TORONTO (AP) — Raimel Tapia hit a three-run double, José Berríos pitched six innings to remain unbeaten against Baltimore, and the Toronto Blue Jays strengthened their position atop the AL wild-card standings by beating the Orioles 6-3 on Saturday.
George Springer had two hits and two RBIs, and Matt Chapman drove in a run and scored a run as Toronto improved to 13-4 in September. The Blue Jays have won six of their last seven against Baltimore.
The Blue Jays lead the wild card race ahead of Seattle and Tampa Bay. Baltimore is five games back of the Rays for the last wild card. In the division race, the Blue Jays now trail the Yankees by just 4.5 games with a three-game series between the two clubs still on the schedule later this month.
Berríos (11-5) allowed two runs and seven hits to win his third straight decision. He is 8-0 with a 3.04 ERA in 11 starts against the Orioles. Jordan Romano finished for his 34th save in 38 chances.
Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish (3-7) allowed five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings, his second straight loss.
BREWERS 4, YANKEES 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Willy Adames hit a three-run shot for his 30th homer this season to back Brandon Woodruff as Milwaukee topped New York.
New York’s Aaron Judge went 1 of 3 with a double and a walk to remain at 57 homers. Judge remained four homers from tying Roger Maris’ American League record of 61.
The game included a bizarre moment in the third inning. Catcher Victor Caratini had just received a pitch and was attempting to get the ball back to Woodruff (11-4), but his throw instead struck the left-handed-hitting Marwin Gonzalez on the left side of his head. Gonzalez was examined by a Yankees athletic trainer for a few minutes before getting removed from the game.
Adames opened the scoring in the third inning when he sent a first-pitch sinker from Jameson Taillon (13-5) over the left-field wall.
Devin Williams got his 13th save in 14 opportunities.
ANGELS 2, MARINERS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings, drove in one run and scored another to help Los Angeles beat Seattle.
The Mariners entered the four-game series tied for the top spot in the AL wild-card chase but are now two games behind Toronto Blue Jays and a half game in back of Tampa Bay. Seattle holds the final wild-card spot, five games ahead of Baltimore.
Ohtani (13-8) reached base twice in three at-bats, drove in his 89th run and lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 148 total innings. He gave up three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, and now has 196 strikeouts on the season.
Mariners starter George Kirby (7-4) gave up two runs and four hits over six innings with one walk and eight strikeouts.
RAYS 5, RANGERS 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Taylor Walls homered and six Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a six-hitter to beat Texas.
Tampa Bay remained 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the top AL wild card. The Rays hold a 5 1/2-game advantage over Baltimore, which is fourth in the race for the three wild cards.
Jonah Heim homered and Jon Gray (7-7) allowed two runs and two hits over 4 1/3 innings in his second start for Texas since returning from a left oblique strain.
Heim made it 2-1 with a fourth-inning leadoff homer against Ryan Yarbrough (2-8).
GUARDIANS 5, TWINS 1, GAME 1
GUARDIANS 7, TWINS 6, 15 INNINGS, GAME 2
CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Hedges scored on an error by shortstop Jermaine Palacios in the 15th inning and AL Central-leading Cleveland beat Minnesota for the eighth straight time in the second game of a doubleheader
Amed Rosario, who went 8 for 13 with six RBIs in the twinbill, hit a sharp grounder that Palacios mishandled with two outs. The ball skidded into the outfield, allowing Hedges to score from third and end the 5-hour, 24-minute marathon.
Cleveland, which has won nine of its last 10, opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the Chicago White Sox and is seven games ahead of the third-place Twins.
The ninth Guardians pitcher, Kirk McCarty (5-2), worked three innings for the win. Dereck Rodríguez (0-1) tossed 3 2/3 innings after being recalled from Triple-A St. Paul between games.
CARDINALS 5, REDS 1, GAME 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the Cardinals beat the Reds 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
The 42-year-old Pujols hit career homer No. 698 during Friday night’s 6-5 victory over Cincinnati.
Tommy Edman had three hits for the NL Central-leading Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan each drove in a run.
TJ Friedl hit an RBI double in the seventh to account for Cincinnati’s only run. Mike Minor (4-12) issued five walks in three innings and was charged with five runs and five hits.
St. Louis right-hander Dakota Hudson (8-7) pitched a career-high eight innings of six-hit ball in his first big league start since Aug. 30.
CARDINALS 1, REDS 0, GAME 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew Knizner scored on a throwing error by Reds center fielder Nick Senzel, who was playing third base in a five-man infield in the 11th inning, to give St. Louis the doubleheader sweep.
Senzel’s throw hit Knizner in the back as he was running home. Reds manager David Bell argued with home plate umpire Chad Fairchild that Knizner was running out of the baseline in fair territory, to no avail.
José Quintana allowed two hits, hit a batter, and struck out six in eight innings. St. Louis has gone 8-1 in his nine starts since acquiring him from Pittsburgh on Aug. 1.
METS 5, PIRATES 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Escobar hit an early three-run homer and Chris Bassitt pitched six shutout innings for his 14th win as New York topped Pittsburgh.
New York maintained its one-game lead in the NL East over the Atlanta Braves.
Pete Alonso drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth for his 114th RBI, adding to his NL high. Mets batters were hit by pitches four times, including Jeff McNeil twice.
Bassitt (14-8) permitted three hits and struck out eight.
Rodolfo Castro’s 10th homer of the season in the ninth prevented the Pirates from being shut out for the 15th time. Bryse Wilson (3-9) was charged with loss. He allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings and struck out five.
