Wild-Card Roundup: Blue Jays gain ground after Astros pound Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mauricio Dubón and Jose Altuve twice hit back-to-back home runs, rookie catcher Yainer Diaz had a three-run shot to cap Houston's big seventh inning, and the Astros beat the struggling Texas Rangers 13-6 on Monday.

In the opener of a pivotal series between AL West contenders, Houston pulled within a percentage point of first-place Seattle. Texas is in third but only a game behind.

The Astros went ahead to stay with a six-run seventh, which began with them loading the bases on a walk and two singles off reliever Josh Sborz (5-7). José Abreu walked to force in the run that made it 6-5.

All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, who homered twice for Texas, then misplayed a grounder for an error that allowed two more runs to score before Diaz hit his 21st homer of the season.

There were nine home runs in all, a single-game record at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.

Josh Smith homered in the Texas ninth off Ryne Stanek, who later in the inning injured his right foot while covering first base. Stanek remained on the ground after he fell back hard and his foot turned awkwardly, and was taken off the field on a motorized cart. There was no immediate word from the Astros on the extent of the reliever’s injury.

Rafael Montero (3-3), the second of six Houston pitches, worked a perfect sixth.

Dubón and Altuve first went deep in the sixth off reliever Glenn Otto to put Houston up 5-4, with Dubón homering on the next pitch after Diaz struck out and Chas McCormick was caught stealing for a double play. Texas got even when Mitch Garver hit rookie starter J.P. France’s first pitch in the bottom of inning 451 feet into the second deck of seats above the visitors' bullpen in left-center.

Alex Bregman and Altuve each had four hits for the reigning World Series champion Astros (78-61), who just got swept at home in a three-game series by the last-place New York Yankees. Dubón, the No. 9 batter, and Altuve went back-to-back again in the ninth.

Texas (76-61) lost for the 13th time in 17 games, matching Colorado for the worst record in the majors since Aug. 16. The Rockies′ 50 wins overall are the fewest in the National League.

Seattle lost 6-3 at Cincinnati a few minutes before the Astros wrapped up the opener of their final three-game series this season against Texas. The only games either team has left against the Mariners are in the last 10 days of the regular season, seven for Texas and three for Houston.

BLUE JAYS 6, ATHLETICS 5 (10 innings)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal hit a tiebreaking double in Toronto's three-run 10th inning on the first pitch thrown by Francisco Pérez that scored Mason McCoy from second base, and the Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5 on Monday.

The A's made it interesting when Lawrence Butler hit his second home run of the game with a two-run drive against winner Jordan Romano (5-5).

Cavan Biggio added an RBI single in the 10th as insurance for the Blue Jays, who are 3-1 so far on their six-game West Coast road trip. That chased Pérez (1-2) and Spencer Horwitz added an RBI double.

The A's had their three-game home winning streak snapped and fell to 7-23 this season against the AL East. Oakland hasn't had a home winning streak of more than three games in one season since five straight victories at the Coliseum from Aug. 4-20, 2021.

Esteury Ruiz stole his AL-leading 55th and 56th bases in the ninth to put the go-ahead run on third but the A's couldn't bring him home.

Oakland also missed a chance the previous inning. Jay Jackson gave up Nick Allen's leadoff single in the eighth then Genesis Cabrera entered to retire Ryan Noda on a groundout.

Jordan Diaz hit a tying home run with one out in the seventh off Yimi García after Toronto starter José Berríos exited. Berríos struck out seven over six innings for the Blue Jays but missed a chance to win for the first time in nearly a month, now having gone 0-3 over his last five starts since beating the Red Sox in Boston on Aug. 5.

Kevin Kiermaier's RBI groundout in the fifth broke up a scoreless game then George Springer doubled home a run one batter later and Biggio followed with a run-scoring single.

Butler homered in the fifth and Ryan Noda connected in the sixth for the A's, who inserted Luis Medina into the lineup as pitcher after he came off the injured list to start for the first time since Aug. 12 at Washington.

The right-hander escaped trouble in the fourth. He issued a one-out walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then hit Horwitz with a pitch before inducing Whit Merrifield's inning-ending double play.

RED SOX 7, RAYS 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Triston Casas homered and drove in four runs, Brayan Bello earned his team-leading 11th win and the Boston Red Sox stopped a 13-game losing streak at Tropicana Field by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Monday.

Boston's slide at the dome began on April 23, 2022.

