Tampa Bay wins to cut into Yankees lead

Jeffrey Springs pitched neatly into the sixth inning, Christian Bethancourt hit a seventh-inning two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays moved within five games of the American League East Division-leading New York Yankees Friday night with a 9-0 victory .

It was the first of six games between the teams in a 10-day span as New York saw its once-commanding 15½-game advantage continue to evaporate.

Springs (7-4) gave up four hits and three walks, along with seven strikeouts in 5⅔ innings. JT Chargois, Colin

Poche, Jason Adam and Calvin Faucher completed the five-hitter.

Tampa Bay has limited the Yankees to 42 runs ( 32 earned) in 14 games.

Bethancourt made it 3-0 on his homer off Domingo Germán (2-3), who allowed three runs — two earned — and six hits over 6⅔ innings.

Other games

Reds 3, Rockies 2: Jonathan India drove in Spencer Steer from third base with a game-ending chopper against visiting Colorado’s five-man infield, sending Cincinnati to a win.

Mariners 6, Guardian 1: Cal Raleigh homered twice and Luis Castillo pitched six solid innings as Seattle pushed its winning streak to five with a victory against visiting Cleveland, which at least ended its longest scoreless drought in 31 years.

Braves 8, Marlins 1: Travis d’Arnaud and Vaughn Grissom homered off Sandy Alcantara in a four-run fourth and Michael Harris II homered in the sixth as host Atlanta won its third in a row, tying a season-high with five long balls in the win.

Mets 7, Nationals 3: Pete Alonso hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the sixth, and host New York beat Washington.

Orioles 5, Athletics 2:

Gunnar Henderson doubled twice in his home debut and Jorge Mateo had a two-run single in a three-run eighth as Baltimore beat visiting Oakland. Another highly touted rookie, Adley Rutschman, put the Orioles in front with a bases-loaded walk as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Red Sox 9, Rangers 1:

Connor Wong hit his first major league homer as Boston overcame an early injury to starting pitcher Nick Pivetta to beat visiting Texas.

Tigers 5, Royals 4: Javier Baez hit a two-run homer and Willi Castro also hit a homer as host Detroit defeated Kansas City.