Los Angeles clinches the NL West title with a 7 – 6 win over Arizona at Chase Field. The D-Backs are miffed when the Dodgers’ players celebrate the event by climbing the right-center field wall and jumping into the pool there for an improvised party, a gesture the home team finds disrespectful. Hanley Ramirez homers twice for L.A. then leaves the game early because of a strained hamstring that has been bothering him all season.

Yadier Molina strokes his 41st double of the season in the Cardinals’ 4-3 victory over Colorado, breaking the mark for two-baggers by a catcher. The St. Louis backstop, who will finish the year with 44 doubles, surpasses the record established in 1978 by Ted Simmons, who also played for the Redbirds.

Other games with postseason implications go into extra innings, as the Rays defeat the Rangers, 4 – 3, in 12 innings on Desmond Jennings’ game-ending single, while Chris Davis of the Orioles drives in a pair of 12th-inning runs in a 5 – 3 win over Boston. Tampa Bay’s win gives the Rays sole possession of the first wild card slot in the American League, a game ahead of Texas, with Cleveland a half-game behind Texas, the Orioles one back and Kansas City 2 1/2 out.

In his first start in the majors, Reds’ rookie Billy Hamilton gets on base five times, going 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. The Cincinnati speedy center fielder, who stole 155 bases in the minors last season, becomes the first major leaguer since 1920 to steal four bases in his first major league start.

The Omaha Storm Chasers win the Triple-A National Championship, 2 – 1, over the Durham Bulls, in Allentown, PA. Chris Dwyer has a perfect game for 6 2/3 innings before Tim Beckham singles off him. Jake Odorizzi, meanwhile, has a streak of 23 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the 2nd when Omaha’s Lane Adams doubles and comes home on a Manny Pina single. J.D. Martin allows one run in four innings of relief. Durham scores in the 8th when Leslie Anderson homers off Michael Mariot for the final margin. Dwyer is named the game’s MVP.

Matt Holliday goes 4-for-4 and reaches base five times to lead the Cardinals to an 11 – 4 win over the Rockies. The Cards score 6 times in the 3rd to give Joe Kelly the win and are once again alone in first place in the tight NL Central.

The Rangers snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Rays, 7 – 1, in St. Petersburg. The two clubs are now tied for the two wild card spots in the American League, but four other teams are within 3 1/2 games of the pair.

The Royals beat the Indians, 7 – 1, in a match with significant implications for the AL wild card race. James Shields strikes out a season-high 10 batters as the Royals move within 2 1/2 games of a postseason slot, with Cleveland two games ahead of them as a number of other teams are also still in contention.

Andrew Cashner makes a bid to become the first pitcher in Padres history to throw a no-hitter, but falls short, allowing a 7th-inning hit to Jose Tabata after retiring the first 18 batters. He settles for a one-hitter in beating the Pirates, 2 – 0, facing the minimum 27 batters. Pittsburgh remains tied with St. Louis, beaten 6 – 2 at Colorado, in the NL Central.

Nick Swisher homers from both sides of the plate to lead the Indians to a 7 – 1 win over the White Sox. The win brings Cleveland within a half-game of Tampa Bay and Texas for the second wild card spot in the American League. It is the 13th time that Swisher has accomplished the feat, tying him with former teammate Mark Teixeira for most ever.