MLB round-up: Giants earn ninth straight victory, Dodgers into playoffs, Rays reach 90 wins

The San Francisco Giants earned their ninth straight win in MLB as Buster Posey's 18th home run of the season helped them to a 6-1 rout of the San Diego Padres.

Posey starred for the Giants after homering in the opening inning before scoring the go-ahead run in the third on Tuesday.

Anthony DeSclafani tossed 6.2 innings of one-run ball for the Giants in San Francisco.

The National League (NL) West-leading Giants are enjoying their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2004, while they have scored at least six runs in each game over the nine-game stretch – a San Francisco-era record.

Opponents have not scored six runs once amid the winning streak. The Giants are the first team to score six-plus runs while allowing fewer than six in nine straight games since the New York Yankees in 1939, per Stats Perform.

Dodgers playoff-bound again

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a postseason berth for the ninth successive year – their longest streak in franchise history – after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4.

The Tampa Bay Rays became the first American League (AL) team to reach 90 victories by trumping the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays 2-0. Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi homered to stop the Blue Jays, who had won 15 of their previous 17 games while scoring 128 runs during that stretch.

The Detroit Tigers were 1-0 walk-off winners against the Milwaukee Brewers. Detroit also walked off against the Rays in their last game. According to Stats Perform, the Tigers are the first team in MLB history to have back-to-back walk-off victories against two different teams 30-plus games over .500.

Aaron Judge fuelled a five-homer onslaught as the Yankees crushed the Baltimore Orioles 7-2. Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Joey Gallo and DJ LeMahieu also hit home runs.

Greinke's return doesn't go according to plan

Zack Greinke was roughed up in his return from covid-19. The Houston Astros ace allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks in five innings as the AL West leaders were swept aside 8-1 by the Texas Rangers.

The Cincinnati Reds lost for the sixth time in eight games with a 6-5 defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pérez adds to homer tally

Salvador Pérez tied Javy Lopez for the second-most home runs (43) by a catcher in a season. Pérez led the Kansas City Royals past the Oakland Athletics 10-7.

Tuesday's results 

Padres at Giants

The Giants (95-50) will put their winning streak on the line when they look to clinch their series with the Padres (74-70) on Wednesday.