AL Wild Card Report: Orioles lose to A's as big series against Blue Jays looms

BALTIMORE (AP) — Seth Brown hit a pair of solo homers, rookie Adrián Martínez threw six innings of three-hit ball and Oakland stalled Baltimore's playoff surge by taking the game 5-0 on Sunday.

The Orioles fell 2 1/2 games behind Toronto in the race for the American League’s third wild-card spot. 

Martínez (4-3) was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 28, for his fourth stint with Oakland this year. He finished with four strikeouts and two walks and retired 10 consecutive batters. 

Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the second on a run-scoring single by Sheldon Neuse off Spenser Watkins (4-6).

MARINERS 6, GUARDIANS 3 (11 innings)

CLEVELAND (AP) -- J.P. Crawford singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, Cal Raleigh added a two-run homer and Seattle beat slumping Cleveland for itsseventh straight win in a game that was delayed by rain for 4 hours, 33 minutes.

With one out, Crawford bounced a single past Trevor Stephan (4-4) and into center field to score Eugenio Suarez, who began the 11th as the automatic runner. Raleigh, who homered twice on Friday, followed by belting a 2-2 pitch to right for his 22nd homer.

Matthew Boyd (1-0) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th and Chris Flexen pitched the 11th for his second save of the season as the Mariners completed a three-game sweep.

Cleveland's struggling offense tied the score in the eighth on rookie Oscar Gonzalez's single. Amed Rosario flied out to deep right with the winning run on third to end the ninth.

Seattle is in the top wild-card spot, one game ahead of Tampa Bay.

Cleveland's losing streak extended to five games in an outcome that took a long time to occur. The game began at 2:41 p.m., was delayed at 3:35 p.m., finally resumed at 8:08 p.m. and ended at 11:01 p.m.

The teams consulted with Major League Baseball throughout the break. With both clubs in playoff contention and not a lot of good travel logistics in the final month of the regular season, the decision was made to wait out the rain.

YANKEES 2, RAYS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge led off the game with his major league-leading 53rd homer and New York Yankees stopped Tampa Bay from completing a three-game sweep.

Judge set a career high for homers, topping the 52 he hit as a rookie in 2017. He also doubled, singled and scored both New York runs.

Frankie Montas (5-11) allowed one hit over five shutout innings as the AL East-leading Yankees increased their lead to five games over Tampa Bay. The Rays trailed by 15 1/2 games on July 10.

Down 2-0, Tampa Bay tried to rally in the ninth against Clay Holmes, the fourth Yankees reliever. David Peralta led off with his second double of the game and scored on a one-out single by pinch-hitter Francisco Mejia.

Jonathan Aranda doubled with two outs before Holmes struck out Yandy Díaz looking at a 3-2 pitch for his 18th save.

BLUE JAYS 4, PIRATES 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Teoscar Hernandez delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a three-game sweep.

Hernandez lined a shot up the middle against Duane Underwood Jr. (1-5) with two outs to push Toronto in front and the bullpen did the rest. The Blue Jays improved to a season-best 14 games over .500 to maintain their hold on the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.

Toronto begins a four-game series against Baltimore, which is chasing Toronto for a postseason berth, starting Monday at Camden Yards.

Hernandez and Christian Kirk had two hits apiece for Toronto, which has won five of six and 12 of 17. Cavan Biggio hit his fifth home of the season and second in five days for the Blue Jays.

Ross Stripling (7-4) allowed three runs on two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in six innings. Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano collected his 30th save.

Rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz hit his 12th home run for the Pirates, and Josh VanMeter added a two-run double for Pittsburgh, but the Pirates mustered little else.

ASTROS 9, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jose Altuve had three hits and drove in three runs and José Urquidy pitched four-hit ball over seven innings as Houston beat Los Angeles Angels. 

Mike Trout helped the Angels avert a shutout with his 29th home run, a solo shot to center in the eighth inning off Astros’ reliever Brandon Bielak.

Altuve chased Angels’ starter Tucker Davidson (2-5) with a two-run homer to left field for his 23rd of the season. The All-Star second baseman — who went 6 for 13 in the series — also had an RBI double during a five-run second inning.

