3 teams clinch playoff spot; NL West heats up

Major league baseball this year has been just as tight as it always is. And when champagne bottles and locker room parties are involved, you know you have at least a division champion.

The Yankees, Rays, and Reds all clinched playoff spots with wins last night, and the Giants got a step closer to clinching last night. Let's break down what happened.

Rays at Orioles
Champagne bottles. A whole team jumping up and down. Everyone smiling, spraying each other. What does this mean?

Playoffs.

David Price shut out the Orioles through 8 innings and the Rays clinched a playoff spot. Tampa Bay, a half game ahead of the Yankees, got homers from Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.

The Rays, who made the World Series 2 years ago, used 8 K's from David Price. Price allowed just 1 runner past second base, and no one scored for Baltimore.

Tampa won 5-0.

Astros at Reds
Jay Bruce walked off the Astros and gave Cincinnati their first playoff bid since 1995 as the Reds beat the Astros 3-2 to clinch the NL Central. Bruce grounded out into a double play earlier in the game, but he made up for it.

Scott Rolen hit an infield single to get the Reds on the board, but then a single and a sacrifice scored runs for the Astros. Houston led 2-1 going into the sixth.

In the sixth, Brandon Phillps hit a infield single, and then the Reds had the bases
loaded with one out. But Jay Bruce grounded into a double-play, and before you knew it, he was up in the ninth.

Bruce liked the first pitch of the inning, and he went at it and hit it out of the park. Cincy won 4-3.

Other headlines
Uribe homer, singles by Burrell, Fontenot, and Schierholtz knock in runs as Giants beat D-Backs 4-2. Brian Wilson got out of a hole and pitched 1.2 perfect innings.

Alfonso Soriano homered twice and the Cubs beat the Padres 5-2. Carlos Marmol worked the ninth for the save.

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