Bichette, Ray power Blue Jays to 6-3 win over Rays
TORONTO (AP) — Bo Bichette homered and drove in five runs, Robbie Ray fanned 13 over seven innings to claim the major league strikeout lead and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 Wednesday.
Vladimr Guerrero Jr. doubled twice and scored twice, and Teoscar Hernández added an RBI single. The Blue Jays improved to 13-2 in September and are in a virtual tie with Boston and the New York Yanklees for the two AL wild-card spots.
Tampa Bay lost for the fifth time in seven games. The AL East leaders are 6-8 in September after going 21-6 in August. Mike Zunino hit his 30th homer and Brett Phillips also connected.
Ray (12-5) allowed one run and four hits to win his fourth straight decision. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 91 strikeouts since his last loss, July 21 against Boston. Jordan Romano pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
After being shut out for only the third time this season Tuesday, the Blue Jays jumped on Rays right-hander Michael Wacha (3-5) with a three-run first.
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PADRES 9, GIANTS 6
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. matched his career high with four hits, Jurickson Profar homered and San Diego snapped a five-game skid, holding off San Francisco and ending the Giants’ nine-game winning streak.
Adam Frazier got four hits and Manny Machado doubled twice for the Padres, who trail St. Louis by one game for the second NL wild-card spot.
San Francisco had its lead in the NL West cut to 1 1/2 games by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with both teams already assured playoff spots. The majors-best Giants (95-51) held the club’s longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2004.
The Giants hit four solo homers: pinch-hitter Thairo Estrada in the third, Kris Bryant in the sixth, then late lineup addition Steven Duggar and Brandon Belt each connected in the seventh.
Joe Musgrove (11-9) earned his third win in four starts, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings.
Dominic Leone (3-4) took the loss.
RED SOX 9, MARINERS 4, 10 INNINGS
SEATTLE (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Christian Vazquez drove in two runs apiece in the 10th inning, and Boston beat Seattle to keep pace in the AL wild-card race.
Designated runner Jack Lopez scored on Tom Murphy’s passed ball to start the scoring in the six-run 10th to break open a 3-3 game. J.D. Martinez, Schwarber and Vazquez added run-scoring hits as Boston beat the Mariners for the second day in a row.
The Red Sox, Toronto and the New York Yankees remained in a virtual tie for the two AL wild-card spots. Seattle if four games behind the three.
Adam Ottavino (7-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the Red Sox to finish the eighth and ninth innings, earning his second victory in two days. He struck out two. Eric Swanson (0-3) took the loss.
DODGERS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Julio Urías earned his major league-leading 18th victory, Gavin Lux singled in the go-ahead run in the fourth, and Los Angeles completed a 6-0 homestand with a win over Arizona.
The Dodgers pounded out 14 hits in winning their sixth straight overall and ninth in a row at home, where they are 52-23, tops in the majors.
Lux went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs. Max Muncy went 2 for 5, drove in a run and scored another.
Urías became the fourth Mexican-born pitcher in the majors to record 18 or more wins in a season. Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela and Esteban Loaiza did it twice each and Teddy Higuera once.
Urías (18-3) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings, struck out five and walked two. Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 33rd save and 12th in a row.
Merrill Kelly (7-10) gave up four runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
ROCKIES 3, BRAVES 2, 10 INNINGS
ATLANTA (AP) — Raimel Tapia hit a tiebreaking single off A.J. Minter in the 10th inning, scoring Colton Welker from third base and lifting Colorado over Atlanta.
Atlanta’s NL East lead was trimmed to 3½ games over Philadelphia as the Braves attempt to win the division for the fourth straight year. Colorado was 28 games back in the NL West.
Robert Stephenson earned his first save in two chances in the bottom of the 10th.
Minter (2-6) took the loss. Carlos Estévez (3-4) faced five batters in the ninth to earn the win.
TIGERS 4, BREWERS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Dustin Garneau homered and drove in two runs, rookie Matt Manning combined with the bullpen on a three-hitter and Detroit beat Milwaukee to complete a two-game sweep.
Milwaukee’s magic number to clinch the NL Central remained at five after they dropped a pair to the Tigers following a five-game winning streak.
Manning (4-6) gave up a run on two hits and struck out a career-high six over six innings in his 15th start. Michael Fulmer recorded four strikeouts during the last two innings while notching his ninth save.
Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (9-9) gave up three runs on four hits and struck out seven in six innings. Lorenzo Cain knocked in Milwaukee’s run with a second-inning double.
YANKEES 4, ORIOLES 3
BALTIMORE (AP) — Brett Gardner blooped a two-run single in the ninth inning that was set up by a double steal, and New York beat Baltimore for its third straight win.
Gio Urshela launched a two-run homer for the Yankees, who kept pace with Toronto and Boston atop the AL wild-card standings as all three teams won.
Austin Hays homered twice for the Orioles, including a two-out, two-run drive in the eighth off Chad Green for a 3-2 lead.
Orioles reliever Tyler Wells (2-3) walked Luke Voit to begin the ninth and Gleyber Torres followed with a single. Pinch-runner Tyler Wade and Torres pulled off a double steal with one out. Gardner followed with a single to center that scored both runs.
Wandy Peralta (5-3) earned the win and Aroldis Chapman got his 27th save.
PIRATES 5, REDS 4
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Wilmer Difo scored on a groundout from Colin Moran with one out in the ninth inning, and Pittsburgh handed Cincinnati its seventh loss in nine games.
Cincinnati slipped 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis Cardinals for the NL's second wild card.
Chris Stratton (6-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the Pirates.
After falling behind by two in the first, Pittsburgh took the lead with three runs in the third.
