BLUE JAYS’ BIGGIO
matches father, hits for cycle.
BALTIMORE — Rookie Cavan Biggio hit for the cycle, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5 on Tuesday night.
Biggio homered in the third inning, singled in the sixth, doubled in the eighth and tripled in the ninth. He drove in four runs and scored three times.
Biggio and his father, Craig, a Hall of Famer with the Houston Astros, are the second father-son duo in major league history to hit for the cycle, joining Daryle and Gary Ward.
Cavan Biggio is the first player to hit for the cycle for Toronto since Jeff Frye against the Texas Rangers on Aug. 17, 2001.
It also was the first time an opponent hit for the cycle in the 27-year history of Camden Yards.
Trey Mancini and Jonathan Villar homered for last-place Baltimore, which lost for the third time in four games.
Mancini finished with four RBI. He hit his 34th home run in the first, and snapped a tie with a run-scoring single off Justin Shafer in the seventh.
The Blue Jays tied the game again when Biggio doubled, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the eighth.
Justin Smoak put Toronto ahead when he led off the ninth with a towering shot off Mychal Givens (2-6). It was Smoak’s 21st home run and first since Aug. 27.
Biggio tacked on two more runs with a triple to center before an error by shortstop Villar allowed the eighth run to score.
Derek Law (1-2) picked up the win by throwing a scoreless eighth inning.
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead on
Mancini’s two-run drive off Ryan Tepera. The Blue Jays responded with Randal Grichuk’s solo drive in the second off Chandler Shepherd, who was making his first major league start. ASTROS 4, RANGERS 1 Justin Verlander picked up his 19th victory, and Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez all hit home runs to help Houston defeat visiting Texas. The Astros’ magic number is down to one to clinch a playoff berth and three to capture their third consecutive American League West title.
YANKEES 8, ANGELS 0 Luis Severino pitched four innings in his injury-delayed season debut as host New York beat Los Angeles. Gleyber Torres hit his 38th home run as the Yankees lowered their magic number to one over Cleveland to clinch their 55th postseason appearance — 22 more than any other team.
INDIANS 7, TIGERS 2 Adam Plutko pitched six innings, rookie Oscar Mercado hit his 12th home run of the season and Cleveland beat visiting Detroit for the 15th consecutive time. Plutko (7-4) allowed two runs and four hits in his first victory since he beat Detroit on Aug. 27.
TWINS 9, WHITE SOX 8 (12) Reliever Jose Ruiz hit Ronald Torreyes on a 1-1 pitch with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning to hand host Minnesota a victory over Chicago.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BREWERS 3, PADRES 1 Mike Moustakas hit his 35th home run as host Milwaukee earned its 11th victory in 12 games with a win over San Diego. Lorenzo Cain also hit a home run as the Brewers moved into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the National League’s second wild-card spot. They also pulled within two games of NL Central-leading St. Louis.
PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 4 Rhys Hoskins and Jose Pirela hit two-run home runs off Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) in Philadelphia’s five-run fourth inning, and the Phillies escaped in the ninth inning to beat host Atlanta. Keuchel’s streak of five consecutive victories ended when he gave up five runs in five innings.
METS 6, ROCKIES 1 Marcus Stroman allowed 4 hits, struck out 7 and walked 1 as visiting New York beat Colorado. Amed Rosario, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso all hit home runs as New York pulled within four games of Chicago and Milwaukee for the second NL wild-card berth.