Chris Tillman pitched six impressive innings in his return from the disabled list, and Michael Bourn and Jonathan Schoop homered off Justin Verlander to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-1 victory in Detroit on Sunday.
Baltimore, which will travels to Fenway Park on Monday for a three-game series with the Red Sox, moved two games ahead of Detroit in the postseason race. The Orioles entered the day in position to be the American League’s second wild card.
Tillman (16-5) allowed a run and four hits after being activated before the game. He hadn’t pitched since Aug. 20 because of right shoulder bursitis.
Three relievers finished for the Orioles, with Zach Britton pitching the ninth for his 41st save in 41 chances. Britton retired pinch-hitter Casey McGehee with two on for the final out, taking sole possession of the AL saves lead.
Verlander (14-8) lasted only five innings, ending his streak of 11 straight quality starts.
The Orioles lead the majors with 226 home runs, but Bourn has only two of them. His two-run shot off Verlander in the third opened the scoring.
Bourn is 14 for 37 (.378) in his career off Verlander, but this was the first time he'd gone deep against the Detroit righthander.
Rays 4, Yankees 2 — Corey Dickerson hit a two-run homer, Matt Andriese won for the first time since June, and visiting Tampa Bay slowed New York’s playoff charge by ending its winning streak at seven games.
Logan Forsythe and Brad Miller also went deep for the last-place Rays, who had lost three straight and six of seven. But they prevented a four-game sweep behind Andriese (7-7) and Chase Whitley, who tossed two innings of relief in his Tampa Bay debut after returning from Tommy John surgery.
Chase Headley homered and Brett Gardner had an RBI single among his three hits for the Yankees, who began the day three games behind first-place Boston in the AL East and one back of Baltimore for the league’s second wild card.
Angels 3, Rangers 2 — Andrelton Simmons hit two solo home runs and Yunel Escobar hit a leadoff home run in the first inning, sending Jered Weaver (11-11) and host Los Angeles over Texas.
Adrian Beltre hit two home runs for the AL West-leading Rangers. It was his fourth multihomer game of the season and the 31st of his career.
Weaver (11-11) gave up four hits in 6⅔ innings, striking out a season-high eight.
Andrew Bailey pitched a perfect ninth to earn his third save. He was released by the Phillies Aug. 6 and signed by the Angels a week later.
Colby Lewis (6-2), making his first start since going on the disabled list June 21 with a strained lat, gave up all three homers in 5⅓ innings.
Mets 10, Braves 3 — Yoenis Cespedes hit a grand slam and Seth Lugo won his fourth straight start as New York won in Atlanta.
The Mets have won seven of eight and are 16-5 since Aug. 20.
They began the day one-half game back in the NL wild-card race.
Lugo (4-2) allowed six hits, two runs and one walk and struck out five in seven innings. The rookie is 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in five career starts. He joined the rotation Aug. 19.
Cespedes’s 30th homer, which cleared the bases in the third, was his second grand slam this season. He has four in his career. Cespedes is hitting .308 with eight homers and 19 RBIs since Aug. 19.
Brewers 2, Cardinals 1 — Ryan Braun hit a solo home run in the ninth inning as visiting Milwaukee dropped St. Louis back in the NL wild-card race.
The Cardinals are a half-game behind the Mets for the second wild-card slot.
Braun connected off Kevin Siegrist (5-3) for his 27th homer of the season.
St. Louis had tied it in the eighth when Matt Carpenter doubled and scored on Stephen Piscotty’s sacrifice fly off Tyler Thornburg (6-5).
Indians 7, Twins 1 — Corey Kluber struck out 10 in seven innings and Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer to help visiting Cleveland.
Kluber (16-9) gave up an unearned run and four hits while passing the 200-strikeout mark for the third straight season. Bob Feller, Gaylord Perry, and Sam McDowell are the only other Indians to accomplish that feat.
Kluber reached at least 10 strikeouts in a game for the third time this season and improved to 7-1 since the All-Star break. It was his 24th 10-strikeout game, tying him with Luis Tiant for fourth on the Indians’ career list.
Roberto Perez added two hits, including a triple, and drove in a run for the Indians, who increased their lead in the AL Central to seven games over Detroit.
