BALTIMORE (AP) — Seth Brown hit a pair of solo homers, rookie Adrián Martínez threw six innings of three-hit ball and Oakland stalled Baltimore’s playoff surge by taking the game 5-0 on Sunday.
The Orioles fell 2 1/2 games behind Toronto in the race for the American League’s third wild-card spot.
Martínez (4-3) was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 28, for his fourth stint with Oakland this year. He finished with four strikeouts and two walks and retired 10 consecutive batters.
Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the second on a run-scoring single by Sheldon Neuse off Spenser Watkins (4-6).
BLUE JAYS 4, PIRATES 3
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Teoscar Hernandez delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a three-game sweep.
Hernandez lined a shot up the middle against Duane Underwood Jr. (1-5) with two outs to push Toronto in front and the bullpen did the rest. The Blue Jays improved to a season-best 14 games over .500 to maintain their hold on the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.
Toronto begins a four-game series against Baltimore, which is chasing Toronto for a postseason berth, starting Monday at Camden Yards.
Hernandez and Christian Kirk had two hits apiece for Toronto, which has won five of six and 12 of 17. Cavan Biggio hit his fifth home of the season and second in five days for the Blue Jays.
Ross Stripling (7-4) allowed three runs on two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in six innings. Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano collected his 30th save.
Rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz hit his 12th home run for the Pirates, and Josh VanMeter added a two-run double for Pittsburgh, but the Pirates mustered little else.
RED SOX 5, RANGERS 2
BOSTON (AP) — Trevor Story hit a three-run homer over the Green Monster, Xander Bogaerts had his eighth straight multi-hit game and Boston completed a four-game sweep over Texas.
The Red Sox now have a five-game winning streak as they’re trying to climb back into the AL’s wild-card chase. The Rangers have lost eight straight.
Bogaerts had an RBI double and run-scoring single in his three hits. His stretch is the longest for a Boston player since Kevin Youkilis tied the club record with nine in 2007.
Adolis García had an RBI double for Texas, which lost for the 15th time in its last 18 games in Fenway Park and fell to a season-worst 17 games under .500.
Reliever Kaleb Ort (1-1) was credited with his first MLB victory, and John Schreiber got the final three outs for his seventh save.
Rangers starter Dane Dunning (3-8) took the loss and is winless in his last 26 road starts, the majors’ longest active streak. His only career road victory came Sept. 9, 2020 with the White Sox.
NATIONALS 7, METS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — César Hernández hit his first homer in more than a year in Washington’s victory over New York.
The last-place Nationals took two of three in the series.
Luis García had an RBI single in the first inning, then the Nationals scored four unearned runs against Carlos Carrasco (13-6) in the third after second baseman Jeff McNeil’s error led to two-run singles by Keibert Ruiz and Ildemaro Vargas.
Hernández’s drive was his first since Aug. 26, 2021, a span of 155 games. Entering Sunday, only the Los Angeles Angels’ Magneuris Sierra (223 games) and the Cleveland Guardians’ Myles Straw (157 games) had gone longer without homering among active players.
Erick Fedde (6-9) gave up one run — McNeil’s second-inning sacrifice fly — over six innings and earned his first win since June 21.
ROCKIES 8, REDS 4, GAME 1
CINCINNATI (AP) — Charlie Blackmon’s pinch-hit two-run single highlighted a four-run seventh for Colorado, and C.J. Cron hit a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Rockies a win over Cincinnati in the first game of a doubleheader.
Rookie left-hander Nick Lodolo tied a career-high with nine strikeouts, TJ Friedl homered twice and Jonathan India hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati. Joe Kuhnel (2-3) took the loss.
Rockies starter German Marquez (8-10) allowed just one hit through the first five innings — Friedl’s solo homer to lead off the fourth. Friedl went deep off Marquez again in the sixth for his first career multi-home run game.
The Reds got back within one on India’s two-run homer off Carlos Esteves in the eighth. But Cron slammed the door with his 25th home run, a two-run shot off Art Warren.
