BRYAN DE LA CRUZ

William Contreras drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth, and the Atlanta Braves clinched their fifth consecutive NL East title by defeating the Miami Marlins 2-1.

MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Devin Williams blew a ninth-inning lead and the Milwaukee Brewers squandered a great opportunity to pull even in the race for the final National League playoff spot, losing to the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Saturday night. Milwaukee fell a game behind the Phillies, who split a doubleheader with Washington, for the third NL wild-card berth. Peter Strzelecki relieved Williams and got the final two outs of the inning. Peyton Burdick drove a 2-0 sinker from Milwaukee starter Alan Ashby off the bottom of the scoreboard in center, a two-run shot in the top of the third inning. UP NEXTThe series concludes Sunday with Marlins right-hander Pablo López (10-10, 3.90 ERA) facing a Milwaukee starter to be determined.

Devin Williams blew a ninth-inning lead and the Milwaukee Brewers squandered a great opportunity to pull even in the race for the final National League playoff spot, losing 4-3 to the Miami Marlins.

Eduardo Escobar homered and drove in five late runs — including the game-winning single in the 10th inning — to rally the New York Mets past the Miami Marlins 5-4 and back into sole possession of first place in the NL East.

Marlins Pirates Baseball Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 24, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) (Barry Reeger)PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Nick Fortes and Miguel Rojas hit RBI singles in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Sunday. The Marlins took two of three from the Pirates after losing their previous four. Miami ace Sandy Alcantara struck out 10 in six innings, allowing two runs and two hits and leaving with a 1.81 ERA. Pirates: RHP JT Brubaker (2-8, 4.02) will take the mound Monday for the first of a two-game set at the Chicago Cubs.

Nick Fortes and Miguel Rojas hit RBI singles in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5.

Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas looks from the dugout before a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)The Miami Marlins offense has been inept of late, having scored just one run in a three-game sweep by the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the All-Star break. But that's exactly what happened late in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Phillies, prompting outcry from infielder Miguel Rojas. De La Cruz took the pitch that should have obviously been called ball one. Jomboy Media suggested on social media that Kulpa was ready for the All-Star break when he made the bad call.

Angels Marlins Baseball Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara throws during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)MIAMI — (AP) — Sandy Alcantara pitched eight dominant innings in his second straight win, and the Miami Marlins beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory. But Alcantara struck out Max Stassi to end the threat. Ohtani advanced to third on Ward’s fly ball to deep center before Alcantara struck out Walsh for the final out in the seventh. Before their two-game set with the Angels, the Marlins finished 5-2 in St. Louis and Washington.

Sandy Alcantara pitched eight dominant innings, and the Miami Marlins beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 for their sixth straight victory.

Marlins Nationals Baseball Miami Marlins' Bryan De La Cruz celebrates his two-run home run as he rounds the bases during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, July 4, 2022, in Washington. De La Cruz hit a two-run homer off the foul pole in the 10th inning to keep the Miami's domination of the Washington Nationals going with a 3-2 victory. De La Cruz became the latest Miami player to come up with a big hit during this run, after Sánchez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth Sunday and Aguilar homered and doubled Saturday. It was the first time De La Cruz homered in the ninth inning or later in his major league career. Nationals: RHP Paolo Espino (0-1, 2.80) starts at LHP Christopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in the start of a three-game series.

Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer off the foul pole in the 10th inning to keep the Miami Marlins’ domination of the Washington Nationals going with a 3-2 victory.

Pablo López of the Miami Marlins has not allowed a hit through six innings against the Washington Nationals.

Marlins Mets Baseball New York Mets' Francisco Lindor celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, June 17, 2022, in New York. Lindor’s wife, Katia, surprised her husband by flying in his mother, Maria Serrano, for her first visit to New York since Lindor was acquired from Cleveland in January 2021. Lindor pointed to his family in the suites after hitting a three-run homer in the first inning off Pablo López (4-3). Mets: RHP Tylor Megill (right shoulder) was shut down for four weeks after an MRI revealed a strain. Mets: RHP Taijuan Walker (4-2, 3.08 ERA) struck out a season-high 10 batters in a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday — his most strikeouts since he whiffed 12 against the Chicago Cubs on June 15, 2021.

Francisco Lindor homered after being surprised by his mom’s first visit to see him at Citi Field, Pete Alonso slugged a grand slam during an eventful sixth inning and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 10-4.

The Miami Marlins got a solid start from rookie Braxton Garrett and Jon Berti drove in two runs to help them extend their winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Ronald Acuña Jr. had two hits and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 5-3.

(AP Photo/Gaston De Cardenas) (Gaston De Cardenas)NEW YORK — (AP) — The major league batting average dropped to .244 this season, its lowest since the year of the pitcher in 1968, though offense picked up markedly following naseball's midseason crackdown on grip-enhancing substances for pitchers. The big league batting average was .271 in 1999 at the height of the Steroids Era, when there were 45,327 hits. The major league batting average dropped to a record-low .237 in 1968, prompting MLB to lower the pitcher’s mound from 15 inches to 10 the following season and to shrink the strike zone. Curveball spin rates dropped from an average of 2,552 to 2,484 and sliders from an average of 2,462 to 2,393. This year’s batting average of .243799 was just below 1972′s .243807, down from .245 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and .252 in 2019.

The major league batting average dropped to.

Miami Marlins rookie Jesús Sánchez was immediately removed from the game by manager Don Mattingly after failing to run out a flyball in the third inning against the New York Mets.

The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their second straight AL East title, with Mike Zunino hitting a go-ahead homer and Brandon Lowe later adding a pair of RBI doubles to beat the Miami Marlins 7-3.

The Cubs lost their ninth straight and have allowed 41 runs in the past three games. The 11 runs tied a Marlins mark set in the fifth inning at Milwaukee on June 4, 2019. Brinson scored from third on a passed ball before Jackson connected off Winkler to give the Marlins a 12-4 lead. Miami starter Jesús Luzardo (4-5) benefited from the offensive support and allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. The left-hander is 2-1 since the Marlins acquired him from the Oakland A’s for outfielder Starling Marte on July 28.

Bryan De La Cruz hit a grand slam and Alex Jackson added a three-run homer as the Miami Marlins tied a team record by scoring 11 times in the second inning during a 14-10 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Marlins Athletics Trade Baseball FILE - Miami Marlins' Starling Marte plays during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, in this Tuesday, June 29, 2021, file photo. Outfielder Starling Marte was traded Wednesday, July 28, 2021, by the Miami Marlins to the Oakland Athletics for left-hander Jesus Luzardo. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) (Matt Slocum)MIAMI — (AP) — Buried in last place in the NL East, the Miami Marlins made an impact on the AL West race with two trades Wednesday. Miami sent right-handed reliever Yimi García to the Houston Astros, and traded outfielder Starling Marte to the Oakland Athletics. The Marlins made the deal after they were unable to reach an agreement with Marte on a contract extension.