Yoshi Tsutsugo drove in Ke’Bryan Hayes on a double to left and advanced to third on a bobble from Schrock. Bryan Reynolds tripled down the right-field line, scoring Tsutsugo, and went home on Moran’s sacrifice fly that put Pittsburgh up 3-2.
Kyle Farmer homered and Reds starter Vladimir Gutiérrez (9-7) allowed four runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings.
CARDINALS 11, METS 4
NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each hit one of St. Louis’ four homers, and the Cardinals flashed some fantastic outfield defense in beating New York for their fifth straight victory.
Harrison Bader homered, drove in three runs and made a timely grab at the center-field fence to help Jon Lester improve to 9-1 against the Mets. Edmundo Sosa also went deep and Goldschmidt had three hits as the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep by winning their seventh in eight games.
St. Louis moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Reds for the second NL wild card .The Cardinals began the day one game ahead of San Diego, which started later in San Francisco.
Pete Alonso and Kevin Pillar homered for the fading Mets, who look finished in the pennant race with 15 games to go. They dropped five games behind St. Louis, with three teams in between.
Tyler O’Neill laced a two-run double in a five-run first inning against rookie Tylor Megill (3-5).
Lester (6-6) allowed three runs — two earned — and six hits in six innings. The 37-year-old lefty struck out seven and walked none.
ATHLETICS 12, ROYALS 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a two-run homer, Josh Harrison drove in three runs and Elvis Andrus had four hits as Oakland held on through a nervy ninth inning.
The A’s ended a three-game skid and remained 3 1/2 games back of Toronto, Boston and New York in the AL wild-card chase.
Oakland’s Sean Manaea (10-9) allowed five runs in five innings. And the Athletics' beleaguered bullpen coughed a run in the seventh, three more in the eighth and loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth before Andrew Chafin (four saves) finally managed to lock down the win.
Mark Canha and Tony Kemp also drove in runs off Carlos Hernandez (6-2) and the beat up Kansas City bullpen.
Salvador Perez hit his 44th homer for Kansas City, moving into a tie with Shohei Ohtani and within one of big league leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Andrew Benintendi went 5 for 5 and drove in four runs for the Royals.
PHILLIES 6, CUBS 5
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andrew Knapp scored on a passed ball in the ninth inning to bolster Philadelphia's tenuous playoff push with a win over Chicago.
The Phillies bullpen blew it in the late innings. Robinson Chirinos hit a two-run homer off Jose Alvarado that tied it 4-all in the eighth. Matt Duffy hit a solo shot off Ian Kennedy (2-1) in the ninth and tied it at 5.
J.T. Realmuto homered in the eighth inning for the Phillies.
Knapp led off the ninth with a single off Trevor Megill (1-2) and advanced to third on a sacrifice and a groundout. Chirinos couldn’t get a handle on Megill’s knuckle-curve and Knapp scooted home with the winning run.
Philadelphia's win, coupled with Atlanta's loss to Colorado, moved the Phillies 3 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East. The Phils are three games behind St. Louis in the wild-card race.
INDIANS 12, TWINS 3
MINNESOTA (AP) — Cal Quantrill turned in a strong start, and Oscar Mercado, Bobby Bradley and Franmil Reyes homered to help Cleveland rout Minnesota.
José Ramírez and Myles Straw each had three of Cleveland’s 14 hits, and Mercado and Bradley each drove in three runs. Ramírez had two RBIs to reach 90 for the season for the Indians.
Miguel Sanó had the only two hits for Minnesota against Quantrill (6-3), including a three-run homer in the seventh.
Quantrill retired 13 straight batters at one point and finished 6 2/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
Twins starter Griffin Jax (3-4) was done in by a four-run fifth.
ASTROS 7, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jake Meyers and Marwin Gonzalez hit consecutive homers in a three-run second inning, Kyle Tucker homered among his three hits, and Jose Urquidy allowed one run and two hits in six innings as Houston beat Texas.
Urquidy (7-3) struck out six and walked one in beating Texas for third time in four career starts, helping the AL West-leading Astros win for the third time in four games.
Chas McCormick hit a two-run single and Yordan Alvarez had an RBI double.
Brock Holt scored Texas’ first run in the third inning on a groundout after hitting his first triple since Aug. 2019. Willie Calhoun went 2 for 4, accounting for half of the Rangers’ hits.
Kohei Arihara (2-4) didn’t retire a batter in the fifth inning, and was pulled after three batters. He allowed six runs on eight hits and hit two batters.
ANGELS 3, WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Marsh hit a tiebreaking solo homer off Michael Kopech in the eighth inning, and Los Angeles beat Chicago.
Marsh drove a 101 mph, full-count fastball from Kopech (4-3) over the wall in left-center for his second homer and finished with three hits and two runs scored.
Mike Mayers (5-5) struck out the side in the seventh for the win. Raisel Iglesias finished for his 32nd save.
Yoán Moncada homered for AL Central-leading Chicago, which had won three of four.
MARLINS 8, NATIONALS 6
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jesus Sanchez’s second two-run homer of the day capped a four-run ninth inning and Miami rallied past Washington.
After an RBI single by Miguel Rojas and fielder’s-choice groundout by Lewin Diaz tied the score, Sanchez hit the first pitch he saw from Kyle Finnegan (5-7) to left center for his 12th homer of the season.
Sanchez also hit a two-run homer in the sixth for Miami’s first runs. Bryan De La Cruz homered in the eighth for the Marlins, who took two of three from Washington.
Paul Campbell (2-3), the seventh Miami pitcher, worked the eighth and Dylan Floro pitched a perfect ninth — the only 1-2-3 inning for Marlins pitchers in the game — for his 12th save.
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