sMLB PLAYOFFS Monday’s games

NLDS

Cubs’ six homers bail out struggling Arrieta

CHICAGO

The young sluggers of the Chicago Cubs are making themselves at home in the playoffs.

On a rare off night for Jake Arrieta, the Windy City rookies bashed their way to the brink of the NL Championship Series.

Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber connected during a six-homer show for the Cubs, who beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6 on Monday for a 2-1 lead in the NL Division Series. Arrieta struck out nine before departing in the sixth inning, and the bullpen finished the job in the first postseason game at Wrigley Field in seven years.

A third straight win for the Cubs today, and the once woebegone franchise will advance to the NLCS for the first time in 12 years. The Cardinals, who led the majors with 100 wins this season, have won at least one playoff series in each of the last four years.

Jason Hammel starts at home in Game 4. John Lackey, who won the opener, pitches for the Cardinals.

Jason Heyward and Stephen Piscotty homered for St. Louis, which got to Arrieta for four runs in his worst start in four months. But the Cardinals were unable to keep the Cubs in the ballpark.

The six homers for Chicago set a franchise record for a playoff game, one more than its total from Game 1 of the 1984 NLCS against San Diego.

Granderson, Cespedes power Mets to rout

NEW YORK

Curtis Granderson drove in five runs, Yoenis Cespedes homered into the second deck and the New York Mets overcame Matt Harvey’s early struggles to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-7 Monday night for a 2-1 lead in the series.

Travis d’Arnaud also homered as the Mets set a franchise postseason record for runs in their first playoff game at Citi Field.

Mets rookie left-hander Steven Matz tries to close out the series tonight, when the visiting Dodgers send NL MVP Clayton Kershaw to the mound on three days’ rest. Kershaw has lost five straight postseason starts.

Harvey fell behind 3-0 in the second inning before the Mets broke loose.

Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley, jeered by the crowd after breaking the leg of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in Game 2, was eligible to play while appealing his two-game suspension, but did not get in.

ALDS

Blue Jays top Rangers to stave off elimination

ARLINGTON, TEXAS

Josh Donaldson and Chris Colabello hit home runs before 40-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey threw his first postseason pitch, and the Toronto Blue Jays forced a deciding Game 5 in the AL Division Series with an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday.

After losing the first two games in the series at home, the Blue Jays won both games in Texas in a span of 24 hours. They get to go back to Toronto for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner, allowed one run over 4 2-3 innings before 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price (1-1) pitched three innings.

Three of the first eight Toronto hitters homered off Derek Holland (0-1), in his first postseason start since 8 1-3 scoreless innings against St. Louis in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series.

Five-run eighth inning helps KC top Astros

HOUSTON

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa couldn’t handle a deflected grounder that might have been a double-play ball, helping the Kansas City Royals rally for five runs inthe eighth inning to beat Houston 9-6 Monday and force their playoff series to a decisive Game 5.

Correa homered twice, doubled, singled and drove in four runs in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. Houston took a 6-2 lead into the eighth, but a tough error charged to the 21-year-old rookie keyed the Royals’ comeback to even the matchup at two games apiece.

Game 5 will be back in Kansas City on Wednesday night.

Late in the game, a tweet from the account of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott congratulated the Astros on advancing to the AL Championship Series.

But the defending AL champion Royals had other ideas.

Kansas City opened the eighth with five straight singles off relievers Will Harris and Tony Sipp, with RBI hits by Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer making it 6-4 and leaving the bases with no outs.

Kendrys Morales followed with a hard, one-bouncer off Sipp’s glove. The ball took two more hops and glanced off the top of Correa’s mitt, rolling into center field as two runs scored to tie it at 6.

Alex Gordon’s RBI groundout off Luke Gregerson later in the inning put Kansas City ahead.

Hosmer launched a long, two-run homer in the ninth for insurance.

Ryan Madson (1-0) allowed two runs in the seventh and still got the win. Wade Davis pitched two scoreless innings for his second save.

Sipp took the loss.

Associated Press