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SPORTS Saturday 22 September 2018
Braves top Phillies

8-3, move closer

to clinching division

By The Associated Press NINGS
ATLANTA (AP) — Luca Du- WASHINGTON (AP) — Jose
da's pinch-hit double drove Lobaton hit a go-ahead
in the go-ahead run in the sacrifice fly against his for-
seventh, and Atlantatook mer team in the 12th inning
an important step toward and New Yorks beat Wash-
winning the NL East by ington.
beating Philadelphia. Lobaton, who spent the
Atlanta leads the second- previous four years in Wash-
place Phillies by 6 1/2 ington before signing with
games following the open- the Mets in December,
ing game of the four-game lofted a one-out fly ball off
series. The teams close the Jefry Rodriguez (3-3) with
season with three games at the bases loaded to score
Philadelphia, but the Phillies Amed Rosario.
need to win at least three Jacob Rhame (1-2) worked
of four in Atlanta to retain two scoreless innings, and
hope of making the final se- Paul Sewald pitched the
ries meaningful. The Braves 12th for his second save.
have a magic number of Nationals outfielder Bryce
four over Philadelphia to Harper was ejected in the
clinch their first division title 12th for arguing home
since 2013. plate umpire D.J. Reyburn's
Freddie Freeman had two called third strike.
hits and scored two runs. Washington starter Max
He has eight hits in his last Scherzer pitched seven in-
three games. nings, allowing three runs
Tommy Hunter (4-4), the while striking out 13. He has
Phillies' fifth pitcher, gave 290 strikeouts this year, the
up a leadoff double to most for a National since
Dansby Swanson in the the franchise relocated
seventh. The left-handed from Montreal before the
hitting Duda pulled the 2005 season. Scherzer set
run-scoring double into the the previous mark of 284 in Atlanta Braves pinch-hitter Lucas Duda watches his RBI double during the seventh inning of a
right-field corner, giving 2016. baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, in Atlanta.
Atlanta the 4-3 lead. Jesse REDS 4, MARLINS 2 Associated Press
Biddle (6-1), the Phillies' MIAMI (AP) — Cody Reed
2010 first-round pick, gave won for the first time as a cinnati past Miami. joined the starting rotation home run in the seventh
up one hit while recording starter in the majors, and Reed (1-2) allowed five hits Aug. 30 and has thrown 11 gave Cincinnati a 4-0 lead.
two outs in the seventh. Scooter Gennett homered and struck out six in six shut- consecutive scoreless in- Jeff Brigham (0-3) was the
METS 5, NATIONALS 4, 12 IN- and doubled to lead Cin- out innings. The left-hander nings. Gennett's two-run loser.q

BANISTER eliminated from AL wild- next season. The Rangers
Continued from Page 17 card contention until the also traded closer Keone
Banister was hired in No- final week of the season. Kela at this season's non-
vember 2014 to replace Wakamatsu rejoined the waiver trade deadline, and
Ron Washington, the man- Rangers last November also dealt away veteran
ager who led the Rangers after four seasons as the relievers Jake Diekman and
to their only World Series bench coach in Kansas Jesse Chavez.
appearances in 2010 and City. He previously served Mike Minor, who was a full-
2011 before his abrupt res- on the Rangers staff from time reliever in Kansas City
ignation for personal rea- 2003-07. last year after missing two
sons late in the 2014 sea- The Rangers have seven full seasons because of in-
son. Banister had a 325-313 position players age 25 or jury, is the only pitcher who
record in his first manage- younger who have gotten began this season in the
rial job. The Rangers lost to at least 300 at-bats this sea- Rangers starting rotation
Toronto in the AL Division son. and is still in it.
Series after their AL West Texas traded pending free The last time the Rangers
titles in both 2015 and 2016. agent pitcher Yu Darvish to had finished consecutive
The Rangers were 88-74 in the Los Angeles Dodgers seasons with losing records In this Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, file photo, Texas Rangers man-
ager Jeff Banister watches from the dugout during the seventh
Banister's managerial de- midway through the 2017 was 2005-08, before going inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Ar-
but in 2015, and matched a season, and this year trad- 87-75 in 2009. They then lington, Texas.
team record with an Ameri- ed Cole Hamels to the Chi- had their two World Se- Associated Press
can League-high 95 wins in cago Cubs even though ries seasons before losing
2016. They slipped to 78-84 the Rangers had a club op- the AL's first one-and-done and losing to Tampa Bay to end the 2013 regular
last season, though weren't tion on the left-hander for wildcard game in 2012, in a wildcard tiebreaker season.q