SEATTLE (AP) Texas’ Elvis Andrus had a homer and three doubles to lead the Rangers to a 10-7 win at slumping Seattle on Tuesday, maintaining their comfortable lead atop the American League West division.
The Rangers are 8-1/2 games clear of Houston, which kept up its wildcard bid with a victory at Cleveland. The Indians are now three games behind Texas in the fight for the overall best record in the AL, which could determine home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The AL East is the tightest division fight of all, with Tuesday’s results leaving the top three teams separated by just one game, and with the New York Yankees still in contention after a victory over joint leader Toronto.
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs are still in command despite a loss to Milwaukee.
Texas had a season-high seven doubles among its 15 hits against Seattle, while Jonathan Lucroy added a two-run homer.
Seattle pitcher James Paxton needed 103 pitches just to get through his 4-1/3 innings, and the Mariners are now six games off the wildcard places and drifting out of contention.
Houston ended the long run of wins by Cleveland ace Corey Kluber by beating the Indians 4-3.
Kluber had won his previous seven decisions, but he had a bad sequence of six batters against the Astros, resulting in a three-run homer by Marwin Gonzalez in the second inning.
Gonzalez added two doubles for Houston; a major league-best 13-4 since Aug. 19.
New York’s Brett Gardner made a leaping catch at the top of the left-field wall on Justin Smoak’s bases-loaded drive, delivering the final out as the Yankees hung on to edge Toronto 7-6.
A game with key playoff implications seesawed to the last swing.
The Blue Jays had already scored twice in the ninth when they loaded the bases with one out. Blake Parker, the eighth New York pitcher, became an unlikely closer and produced a strikeout for the second out.
Smoak was up next, and he hit a drive to deep left. Gardner ran back, jumped and controlled the ball at the top of the padding. He immediately leapt in the air to celebrate as the Yankees rushed out to congratulate him.
Milwaukee’s Jonathan Villar homered to start a five-run first inning that laid the foundation of a 12-5 win against the Cubs.
The majors-leading Cubs had won seven of eight but Milwaukee rallied from a 1-0 deficit as its first seven batters reached base against Jason Hammel. Villar homered on Hammel’s second pitch.
The Cubs’ crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox, beat Detroit 2-0 thanks to Miguel Gonzalez, who returned from a groin injury to pitch 6-1/3 scoreless innings.
Jose Abreu hit his fifth homer in seven games for the White Sox while the Tigers’ offense could muster nothing. Detroit dropped a game behind Baltimore in the race for the last AL wildcard berth.
St. Louis hit three homers with two outs in the ninth inning and won 9-7 at Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals were down to their last strike when Matt Carpenter sent a long drive to right-center to tie it 6-6. Randal Grichuk followed two batters later with a two-run shot off closer Tony Watson, and Jhonny Peralta piled on with a solo homer as St. Louis held on to the second wild card in the NL.
Carpenter’s homer was the 15th by a St. Louis pinch-hitter this season, a major league record.
San Francisco’s Kelby Tomlinson hit a tiebreaking single with one out in the ninth to lift the Giants over Colorado 3-2.
Buster Posey began the top of the ninth by hitting a grounder to shortstop Daniel Descalso, who overthrew the first baseman and allowed Posey to cruise to second. Hunter Pence followed with an infield single. After a strikeout, Tomlinson lined a fastball into left field to bring home Posey with the decisive run.
San Francisco remained four games behind NL West leader Los Angeles after the Dodgers defeated Arizona 5-2.
L.A. rookie Ross Stripling allowed three hits in five innings, striking out five and walking only one. He also produced at the plate, driving in the go-ahead run in the second inning.
Washington pinch-runner Michael Taylor scored the go-ahead run on Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers’ throwing error as part of a three-run eighth inning that lifted the Nationals over the Braves 9-7.
Boston’s Clay Buchholz returned to a starting role and gave up only one run while pitching into the seventh inning, guiding the Red Sox to a 5-1 win at San Diego.
Baltimore’s Manny Machado capped a six-run fourth inning with a grand slam, powering the Orioles past Tampa Bay 11-2.
The New York Mets beat Cincinnati for the 13th time in a row, with Yoenis Cespedes hitting a two-run shot among four homers for the visitors in a 5-3 win.
Philadelphia’s Adam Morgan snapped his major league-worst streak of nine consecutive losses as he gave up one run in six innings and steered the Phillies to a 4-3 win against Miami.
Kansas City’s Kendrys Morales had two home runs, including a three-run blast in a seven-run ninth inning that turned a close contest into a 10-3 victory for the Royals against Minnesota.
Oakland’s Joey Wendle hit a go-ahead single during a three-run eighth inning that rallied the A’s past the Los Angeles Angels 3-2.
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