Gray wins consecutive starts, Yanks hold on to beat Mets

Aroldis Chapman had flamed out, throwing three of 19 pitches for strikes and enabling the Mets to cut a four-run, ninth-inning deficit in half. Chasen Shreve to the rescue. Yes, Chasen Shreve. Maligned last month, Shreve entered with the bases loaded, got Devin Mesoraco to hit into a run-scoring, double-play grounder and retired Wilmer Flores on a slow roller in front of the mound. With his second big league save and first since August 2016, Shreve preserved a 7-6 Subway Series victory Saturday that enabled Sonny Gray to win consecutive starts for the first time since the Yankees acquired him last summer.

“He didn’t even break a sweat out there,” Aaron Judge marveled.

Judge homered for the Yankees, who trailed after Michael Conforto’s second-inning solo home run but rallied against Steven Matz (4-8) with a four-run fourth that included Didi Gregorius’ tying triple, run-scoring doubles by Miguel Andujar (aided by fan interference ) and Greg Bird, and Austin Romine’s RBI single.

Mets center fielder Matt den Dekker took a bad route as he missed a diving backhand grab on Gregorius’ liner that bounced to the fence, allowed Bird’s drive to glance off his glove as he tried for a running grab on the warning track, and had Romine’s blooper short hop off his glove during an attempted diving catch.

“It’s tough when those balls are hit that hard, and you know the wind was moving around out there,” said den Dekker, who struck out three times and is hitless in 17 atbats this season.

Gray (7-7) is 11-14 in 30 starts since the Yankees acquired him from Oakland last July 31. He allowed three runs — two earned — three hits and three walks in 5.1 innings.

“I think it’s just about now creating that consistent momentum where he’s finding success start to start and then kind of building on that, and hopefully that’s something that will continue to snowball for him,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Gray has a 7.62 ERA in nine home starts this year and a 3.62 ERA in 10 road appearances.

Tyler Chatwood pitched into the sixth inning and made a key defensive play in his first win in two months, helping Chicago beat St. Louis in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

Chatwood (4-5) walked six and hit a batter, continuing a season-long problem with control issues. But the righthander allowed just one hit in 5.1 innings — Matt Carpenter’s fourth homer in two days.

Jose Iglesias homered and drove in four runs, and Mike Fiers pitched impressively into the seventh inning to lead Detroit over Boston.

The major league-leading Red Sox lost for just the second time in 15 games, and their AL East lead over the New York Yankees slipped to 4½ games.

Marcus Stroman pitched seven sharp innings, Aledmys Diaz had two hits and Toronto beat struggling Baltimore for the sixth straight time.

Rookie Pablo Lopez gave up three hits in six innings, Cameron Maybin homered and Miami beat Tampa Bay.

Lopez (2-1) struck out six in his fourth major league start.