The LA Dodgers secured a return to the post-season for the third time in four years with an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The last time the Dodgers reached the post-season three times in a four-year span was 1963-66.

Andy LaRoche hit his 10th homer and Andrew McCutchen drove in two with a single in the seventh but that was not enough for a Pirates win.

The Philadelphia Phillies' lead in the National League East dropped to five games as they lost 7-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers following a tight game.

On a night which saw the Brewers attendances for the season pass three million, Ryan Braun hit his 30th homer in the ninth to seal the win.

The Atlanta Braves made it five successive wins as their 11-5 defeat of the Washington Nationals was their second victory against the same opposition in two nights.

The Braves kept their National League wild card hopes alive with the win as Tommy Hanson made few mistakes.

Mike Morse's three-run homer was a highlight for the Nationals.

Aramis Ramirez hit a homer and Jake Fox drove in a pair to boost the Chicago Cubs' slim play-off hopes with a 6-2 defeat of San Francisco Giants.

Tom Gorzelanny limited the Giants to one run on five hits over five strong innings.

The Cincinnati Reds won for a ninth consecutive time over the Houston Astros, this 10-4 success coming courtesy of a Laynce Nix a homer in the second and Juan Francisco and Corky Miller each had two RBIs.

The Astros' Felipe Paulino allowed eight runs in his five-inning start.

The Florida Marlins, who suffered a late-innings New York Mets comeback on Friday, were 9-6 winners against the same opponents, making the six-run lead they built with seven in the fifth stand up, as they continued their pursuit of an unlikely play-off spot.

The St Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 in a close tussle and Arizona defeated San Diego 8-5.

The New York Yankees closed to within one game of the American League East title with a 3-0 defeat of the Boston Red Sox. Robinson Cano's home in the sixth proved the difference.

CC Sabathia only gave up one hit to Boston for his 19th victory - Sabathia had been matched all the way by Daisuke Matsuzaka until Cano spoiled his night with the home run.

The Detroit Tigers overcame a slow start to beat the Chicago White Sox 12-5.

Miguel Cabrera's four hits - one a solo homer in the fifth - and a four-run seventh inning put paid to the fine start of Freddy Garcia as the Tigers had been held to one hit over the first four innings.

Garcia gave up a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and four in the seventh.

The Minnesota Twins remain two games behind the Tigers after a 11-6 defeat of the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals took an early lead on back-to-back homers by Alberto Callaspo and Brayan Pena in the second before Scott Baker retired 13 straight.

But Denard Span had four hits and six RBIs, including a bases-clearing triple in a five-run fourth and an RBI single in a four-run eighth.

Adam Lind hit two homers, including the clincher in the 10th, as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Seattle Mariners 5-4.

Starter Ian Snell had given up just two runs but the Mariners gave up a three-run lead and lost when reliever Shawn Kelley surrendered a walk-off homer to Lind in the 10th.

Toronto reliever Jason Frasor struck out four in two scoreless innings to earn the win.

The Texas Rangers scored 11 runs in the fifth inning to beat the struggling Tampa Bay Rays 15-3,

The Oakland Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Angels 15-10 and the Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-8.