Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer and scored twice as the St. Louis Cardinals held off the visiting Cleveland Guardians for a 6-5 win on Saturday night.
However, the Guardians still clinched the American League Central. Their magic number was one coming into Saturday's action, and the second-place Kansas City Royals' loss to the San Francisco Giants earlier in the day was enough to get the job done.
Jordan Walker hit a two-run shot for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in their past six games.
The Reds, who won the opener of the three-game set on Friday, have won five of their past eight games. Cincinnati starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (2-2) held the Pirates scoreless on five hits through five innings, and De La Cruz's three-run shot to right field in the fourth inning provided the run support.
The Cubs didn't get to Gore (10-12) until Patrick Wisdom clubbed a solo shot with one out in the seventh. That was the only hit and run the lefty allowed in his seven innings. Meanwhile, Joey Gallo broke the game open with a three-run homer in the sixth for the Nationals, who had dropped five straight. Jose Tena went 3-for-4 with a run.
The Tigers have won five of their past six games in their quest to rise in the American League wild-card mix. They rebounded after squandering a two-run lead in the ninth and had to hang on to extend the game. Orioles All-Star Gunnar Henderson's two-run double with the bases loaded and no outs tied the score in the ninth. With runners on second and third after Henderson's double, Cedric Mullins grounded out, Anthony Santander popped out and Colton Cowser flied out against Beau Brieske (3-4), who was summoned from the bullpen after Jason Foley failed to record an out while facing four batters.
The win by the Mets prevented the playoff-bound Phillies from clinching their first National League East title since 2011. Philadelphia's magic number stayed at one heading into the series finale Sunday.
Gio Urshela followed Olson with another two-run homer in the seventh. Former Marlins star Jorge Soler had a solo blast in the second inning.
Aranda was the Rays' offensive star Friday after homering off Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios for the game's only run. On Saturday, he went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. He continued his power surge in the third inning with a two-run shot, swatting a Yariel Rodriguez 95 mph fastball 414 feet to straightaway center. Tampa Bay improved to 41-39 at home this season and are 4-1 on their homestand.
Landen Roupp (1-1) picked up his first career major league win after scattering three hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out three. The 26-year-old was making his 22nd appearance (third start) of the season for the Giants.
The Diamondbacks remained two games behind the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the NL wild-card race.
J.P. Crawford tripled and had two hits and Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner also had two hits for Seattle, which moved to within 1 1/2 games of idle Minnesota for the final wild-card spot in the American League. The Twins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Tucker finished 4-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs for his second consecutive four-hit game, and Alvarez went 4-for-5 and scored twice. The Astros reduced their magic number to clinch the American League West to three games. Blanco (12-6) won his third straight decision.
The Yankees reduced their magic number to three to clinch the American League East after the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day. Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run shot and Anthony Volpe added a solo blast.
The Padres are three games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West after Los Angeles lost to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.
McMahon reached 20 home runs for the fourth consecutive season and fifth straight not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Mookie Betts hit a two-run home run for the Dodgers, whose magic number for clinching their 11th division title in 12 seasons remained at five.