NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton lined a laser beam of a home run, Aaron Judge added a three-run shot and the New York Yankees powered past the Texas Rangers 7-1 on Tuesday night to keep pace in the crowded AL wild-card chase.
Joey Gallo also went deep — against his former team — and Luis Severino closed with two shutout innings in his first major league appearance since the 2019 AL Championship Series. New York remained a half-game behind Toronto for the final American League playoff spot.
Jordan Montgomery (6-6) struck out six in 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, giving up one or less for the eighth time in his last 10 starts. Anthony Rizzo had an RBI single and scored both times after he was hit by a pitch.
Starter Dane Dunning (5-9) took the loss.
BLUE JAYS 4, RAYS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie Alek Manoah rebounded from early control issues to last six innings and Toronto beat AL East-leading Tampa Bay to improve to a major league-best 16-4 in September.
Toronto maintained a half-game lead lead over the New York Yankees for the second AL wild card. Tampa Bay, closing in on its second straight division title, began the day seven games ahead of second-place Boston.
Manoah (7-2) allowed two runs and five hits. stuck out seven and walked six. Jordan Romano earned his 20th save in 21 chances.
Bo Bichette gave Toronto a 3-2 lead with his 98th RBI, a sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Nick Anderson (0-1) as Toronto took a 3-2 lead.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. connected on his career-high 21st homer leading off the fifth for Toronto.
TIGERS 5, WHITE SOX 3
DETROIT — Akil Baddoo and Victor Reyes drove in two runs apiece and Detroit stalled Chicago’s drive for the AL Central title.
The magic number for the White Sox to clinch the division remained at two games.
Reyes had four of Detroit’s 16 hits. Daz Cameron reached base four times and scored two runs for the Tigers, who have won the first two games of the three-game series.
Bryan Garcia (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Detroit starter Tyler Alexander, who went five innings. Michael Fulmer got the last four outs for his 11th save.
Jace Fry (0-1) gave up three runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief of White Sox starter Dallas Keuchel, who also lasted five innings. Luis Robert led Chicago’s offense with two hits and two RBIs.
INDIANS 4, ROYALS 1
CLEVELAND — Yu Chang hit a bases-loaded triple off left fielder Andrew Benintendi’s glove in the first inning, leading Cal Quantrill and Cleveland over Kansas City.
Ernie Clement homered as the second-place Indians kept Chicago’s magic number for clinching the AL Central at two. Cleveland hosts the White Sox in a five-game series beginning Thursday.
Quantrill (7-3) worked 6 2/3 innings, striking out six and allowing one run on Hunter Dozier’s homer in the seventh. Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
Daniel Lynch (4-6) allowed four runs on four hits in six innings, walking three, hitting Chang with a pitch and striking out five.
PIRATES 6, REDS 2
CINCINNATI — Ben Gamel homered, Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits and Pittsburgh dampened Cincinnati’s fading postseason hopes.
Gamel hit his eighth home run in the fourth inning to erase the Reds’ early lead. Hayes singled to score Hoy Park, and Cole Tucker sent Hayes home with a single.
Mitch Keller (5-11) pitched out of trouble with the aid of two double plays to hold off the Reds. He matched his season high with 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and won for the first time since Aug. 20.
Cincinnati is chasing St. Louis for the second NL wild card. The Reds trailed by three games entering Tuesday.
The Reds failed to get a hit in key situations, scoring on a double play with runners at the corner and TJ Friedl’s bases loaded sacrifice fly.
Tyler Mahle (12-6) was relieved after 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits.
NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 1
MIAMI — Josh Rogers pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball and Washington beat Miami.
Rogers (2-0) scattered five hits, struck out four and walked two in his longest outing since joining the club Sept. 4.
Juan Soto and rookie Keibert Ruiz had two hits and an RBI each for the Nationals (62-89), who closed within two games of Miami (64-87) for fourth in the NL East. Sixth-inning, run-scoring singles from Ruiz, Yadiel Hernández, Jordy Mercer and Luis García gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead.
Trevor Rogers (7-8) took the loss, allowing four runs — one earned — and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out a career-high 10 and walked two. Nick Fortes homered for Miami.
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