MLB

France singled in the third inning then came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Julio Rodriguez. He then capped off the Mariners’ offense in the ballgame with a 404-foot solo shot off of Ryne Stanek in the eighth inning. With his two-hit attack, he’s hitting .251/.336/.365 with 11 homers and 57 RBI on the season.

The versatile 29-year-old started a rally with a one-out single in the fifth inning then swiped second base and scored on a throwing error by Kyle Tucker. On the season, he’s hitting an underwhelming .243/.303/.329 with three homers, 38 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 337 plate appearances.

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out four batters on the evening. The only scoring threat against him came in the opening inning, as the Astros issued an intentional walk to Kyle Tucker with one out to load the bases. Kirby then got Jose Abreu to ground into a fielder’s choice to force Jose Altuve at home before retiring Yainer Diaz on a ground ball to shortstop to end the threat. He was brilliant the rest of the night. Kirby generated 10 swings and misses on 84 pitches on the night — five each on his slider and fastball — while posting a CSW of 24 percent. Kirby now holds a 12-10 record, 3.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 165/19 K/BB ratio over 184 2/3 innings in 30 starts on the season. He’s lined up to take on the Rangers on the final day of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

The 26-year-old outfielder was walked intentionally with one out in the opening inning, but the Astros were unable to push any runs across in the inning. He also singled in the sixth and doubled in the eighth inning, but the Astros were unable to cash him in. Tucker is enjoying another outstanding season at the plate — slashing .283/.370/.516 with 29 long balls, 110 RBI and 29 stolen bases across 656 plate appearances on the season.

On the plus side for fantasy managers, Javier managed to strike out six batters on the night while issuing three free passes. Most of the damage came in the third inning, as the Mariners scratched out two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies. They tacked on another pair in the fifth inning with the benefit of a throwing error. Javier got 16 swings and misses on 91 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 32 percent. The 26-year-old hurler finishes up the regular season with a disappointing 4.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 155/60 K/BB ratio over 156 innings in 30 starts.

It’s the first time since July 27 that Mikolas has allowed fewer than two runs. He improved to 8-10 with a 4.82 ERA. Barring a change, he’ll make another start Sunday against the Reds.

The Cardinals were calling Jojo Romero their closer before he got hurt, but it sure seems likely that Helsley would have reclaimed the job anyway. He’s allowed just one run in 10 2/3 innings since coming off the injured list on Sept. 1. He’s up to 50 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings for the season.

In spite of the loss, the Brewers clinched the NL Central, giving them the top seed in next week’s Wild Card battles. Houser will probably pitch again Sunday anyway, though it’ll likely be a short outing. The Brewers figure to have him available as a reliever in the Wild Card series.

Drury erased an early 1-0 deficit with his 411-foot three-run blast off of Cody Bradford in the opening inning — giving the Angels a lead they would never relinquish. The 31-year-old infielder also singled twice in the contest, finishing the night 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. On the season, he’s slashing .260/.304/.486 with 24 homers and 80 RBI over 506 plate appearances.

Grichuk led off the home half of the first inning with a single and scored on Brandon Drury’s three-run blast. He also doubled and scampered home on a wild pitch in the fifth inning. With his two-hit attack, the 32-year-old outfielder is now hitting .273/.327/.464 to go along with 15 homers, 43 RBI and two stolen bases on the season.