Guardians hold off playoff-bound Orioles
Baltimore allows three runs in eighth as Cleveland rallies late for victory
Ramón Laureano drew a bases-loaded walk against Jacob Webb for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, sending the Cleveland Guardians to a 5-2 victory against the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.
The host Guardians scored three times in the bottom of the eighth — all runs charged to Cionel Pérez (4-2) — immediately after the Orioles tied the game with two in the top half. Bo Naylor’s run-scoring single and Gabriel Arias’ RBI grounder followed Laureano’s walk that plated Josh Naylor.
Baltimore, which is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2016, holds a 1 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the division and for the best record in the AL.
Other games
Rays 5, Angels 4: Manuel
Margot flared a run-scoring single to right field to complete a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and playoff-bound Tampa Bay beat visiting Los Angeles. The Angels have lost seven of their last eight games.
Brewers 6, Cardinals 0:
Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins added a solo shot, leading visiting Milwaukee to a victory against St. Louis in the final game of a four-game series.
Braves 10, Nationals 3:
Ronald Acuña Jr. scored his 140th run of 2023 — the most in the majors in 16 years — after tripling, Matt Olson hit his 53rd homer and Ozzie Albies went deep for one of his four hits, lifting NL East champion Atlanta past last-place Washington. The Braves outhit the Nationals, 18-8.
Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3: Gerrit Cole retired the first 16 hitters and pitched eight outstanding innings to strengthen his Cy Young Award credentials as host New York stayed over .500 with a victory against Toronto. The Blue Jays are only half a game up on the Rangers and Mariners for the second AL wild-card spot.
Phillies 5, Mets 4: Nick Castellanos homered and drove in four runs to reach a career-best 103 RBIs in a season, and host Philadelphia maintained its hold on the top NL wild-card spot with a victory against New York. The Phillies hold a three game lead over Arizona for the first NL wild-card spot.
Notes
The Detroit Tigers have hired Jeff Greenberg, a Pittsburgh native and Upper St. Clair graduate, to be their general manager, adding a former Chicago Cubs and Blackhawks executive to work with team president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Greenberg was once an intern for the Pirates.