MAJOR LEAGUES
Clayton Kershaw became Major League Baseball’s first 20-game winner and A.J. Ellis hit a pair of two-run homers, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 14-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Kershaw (20-3) pitched five shaky innings in his shortest start in 3.5 months, but the National League West-leading Dodgers roughed up Edwin Jackson on their way to a 13-hit attack that included four homers. Matt Kemp hit a three-run shot in Los Angeles’ six-run first, and Yasiel Puig added another three-run homer in the sixth.
Photo: AFP
The Dodgers improved baseball’s best road record to 48-31 and clinched a postseason berth when Milwaukee lost at Pittsburgh.
Jackson (6-15) recorded just two outs in his first appearance since he was placed on the disabled list last month with a right lat strain. He was charged with four hits and five runs in his fourth consecutive loss.
Kershaw struck out nine in his sixth consecutive win. The left-hander is 17-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his past 20 starts. He had pitched at least eight innings in each of his previous seven outings.
PIRATES 4, BREWERS 2
Russell Martin hit a three-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning as Pittsburgh inched closer to a playoff berth by beating Milwaukee.
Martin sent a Broxton fastball into the seats beyond the center field wall for his 11th home run of the season. Mark Melancon worked a perfect ninth for his 31st save as the Pirates moved 4.5 games in front of the Brewers for the second NL wild-card spot with nine days left in the regular season.
John Holdzkom (1-0) earned his first MLB victory. The Pirates have won a season-high five straight.
Rickie Weeks hit his seventh homer for the Brewers, and Yovani Gallardo struck out 11 in seven strong innings. The Brewers, who led the NL Central for most of the summer, are now in danger of missing out on the playoffs entirely after losing their third in a row.
TIGERS 10, ROYALS 1
Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer and everyone in the Detroit starting lineup had a hit by the fourth inning as the Tigers pounded Jason Vargas and second-place Kansas City to add another game to their American League Central lead.
Justin Verlander (14-12) had all the support he needed by the end of the first inning, when the Tigers had shelled Vargas (11-10) for three runs on five hits. Detroit tacked on a run in the second, another in the fourth, and then broke things open with a five-run fifth.
The Tigers, who lead the division by 1.5 games, have forged their advantage by going 12-5 against the Royals this season.
Verlander allowed one run and seven hits in 7-1/3 innings.
Vargas allowed five runs and nine hits in 3-1/3 innings.
Detroit’s designated hitter, 35-year-old Victor Martinez, had a run-scoring single in the first inning to give him 100 RBIs to go with 31 home runs. The only players older than him to become first-time members of the 30-100 club were Carlton Fisk (1985) and Edgar Martinez (2000).
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ Padres 5, Giants 0
‧ Athletics 3, Phillies 1
‧ Cardinals 2, Reds 1
‧ Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3
‧ Mets 5, Braves 0
‧ Rangers 12, Angels 3
‧ Red Sox 5, Orioles 3 (10)
‧ Nationals 3, Marlins 2
‧ White Sox 4, Rays 3
‧ Rockies 15, Diamondbacks 3
‧ Twins 5, Indians 4 (10)
‧ Mariners 10, Astros 5
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