BALTIMORE (AP) — Zach Eflin and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, Brandon Lowe and Harold Ramírez homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 on Friday night to pull into a virtual tie atop the AL East.
Tampa Bay, which has won 18 of 24, has erased a season-high four-game deficit in a span of six days thanks in part to winning the first two of a four-game series against Baltimore.
Heston Kjerstad homered leading off the sixth — his first major league hit — for the Orioles, who have dropped four in a row to match their longest skid of the season. Baltimore (91-56) still leads the Rays (92-57) by percentage points in the division race.
Kjerstad's homer was the only hit allowed by Eflin (15-8), who leads the AL in victories. He struck out eight in seven innings.
Jack Flaherty (8-9) took the loss.
BREWERS 5, NATIONALS 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Carlos Santana hit two solo homers and William Contreras added a three-run shot as Milwaukee rallied to beat Washington.
The Brewers erased a 3-0 deficit in the fifth on consecutive homers by Contreras and Santana off Jake Irvin (3-6). Irvin allowed four runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings, but walked five.
Santana opened the eighth with his 21st homer for his 1,000th career RBI.
The Nationals tagged Wade Miley (8-4) for three runs in the first inning on Lane Thomas' solo homer and RBI doubles by Carter Kieboom and Ildemaro Vargas. But after the first, Miley did not give up another hit until a two-out single in the sixth.
Devin Williams struck out the side in the ninth for his 35th save in 39 opportunities.
ROYALS 4, ASTROS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr., Nelson Velazquez and Michael Massey homered, Angel Zerpa gave up one run over four innings and Kansas City beat Houston.
Salvador Perez gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Velazquez homered to center in the fourth to make it 2-0. In the fifth inning, Witt homered to left for a 3-0 lead.
The Astros got one back after a single by Jeremy Pena and a double by Yordan Alvarez in the sixth.
Eflin, two relievers, limit the Orioles to 2 hits in 7-1 win to draw even in AL East
Massey gave the Royals some insurance with his 14th homer of the season in the eighth inning.
Zerpa (2-3) came on in relief of Zack Greinke and threw four innings, allowing one run on two hits, one walk and striking out five. Taylor Clarke gave up a homer in the ninth to Jose Abreu, but still recorded his first save.
Cristian Javier (9-4) allowed two earned runs over five innings while allowing a walk and striking out six.
ROCKIES 3, GIANTS 2
DENVER (AP) — Chase Anderson worked seven hitless innings and Colorado took a combined no-hit bid into the ninth before Nolan Jones scored the game-ending run on a throwing error to beat San Francisco.
The Giants didn't get a hit until J.D. Davis led off the ninth with a double off Nick Mears.
San Francisco's Logan Webb took a shutout into the eighth, when he gave up a tying RBI single to Ezequiel Tovar.
Wilmer Flores drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Giants ahead 2-1 in the top of the ninth.
Charlie Blackmon led off the bottom half with a double off Camilo Doval (6-5). After a walk to Jones, Elehuris Montero hit a grounder to left for a single. Mike Yastrzemski's throw home was short and bounced past catcher Bailey as Blackmon scored, and Jones raced home with the winning run.
Matt Koch (2-1) got the final out of the ninth for the Rockies.
GUARDIANS 12, RANGERS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) — Lucas Giolito struck out a season-high 12 over seven scoreless innings, Josh Naylor and Andrés Giménez each drove in three runs, and Cleveland beat Texas to snap the Rangers' six-game winning streak.
Giolito (8-13) allowed two hits and one walk. The right-hander had lost his previous five starts, and was 1-8 with a 6.99 ERA in 12 outings.
Naylor matched his career high with four hits and Giménez hit a two-run homer off right-hander Jon Gray (8-8), who allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings and is winless in six starts since Aug. 11.
Will Brennan had a two-run double in the sixth, when Cleveland scored five times to go up 9-0.
Texas got on the board in the ninth when Sam Huff homered.
YANKEES 7, PIRATES 5
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres scored when a potential game-ending double play turned into a game-turning error as New York rallied past Pittsburgh.
The Yankees trailed by two in the ninth before taking advantage of some shaky pitching by Colin Holderman (0-3) and some sloppy defense by the Pirates.
New York drew within one when Holderman walked Estevan Florial with the bases loaded and one out. Anthony Volpe hit a chopper to Pittsburgh shortstop Liover Peguero, who flipped the ball to second baseman Ji Hwan Bae for one out. But Bae's throw to first baseman Connor Joe deflected off Joe's glove, allowing Torres and Judge to race home and put the Yankees in front.
Oswaldo Cabrera's RBI single gave the Yankees some breathing room. Clay Holmes worked a perfect ninth for his 20th save. Nick Ramirez (1-2) earned the win by pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Ke'Bryan Hayes had three hits, including a two-run single in the sixth inning, for Pittsburgh.
REDS 5, METS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan India hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and Cincinnati beat New York to keep pace in the tight National League wild-card race.
Grant Hartwig (4-2) plunked Luke Maile leading off the seventh. India then homered on a 2-2 pitch.
Pete Alonso had tied it for New York in the sixth with a 425-foot shot to left against Hunter Greene.
Lucas Sims (6-3) got the last out in the sixth. Alexis Díaz inherited a two-out, one-on jam and earned his 37th save — tied for the most in the NL — by retiring all five batters he faced.
Noelvi Marte went 3 for 4 and Spencer Steer hit a two-run shot in the sixth.
Greene allowed four hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings.
MARLINS 9, BRAVES 6
MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez homered twice and Jacob Stallings had two doubles, the second a go-ahead line drive with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Miami beat Atlanta.
In their first game since winning the division title Wednesday, the Braves lost star slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. after 7 1/2 innings because of right calf tightness. Acuña felt discomfort when he grounded into a double play to end the top of the inning.
Jake Burger and Garrett Hampson each had two hits for the Marlins.
Down 6-4, the Marlins rallied with a five-run seventh against Pierce Johnson and Brad Hand (4-2). Arraez's solo shot off Johnson cut it to 6-5 and Stallings drove in three runs with his shot to the corner in left.
A.J. Puk (6-5) struck out three in 1 1/3 innings of relief for the win. Tanner Scott worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run single for the Braves in the sixth.
BLUE JAYS 3, RED SOX 0
TORONTO (AP) — José Berríos and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a three-run home run and Toronto beat Boston to snap a four-game losing streak.
Berríos (11-10) allowed all five hits and struck out eight over seven innings.
Jordan Hicks worked the eighth and Jordan Romano finished Toronto's 14th shutout, earning his 35th save in 38 chances.
Justin Turner had two hits for the Red Sox, but Boston (74-74) has lost eight of 10 and is at .500 for the first time since they were 43-43 on July 4. With the Yankees beating Pittsburgh, Boston dropped into last place in the AL East.
Boston right-hander Brayan Bello (12-9) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out a career-high 10.
TWINS 10, WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Royce Lewis set a franchise record with his fourth grand slam of the season in Minnesota's victory over Chicago.
Matt Wallner, Max Kepler, Willi Castro and Ryan Jeffers added RBI singles to help the Twins (78-70) maintain their eight-game lead in the AL Central over the Cleveland Guardians.
Minnesota got to Chicago early with help from Lewis in the second inning. The Twins loaded the bases with two outs before the rookie followed with a homer to left field for a 4-0 lead.
Bailey Ober (7-6) was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday and made his first start since Aug. 27. He went five innings and gave up two runs on five hits.
White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens (1-9) pitched four innings and gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks.
Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer for Chicago in the fifth.
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