Orioles secure potentially crucial AL East tiebreaker with 8-0 victory over Rays

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gunnar Henderson homered and drove in three runs, Grayson Rodriguez pitched eight outstanding innings and the Baltimore Orioles secured a potentially crucial tiebreaker in the AL East with an 8-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.

After losing the first two of this four-game set, the Orioles (92-56) moved a game ahead of second-place Tampa Bay (92-58) and won the season series. That means if the teams tie for first in the division, Baltimore would win.

Rodriguez (6-4) has been sharp since returning from the minors in mid-July, looking like the highly touted prospect he was at the beginning of the season. He allowed five hits in a career-high eight innings, striking out seven without a walk.

Tyler Glasnow (9-6) yielded six runs and eight hits in four innings. It was his shortest outing of the season and the second time in three starts against the Orioles he failed to complete five innings.

MARLINS 11, BRAVES 5

MIAMI (AP) — Jake Burger hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a grand slam in the eighth inning to help Miami beat Atlanta.

Luis Arraez and Yuli Gurriel also went deep for the Marlins, who became the first NL East team to win a series against the division champions. The Braves were 11-0-1 in their previous series against division opponents.

Matt Olson hit his major league-leading 52nd homer and overtook Andruw Jones as Atlanta’s single-season home run leader. Jones hit 51 in 2005.

Josh Bell drew a two-out walk against Braves reliever Kirby Yates (7-2) before Burger made it 7-5 with a drive over the wall in center for his 32nd homer and seventh since he joined Miami on Aug. 1.

Gurriel singled, and Jesús Sánchez and Garrett Hampson walked before Chisholm connected off Michael Tonkin for Miami’s first grand slam of the season.

Ozzie Albies hit his 30th homer and became the fifth Braves’ player to reach the total this season.

Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t play because of right calf tightness he experienced late in the series opener Friday.

Tanner Scott (8-4) was the winner.

YANKEES 6, PIRATES 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run in the third inning for just his second hit in eight games, New York relievers retired 15 consecutive batters and the Yankees beat the Pittsburgh.

Stanton led off the third with his 24th home run this season, a 418-foot solo drive off Luis Ortiz (4-5) into the left-field bleachers that extended the Yankees’ lead to 4-2. The five-time All-Star is 2 for 27 since Sept. 6 and has three hits, each a home run, in 31 at-bats since Sept. 5. He is hitting a career-low .195.

New York is 5-1 on a seven-game trip and has won 14 of 19, moving two games ahead of last-place Boston in the AL East.

Rookie Jhony Brito (8-7) retired nine straight batters and, Ian Hamilton and Clay Holmes three apiece, Holmes for his 21st save in 24 chances.

REDS 3, METS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run homer and Cincinnati held off New York for another important victory in the race for the last National League wild card.

With two runners aboard, Derek Law retired Mets slugger Pete Alonso on a game-ending groundout for his second save.

Encarnacion-Strand, who made his first big league start at third base, singled and stole second in the second inning before hitting a 428-foot homer to right-center in the fourth.

TJ Friedl scored the Reds’ first run on a throwing error by Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez. Daniel Duarte (3-0) got four outs in relief of Andrew Abbott, who allowed two runs and struck out five in 3 2/3 innings.

Tylor Megill (8-8) was the loser.

ROCKIES 9, GIANTS 5, 1ST GAME

ROCKIES 5, GIANTS 2, 2ND GAME

DENVER (AP) — San Francisco’s playoff chances were damaged when the Colorado a day-night doubleheader, taking advantage of seven walks in the opener and two errors and a pair of wild pitches in the nightcap.

Ezequiel Tovar finished with five hits and five RBIs on the day, including a career-high four RBIs in the opener for the Rockies.

The Giants fell 2 1/2 games behind Cincinnati for the last NL wild card, also trailing Arizona and Miami. San Francisco.

Victor Vodnik (1-0) won in his first big league decision in the second game, allowing one run and two hits over two innings in of relief of Kyle Freeland, who left after three innings due to a mild right oblique strain. Colorado has won five straight and captured its first series from an NL West opponent this season.