ATHLETICS 8, ASTROS 5
HOUSTON (AP) — Seth Brown homered and drove in four runs and Cole Irvin overcame a rocky start to help Oakland beat Houston.
Tony Kemp had three hits and scored three runs as Oakland won for the fourth time in 15 games this month, and snapped Houston’s six-game winning streak a day after the Astros clinched a postseason berth.
Brown crushed an 80mph slider off Astros starter José Urquidy in the fifth inning 432 feet to the right-field upper deck for a three-run homer to give the A’s a 6-4 lead. In his next at-bat, he doubled off Will Smith in the seventh to extend the lead to 7-4.
Urquidy (13-7) allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings while striking out six. Houston’s magic number to clinch the AL West remained at four.
DODGERS 7, GIANTS 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trayce Thompson hit a two-run homer to back Julio Urías’ 17th win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2 on Saturday night to notch their 10th 100-win season in franchise history and fourth in six years.
Justin Turner hit a pair of RBI singles among his three hits a day after reaching a career-best 35 doubles for the season.
Urías (17-7) struck out eight with one walk over six innings and improved to 4-1 against San Francisco this season. He allowed two runs on five hits.
Los Angeles pounded 13 more hits after getting nine in the series opener and needed the fewest games to reach 100 wins since the 2001 Seattle Mariners.
Thompson connected for his 11th homer against Sean Hjelle, then the Dodgers hit five straight singles off Hjelle (0-2) to start the third inning before Thompson walked.
ROYALS 9, RED SOX 0
BOSTON (AP) — Brady Singer pitched out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the third and finished with six shutout innings to lead Kansas City over Boston.
Singer (9-4) won his fifth straight decision, allowing five singles and a walk while striking out five.
MJ Melendez and Vinnie Pasquantino had three hits apiece for the Royals; Melendez scored four runs and Pasquantino drove in three. The first four batters in the Kansas City lineup went 10 for 20 with eight RBIs.
Rich Hill (7-7) gave up four runs on eight hits and a balk, striking out four.
WHITE SOX 4, TIGERS 3
DETROIT (AP) — Yoan Moncada hit a tiebreaking single in a two-run 11th inning to give Chicago a win over Detroit.
With the score 2-2, Elvis Andrus reached on a bunt single leading off the 11th. Gregory Soto (2-9) failed to pick up the bunt on the left side of the mound as automatic runner Selby Zavala advanced to third.
Moncada hit an RBI single, José Abreu struck out and, after a double steal, Eloy Jiménez’s sacrifice fly gave Chicago a 4-2 lead.
Pinch-hitter Javier Báez had a two-out, running-scoring single in the bottom half against Aaron Bummer, who retired Spencer Torkelson on a flyout for his second second save.
Liam Hendriks (4-4) retired the side in order in the 10th, a day after giving up Victor Reyes’ game-ending sacrifice fly in the 10th.
NATIONALS 5, MARLINS 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lane Thomas got things started with a leadoff homer for Washington, which ended up with four solo shots in a win over Miami.
The Nationals have the worst record in the majors and entered with an NL-low 122 homers — the AL’s Detroit Tigers were at 91.
After Thomas hit his 16th of the season off Marlins starter Trevor Rogers, Luke Voit took Jeff Brigham (0-1) deep in the third for his 21st. Victor Robles then broke a 3-all tie by connecting off Brigham in the fourth for his fifth homer this year, and Alex Call’s fourth homer came against Cole Sulser in the fifth.
Rogers faced seven batters and threw 32 pitches before leaving in the second with back muscle discomfort.
Hunter Harvey (2-1) pitched a 1-2-3 fifth and was credited with the win. Kyle Finnegan collected his 10th save in 14 chances.
ROCKIES 3, CUBS 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Charlie Blackmon hit a tiebreaking triple and scored in a two-run ninth, and Colorado earned a rare road win by beating Chicago.
Blackmon drove in pinch runner Garrett Hampson with a triple to the right-field corner against Adbert Alzolay (0-1) after C.J. Cron walked with one out. He scored on a single by Elias Díaz, making it 3-1, and the Rockies came away with the win despite a dominant outing by Cubs rookie Hayden Wesneski in his first major league start.
The Rockies won for just the fifth time in their past 18 road games. Ureña allowed one run and seven hits. Daniel Bard came on in the ninth for his 31st save in 34 chances.
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 3
ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered and drove in four runs off Aaron Nola and flashed some fancy defense in right field, lifting Atlanta over Philadelphia.
The victory was dampened because Ozzie Albies broke his right pinky finger when sliding head-first into second base. He had just returned from an 81-game absence Friday because of a broken left foot.
Nola (9-12) made his 200th career start, giving up four runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings. Braves closer Kenley Jansen faced the minimum in the ninth for his 34th save in 41 chances.
Dylan Lee (4-1) got the loss.
PADRES 2, DIAMONDBACKS 0
PHOENIX (AP) — Luis Campusano hit his first homer of the season, Joe Musgrove won for the second time in three months and San Diego beat Arizona.
Campusano’s solo shot capped a two-run fourth and Musgrove (10-7) gave up four hits in six innings before the bullpen took over.
San Diego moved within a half-game of Philadelphia for the second NL wild card and remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the third and final spot.
Nick Martinez tossed two perfect innings in relief and Josh Hader pitched around Jake McCarthy’s one-out single in the ninth for his 33rd save in 36 chances.
Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen (12-3) was the hard-luck loser, giving up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He had won his previous eight starts but took his first loss in 16 starts since June 10.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
