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Cubs Clinch Central In St. Louis; White Sox Walk Off Angels, Eliminate Them From Contention

>>Cubs Clinch NL Central in St. Louis
 
Addison Russell hit a three-run homer and Lackey pitched six strong innings for Chicago and the Cubs won the National Central for the second straight year with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Lackey (12-11) retired the final 10 batters he faced. The former Cardinal and three-time World Series winner struck out three and gave up two hits and two walks.
 
Six Cubs relievers combined for three scoreless innings.
 
Cardinals starter Michael Wacha needed just 60 pitches to cruise through the first six innings, striking out eight, before running into trouble in the seventh. Anthony Rizzo and Bryant started the inning with singles and Russell drove a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.
 
Wacha (12-9) was chased after allowing the first six Cubs to reach base in the seventh. Heyward and Tommy La Stella had RBI doubles as the Cubs sent 10 batters to the plate against three St. Louis pitchers.
Paul DeJong's single scored Jedd Gyorko to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second.
 
Former Cub Dexter Fowler came to the plate with the bases loaded as the tying run in the eighth, but Carl Edwards Jr. got him to fly weakly to right field, ending the Cardinals' threat.
The loss drops the Cardinals elimination number to one.
 
The Cubs will draw Washington in the NLDS.
 
Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.14 ERA) has made eight consecutive quality starts. He is 2-2 with a 3.62 ERA in his career against St. Louis, including taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning in his last start at Busch Stadium on Sept. 12, 2016.
 
Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (11-8, 3.47 ERA) could possibly be making his final start as a Cardinal after six seasons with the club. Lynn, an unrestricted free agent, is 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 18 career appearances against Chicago.
 
>>White Sox Walk Off Angels
 
Nicky Delmonico lofted a two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Chicago a 6-4 victory Wednesday night that eliminated the Los Angeles Angels from playoff contention. Minnesota, which lost 4-2 at Cleveland, got the second AL wild card berth.
 
Los Angeles lost for the eighth time in 10 games - and the Angels are out of the playoffs.
Angels slugger Mike Trout struck out four times and walked in five plate appearances.
 
Delmonico, who had three hits and three RBIs, connected for his ninth homer to right field on a 2-1 pitch from Blake Parker (3-3), the fifth Angels reliever, after Avisail Garcia had led off the inning with a double.
 
Jose Abreu continued his hot late-season hitting with two hits, and Tim Anderson and Willy Garcia both had an RBI. Danny Farquhar (4-2) the fourth White Sox reliever pitched 2/3 innings for the win.
 
Kole Calhoun crushed his 18th homer, a three-run shot that tied the game 3-all in the fifth. Andrelton Simmons had two hits and an RBI as the Angels battled back from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead in the sixth.
 
White Sox rookie Reynaldo Lopez started strong, striking out the side in the first and retiring 14 of the first 16 hitters. But the 23-year-old righty couldn't hold a 3-0 lead and got a no-decision as he allowed four runs in six innings.
 
Angels starter Garrett Richards lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs in his fifth start since returning from the disabled list on Sept. 5. The right-hander had been sidelined since suffering a right biceps strain in his first start this season, at Oakland on April 5.
 
Richards retired nine of the first 11 batters, but didn't survive the fourth when Chicago jumped ahead 3-0.
 
Delmonico's double to the warning track in right center drove in Abreu with Chicago's first run. After the White Sox loaded the bases with one out, Willy Garcia's groundout drove in a second run, then Tyler Saladino raced home from third on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
 
Los Angeles touched Lopez for three runs with two outs in the fifth when Lopez hit C.J. Cron with a pitch, Martin Maldonado singled and Calhoun lined his 18th homer to straightaway center tie it at 3.
 
Chicago RHP Dylan Covey (0-7, 7.83) starts on Thursday night in the White Sox's final home game versus RHP Bud Norris (2-6, 4.42. Covey was reinstated from the DL on Aug. 15 and is still looking for his first major-league win.

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