UNDATED (AP) — Three down, one to go in baseball’s Division Series. The Astros have moved on to the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, and the Atlanta Braves have earned a spot in the NLCS.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have forced a fifth and deciding game in their NL Division Series by whipping the Giants.
Jose Altuve belted a three-run homer, scored four times and stole a base as the Astros eliminated the White Sox in Game 4 of the Division Series, 10-1. The rout puts the Astros in the ALCS for a fifth straight season.
Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman each hit a two-run double as Houston bounced back from Sunday night’s 12-6 loss. The Astros earned their three victories by a combined 19 runs.
The Astros’ bullpen fired two-hit ball over five innings after Lance McCullers Jr. held Chicago to a run on five hits and three walks over four innings.
The White Sox didn’t score after Gavin Sheets hit a solo homer in the second to give them a brief lead.
Michael Brantley had three hits and two RBIs for Houston, which will host Game 1 of the ALCS on Friday.
The Braves beat the Brewers, 5-4 on Freddie Freeman’s solo homer off Josh Hader in the eighth inning.
Atlanta trailed 2-0 in the fourth and 4-2 in the fifth before beating Milwaukee for the third straight game since a series-opening loss. Eddie Rosario tied it the first time with a two-run single. Travis d’Arnaud made it 4-4 with an RBI single.
Rowdy Tellez belted a two-run homer for the Brewers, who scored just six times in the series.
Tyler Matsek worked a scoreless eighth to get the win. Will Smith put the potential tying run on base in the ninth before fanning Christian Yelich to end the series.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers stayed alive with a 7-2 win over the Giants.
Mookie Betts was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run homer that put the Dodgers ahead, 4-0 in the fourth inning. Will Smith capped the scoring with a two-run blast in the eighth.
Six LA pitchers combined on a seven-hitter and blanked the Giants until the fifth. Walker Buehler was reached for three hits over 4 1/3 innings and left with a 4-0 lead.
Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani was chased in the second inning, charged with two runs and five hits.
Game 5 is Thursday in San Francisco. The Giants and Dodgers split the first two games in the Bay Area.