Urquidy (13-5) struck out eight and retired 12 straight from the third through seventh innings before Mike Ford lined a base hit to right field. 

Kyle Tucker also went deep for the Astros, who have won five of their last six.

TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Correa homered for Minnesota and Dylan Bundy shut down Chicago once again. 

Jose Miranda added a two-run double in the ninth inning as Minnesota salvaged the finale of the weekend series. Max Kepler scored on Kendall Graveman’s wild pitch in the eighth, and Jhoan Duran turned in some impressive relief work.

The Twins finished with 12 hits. Correa connected in the fifth, hitting a two-run drive to left-center off Lucas Giolito (10-9) for his 16th homer. Bundy (8-6) pitched five scoreless innings to improve to 7-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 career appearances against the White Sox.

Elvis Andrus had two of Chicago’s seven hits. Giolito pitched five innings for Chicago, allowing six hits and finishing with five strikeouts and two walks.

RED SOX 5, RANGERS 2

BOSTON (AP) — Trevor Story hit a three-run homer over the Green Monster, Xander Bogaerts had his eighth straight multi-hit game and Boston completed a four-game sweep over Texas. 

The Red Sox now have a five-game winning streak as they’re trying to climb back into the AL’s wild-card chase. The Rangers have lost eight straight.

Bogaerts had an RBI double and run-scoring single in his three hits. His stretch is the longest for a Boston player since Kevin Youkilis tied the club record with nine in 2007. 

Adolis García had an RBI double for Texas, which lost for the 15th time in its last 18 games in Fenway Park and fell to a season-worst 17 games under .500.

Reliever Kaleb Ort (1-1) was credited with his first MLB victory, and John Schreiber got the final three outs for his seventh save.

Rangers starter Dane Dunning (3-8) took the loss and is winless in his last 26 road starts, the majors’ longest active streak. His only career road victory came Sept. 9, 2020 with the White Sox.

ROYALS 3, TIGERS 2

DETROIT (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr.’s eighth-inning double drove in the go-ahead run and Kansas City edged Detroit. 

MJ Melendez scored a run and drove in another while Michael A. Taylor had three hits and scored a run. Witt reached base three times. 

Winning pitcher Dylan Coleman (4-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Scott Barlow collected his 21st save. Royals starter Max Castillo allowed two runs and five hits and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings. 

Detroit starter Matt Manning gave up two runs and five hits in four innings. Gregory Soto (2-8) took the loss.

Harold Castro’s two-run homer accounted for Detroit’s runs. Riley Greene extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a third-inning single.

NATIONALS 7, METS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — César Hernández hit his first homer in more than a year in Washington's victory over New York. 

The last-place Nationals took two of three in the series.

Luis García had an RBI single in the first inning, then the Nationals scored four unearned runs against Carlos Carrasco (13-6) in the third after second baseman Jeff McNeil’s error led to two-run singles by Keibert Ruiz and Ildemaro Vargas.

Hernández's drive was his first since Aug. 26, 2021, a span of 155 games. Entering Sunday, only the Los Angeles Angels’ Magneuris Sierra (223 games) and the Cleveland Guardians’ Myles Straw (157 games) had gone longer without homering among active players.

Erick Fedde (6-9) gave up one run — McNeil’s second-inning sacrifice fly — over six innings and earned his first win since June 21.

ROCKIES 8, REDS 4, GAME 1

CINCINNATI (AP) — Charlie Blackmon’s pinch-hit two-run single highlighted a four-run seventh for Colorado, and C.J. Cron hit a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Rockies a win over Cincinnati in the first game of a doubleheader. 

Rookie left-hander Nick Lodolo tied a career-high with nine strikeouts, TJ Friedl homered twice and Jonathan India hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati. Joe Kuhnel (2-3) took the loss. 

Rockies starter German Marquez (8-10) allowed just one hit through the first five innings — Friedl’s solo homer to lead off the fourth. Friedl went deep off Marquez again in the sixth for his first career multi-home run game. 

The Reds got back within one on India’s two-run homer off Carlos Esteves in the eighth. But Cron slammed the door with his 25th home run, a two-run shot off Art Warren.

