NEW YORK — On a Roberto Clemente Day particularly meaningful to both of them, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco propelled the New York Mets past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 on Thursday night to extend their slim lead in the NL East.
Lindor launched his 24th home run to set a Mets season record for shortstops, and Carrasco (15-6) struck out 11 in six splendid innings as New York moved a game ahead of idle Atlanta.
Slumping designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach drove in three runs against his former team, and pinch-hitter Mark Vientos had an RBI single for his first major league hit.
Breaking out early at the plate in the opener of a four-game series, the Mets halted a five-game home losing streak and rebounded from a three-game sweep by the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field.
Michael Chavis had an RBI double in the second for the last-place Pirates. JT Brubaker (3-12) was tagged for five runs and seven hits over three innings before leaving with discomfort in his right lat muscle. He is day-to-day.
RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 0
TORONTO — Yandy Díaz hit a three-run home run and Tampa — starting an unprecedented nine Latin American players on Roberto Clemente Day — routed Toronto to pull within a half-game of the Blue Jays in the wild-card chase.
Clemente, the late Hall of Fame outfielder from Puerto Rico, was a two-time World Series winner and NL MVP who played 18 seasons with Pittsburgh.
Activated off the injured list after missing 15 games because of a left shoulder impingement, Shane McClanahan (12-5) pitched five shutout innings. He allowed three hits, struck out five and walked one.
Isaac Paredes hit a solo home run and added an RBI single as the Rays (80-63) won the fifth and final game of the series. Toronto (81-63) will play a four-game series at Tampa Bay, starting next Thursday.
Seattle (80-62), which holds one of the three AL wild-card spots, was idle Thursday, but moved percentage points ahead of Toronto.
Díaz homered in a four-run second inning, his ninth. Paredes made it 5-0 with a leadoff blast in the seventh, his 19th
Kevin Gausman (12-10) was the loser.
ASTROS 5, ATHLETICS 2
HOUSTON — Aledmys Díaz hit a two-run homer, Lance McCullers Jr. had a solid start and Houston beat Oakland for its fifth straight victory.
At 94-50, American League-leading Houston’s magic number to clinch a postseason spot is one. The Astros are 13-3 in their last 16 games.
Díaz broke a 2-2 tie in seventh inning, roping an 84-mph slider from Joel Payamps (3-6) into the left-field Crawford Boxes. Díaz has 11 homers this season.
McCullers had 11 strikeouts — his most since July 29, 2018 — and held Oakland to two hits and two runs while walking four.
Seth Martinez (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh, and Rafael Montero worked the ninth for his 13th save.
WHITE SOX 8, GUARDIANS 2
CLEVELAND — Elvis Andrus hit one of Chicago’s five home runs off rookie Hunter Gaddis — and backed up a pregame swipe at the Guardians —to help cut Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central to three games.
Andrus connected in the fifth inning off Gaddis (0-2) — the first Cleveland pitcher to allow five homers in a game since Luis Tiant in 1969.
On Wednesday, Andrus raised some eyebrows by telling reporters he expected the first-place Guardians “to crumble, the closer we get.”
Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer in the second to start Chicago’s homer spree against Gaddis, and Andrew Vaughn, Yoán Moncada and Yasmani Grandal joined Andrus by hitting shots off the right-hander.
Lance Lynn (7-5) limited the Guardians to two run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 5-0 in his last seven starts. Cleveland had its winning streak stopped at six.
REDS 3, CARDINALS 2
ST. LOUIS — Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino hit solo home runs and Cincinnati beat NL Central-leading St. Louis to snap a six-game losing streak in the opener of a five-game series.
St. Louis made it interesting in the ninth against rookie reliever Alexis Diaz, loading the bases with one out on two singles and walk before pulling within a run on a sacrifice fly by Albert Pujols. Diaz then got pinch-hitter Cory Dickerson to ground out to end the game and earn his seventh save.
Aquino and Spencer Steer each had two hits for the Reds.
Pujols finished 0 for 3 and remained at 697 career home runs. He is fourth on the career list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).
Cincinnati starter Chase Anderson (1-3) was the winner. Miles Mikolas (11-12) took the loss.
MARLINS 5, PHILLIES 3
MIAMI — Kyle Schwarber hit his NL-leading 38th homer for Philadelphia in the playoff-contending Phillies’ loss to Miami.
Schwarber connected off Pablo López in the sixth with a solo shot to right-center.
Miami rookie Jordan Groshans hit his first major league homer and Bryan De La Cruz also went deep and had four RBIs.
López (9-10) completed 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits. Dylan Floro pitched the ninth for his fifth save. Noah Syndergaad (9-10) was the loser.
TWINS 3, ROYALS 2
MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa’s solo home run in the first inning and Nick Gordon’s two-run shot in the second were enough for Minnesota to beat Kansas City for a three-game sweep.
The Twins (72-70) pulled within four games of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central.
Trevor Megill (4-3), who threw the first of five scoreless innings by five Twins relievers, picked up the victory with a perfect fifth. Jhoan Duran got his seventh save with a tense ninth,
Royals starter Daniel Lynch (4-11) was the loser.