LOS ANGELES — Charlie Blackmon hit an RBI double in the eighth inning to complete the cycle, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 12-0 on Sunday in Denver to tie the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
Blackmon tripled in the first, homered in the third and singled in the fifth to help Colorado make quick work of the Nationals and force an extra game for the division crown.
The Dodgers and Rockies will meet Monday in Los Angeles, with the winner taking the division and the loser playing either the Milwaukee Brewers or the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card game on Tuesday.
Nolan Arenado homered twice, David Dahl and Trevor Story also went deep, and Tyler Anderson pitched 7 2/3 sharp inning for the Rockies, who will play in a 163rd game for the second time. In 2007, they beat the San Diego Padres to earn a wild-card berth, and then went on to sweep through the NL playoffs on the way to the World Series.
DODGERS 15, GIANTS 0
Matt Kemp singled, doubled twice and drove in three runs, and Rich Hill threw seven shutout innings, helping Los Angeles embarrass host San Francisco and complete a three-game sweep.
Los Angeles bombed Giants starter Andrew Suarez (7-13) for two runs in the first inning, then added seven more in the third against Suarez and reliever Hunter Strickland.
Justin Turner and David Freese drove in the Los Angeles runs in the first inning before Kemp had a two-run double and Brian Dozier a two-run homer in the third, during which the Dodgers went up 9-0. It was Dozer’s fifth homer since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline, and his 21st counting his time with the Minnesota Twins.
BREWERS 11, TIGERS 0
Jesus Aguilar homered and drove in three runs, and host Milwaukee remained tie for first in the NL Central by pummeling Detroit.
The Brewers will visit the Cubs in Chicago on Monday to decide the division title. The loser of that contest will play host to the NL wild-card game on Tuesday against the Dodgers or the Rockies.
Ryan Braun supplied two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Orlando Arcia also drove in two runs. Travis Shaw added a solo homer for Milwaukee, which finished the 162-game schedule on a seven-game winning streak.
CUBS 10, CARDINALS 5
Chicago kept alive its hopes for a third straight NL Central title, defeating visiting St. Louis.
Anthony Rizzo scored three runs and went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two singles, one RBI and one walk to lead the Cubs’ offense. Allen Webster (1-0) got two outs to close the third inning, earning his first major league win since 2015.
Chicago used nine pitchers to close out the win, the Cubs’ second in the weekend series against their rival.
ANGELS 5, A’S 4
After manager Mike Scioscia announced he was stepping down, his team beat Oakland to win the season finale at Anaheim, Calif.
Taylor Ward belted a two-run, walk-off home run as the Angels scored three times in the ninth inning. Shohei Ohtani led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single to center off Chris Hatcher (3-3). That was the first hit allowed by six Oakland relievers and the first hit by the Angels since the third inning.
Jefry Marte, who had homered earlier, laced a double into the left field corner, scoring Ohtani, and setting the stage for Ward’s heroics. The rally made a winner out of Parker Bridwell (1-0), who pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth.
ORIOLES 4, ASTROS 0
Jimmy Yacabonis, Paul Fry and Mychal Givens combined for a one-hit shutout as Baltimore defeated visiting Houston.
Trey Mancini, Tim Beckham and Renato Nunez each drove in a run for Baltimore, which finished 47-115 and set a franchise record for losses.
The American League West champion Astros finished with a record of 103-59, a franchise record for wins, and they are headed to the AL Division Series to play Cleveland. — Reuters