REDS 10, ROCKIES 0, GAME 2

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aristides Aquino hit his first career grand slam an inning after entering as an injury replacement as the Reds split a doubleheader.

Aquino entered the game as the designated hitter in the fifth after Jonathan India fouled a pitch of his right foot and was removed. Aquino’s fifth home run of the season came off Chad Smith with two outs in the sixth.

India went 0 for 3, ending his career-best hitting streak at 16 games.

Derek Law (2-1) got the win.

The Reds scored five runs in the fourth, two after a throw by third baseman Ryan McMahon skipped past the catcher for an error.

Jose Urena (3-6) allowed six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

CARDINALS 2, CUBS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols collected home run No. 695 in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight shutout innings to lead St. Louis over Chicago.

Pujols drilled the two-run pinch-hit shot off of reliever Brandon Hughes (2-2). 

A future Hall of Famer, Pujols trails only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Alex Rodriguez (696) on the all-time list.

Puols has seven pinch-hit homers in his career, and two this season. He has homered against 451 different pitcher, an all-time record.

St. Louis has won four in a row, 18 of their last 20 home games and is a season-best 24 games over .500 at 79-55. It was the Cardinals’ eighth series sweep of the season.

Mikolas (11-10) gave up two hits. He struck out three and walked one. Ryan Helsley picked his 13th save in 17 chances.

Chicago starter Marcus Stroman allowed four hits in seven shutout innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter in a 98-pitch stint.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 1

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried allowed no hits in five scoreless innings against Miami, Marcell Ozuna homered and Atlanta won its fifth straight game. 

The defending World Series champion Braves have taken five in a row and 20 of 25 to move a season-high 33 games over .500. They are within one game of first place in the NL East. 

Fried (13-5) didn’t allow a baserunner, retiring 12 in a row, until Nick Fortes walked to begin the fifth. Fortes was erased as a double play ended the inning before a rain delay of 1 hour, 51 minutes. Fried didn’t return after the delay. 

Miami, which managed three hits, has dropped a season-high seven in row and has been held to two runs or fewer in eight straight.

Pablo López (8-9) was given the loss. He allowed two runs and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in four innings.

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, Fried has 51 wins, second-most in the majors to the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (53).

DIAMONDBACKS 5, BREWERS 1

PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen tied the major-league record with his sixth consecutive scoreless start to lead Arizona Diamondbacks over Milwaukee. 

Gallen (11-2) extended his scoreless streak to 41 1/3 innings, allowing two singles and a walk in seven innings. It was his sixth straight start without allowing a run, tying Don Drysdale (1968), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Zack Greinke (2015). 

Daulton Varsho hit his 20th homer and helped preserve Gallen’s scoreless streak with a running catch on Tyrone Taylor’s drive to right center in the second.

Jason Alexander (2-2) got the loss for Milwaukee.

GIANTS 5, PHILLIES 3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Carlos Rodón reached the 200-strikeout mark for the first time in his career and Wilmer Flores hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning.

The Giants completed a three-game sweep. The wild card-contending Phillies lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Rookie Bryce Johnson, who got his first major league hit and RBI earlier in the game, drew a leadoff walk in the Giants ninth. David Robertson (3-2) struck out the next two batters before Flores hit his 17th home run.

J.T. Realmuto hit a tying, three-run homer in the Phillies eighth. Camilo Doval (5-6) pitched the ninth.

Ranger Suárez was done after four innings for the Phillies and saw his winless stretch reach five starts since beating the Nationals on Aug. 6.

DODGERS 9, PADRES 4

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Will Smith homered for the second consecutive game and Trayce Thompson added a pinch-hit home run as Los Angeles used two big innings to beat San Diego.

The Dodgers, who have the best record in the MLB at 92-41, extended their lead over the Padres in the NL West to 19 games with 29 games remaining.

Thompson hit the second pinch-hit homer of his career, a three-run shot in the seventh inning. Smith hit his 21st homer of the season, a solo shot off starter Mike Clevinger (5-6), who lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Alex Vesia (4-0) earned the win.