ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Carlos Correa and Max Kepler had RBI singles in the 10th inning, Minnesota leadoff hitter Donovan Solano matched a career-high with four hits and the AL Central-leading Twins beat the still-sliding Texas Rangers 9-7 on Saturday night.
Correa and Kepler got their hits off hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman (5-4), who got the last two outs of the ninth before coming back out for the extra inning. Ryan Jeffers added a sacrifice fly, his second RBI of the game, after Chapman was gone.
Brent Headrick (3-0), the eighth Twins pitcher, tossed a perfect ninth. Jhoan Duran finished it for his 24th save in 29 chances, working around an RBI single by Robbie Grossman in the 10th.
Solano had a solo homer and a two-run single when the Twins, after being behind 4-0, went ahead 6-4. He was then playing second base in the eighth when he had a tremendous running catch in short right with his back to the infield, preventing another run right after Texas had tied the game.
Adolis Garcia and Sam Huff hit early two-run homers for the Rangers (75-60), who lost for the 12th time in 15 games overall, including their last six at home. That stretch dropped them out of the AL West lead, now two games behind first-place Seattle and still a game behind Houston after the Astros also lost at home. Texas is just ahead of Toronto for the American League's final wildcard spot.
The Twins (71-65) maintained their five-game division lead since Cleveland beat Tampa Bay.
YANKEES 5, ASTROS 4
HOUSTON (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the second consecutive game and the New York Yankees got a big effort from their bullpen.
Michael Brantley hit his first home run since June 2022 for the Astros, who fell a game behind first-place Seattle in the AL West. Brantley had a two-run shot in the second inning and scored on Yainer Diaz's two-run homer in the fourth.
After starter Luis Severino lasted only four innings, three New York relievers combined to throw shutout ball the rest of the way.
Jhony Brito, Wandy Peralta and Clay Holmes posted zeros the rest of the night.
Jhony Brito (6-6), a rookie who has a 1.27 ERA out of the bullpen this season, started the fifth and faced the minimum over 3 2/3 innings. Clay Holmes allowed a two-out infield single in the ninth, but froze pinch-hitter Jon Singleton with a 1-2 sinker to lock down his 17th save.
Hunter Brown (10-10) allowed five runs, three earned, over four-plus innings to go with four walks and five strikeouts.
RED SOX 9, ROYALS 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Triston Casas hit a two-run homer and Alex Verdugo finished a homer short of hitting for the cycle as Boston beat Kansas City.
Six Boston batters drove in a run and all but one Red Sox starter had a hit. Boston snapped a five-game skid with the win after allowing four runs for the 12th time in 13 games.
Tanner Houck (4-8) worked five innings and allowed four runs and seven hits while walking one and striking out five.
Royals starter Alec March (0-8) was knocked out of the game early after allowing six runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out one in 2 ? innings.
Kansas City has lost 11 of its last 13 games.
GUARDIANS 7, RAYS 6, 11 INNINGS
CLEVELAND (AP) — Steven Kwan hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Bo Naylor with the winning run after Jose Tena tied the score with a single in the 11th inning to lift Cleveland.
Rays center fielder Jose Siri had an opportunity to cut down Naylor at the plate but his throw sailed wide and Chris Devenski (3-3) took the loss in his first appearance with the team.
Tampa Bay, which has a commanding lead atop the AL wild-card standings, lost for just the third time in its last 11 games. The Rays trail Baltimore by two games in the East.
Brandon Lowe gave Tampa Bay a 6-5 lead in the top of the 11th with a sacrifice fly off Sam Hentges (3-2).
Cleveland has won four in a row and moved within 4 1/2 games of first-place Minnesota in the AL Central.
Kwan forced extra innings with a two-out single in the ninth off closer Pete Fairbanks, scoring Myles Straw.
ROCKIES 8, BLUE JAYS 7
DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle hit a three-run triple in a four-run fifth inning, Charlie Blackmon had three hits and three RBIs on his bobblehead night, and Colorado beat Toronto.
Doyle's two-out triple gave the Rockies a 7-5 lead and Blackmon followed with an RBI single as the Rockies broke a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in their last 12 games.
Kevin Kiermaier homered and Whit Merrifield and Santiago Espinal had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who remained 1 1/2 games behind Texas for the third AL wild card. Toronto had won four of six.
George Springer walked to open the ninth for Toronto and Davis Schneider tripled off Justin Lawrence as the Jays closed to 8-6. Lawrence got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a short fly out and struck out Merrifield before Schneider scored on a wild pitch. Alejandro Kirk and Cavan Biggio walked and Daulton Varsho was hit on a 1-1 pitch to load the bases. Tyler Kinley replaced Lawrence and struck out pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz for his first save in two chances.
The Blue Jays scored four runs on six hits in the first inning, and Kiermaier's seventh homer leading off the second made it 5-0 against Colorado left-hander Ty Blach (2-1), who gave up only two singles after that homer and pitched six innings.
Colorado chipped away with four unearned runs off Blue Jays' starter Yusei Kikuchi (3-5), two in the second inning and two in the fourth following a pair of errors by shortstop Ernie Clement.
MARINERS 8, METS 7
NEW YORK (AP) — J.P. Crawford led off the ninth inning with a tiebreaking homer and Seattle beat New York to extend its slim lead in the AL West.
Crawford connected off Adam Ottavino (1-5) for the Mariners, who squandered a four-run lead but still improved to 39-16 since July 1 _ the best record in the majors during that span.
Seattle moved a game ahead of second-place Houston in the division standings.
Justin Topa (5-4) got the final four outs for the Mariners. He gave up two hits in the ninth, but Daniel Vogelbach was thrown out trying to stretch a leadoff single.
Teoscar Hernandez homered and finished with three RBIs. Pinch-hitter Dominic Canzone had a two-run homer and Julio Rodriguez hit an RBI triple.
Jeff McNeil finished a homer shy of the cycle for the Mets and tied the game with a run-scoring triple in the eighth. DJ Stewart hit a three-run shot _ his ninth homer in the last 15 games. Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos also went deep.
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