The Los Angeles Angels moved to the brink of their third AL West title in four years.
Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer, Garret Anderson had two hits and three RBIs and Los Angeles beat the Seattle Mariners 9-5 on Thursday night to clinch at least a tie for the division crown.
Los Angeles built its lead over the second-place Mariners to 9.5 games. The Angels were to try to become the first team to lock up a postseason berth this season when Joe Saunders took the mound against former Angel Jarrod Washburn last night in the second of the four-game series.
PHOTO: AFP
The game was interrupted by a shouting and shoving match on the mound between the teams after Mariners reliever Jorge Campillo threw a pitch behind Guerrero's head in the sixth inning. Campillo, who earlier had given up Guerrero's homer, was ejected.
Seattle manager John McLaren argued the ejection and was tossed himself.
Jered Weaver (13-7) left with a 7-4 lead after five innings and won for the fifth time in his last six starts.
Ryan Feierabend (1-5) allowed five runs and eight hits in three innings for Seattle.
Royals 3, White Sox 0
At Kansas City, Missouri, Zack Greinke struck out a career-high 10 and allowed two hits in eight innings to lead the Royals to the victory.
Greinke (7-6), making his sixth start since rejoining the rotation on Aug. 24, allowed just one runner past first base and became the first Kansas City pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts since Odalis Perez fanned 10 against Boston on Sept. 8 last year.
The New York Mets twice blew a three-run lead, raising speculation they might be about to blow the NL East.
Florida took advantage of Billy Wagner's absence to rally in the ninth inning, then Dan Uggla hit an RBI double in the 10th that lifted the last-place Marlins over New York 8-7 on Thursday night.
New York's lead was cut to 1.5 games by second-place Philadelphia, which rallied past Washington 7-6. The Mets led by seven games on Sept. 12, but have lost six of their past seven.
Wagner was not available because of back spasms. Minus their closer, the Mets gave up three runs in the ninth.
Starter Tom Glavine failed to hold a 3-0 lead. Right fielder Lastings Milledge was ejected after he flied out. Reliever Aaron Heilman was hit by a ball thrown from the stands.
Taylor Tankersley (6-1) pitched a scoreless 10th. Florida had lost four in a row.
Jorge Sosa (9-8) took the loss.
* See scoreboard for full results
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