Host Rays thwart A’s in 5-4 victory

The Oakland Athletics’ late rally came up short Sunday in a 5-4 loss to host Tampa Bay, leaving the A’s 11⁄2 games behind the Yankees for the top AL wild-card spot.

Astros: Justin Verlander struck out 11 in seven solid innings as the Astros extended their AL West edge with a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks. The Astros lead the Athletics by 41⁄2 { games in the division race. Verlander (16-9) matched his career high for strikeouts in a season with 269 — he passed teammate Gerrit Cole, who has 260, for most in the AL.

Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone said All-Star slugger Aaron Judge could return to the lineup this week during a threegame series against the Red Sox. Boone said Judge is “getting real close” to returning from a broken right wrist. Judge hit off a high-velocity pitching machine before the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays and might face rehabbing Aroldis Chapman in a simulated game Monday or Tuesday.

Athletics: Khris Davis hit a grand slam in the ninth, but the A’s again came up short in a 5-4 loss to the Rays, falling for the second straight day at Tropicana Field. The Rays trail Oakland for the second wild card by seven games with 14 games left.

Brewers: Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana hit back-toback home runs to begin the ninth inning, but the NL wildcard leaders couldn’t complete the rally and lost 3-2 to the Pirates. The Brewers remained 2 1 ⁄ 2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central.

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright pitched two-hit ball over six innings for his first win in five months, Marcell Ozuna homered and the Cardinals salvaged the finale of a four-game series with a 5-0 victory over the Dodgers. The Cardinals snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and moved into a tie for the second NL wild card with the Dodgers, who slipped a half-game behind the Rockies for the NL West lead.

Orioles: The Orioles sent nine men to the plate in their five-run first inning in an 8-4 victory over the White Sox that was the team’s 43rd this season. That means the Orioles can’t match the major-league record of 120 losses, set by the 1962 Mets.