Mitglieder » BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit his 41st home run and

the Boston Red Sox moved closer to winning the AL East title Pete Rose Jersey , completing a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 4-3 victory Thursday night.Xander Bogaerts scored the go-ahead run on an eighth-inning error after the Blue Jays rallied in the top half with two runs to tie it 3-all.Rafael Devers also homered for the major league-leading Red Sox (101-46). They pulled 10 1/2 games ahead of the idle New York Yankees and decreased their magic number to six for clinching a third straight division crown. Boston is the only team in the majors that’s already locked up a playoff berth.Brandon Workman (5-0) faced one batter, ending Toronto’s eighth-inning rally, and got the win. Craig Kimbrel earned his 40th save. Danny Barnes (3-3) took the loss.Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered for the Blue Jays.ROCKIES 10, DIAMONDBACKS 3DENVER (AP) — Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered, Kyle Freeland pitched effectively into the seventh, and Colorado beat Arizona to extend its NL West lead.David Dahl had three hits and two RBIs to help Colorado take a two-game lead over Los Angeles and a 4 1/2-game advantage over the third-place Diamondbacks. Los Angeles played Thursday night at St. Louis.Diamondbacks right-hander Clay Buchholz was scratched from the start because of tightness in his right elbow. Matt Koch (5-5) started in his place and allowed four runs on eight hits in three innings.A.J. Pollock homered for Arizona. The Diamondbacks are 3-12 in September. They lost 5-4 on Wednesday night when DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer off Yoshihisa Hirano in the ninth inning.Freeland (15-7) allowed only two hits and one run through six innings before giving up a triple to Steven Souza Jr. and a double to Nick Ahmed in the seventh.DODGERS 9, CARDINALS 7ST. LOUIS (AP) — Manny Machado homered and drove in three runs to back Clayton Kershaw, and Los Angeles beat St. Louis in the opener of a four-game series between playoff contenders.The Dodgers snapped a five-game losing streak against the Cardinals and moved within one game of St. Louis for the final NL wild-card spot. The Cardinals, who went 22-6 in August, lost their second straight game and fell to 5-7 in September.Kershaw (8-5), pitching at Busch Stadium for the first time since taking the loss in Game 4 of the 2014 NL division series, struck out eight in six innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on eight hits and two walks. Austin Gomber (5-1) was the loser.Machado went 3 for 4, and his solo homer in the seventh traveled 417 feet to center.METS 4, MARLINS 3, 1ST GAMEMETS 5, MARLINS 2, 2ND GAMENEW YORK (AP) — Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back homers with two outs in the ninth inning, and New York stunned Miami in the first game of a doubleheader sweep.Conforto drove in three more runs in the second game, and Jason Vargas pitched six effective innings to help the Mets win again.In the opener, Kyle Barraclough entered with one out in the ninth and retired pinch-hitter Dominic Smith before Conforto lined a 1-0 changeup into the second deck in right to tie it. Frazier then hit a 1-1 pitch to left center field for his first walk-off homer since June 2015 for Cincinnati.Barraclough (0-6) blew a save for the seventh time in 17 opportunities. Jerry Blevins (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.Rookie starter Sandy Alcantara befuddled the Mets, permitting just two hits, with his only real blemish coming off the bat of the opposing pitcher. Steven Matz hit his first career homer, a two-run shot in the second inning to tie it at 2. Peter O’Brien and Isaac Galloway went deep in the top of the second against Matz.In the second game, rookie Tomas Nido got New York on the board in the fifth with his first big league homer, a solo shot off Jeff Brigham (0-2). Vargas (6-9) allowed two runs on three hits http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey , and Robert Gsellman worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his 11th save.CUBS 4, NATIONALS 3, 10 INNINGSWASHINGTON (AP) — Javier Baez drove in the go ahead run with a bunt single in the 10th inning, and Chicago beat Washington in a makeup of a game postponed earlier in the week.Kris Bryant doubled with one out in the 10th against Sean Doolittle (3-3) and moved to third on ex-National Daniel Murphy’s infield single. Baez, who homered in the sixth and drove in three on the day, bunted just to the right of first baseman Ryan Zimmerman to score Bryant.Baez has 31 homers and leads the NL with 103 RBIs.Chicago stretched its lead in the NL Central to 1 1/2 games over idle Milwaukee.Pedro Strop (6-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for Chicago, and Randy Rosario worked the 10th for his first career save. Spencer Kieboom homered for the Nationals.ORIOLES 5, ATHLETICS 3BALTIMORE (AP) — Dylan Bundy had eight strikeouts in six solid innings, and Baltimore ended Oakland’s six-game winning streak.Stephen Piscotty homered for the A’s. They fell 3 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and 1 1/2 back of the Yankees for the top wild-card slot.Oakland activated lefty Brett Anderson from the 10-day disabled list to make his 14th start of the season. In his return from a forearm injury, Anderson (3-5) allowed four runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth inning. Bundy (8-14) gave up two runs and six hits to earn his first win since July 29.Though he yielded his major league-high 38th home run, Bundy was good enough to help Baltimore snap a six-game skid and avoid being swept for the 22nd time.Mychal Givens finished for his seventh save.ROYALS 6, TWINS 4KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez and Jorge Bonifacio hit back-to-back homers during a four-run sixth inning, Heath Fillmyer pitched into the eighth and Kansas City beat Minnesota.The Royals were hitless until Hunter Dozier greeted Alan Busenitz, the Twins‘ third pitcher in the game, with a leadoff double to left field in the sixth.Perez followed with a 420-foot drive to left field to put the Royals ahead 3-2, and then Bonifacio hit one into