Tommy Pham reached base three times and had two RBI and visiting Tampa Bay beat Toronto to keep its postseason hopes alive.
RED SOX 7, INDIANS 5 Sam Travis and Tzu-Wei Lin hit their first major league home runs and Boston tied a team record more than a century old with their 105th victory, beating host Cleveland.
ROYALS 4, TIGERS 3 Ian Kennedy pitched three-run ball into the eighth inning, and visiting Kansas City stopped a five-game slide by holding off Detroit.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
METS 4, NATIONALS 2 Jacob deGrom turned in a record 23rd consecutive quality start, allowing one run in seven innings to help New York beat host Washington.
MARLINS 1, REDS 0 (10) Pinch-hitter Isaac Galloway smacked an opposite-field double in the 10th to score Brian Anderson and give Miami a victory over visiting Cincinnati.
BRAVES 6, PHILLIES 5 Host Atlanta moved to the brink of its first NL East title since 2013, bouncing back from Ronald Acuna Jr.'s defensive blunder with a five-run seventh inning that carried it past Philadelphia.
INTERLEAGUE
WHITE SOX 10, CUBS 4 The Chicago Cubs were unable to overcome a shaky performance by Jose Quintana in a loss to the crosstown White Sox.
Sports on 09/22/2018