Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 2

Matt Kemp has had a lot of big hits for the Dodgers in his career. Traded back to them this season, he's regaining his rhythm offensively in the heat of a pennant race.

Kemp slugged a go-ahead, two-strike, three-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting Los Angeles to a victory over Arizona and a tie atop the NL West with the Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

"Coming into September, we know what every game means," he said. "I don't think they're going to quit, so we got to be just as good."

With the sellout crowd of 52,394 on its feet chanting "Let's go Dodgers," Kemp took two quick strikes from Archie Bradley before launching his 19th homer into center field for a 3-2 lead.

"That was really fun to watch," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said, "These kinds of games is what makes baseball great."

Kemp is hitting .310 with five runs, two homers and six RBIs in 13 games since Aug. 15.

Justin Turner got the rally going with one out in the inning. He singled for the Dodgers' first hit since his double in the third. Manny Machado followed with a 10-pitch walk by Bradley to set up Kemp.

"Biggest hit of the year so far," starter Clayton Kershaw said of Kemp's homer. "J.T. fights off a tough pitch to shoot it through the hole and Manny fights off that at-bat. It was an awesome comeback win for us."

Bradley (4-5) was leading the National League in holds with 31 before Kemp's homer.

"I threw a really bad curveball to a really good hitter," Bradley said. "It was supposed to be down and away, but I left it over the plate."

Kenta Maeda (8-8) worked a perfect eighth. Kenley Jansen put the tying run on in the ninth. The All-Star closer gave up a two-out double to Nick Ahmed before Ketel Marte popped up to second, giving Jansen his 34th save in 38 opportunities.

Enrique Hernandez got the first out of the ninth on a stellar play. He made a diving stop on David Peralta's grounder and threw from his back to first baseman Cody Bellinger just in time.

"You can plug him anywhere and he's going to make big plays," Lovullo said.

Neither team has won by more than two runs in the first three homer-heavy games of the series. Turner's homer leading off the eighth gave the Dodgers a 3-2 victory on Friday. The D'Backs won the opener 3-1 on Peralta's three-run shot.

"This is a tough loss, but we didn't lose a playoff game," Bradley said. "One game does not define this team."

Arizona led 2-0 after Eduardo Escobar and pinch-hitter Christian Walker led off innings by homering on first pitches from Kershaw.

Escobar went deep to left field in the second. Walker, hitting for starter Patrick Corbin, landed one in left-center for his second career pinch-hit homer off Kershaw.

In between Arizona's two homers, Kershaw retired 12 consecutive batters. The left-hander gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings, struck out three and walked none.

The Dodgers struck out 13 times, including six in a row over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Corbin retired the side in the fifth, striking out the last two batters. Yoshihisa Hirano relieved him and struck out the side in the sixth, while Brad Ziegler struck out pinch-hitter Bellinger to open the seventh.

Corbin allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked one. The Dodgers have struck out 31 times in Corbin's four starts against them this season and he's limited hitters to a .125 average.

Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt singled in the sixth to reach base in his club-record 44th straight road game.

Mariners 8, Athletics 7

James Paxton knows he will be pitching in plenty of meaningful games during the stretch run, and now that he is healthy and back on the mound it provides a big boost for Seattle's playoff chances.

Paxton returned from the disabled list to strike out 10 batters over five innings, Ben Gamel hit a two-run double, and the Mariners held off Oakland in a matchup of contenders with a knack for comebacks.

"You always want to be part of this kind of thing," Paxton said. "We're in the race. We've played some good games here against these guys and hopefully we can come out and get the series win tomorrow."

Jean Segura had a two-run single in the fifth, an inning after he was hit by a pitch. He finished with three hits, helping Seattle pull within 4 1/2 games of Oakland for the second AL wild card.

Khris Davis hit his majors-leading 40th home run to start the eighth for Oakland, giving him three straight 40-homer seasons. He joined Jimmie Foxx from 1932-34 as the only players in A's history to accomplish that feat.

"It's just miraculous numbers that he puts up," manager Bob Melvin said. "We've had a long history of power hitters here, and to be with Jimmie Foxx and that kind of company, and we're still looking at close to a month left, he's been as consistent a power hitter as anybody who's been in Oakland."

Marcus Semien added a two-run double in the eighth and left fielder Denard Span's blunder trying to scoop up the ball allowed a third run to score to make it 8-7.

Edwin Diaz walked Jed Lowrie to begin the ninth and put the tying run aboard, and then recovered to strike out the side for his club-record 51st save in 55 opportunities.

With an ailing rotation, the A's made a day-of change to start September call-up reliever Liam Hendriks (0-1) — a philosophy Tampa Bay employed this season — and then manager Bob Melvin eventually went to regularly scheduled starter Daniel Mengden after two other relievers.

