Clayton Kershaw propelled the Dodgers into the playoffs with his one-hitter

Sometimes the late games on the West Coast can make the California teams go a little unnoticed. Although both reigning MVPs are from the Los Angeles teams and the Giants have won three World Series since 2010, it can take a lot for the West Coast teams to be noticed. This daily update for September 30, 2015 will open with the hot teams out West.

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Recap

Clayton Kershaw pitches a one-hitter to clinch the NL West
Kershaw stated his case for a three-peat as the NL Cy Young award winner and pitched the Dodgers into the playoffs with a complete game one-hit shutout against the Giants, striking out 13 batters while allowing one walk. Kershaw has struck out eight or more batters in seven of his last eight starts, including four double-digit strikeout games, and has a 1.36 ERA and averages 11.38 strikeouts per nine innings. Justin Ruggiano was 1-for-3 with his sixth home run of the season and has a .308 batting average with the Dodgers. Ruggiano has a .964 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season and could be a vital part of a DFS lineup in the playoffs against pitchers like Steven Matz, J.A. Happ, and Jaime Garcia. A.J. Ellis finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the 8-0 win for the Dodgers. Ellis has lost playing time to Yasmani Grandal this season, but does have a servicable .747 OPS in 177 at-bats and has a .906 OPS against left-handed pitchers with 10 extra-base hits in 77 at-bats.

Madison Bumgarner lost his first battle to Clayton Kershaw this season, allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings and three home runs. Bumgarner is still a top-10 pitcher and his 18 wins and 6.00 K:BB ratio give Bumgarner the best season of his career.

Seventh straight Angels win vaults Los Angeles into the second Wild Card spot
Nick Tropeano had the best start of his young career, allowing one run on three hits while striking out 11 batters and walking only one, to move the Angels into the playoff picture. Tropeano has allowed more than a hit per inning in his 37 2/3 innings, 40 hits allowed, but has only allowed one run over his last 12 innings and has a 38:10 K:BB ratio. Albert Pujols had a double, RBI, and stolen base as a part of his 3-for-5 night against the Athletics. Pujols has hits in five of his last seven games, including last night’s double and three home runs, and has now stolen five bases for the season. Erick Aybar finished 2-for-5 with a double, triple, and three RBI to move his September batting average to .233. Aybar does have 10 extra-base hits and has scored 11 runs for the month, but only had one RBI in the month coming into yesterday’s game.

Max Muncy clubbed his third home run of the season and finished 1-for-3 in the 8-1 Oakland loss. Muncy only has a .208 batting average for the season, but did have a triple two nights ago and last night’s home run.

Mariners play spoiler as the Astros fall further
Robinson Cano finished 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, his sixth home run of September, helping the Mariners thwart the Astros’ playoff hopes. Cano has a 12-game hitting streak and has nine extra-base hits in September, regaining value as a top-10 2B. Kyle Seager finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the 6-4 win for the Mariners. Seager has a .323 batting average and 13 extra-base hits in September, notching 16 RBI and scoring 20 runs. Mark Trumbo finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Mariners and has a .313 batting average in September. Trumbo has scored 11 runs and has 13 RBI for the month and has hits in eight of his last 10 games.

George Springer finished 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI for the Astros and has a .280 batting average in September. Springer has five multi-hit games in his last eight games and has four extra-base hits in his last six games to move his season total to 34 extra-base hits in 369 at-bats.

Rangers keep pace in AL West race
Adrian Beltre finished 3-for-5 with a double, run scored, and two RBI for the Rangers to move his September batting average to .321. Beltre has 12 extra-base hits this month, notching 27 RBI for the month to lead the charge for the Rangers in the AL West. Shin-Soo Choo finished 2-for-5 with a double, home run, two runs scored, and two RBI in the 7-6 win. Choo has 10 RBI in his last eight games, including three multi-RBI games in his last five games, and has a .410 batting average with 12 extra-base hits, 20 RBI, and 25 runs scored in September. Rougned Odor finished 1-for-3 with a walk, triple, and RBI for the Rangers and has 12 extra-base hits in September. Odor has a triple in two of his last three games and has 45 extra-base hits in 408 at-bats this season.

J.D Martinez hit his 38th home run of the season and topped 100 RBI for the first time in his career, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and two RBI. Martinez has 11 extra-base hits, including four home runs, in September and has 71 extra-base hits this season.

Kansas City struggles as Johnny Cueto loses again
Jeff Samardzija allowed two runs in seven innings, striking out three batters without a walk, and has allowed two runs over 16 innings in his last two starts. Samardzija had allowed four runs or more in seven of his last eight starts prior to his last start and has a 4.96 ERA for the season. Adam Eaton finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and is sixth in the American League with 95 runs scored. Eaton has 10 extra-base hits and a .377 batting average in September, scoring 17 runs, and has hits in nine of his last 10 games. Jose Abreu finished 2-for-4 with a RBI and has a .303 batting average with 18 RBI in September. Abreu has 98 RBI this season and looks like a safe bet to top 100 RBI for the second straight season to open his MLB career and has 66 extra-base hits this season.

Cueto allowed three runs in six innings for the Royals, earning his third straight quality start but dropping to 3-7 with the Royals. Cueto has lost six of his last seven decisions and has allowed five runs or more in four of his 12 starts with the Royals.

What to watch for

The best matchup of the evening sees Gerrit Cole facing Michael Wacha as the Cardinals inch closer to a NL Central crown. Cole has six quality starts in his last seven and wins in four of his last five decisions, posting a 3.01 ERA in the second half. Wacha has won six of his last eight decisions over his last 10 starts, but has allowed three runs or more in three of his last four starts. Garrett Richards, Scott Kazmir, and Jon Lester will also pitch today.

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.