Jose Berrios (2-6) lasted just 2⅔ innings for the Twins, who committed four errors and managed just five hits. Berrios gave up five runs — three earned — and three hits. He walked four and had an errant pickoff throw in another shaky outing for the excitable 22-year-old.
Giants 5, Diamondbacks 3 — Matt Moore struck out 11 in seven innings, Hunter Pence hit a two-run double, and San Francisco completed a series sweep of host Arizona.
The Giants pulled within three games of NL West-leading Los Angeles and moved two games clear of St. Louis for the top spot in the NL wild-card standings.
Moore (10-11) gave up two runs and eight hits, striking out four straight batters at one point. The Giants swept a road series from Arizona for the second time this season and sent the Diamondbacks to their sixth straight loss.
Royals 2, White Sox 0 — Ian Kennedy (11-9) and three relievers combined on a two-hitter as visiting Kansas City beat Chris Sale (15-8).
Kendrys Morales homered on Sale’s first pitch of the second and Eric Hosmer did the same in the fourth. The Royals won their second straight to stay four games behind Baltimore for the final AL wild-card spot.
Sale struck out 12 in eight innings while becoming the first White Sox pitcher with four consecutive 200-strikeout seasons. It was his third game of 10 or more strikeouts this season and No. 34 for his career. But Sale, who has gone at least eight innings in five straight starts, has just one win since starting for the AL in the All-Star Game.
Marlins 3, Dodgers 0 — Jose Urena pitched 8⅔ innings of four-hit ball for host Miami.
Christian Yelich had two hits and drove in a run for the Marlins, who have won three of four. Justin Bour also drove in a run.
Urena (4-6) retired the first 14 batters he faced. He struck out four and walked none while throwing 71 of 108 pitches for strikes.
The 24-year-old Urena was lifted after giving up a base hit to Josh Reddick with two outs in the ninth. A.J. Ramos got the final out for his 34th save in 37 chances.
The Marlins have not had a pitcher toss a shutout since Henderson Alvarez accomplished the feat against Tampa Bay on June 3, 2014. It’s the longest current drought in the majors.
Reds 8, Pirates 0 — Tyler Holt and Brandon Phillips had three hits apiece, helping Brandon Finnegan and visiting Cincinnati beat reeling Pittsburgh.
Holt drove in three runs and Phillips scored three times as last-place Cincinnati (60-82) closed the four-game set with three straight wins. Pittsburgh (69-72) has dropped 11 of 13 to fall off the pace in the NL wild-card race.
Pirates center fielder Gregory Polanco was ejected by umpire Pat Hoberg for arguing balls and strikes in the third inning. It was Polanco’s first career ejection.
Finnegan (9-10) struck out seven in five innings, but allowed five hits and walked five. Jumbo Diaz then pitched two innings and Ross Ohlendorf and Wandy Peralta each got three outs, completing a seven-hitter.
Nationals 3, Phillies 2 — Gio Gonzalez (11-9) pitched seven sharp innings and Anthony Rendon doubled home the tiebreaking run for host Washington.
Gonzalez gave up one run on four hits, striking out five with one walk. He bounced back from a rough outing against Atlanta in his last start when he allowed six runs in three innings.
It was 1-all when Bryce Harper drew a leadoff walk from starter Adam Morgan (2-10) to open the seventh. Rendon then doubled to the wall in left-center off reliever Edubray Ramos and later scored on a passed ball by catcher A.J. Ellis.
Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his 41st save and 11th with Washington.
Rockies 3, Padres 2 — Mark Reynolds homered leading off the 10th inning as Colorado won in San Diego.
Charlie Blackmon also homered for the Rockies, his 25th, and hit an RBI single.
Reynolds’s homer was the 250th of his career and 13th of the season. It came on a 2-and-2 pitch from Kevin Quackenbush (7-6).
Mariners 3, Athletics 2 — Ketel Marte hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning as visiting Seattle won its fifth straight game.
The Mariners remained 3½ games behind in the AL wild-card race.
Marte had three hits and Mike Zunino homered and doubled for Seattle.
Zunino doubled off Ryan Madson (5-5) to begin the ninth and pinch runner Ben Gamel moved up on a single by Leonys Martin. Marte followed with his go-ahead single.
Cubs 9, Astros 5 — Addison Russell went 3 for 4, including his 20th home run, and scored three runs, as Chicago roughed up host Houston.
