Trea Turner hit a grand slam and the host Los Angeles Dodgers finished the regular season with a 10-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon.
The Dodgers, however, were unable to run down the San Francisco Giants for the National League West title and they lost first baseman Max Muncy to an elbow injury in the third inning. Muncy collided near the bag at first with the Brewers’ Jace Peterson while reaching to catch a throw. His availability for the playoffs is not yet known.
The Dodgers (106-56), who tied the franchise record for victories in a season, won their last seven games and their last 15 at home, but fell one game short in their quest for a ninth consecutive division title. Los Angeles will play host to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL wild-card game on Wednesday.
Turner, who hit his second grand slam in the series, won the NL batting title with a .328 average.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler (16-4) gave up one run on three hits over five innings with 11 strikeouts. He dropped his ERA to 2.47, but could not catch the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes, who won the NL ERA title with a 2.43 mark.
Avisail Garcia, Rowdy Tellez and Eduardo Escobar had RBI doubles for the Brewers (95-67), who were swept in the series but already had clinched the NL Central title. The Brewers will open the NL Division Series at home against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
The Dodgers scored six runs in the fifth with an eruption that started with a bases-loaded walk from Mookie Betts and an RBI single from Corey Seager to give Los Angeles the lead for good against Aaron Ashby (3-2).
Turner followed with his grand slam to left field, his 28th home run of the season and his sixth in his final eight games. Los Angeles added a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Matt Beaty and three more in the eighth on a Beaty homer, his seventh.
The Dodgers, who already set the record for most victories by a defending World Series champion in the divisional era (1969), became the fifth team in the same era to win 100 games but not finish in first place.
–Field Level Media