LOWE HITS 3 HOMERS, RAYS KEEP YANKS FROM CLINCHING

After 161 games, the New York Yankees still need one more victory.

No simple task against Brandon Lowe and a 100win Tampa Bay team that’s a consistent thorn in their side.

Lowe hit three home runs and the Rays rolled to a 12-2 blowout of New York that prevented the Yankees from clinching a playoff spot Saturday. Instead, they fell into a tie with Boston atop the AL wild-card standings.

With a chance to pitch his team into the postseason, New York starter Jordan Montgomery instead was

Rays 12, Yankees 2

rocked for a career-worst seven earned runs in 22⁄3 innings. He gave up a pair of three-run homers to Lowe, who also went deep in the seventh against Michael King.

Even with the embarrassing defeat before a booing home crowd of 41,648, the streaky Yankees (91-70) can still punch their AL wild-card ticket Sunday with a victory over Tampa Bay in the scheduled regular-season finale.

Another loss, and it gets dicey.

“We’ve got to win. It’s as simple as that,” veteran outfielder Brett Gardner said. “Here we are going into Game 162 not knowing what the future is.

“It’s not ideal. But it’s nice knowing that we still have a chance,” he added. “The way the season has gone, it kind of makes sense that it would come down to the very last day. Seems about right.”

New York is assured at least a tiebreaker game next week that could put the team in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. But after dropping the first two games of this series, the Yankees no longer control their own destiny to host the wild-card game. Now they need a Boston loss to do so.

The Red Sox beat Washington 5-3 to draw even with the Yankees. Toronto is one game behind them, with Seattle potentially in the postseason mix heading into today.

“Just a bad day for us and we’ve got to get over it quickly,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Lowe batted in the eighth with an opportunity to match the major league record of four home runs in a game. He evaded a 93 mph fastball from Joely Rodriguez that was way inside, then grounded out to first base.

Lowe and Mike Zunino homered back-to-back off Montgomery (6-7) in the third to make it 7-1. Austin Meadows added a three-run shot in the seventh as the AL East champion Rays (100-61) reached 100 wins for the first time in team history.

“Very big. Pretty special,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “So proud of the guys, happy for them — 100 sounds better than 99.”

The defending American League champions, who already wrapped up homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs, had never before been 39 games over .500.

Kershaw back on IL

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw returned to the injured list Saturday, days before Los Angeles begins a postseason defense of its World Series championship.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has left forearm discomfort, the same injury that sidelined him for 57 games,aug. 9-Sept. 13.

He worked out in the weight room Saturday and was still experiencing soreness, manager Dave Roberts said. Kershaw will undergo tests on Monday.

Asked if Kershaw will pitch again this season, Roberts replied, “I don’t think so.”