Sanchez’s homer energizes Yanks
Gary Sanchez rebounded from poor defensive play with a go-ahead home run, four pitchers combined for scoreless relief and the Yankees gained in the AL wildcard race with a 4-3 victory over the Rangers in the Bronx on Monday night.
Sanchez put the Yankees ahead in the second against rookie A.J. Alexy (2-1) with his 22nd home run, and run-scoring singles by Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres around Giancarlo Stanton’s sacrifice fly built a 4-0 lead in the third.
Sloppy play behind the plate by Sanchez contributed to three losses during New York’s fall from a playoff position: He failed to tag a runner against the Mets despite catching the throw in plenty of time, had two ninth-inning wild pitches at Baltimore and missed a foul pop-up in a seven-run inning by Cleveland.
“The first thing you learn,” Sanchez said through translator Marlon Abreu, “is nobody is going to be perfect playing this game . ... The next pitch is the most important one. You have to have that mind-set.”
Astros 10, Angels 0: Marwin Gonzalez drove in five runs, four on a ninth-inning grand slam as AL West-leading Houston rolled in Anaheim and extended its lead over the A’s to seven games.
Rays 6, Blue Jays 4: Shane Baz pitched two-hit ball for five innings to win his major-league debut and the host Tampa Bay held off the Blue Jays. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien hit his 41st homer.
Royals sweep Indians: Salvador Perez hit his 46th home run, breaking Johnny Bench’s record for most by a catcher in a season in Kansas City’s 4-2 win in the the opener. The Royals won the nightcap 7-2. Perez hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, topping Bench’s total from 1970 for the highest by a player who spent at least 75% of his team’s games at catcher.
Tigers 4, White Sox 3: Carlos Rodon was pulled after three rocky innings and Chicago, closing in on the AL Central title, squandered a three-run lead in a loss in Detroit.
Cardinals 5, Brewers 2: Jon Lester recorded his 200th career win, Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and St. Louis beat host Milwaukee for its ninth consecutive win.
Orioles 2, Phillies 0: John Means struck out six and stymied Bryce Harper and a Philadelphia team in an eleventh-hour playoff push to lead Baltimore to a road win.
Reds 9, Pirates 5: Joey Votto tied the game with his second homer of the night, Eugenio Suarez followed with a goahead shot and Cincinnati rallied from a five-run deficit for a win over visiting Pittsburgh.
Marlins 8, Nationals 7: Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice before scoring from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning to push Miami past Washington.