Karl Kauffman (2-4) won the opener.

WHITE SOX 7, TWINS 6

CHICAGO (AP) — Eloy Jiménez and Gavin Sheets homered during Chicago’s five-run first inning and the White Sox beat Pablo López and Minnesota.

Touki Toussaint (4-7) struck out eight in five effective innings as lowly Chicago stopped a four-game slide. Tim Anderson had three hits and started a key double play in the seventh. Tanner Banks got his first career save.

Minnesota had won three of four. With the loss and Cleveland’s 2-1 victory over Texas, the Twins’ magic number for winning the AL Central title remained seven.

López (10-8) allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings, falling to 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA in his last 10 starts.

BREWERS 9, NATIONALS 5

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mark Canha hit a tiebreaking grand slam off Kyle Finnegan with two outs in the eighth inning and NL Central-leading Milwaukee beat Washington.

The Brewers bounced back after blowing a four-run lead and won for the 13th time in their last 15 home games.

Washington had rallied to tie it on Jake Alu’s two-out bloop hit off Joel Payamps (6-4) in the top of the eighth after trailing 5-1 in the sixth against All-Star Corbin Burnes. Finnegan dropped to 7-5.

Tyrone Taylor also homered for Milwaukee.

PHILLIES 6, CARDINALS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 44th homer, sparking Philadelphia past St. Louis.

Schwarber’s three-run homer came on a 2-2 pitch in the fifth inning, extending the Phillies’ lead to 5-1. The homer snapped a 0-for-16 slump for Schwarber, who sports a .197 season average. He hiked his RBIs total to 97.

Philadelphia leads the NL wild-card race, beginning the night with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Chicago Cubs.

Venezuelan left-hander Ranger Suárez (3-6) picked up the win with six innings of work. Miles Mikolas (7-12) was the loser.

GUARDIANS 2, RANGERS 1

CLEVELAND (AP) — Steven Kwan drove in Bo Naylor following Tyler Freeman’s tying single in the eighth inning, rallying Cleveland past Texas.

The Rangers, who remain in the second AL wild-card position, dropped their second straight in the series. They entered the day a half-game behind first-place Houston and one game ahead of third-place Seattle in the AL West.

Reynaldo López (3-7) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his major league-best 41st save. Will Smith (2-6) was the loser.

ROYALS 10, ASTROS 8

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kyle Isbel’s bunt single highlighted a three-run seventh in Kansas City’s victory over Houston.

Reliever Hector Neris (6-3) flipped head over heels trying to glove Isbel’s squeeze bunt RBI hit in the seventh inning. Breaking a 6-all tie, the Royals added two more runs, aided by third baseman Alex Bregman’s throwing error.

With Texas losing 2-1 at Cleveland, Houston maintained a half-game lead in the American League West despite the loss.

Logan Porter capped Kansas City’s scoring with his first major league home run in the eighth. James McArthur (1-0) struck out two for his first major league victory.

BLUE JAYS 4, RED SOX 3, 13 INNINGS

TORONTO (AP) — Whit Merrifield singled in the 13th inning to lift Toronto past Boston.

Merrifield’s infield single off Mauricio Llovera (1-3) drove in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from third base. Chad Green (3-0) pitched an inning for the victory.

Guerrero hit a solo home run and reached base five times as the Blue Jays ensured they would not lose ground in the AL wild-card race. Toronto began the day a half- game behind Seattle for the third wild-card spot.

Rafael Devers hit his 32nd homer for Boston. The Red Sox lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

PADRES 5, ATHLETICS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Juan Soto hit a sacrifice fly and drew a bases-loaded walk, Matt Waldron struck out five pitching into the sixth for his first major league victory and San Diego secured a series win for manager Bob Melvin against his former Oakland club.

Soto put the Padres on the board in the first on the sacrifice fly and Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI single one batter later to stake San Diego to a quick lead in support of Waldron (1-3). Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 29th save.

Mason Miller (0-3) was the loser.

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