The Sports Xchange/New York


The Colorado Rockies did their part Sunday to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers from celebrating a division title, completing a three-game series sweep with a 12-5 victory.
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and had a career-high five RBIs, increasing his major-league leading total to 126. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the National League West remained at two after the San Francisco Giants won at Oakland. The Dodgers open a four-game series on Monday at San Francisco.
The Rockies seemed headed for their worst home record ever in a full season after being swept in four games last week by Pittsburgh but the series sweep enabled the Rockies to finish with a 36-45 home record, matching their home mark in 2012.
The Rockies outscored the Dodgers 27-14 in the series.
The Dodgers’ inability to turn a double play cost them dearly in the fourth inning.
With one out and the bases loaded, second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a grounder to third baseman Alex Guerrero. He threw to second baseman Howie Kendrick, whose high throw pulled first baseman Scott Van Slyke off the bag. Arenado followed with a three-run homer off starter Alex Wood (11-12). Arenado, who singled home a run in the three-run eighth, has 11 home runs and 31 RBIs this month. Rockies starter Chris Rusin (6-9) worked 5-1/3 innings and left with a runner on first after throwing 100 pitches. Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier greeted reliever Gonzalez Germen with a single, putting runners on first and third.
Germen got shortstop Jimmy Rollins to fly to short left, but Kendrick was credited with a single to load the bases when his grounder clipped second base umpire Kerwin Danley on a foot. Germen then retired pinch-hitter Chase Utley on a fly to centre.
Arenado’s sacrifice fly in the three-run sixth came after the Rockies scored on a safety squeeze by LeMahieu, who drove in two runs and scored three. The final run of the inning scored on right fielder Carlos Gonzalez’s single.

Harper, Papelbon clash as Nationals season winds down
Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper traded blows with pitcher Jonathan Papelbon in an ugly dugout scuffle on Sunday that underscored the Major League Baseball team’s miserable end to the season.
Harper, seen as the frontrunner for the National League’s MVP award this year after a stellar season, skirmished with Papelbon as the Nationals slumped to a 12-5 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies.  
It was not clear what triggered the fiery altercation, which occurred a day after the Nationals had been eliminated from play-off contention on Saturday following a late season collapse.  
The score in Sunday’s game had been level at 4-4 when Harper and Papelbon clashed during the eighth inning.  
Papelbon was then hit for a homer by Phillies second baseman Andres Blanco as the visitors took a 6-4 lead before romping home with six more runs. Harper later moved to draw  a line under the flare-up, likening it to a scuffle between siblings. “He apologized. Whatever. It is like brothers fighting,” said Harper. Papelbon meanwhile accepted responsibility for the fight. “I am in the wrong there,” Papelbon said. “There is a lot of competition; it is a long season. It is a grind.”  
Asked if he expected to be suspended by the Nationals, Papelbon declined to speculate about his possible punishment.  
“I think we will handle that in-house,” he said. “I talked to Bryce and told him how I feel. We are on the same page now. I view him as a brother of mine. Sometimes in this game there is ... a lot of intensity that spills over.
“I can’t allow that to happen in the middle of the game. In light of that, I am wrong.”

Astros pitcher Keuchel stays unbeaten at home
Left-hander Dallas Keuchel completed an undefeated season at home with seven strong innings and the Houston Astros claimed the rubber match of their three-game series against the Texas Rangers with a 4-2 victory on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros (82-74) will embark on a season-ending six-game road trip through Seattle and Arizona trailing the Rangers (84-71) by 2-1/2 games in the American League West.
Texas will host Detroit and the Los Angeles Angels for seven games at Globe Life Park to close the season. Keuchel (19-8) allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 10, the fifth time this season he reached double digits in strikeouts.
His final pitch in the seventh inning was his 122nd, a season high, and induced an inning-ending popup from shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Keuchel made 18 starts at Minute Maid Park this season and surrendered just 21 earned runs over 129-1/3 innings for a 1.46 ERA. Of his 213 strikeouts this season, a franchise record for a southpaw, 139 came at home against just 28 walks.
Texas left-hander Martin Perez (3-6) nearly matched Keuchel, but his most glaring mistake pitch proved costly with two outs in the second.
After Astros third baseman Marwin Gonzalez reached on an Andrus throwing error with two outs, Perez surrendered a sharp single to first baseman Chris Carter and walked catcher Jason Castro.