Jay Bruce homered for the third successive match as the New York Mets moved closer to securing a wildcard spot with a 5-1 win over National League East rivals the Philadelphia Phillies.
Elsewhere in the National League on Friday night, Ben Zobrist homered twice and managed three runs and Anthony Rizzo drove in two runs for the Chicago Cubs as the NL Central champions beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3.
The St Louis Cardinals stayed in contention for a wildcard berth with a convincing 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Colorado Rockies defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1.
The San Francisco Giants eased past the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3, the Arizona Diamondbacks downed the San Diego Padres 5-3, while a four-run fourth was all the Washington Nationals had to show for their efforts in the 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins.
