Kirk has game-winning sacrifice fly in ninth inning as Blue Jays rally to beat Orioles
TORONTO (AP) — Alejandro Kirk hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Saturday.
AL-leading Toronto trailed 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth before battling back for its major league-leading 45th comeback win.
Daulton Varsho reached on a bunt single with one out, advancing to second on a throwing error by pitcher Keegan Akin.
Yennier Cano (3-7) came on to face Ernie Clement, who singled to put runners at the corners. Pinch hitter Joey Loperfido scored Varsho with a single and Andrés Giménez singled for the tied.
The blown save was Cano’s fifth.
George Springer reached on a catcher’s interference call to load the bases before Kirk won it with a fly ball to center as Loperfido scored without a play.
Toronto’s Addison Barger hit a solo home run, his 20th, as the Blue Jays improved to 49-25 at home, delighting a sellout crowd of 42,461.
Braydon Fisher (6-0) pitched one inning for the win.
RAYS 5, CUBS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Nick Fortes hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning, and Tampa Bay Rays held off Chicago.
Tampa Bay trailed 4-3 before Junior Caminero hit a leadoff drive against Porter Hodge in the eighth. It was Caminero’s 43rd homer, extending his career high.
Fortes opened the ninth with a 421-foot drive to left-center for his fifth homer of the season. The shot ended a string of 22 consecutive scoreless appearances by Brad Keller (4-2) dating to July 12.
Bryan Baker (4-4) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Pete Fairbanks earned his 26th save in 31 chances. The Rays had dropped six of seven.
Chicago put runners on the corners with none out in the ninth. But Caminero threw out Dansby Swanson when he attempted to score on Matt Shaw’s bouncer to third. Fairbanks then struck out Michael Busch and Ian Happ.
PIRATES 5, NATIONALS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bubba Chandler took a perfect game into the sixth inning, Andrew McCutchen and Nick Yorke had two-run singles in the eighth inning and Pittsburgh beat Washington to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Jared Triolo capped the scoring with a solo homer in the ninth.
The Pirates loaded the bases on two walks and an infield single in the eighth. After Nick Gonzalez popped out, McCutchen lined a single to right center to make it 2-1. Oneil Cruz walked to reload the bases and Yorke’s grounded deflected off the glove of diving second basemen Luis Garcia, Jr. and into right field as two runs scored.
Chandler, who turns 23 on Sunday, was making his second major league start after two relief appearances. He was perfect until Dylan Crews singled leading off the sixth and ended up allowing a run and two hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking none while throwing 81 pitches.
In his first start, Sept. 7 against Milwaukee, Chandler gave up nine runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings.
RANGERS 3, METS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Wyatt Langford hit a tiebreaking single off All-Star closer Edwin Díaz with two outs in the ninth inning, and Texas rallied past the plummeting New York.
The loss was the eighth straight for the Mets — their longest skid since 2018. New York began the day a half-game ahead of San Francisco in the race for the last National League playoff spot.
The Rangers equaled a season high with their sixth straight win. They trailed 2-0 entering the eighth before Joc Pederson hit a sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez laced an RBI double off Díaz (6-3), handed his third blown save of the year.
YANKEES 5, RED SOX 3
BOSTON (AP) — Max Fried earned his major league-leading 17th win and Jazz Chisholm Jr. had three hits — including a solo homer that moved him to the brink of the 30-30 club — leading New York to a victory over Boston.
Fried (17-5) permitted two runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He was working on a shutout before Alex Bregman went deep with two down in the fifth.
Jarren Duran hit a solo homer in the eighth for Boston, but the Yankees added one in the ninth against closer Aroldis Chapman when Aaron Judge singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Cody Bellinger’s double.
David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
Chisholm had his third straight multihit game and drove in three runs. He stole his 29th and 30th bases of the season on Friday night and needs one home run to become the third player in franchise history with at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. Alfonso Soriano (2002 and ’03) did it twice.
The Yankees tagged Brayan Bello (11-7) for two runs in the first, sending eight men to the plate and scoring on Bellinger’s sacrifice fly and Chisholm’s infield single.
MARLINS 6, TIGERS 4, 11 INNINGS
MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Troy Johnston homered twice, including a game-winning two-run drive in the 11th inning, and Miami beat Detroit.
Agustín Ramírez doubled and singled, while Otto López had two hits and drove in a run as the Marlins won their fourth straight.
After Wenceel Pérez’s RBI double put Detroit ahead in the top of the 11th, López started the bottom half with an infield single that advanced automatic runner Joey Wiemer. Heriberto Hernández’s RBI fielder’s choice scored Wiemer before Johnston drove a slider from Rafael Montero (1-2) over the wall in right-center.
It was Johnston’s first career multi-homer game.
Josh Simpson (3-2) got the last two outs in the top of the 11th for the win.
GUARDIANS 3, White SOX 1
CLEVELAND (AP) — C.J. Kayfus and Jhonkensy Noel homered, helping Parker Messick and Cleveland beat the Chicago.
Kayfus connected for a two-run shot in the second against Davis Martin (6-10). The rookie also hit a two-run during a 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Thursday night.
The Guardians (77-71) won for the ninth time in 11 games. They are trying to rally into the third AL wild-card slot.
Messick (3-0) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings. The left-hander has a 1.84 ERA in five starts since making his MLB debut on Aug. 20.
Noel’s pinch-hit drive off Fraser Ellard made it 3-1 in the eighth. It was his fourth homer of the season.
Cade Smith handled the ninth for his 14th save in 19 opportunities.
PHILLIES 8, ROYALS 6
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit his 51st home run, Brandon Marsh also went deep and Philadelphia won their sixth straight game with a victory over Kansas City.
Harrison Bader contributed three hits for the Phillies, who can clinch their second straight NL East title by completing a three-game sweep of Kansas City in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Taijuan Walker (5-8) benefited from strong run support, giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings.
Jhoan Duran tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his 30th save in 33 opportunities.
Salvador Perez homered twice for the Royals, who lost their sixth in the last seven to further hurt their slim playoff chances.