the Twins’ bullpen off Busenitz (4-1), who didn’t record an out. Adalberto Mondesi added an RBI single as the Royals sent 10 batters to the plate.Fillmyer (3-1) worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and matching his career high with six strikeouts. He left in the eighth with runners on the corners, both of whom eventually scored against relievers Brian Flynn and Brandon Maurer.Jerry Vasto got the last out in the eighth, and Wily Peralta worked a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 11 opportunities.MARINERS 8, ANGELS 2ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer, Mike Leake pitched seven strong innings and Seattle started a 10-game road trip with a victory over Los Angeles.Cruz’s three-run shot to center field in the fourth was his eighth homer this season against the Angels, the most a player has had in one year against the franchise, according to Baseball-Reference.Leake (10-9) threw a season-high 114 pitches (80 strikes) John Kruk Jersey , allowing one run and four hits with a walk and five strikeouts. His only costly mistake came in the seventh when Justin Upton homered.After going 0-5 in July and August, Leake has won two straight starts for the first time since June 12.Angels starter Odrisamer Despaigne (0-3) went one-plus inning, giving up three runs and four hits while facing eight batters. The celebration in Milwaukee is over, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox get down to the serious business of winning the World Series.The Dodgers showed plenty of character and confidence in winning the seventh game of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on the road. They had lost Game 6 and the momentum, but young Walker Buehler shut down the Milwaukee bats while Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig each hit home runs to seize control.The Brewers had been razor sharp as they reached the NLCS and had the look of a team of destiny, but the Dodgers were able to quell Milwaukee's momentum and find a way back to the World Series for a second consecutive year.Los Angeles fell a game short as it lost to the Houston Astros in seven games, and now they have to take on a juggernaut of a Red Sox team that beat the Astros in five games in the ALCS.The World Series opens Tuesday night at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox have home-field advantage based on their 108-win season. World Series ScheduleTuesday, October 23 (Game 1): Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox, 8:09 p.m. ETWednesday, October 24 (Game 2):Los Angeles DodgersatBoston Red Sox, 8:09 p.m. ETFriday, October 26 (Game 3):Boston Red SoxatLos Angeles Dodgers, 8:09 p.m. ETSaturday, October 27 (Game 4):Boston Red SoxatLos Angeles Dodgers, 8:09 p.m. ETSunday, October 28 (Game 5, if necessary):Boston Red SoxatLos Angeles Dodgers, 8:15 p.m. ETTuesday, October 30 (Game 6, if necessary):Los Angeles DodgersatBoston Red Sox, 8:09 p.m. ETWednesday, October 31 (Game 7, if necessary):Los Angeles DodgersatBoston Red Sox, 8:09 p.m. ETAll World Series games will be televised by Fox.The series commences with two of the best pitchers in the game facing each other. The Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound, while Chris Sale will get the start for the Red Sox.Kershaw has been a dominant regular-season pitcher throughout his career Greg Luzinski Jersey , as he made the All-Star team every season from 2011 through 2017. He has a career regular-season record of 153-69 with a 2.39 earned-run average and a 1.005 WHIP.However, the 30-year-old has been an ordinary pitcher in the postseason with a 9-8 career record and a 4.09 ERA and a 1.057 WHIP.Kershaw pitched the final inning of Game 7 against the Brewers, but he does not expect those 15 pitches to have any impact on his effectiveness in Game 1 against Boston."It was fine," he said, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com."It was somewhat of a normal inning, which was good. I tried to throw as few pitches as possible in the bullpen before."Sale has been a dominant pitcher in his nine-year career, and the first seven of those seasons came with the Chicago White Sox. He was traded to Boston after the 2016 season, and last year was the first time he had a chance to pitch in the postseason.He struggled in two games against the Astros in 2017, but he looked good in the ALDS against the Yankees this year as he allowed two runs in 6.1 innings and picked up a win in the series opener.Sale has had shoulder difficulties in the second half of the season, and he was not at his best against the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS. However, he has not pitched since October 13, and the Red Sox are hoping he will be at full strength for this game.The Red Sox are minus-145 favorites to earn the win in the World Series opener, while the Dodgers are plus-125 underdogs, per OddsShark. A Red Sox backer has to risk $145 to win $100, while Dodger supporters will put up $100 to win $125.Kershaw will try to hold the powerful Red Sox lineup in check with his superb fastball and 12-to-6 curveball.Boston led the major leagues in runs scored, and they are led by the intimidating combination of Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.Betts had 32 home runs and 30 stolen bases in addition to leading the major leagues with a .346 batting average, while Martinez hammered 43 home runs and led the major leagues with 130 runs batted in and had a .330 batting average.The Dodgers are a solid offensive team that showed the ability to hit the long ball. Seven Dodgers hit 21 or more home runs, led by Max Muncy who pounded 35 long balls. Sale will try to limit Los Angeles with his slider and fastball.PredictionThe Dodgers should have an excellent chance in Game 1, because Kershaw has a chance to shut the Red Sox down if he is at his best. However, if he is anything but, the advantage swings to the Red Sox.Sale is also a shutdown pitcher, but it's difficult to predict that he will be overpowering because of the difficulties he faced in the second half of the season.Look for a low-scoring game, and we expect the Red Sox to figure it out in the late innings. Boston wins Game 1 as Betts and Martinez set the tone for the rest of the World Series.