Wilyer Abreu had a leadoff double before Justin Turner drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning, ending Aaron Civale's day. Chris Devenski (3-4) entered and gave up Casas' three-run shot that put the Red Sox ahead 4-3.

Casas added a run-scoring single and Masataka Yoshida connected on a two-run homer off Andrew Kittredge in the eighth that made it 7-3. Casas has three homers and 11 RBIs during a career-best 11-game hitting streak.

Bello (11-8) gave up three runs, all in the first, and five hits over six innings.

Boston closer Kenley Jansen, who pitched the ninth in a non-save situation, was checked by an athletic trainer with one out but remained in the game.

Civale, acquired from Cleveland on July 31, allowed three runs, two hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 12 during a 98-pitch outing. The right-hander has gone 5 1/3 or fewer innings in five of his six starts with Tampa Bay.

Brandon Lowe grounded a two-run single up the middle and Harold Ramírez had an RBI double down the third-base line off Bello as the Rays took a 3-0 lead in the first.

Bello recorded an out on 11 consecutive batters after Ramírez's hit. The righty ended his outing by striking out Ramírez with two on to end the sixth.

Civale retired his first 10 batters, six on strikeouts. After a pair of walks in the fourth, Adam Duvall got Boston's first hit with a two-out RBI single later in the inning.

REDS 6, MARINERS 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer hit a three-run home run to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Seattle Mariners 6-3 on Monday in an interleague matchup of playoff contenders.

The Reds began the day in a four-way tie for the third NL wild-card spot, and the AL-west leading Mariners are 39-18 since July 1 for the best record in the major leagues in that span.

Julio Rodriguez and Mike Ford hit solo home runs for Seattle.

With their pitching staff hit hard by COVID-19 and injuries, the Reds used seven pitchers on Monday. Lucas Sims (5-3) got the last out of the seventh to pick up the win and Ian Gibaut got the last out of the ninth to get his second save.

Right-hander Tejay Antone made his fifth career start, first since 2020, throwing two hitless innings with three strikeouts. He returned Saturday after not pitching since 2021 following two Tommy John surgeries.

Mariners starter Bryan Woo (2-4) allowed five runs, hit three batters and walked three in five innings. He did not record a strikeout.

Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Renfroe had RBI singles in the first inning to put the Reds ahead 2-0. Steer's 20th home run of the season extended the lead to 5-0 in the second, making him the seventh Cincinnati rookie to hit 20 or more.

Rodriguez, the AL player of the month for August, hit his 25th home run in the fourth off Daniel Duarte. Ford got his 15th in the fifth off Michael Mariot to pull Seattle to 5-2.

The Mariners had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but Sims struck out Rodriguez to end the inning.

Rodriguez faced Gibaut with two runners on in the ninth, but struck out looking.

TWINS 20, GUARDIANS 6

CLEVELAND (AP) — Royce Lewis had a grand slam and a career-high six RBIs, and Jorge Polanco and Carlos Correa added solo homers off Lucas Giolito in his Cleveland debut as the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins beat the Guardians 20-6 on Monday night.

Lewis, the rookie third baseman, tied the franchise record with his third grand slam of the season — all in the last eight games — and has four career slams in 56 games in the majors. Three of them have been against Cleveland.

The Twins moved six games ahead of the second-place Guardians with 24 to play, including two more in this series at Progressive Field. They finished with 20 hits, had 12 players score, and established season highs in runs, hits and margin of victory.

Kyle Farmer hit a three-run homer, and Joey Gallo and Matt Wallner each had two-run shots off catcher David Fry, who pitched the final four innings and allowed seven runs and 10 hits. Minnesota led 18-1 in the middle of the seventh.

Giolito (7-12), claimed off waivers from the Angels on Aug. 31, gave up a career high-tying nine runs in three innings. The right-hander is 1-7 with a 7.22 ERA in his last 11 starts, which include outings with the White Sox, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Minnesota starter Pablo López (10-7) went six innings, allowing one run on an RBI triple by José Ramírez. The right-hander struck out three, putting him eight behind Toronto's Kevin Gausman (207) for the AL lead.

Lewis went 3 for 4, Polanco was 3 for 3 with three runs and Edouard Julien also scored three runs. Willi Castro played center field and third base before pitching the ninth for the Twins and giving up three runs.

The most lopsided losses in Cleveland history were by 21 runs — 23-2 at Minnesota on June 4, 2002, and 21-0 at Detroit on Sept. 15, 1901.