Angels clinch first visit to playoffs since 2009

The Angels became the first team to make the baseball postseason, beating the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Monday night. They have the best record in either league and could lock up a division title by mid-week. There was a down side to Monday's events, however. Surprise pitching ace Matt Shoemaker left the game with a twinge in his left side and will report for an MRI on Tuesday. Shoemaker, with a record of 16-4, has come up big and helped the Angels overcome the loss of ace starter Garrett Richards to a gruesome on-field injury and pitcher Tyler Skaggs to arm woes.

Slugger Albert Pujols also left the Moday's game with a hamstring issue, but the team said it's believed to be a minor cramp.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, beat the Rockies 11-3 to move closer to a playoff spot. They did it with an 8-run sixth inning. Cameras caught outfielder Matt Kemp getting in Yasiel Puig's face in the dugout during the game, but nobody would talk about it afterward. "Family stuff," manager Don Mattingly told reporters. "Family business." Kemp hit his second homer in as many days. Puig collected a couple of hits, but he still has not homered since July and has been hitting like a utility infielder for more than a month — but not, unfortunately, like Justin Turner, who happens to be the hottest utility infielder in baseball these days. Turner had a big hit Monday night and is hitting .328 on the season.