the associated press ADVERTISING the associated press SEATTLE — J.A. Happ became the major leagues’ second 20-game winner and Russell Martin and Michael Saunders each hit a two-run homer, lifting Toronto over Seattle to move into first in the AL
the associated press
SEATTLE — J.A. Happ became the major leagues’ second 20-game winner and Russell Martin and Michael Saunders each hit a two-run homer, lifting Toronto over Seattle to move into first in the AL wild-card race.
Toronto took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning and moved a game ahead of Baltimore. Detroit remained 2 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays.
Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games to fall four games behind Toronto.
Happ (20-4) allowed two runs, six hits and a walk over five innings, striking out eight while winning for the 14th time in his last 15 decisions. He’s the first Toronto pitcher to reach 20 wins since Roy Halladay in 2008.
Martin and Saunders each homered off Hisashi Iwakuma (16-12) during the Blue Jays’ big inning.
GIANTS 2,
DODGERS 0
LOS ANGELES — Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Belt homered to help San Francisco overcome injuries to All-Star pitcher Johnny Cueto and shortstop Brandon Crawford.
San Francisco pulled into a three-way tie for first place in the NL wild-card standings with the Mets and Cardinals. The Giants are five games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers with 11 to play.
Cueto exited with a strained left groin in the sixth inning. Crawford came out with a dislocated left pinky in the second.
ASTROS 2,
ATHLETICS 1,
10 INNINGS
OAKLAND, Calif. — George Springer hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning, and Houston beat Oakland.
Tony Kemp, who tied it with a pinch-hit double in the seventh, got things going with a leadoff double against Sean Doolittle (2-3) and Jake Marisnick sacrificed him to third to bring up Springer.
Chris Devenski (4-4) struck out four in 3 2-3 innings of relief for the win, and Ken Giles escaped a bases-loaded jam and closed it out for his 13th save. The Astros remain in the mix for the AL wild card.
YANKEES 5, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie slugger Gary Sanchez hit his 17th homer in 42 games this season, a three-run shot in a four-run seventh inning for the Yankees.
The banged-up Yankees are 3 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card.
Sanchez gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead with his drive off Brad Boxberger (4-3).
TIGERS 8, TWINS 1
MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Boyd breezed through eight innings, backed by home runs from James McCann and Miguel Cabrera, and Detroit stepped forward in the AL wild-card race.
With Baltimore’s loss to Boston, the Tigers cut the deficit between them and the second spot to 1 1/2 games with 12 to go.
Boyd (6-4) allowed three hits, including Robbie Grossman’s seventh-inning homer.
CARDINALS 10, ROCKIES 5
DENVER — Adam Wainwright was shaky on the mound and shined at the plate with a career-high four RBIs, helping St. Louis move into a three-way tie for the top NL wild card.
The free-swinging Wainwright lined a two-run double in the second inning and brought in two more with a bloop single in the fifth. Matt Adams and Jedd Gyorko homered to help the Cardinals pull even with the New York Mets, who lost at home to last-place Atlanta for the second straight night.
INDIANS 2,
ROYALS 1
CLEVELAND — Pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer hit a game-ending RBI single, helping Cleveland inch closer to the AL Central title.
Guyer’s two-out hit off Joakim Soria landed just fair in the right-field corner and scored Coco Crisp. Guyer was the third pinch hitter of the inning used by manager Terry Francona.
Cleveland leads Detroit by seven games in the division. The Indians haven’t won the AL Central since 2007.
RANGERS 5,
ANGELS 4
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rookie Nomar Mazara hit his 20th homer in another testy game with multiple ejections and the Rangers moved closer to their second consecutive AL West title.
Texas (90-62) cut its magic number to two to clinch the seventh division title in franchise history.
Mazara hit a 438-foot drive off rookie Daniel Wright (0-4), a two-run shot in the fourth that put the Rangers up 4-3.
MARLINS 1, NATIONALS 0
MIAMI — Giancarlo Stanton homered to back a strong outing by Jose Fernandez, who pitched eight innings and struck out 12 for the Marlins.
Fernandez (16-8) allowed three hits without a walk to outduel Washington’s Tanner Roark (15-9) who pitched seven innings and allowed one run.
David Phelps pitched the ninth for his fourth save in 10 chances.
The Nationals were held to four hits in their fourth consecutive loss.
BRAVES 5,
METS 4
NEW YORK — Mets nemesis Julio Teheran pitched seven more sparkling innings and the last-place Braves blunted New York’s bid to extend its NL wild-card lead.
The Mets nicked the Braves’ bullpen for three runs in the eighth but couldn’t complete the comeback. The Braves have the worst record in the NL, yet have won four straight.
CUBS 6,
REDS 1
CHICAGO — Jon Lester overcame an injury scare to throw seven strong innings, and the Cubs moved closer to securing the NL’s best record.
Lester (18-4) extended his scoreless streak to 21 innings before Jose Peraza’s RBI triple in the fifth. He stayed in after Joey Votto’s comebacker in the sixth left him with a welt on the wrist of his glove hand.
PIRATES 6,
BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE — Andrew McCutchen, Jody Mercer and Josh Bell each drove in two runs, and Pittsburgh kept its faint playoff hopes alive.
The Pirates have won fifth of six to improve to .500 (75-75) for the first time since they were 69-69 on Sept. 8.
PHILLIES 7,
WHITE SOX 6
PHILADELPHIA — Odubel Herrera homered and drove in three runs, leading Philadelphia to the win.
Tommy Joseph and Roman Quinn added two hits apiece and combined to drive in three runs for the Phillies. Herrera, who hits between Joseph and Quinn in the lineup, is 15 for 28 in his last seven games.
PADRES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 2
SAN DIEGO — Adam Rosales homered and drove in four runs and rookie Ryan Schimpf scored three times to lead San Diego.
The start of the game was delayed 70 minutes by rain. It was only the seventh delay in Petco Park’s 13-season history, the sixth because of rain. The other one was due to a swarm of bees during a game in 2009.