After Gamel's double in the second got the Mariners going, Seattle scored two of its three runs in the third on errors.

Mark Canha hit two-run homer in the fifth for the A's, who struck out 18 times.

Paxton (11-5) pitched for the first time since getting hit on his left forearm by a line drive Aug. 14 at Oakland. He allowed three runs on two hits and walked four, and while he felt rusty he knows he will likely be sharper the next time out as he works on a more consistent release point.

"A game we needed to have tonight," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "We got out offensively really good. I thought our at-bats were outstanding against a number of different pitchers."

The lefty clapped his hand into his glove after retiring Davis on a strikeout to end the fifth following consecutive two-out walks to Matt Chapman and Lowrie.

Ryon Healy had a pair of hits against his old club as the Mariners won for just the second time in six games.

Seattle's Mitch Haniger doubled leading off the fourth to match his career high with a 13-game hitting streak.

Mengden wound up working the third and fourth innings as the A's used nine pitchers. That matched the most for any game in Oakland history and was the highest number used in a nine-inning game.

As Oakland made September call-ups, the A's designated catcher Bruce Maxwell for assignment, possibly ending his tenure with the club.

In July, Maxwell was sentenced to two years of probation on a disorderly conduct charge, nearly three months after he pleaded guilty to the charge in a gun-related incident. Police said Maxwell had pointed a handgun at a woman who delivered food to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in October.

"I don't think it was a distraction for us," Melvin said of Maxwell's legal issues.

The A's made it a priority to promote catcher Beau Taylor, one of eight players added Saturday, and he caught the ninth to make his major league debut.

Cubs 7, Phillies 1

Kyle Hendricks pitched six strong innings, Javier Baez notched his NL-leading 99th RBI and Kris Bryant doubled and had two hits in his return from the disabled list to lead Chicago past Philadelphia Phillies.

Ian Happ homered, and Baez had three hits for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have won nine of 11.

Bryant had been sidelined since July 23 with left shoulder inflammation. The 2016 NL MVP doubled and scored in the third and singled in the eighth.

Hendricks (11-10) allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Nick Williams had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies, who fell three games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East.

The Cubs, helped by another Phillies error, scored a pair of runs in the first off Zach Eflin (9-6).

Astros 7, Angels 3

Tyler White hit a go-ahead two-run double in a five-run eighth inning, Alex Bregman homered, and Houston beat Los Angeles.

With the score tied in the eighth, White hit a pitch to left field off Hansel Robles that missed being a home run by just feet. The ball bounced off the top of the metal scoreboard and back into left field. George Springer and Carlos Correa came around to score, putting the Astros ahead 5-3.

Correa drove in the tying run earlier in the eighth with an RBI single to center off Cam Bedrosian (5-4).

Joe Smith (5-1) got the win after giving up one hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

The Angels bullpen wasted one of Felix Pena's best starts. Pena gave up just two runs in seven innings, the longest start of his career.

Braves 5, Pirates 3

Freddie Freeman hit a tiebreaking, RBI double in the four-run eighth inning, and NL East-leading Atlanta rallied to snap a three-game skid and beat Pittsburgh.

The Braves increased their division lead by three games over Philadelphia. They had dropped five of six overall and seven of eight at home.

After Dansby Swanson's 14th homer cut the lead to 3-2, pinch-hitter Lucas Duda doubled and was replaced by pinch-runner Lane Adams, who advanced to third on Ronald Acuna Jr.'s sacrifice fly.

Adams scored when Ender Inciarte reached safely after striking out on a wild pitch. Inciartie scored on Freeman's double, and Freeman advanced to third on a single and slid safely across the plate to beat a tag attempt on Johan Camargo's sacrifice fly.

All four runs were charged to Keone Kela (3-4), who had allowed just one run in his first 14 games, a stretch of 14 innings, with Pittsburgh.

Jonny Venters (2-0) got the win after facing two batters in the eighth. Braves closer A.J. Minter faced the minimum in the ninth to earn his 12th save in 14 chances.

Rays 5, Indians 3

Blake Snell moved into a tie for the major league lead with his 17th win as Tampa Bay beat Cleveland.

Snell (17-5) allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings, giving up both runs in the second with one being unearned thanks to a throwing error by third baseman Matt Duffy. The left-hander worked around trouble early in the game but retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced and struck out the side in the sixth.

Snell is tied with New York's Luis Severino and Cleveland's Corey Kluber — two other top candidates for the AL Cy Young Award — for the most wins in the majors.

Tampa Bay scored four times in the sixth off Shane Bieber (8-3). Matt Duffy tied the game with a two-run double. Tommy Pham's RBI double put the Rays ahead before Kevin Kiermaier added a run-scoring single.

