Yankees beat Red Sox, 2-1, on Soto’s hit in 10th
NEW YORK — Juan Soto hit a game-ending single leading off the 10th inning to lift the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 2-1 Thursday night as Aaron Judge’s homerless streak stretched to a career-high 16 games.
With pinch-runner Jon Berti on second as the automatic runner, Soto grounded a single against Josh Winckowski (4-2) just past the glove of diving shortstop Trevor Story, and Berti slid home ahead of center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to give the Yankees back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time in three years.
Judge, who leads the major leagues with 51 homers and 126 RBIS, went 1 for 4 with a single and is batting .207 (12 for 58) with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26.
Gleyber Torres homered off Cooper Criswell leading off the first and Danny Jansen went deep against Nestor Cortes starting the fifth. Acquired from Toronto in late July, Jansen hit his third home run for Boston and first since Aug. 10.
New York (85-62) won for the fifth time in seven games and opened a two-game AL East lead over second-place Baltimore (8364), the Yankees’ largest since before play on Aug. 27. The Yankees have won seven straight series openers.
Boston (74-73) dropped 4 1/2 games back of Minnesota (78-68) for the final AL wild card.
Clay Holmes (3-5), demoted from his closer’s role after blowing 12 saves in 41 chances, retired the last two batters of the 10th as Nestor Cortes and four relievers combined on a four-hitter.
Anthony Volpe left the bases loaded with inning-ending flyouts in the fourth and sixth.
Coming off his first relief appearance in three years, 4 1/3 hitless innings at the Chicago Cubs, Cortes allowed three hits and three walks in five innings with nine strikeouts.
He has allowed 24 homers this year, eight more than previous career high.
Criswell gave up four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
ASTROS 6, A’S 3
HOUSTON — Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer early and Jon Singleton had three hits, capped by a tiebreaking RBI single in Houston’s four-run eighth inning, and the Astros got a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
Brent Rooker homered off Ryan Pressly (2-3) with one out in the eighth to tie it at 2.
Yainer Diaz and Kyle Tucker hit consecutive singles with one out in the eighth to chase T.J. Mcfarland (2-3) and bring on Grant Holman. There were two outs in the inning when Singleton’s single to center field scored Diaz to put the Astros on top.
“He has contributed immensely,” manager Joe Espada said. “Big hits, he gives you a quality at-bat, finds the barrel, the ability to walk. Jon has done a really, really good job.”
Singleton has seen less playing time lately as Espada has tried different guys at first base.
“You just got to go out there and do your job,” Singleton said. “And I’m grateful whenever I get the opportunity for sure.”
Jake Meyers followed with a run-scoring double before the Athletics intentionally walked Heyward to load the bases. Mauricio Dubón singled on a ground ball to left field to score two more, pushing the lead to 6-2.
“When we can stretch it out and get big hits from everyone we find ourselves scoring some runs late in the game,” Espada said.
Tyler Nevin hit a solo homer off Josh Hader with one out in the ninth before the closer retired the next two batters to end it.
Houston’s Framber Valdez allowed five hits and a run with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to help the Astros avoid a three-game sweep and snap a three-game skid.
Oakland starter Mitch Spence permitted seven hits and two runs in seven innings.
“Spence was awesome,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “He gave us everything he had for seven solid innings against a solid lineup. This kid just continues to impress.”
Singleton hit a ground-rule double with one out in the second before Heyward smacked a line drive into the second row in right field for his first home run as an Astro to make it 2-0.
“It’s the best time of the year, to be playing baseball leading into October and have an opportunity to be in control of your destiny,” he said. “So to be able to contribute right there and put two runs on the board was big.”
It was the third hit in 12 games with Houston for Heyward, who signed with the Astros on Aug. 29, after being released by the Dodgers.
RAYS 5, GUARDIANS 2
CLEVELAND — Brandon Lowe homered, Tampa Bay’s bullpen held Cleveland to one hit over seven innings and the Rays snapped a threegame losing streak on a rugged trip with a 5-2 win over the AL Central-leading Guardians on Thursday night.
Lowe connected for his 18th homer in the first inning off Gavin Williams (3-9).
The Rays were swept earlier this week in a three-game series at NL East-leading Philadelphia. They improved to 3-4 on the 10-game trip, which started in AL East-leading Baltimore and finishes Sunday in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay will be the first MLB team to face three division leaders on the same trip in September or later.
Cole Sulser (1-0) took over for Rays starter Ryan Pepiot in the third and pitched three hitless innings. Richard Lovelady worked the ninth for his second save.
The Guardians missed a chance to increase their division lead over idle second-place Kansas City.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was back in the dugout from serving a one-game suspension after Rays pitcher Edwin Uceta intentionally threw at Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos. Uceta missed his second game.
ROCKIES 4, TIGERS 2
DETROIT — Jacob Stallings’ RBI double in the ninth inning helped the Colorado Rockies beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 on Thursday.
“This is the end of an 11-day road trip and all nine games were against teams in the playoffs or fighting for wild-card spots and we held our own,” Stallings said. “Today we knew we were facing the guy who is going to win the AL Cy Young, but I felt good about it.”
The Tigers began the day three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third American League wildcard spot and ace Tarik Skubal on the mound.
With the score tied at 2, Brendan Rodgers led off the ninth with a single off Jason Foley (3-6) and took second on a passed ball. Stallings hit a flare into right field that got past Matt Vierling, allowing Stallings to take second.
Pinch-runner Nolan Jones moved to third on a groundout and Jake Cave made it 4-2 with a long sacrifice fly.
Tyler Kinley pitched the ninth inning, retiring Zach Mckinstry with runners at the corners for his 12th save.
“That’s a really, really good win on the road against a team that has been rolling since August,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Skubal is going to win the American League Cy Young Award, but we had some good at-bats against him.”
Skubal pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits. He struck out six without a walk, but the Tigers struggled offensively.
“We didn’t get untracked at all, and a lot of that came from (Ryan) Feltner being really good,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He got leverage and we didn’t really square him up.”
The Tigers got a scare when Skubal was hit in the right (non-pitching) hand by Brenton Doyle’s line drive in the sixth inning. Skubal caught the deflection with his pitching hand, but spent several minutes with the Tigers training staff before staying in the game.
Hinch said X-rays were negative but Skubal would have more tests on the hand.
“It’s a little sore, but I’m not worried about it,” Skubal said.
Feltner allowed two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
CARDINALS 6, REDS 1
ST. LOUIS — Masyn Winn and Brendan Donovan each homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Thursday.
Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (13-9) was perfect through five innings before Jake Fraley singled to leadoff the sixth. He finished the day allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters in six innings.
“From the very beginning of that game, he was locked in,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “All his stuff was working. The cutter was good. His breaking stuff was good. That sinker, he used it in off the plate, but he also was able to free some guys, bought a strike on the outer half to the righty. When he’s able to do all of that, it’s a tough at bat.”
Andrew Kittredge pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief before Jojo Romero got the final four outs for his first save of the season.