The Texas Rangers certainly expected to win a lot of games this season after bolstering their rotation and hiring three-time championship manager Bruce Bochy last winter.

The arms race in the AL West began with Lucas Giolito and quickly escalated.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 for a three-game sweep.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven spotless innings with longtime catcher Yadier Molina back behind the plate, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0.

Dansby Swanson blooped a three-run single, Ozzie Albies added a grand slam in an eight-run seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 for their 10th consecutive win.

Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4.

Down 3-1 and held to one hit for eight innings, the Indians found more of the late-inning magic that has carried them this week. Delino DeShields — who broke up Pittsburgh's no-hit bid with a bunt single in the seventh — hit an RBI single one out later. Until the ninth, the Indians did little against Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller and three relievers. Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Indians starter Carlos Carrasco, but the Pirates couldn't hold on and dropped to 2-16 against AL Central teams. UP NEXTAaron Civale (4-5), who will pitch in relief for the Indians during the wild-card round, makes his final regular-season start against Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove (0-5).

The NL Central-leading Cubs were assured a spot in the expanded playoff field when Philadelphia was swept in a doubleheader at Washington. It was Stallings’ third home run of the season and the third game-ending hit of his career. Anthony Rizzo’s two-run homer in the eighth inning had pulled the Cubs into a tie at 2-all. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on RBI doubles by Erik Gonzalez in the second inning and Adam Frazier in the fifth. Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-8, 6.70) has lost five straight decisions since getting his lone win Aug. 13 at Cincinnati.