Jason Kipnis, whose playing time will decrease after the Indians acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from Toronto on Friday, started the ninth with a pinch-hit home run off Chaz Roe.

Roe retired the next two hitters and Adam Kolarek got pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso for his second save.

Nationals 5, Brewers 4

Juan Soto's two-run single highlighted a four-run eighth inning, and Washington rallied past Milwaukee.

With Washington trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Adam Eaton capped a nine-pitch at-bat with a two-out double off Joakim Soria (1-1). Trea Turner then lofted a single to left to make it 3-2. After Turner stole second Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon walked to load the bases.

Milwaukee's Dan Jennings came on to face Soto, who singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch, scoring Turner and Harper with his third hit of the night. Rendon then scored on a wild pitch by Jordan Lyles.

Washington's Greg Holland (1-2) retired Manny Pina with the bases loaded to end the eighth and Justin Miller survived Tyler Saladino's pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth for his second save.

The game was delayed 1 hour, 57 minutes by rain in the top of the eighth and ended well past midnight.

Rockies 4, Padres 2

D.J. LeMahieu homered and Jon Gray pitched six solid innings as Colorado snapped San Diego's season-high four-game winning streak.

The Rockies broke a 21-inning scoreless string with a three-run fourth when they strung together four straight hits, the biggest one being LeMahieu's 13th homer.

Gray (11-7) allowed two runs and seven hits as the Rockies won for the 10th time in his last 11 starts. The right-hander hung two pitches that Hunter Renfroe hit for homers but otherwise he kept the Padres at bay.

Adam Ottavino and Scott Oberg worked an inning each and Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his 37th save.

Robbie Erlin (3-5) lasted 5 1/3 innings, charged with four runs, seven hits and one walk. The left-hander struck out seven in absorbing his second straight loss.

Reds 4, Cardinals 0

Luis Castillo and two relievers combined on a two-hitter to lead Cincinnati past St. Louis.

The Reds snapped a three-game losing streak.

St. Louis, which won a major league-best 22 games in August, lost for the second time in six games. The Cardinals fell 4 1/2 games behind Chicago in the NL Central.

Castillo (8-11) gave up two hits and struck out a career-high 11 in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up a leadoff single to Matt Carpenter in the first before retiring 15 of the next 16 hitters.

David Hernandez and Raisel Iglesias completed the two-hitter.

Suarez keyed a three-run outburst against Daniel Poncedeleon (0-1) in the fourth.

Rangers 7, Twins 4

Adrian Beltre hit his 470th career homer after 23-year-old sluggers Nomar Mazara and Ronald Guzman went deep, helping the Texas stop a five-game losing streak with a win over Minnesota.

Mazara led off the second inning with his 18th home run and second in as many nights, matching his total from the previous 42 games. Guzman's 13th homer was a three-run shot that capped a four-run second to put the Rangers ahead for good at 4-2.

Beltre's homer leading off the fourth was the 39-year-old's eighth of the season and hit No. 3,143 for his career, breaking a tie with Robin Yount for 17th on the career list.

Yovani Gallardo (8-3) ended a streak of three winless starts, giving up six hits and three runs in five innings. Jose Leclerc struck out two in a perfect ninth for his eighth save in 12 opportunities.

Jose Berrios (11-10) struck out six in four innings, but all three hits he allowed were homers. He gave up five runs.

Royals 5, Orioles 4

Whit Merrifield hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning, giving Kansas City a back-and-forth victory over Baltimore.

The Orioles went ahead off Jake Newberry (1-0) in the top of the ninth, when Trey Mancini homered to lead off and Tim Beckham added a two-run double, his fourth hit of the night.

Mychael Givens (0-7) came on to close it out, but he walked Brett Phillips on four pitches to lead off the inning. Cam Gallagher sacrificed Phillips to second, and Merrifield cracked an 0-2 pitch an estimated 415 feet to left field for the first game-winning homer of his career.

Kansas City has won six of seven on its homestand, its best seven-game stretch since July 2017, including the first two of this three-game series between the worst teams in the majors.

Marlins 6, Blue Jays 3

Martin Prado hit a bases-clearing double in his first game in three weeks, Wei-Yin Chen pitched eight strong innings and Miami beat Toronto.

J.T. Realmuto hit his 18th home run and Brian Anderson knocked in two for the Marlins, who snapped a four-game skid.

Chen (6-9) allowed one run on three hits. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

Prado, who had been on the disabled list with an injured quad, delivered a bases-clearing double to left-center field in the fifth inning to give the Marlins a 6-1 lead.

Marco Estrada (7-11) allowed eight hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings.