BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 3
TORONTO (AP) R.A. Dickey slowed Tampa Bay's stretch run, leading Toronto to a victory that stopped the Rays' seven-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay wasted a 2-0 lead and committed a season-high three errors, including a pair by Evan Longoria. Tampa Bay dropped into a tie with Cleveland for the two AL wild cards, one game ahead of Texas. The Rays' magic number for clinching remained at two over Texas.
Dickey (14-13) allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings, retiring 13 of 14 during one stretch.
The 38-year-old knuckleballer, acquired from the New York Mets during the offseason after he won the NL Cy Young Award, struggled earlier this season but finished strongly, going 5-1 with a 3.17 ERA in his last seven starts.
Dickey has allowed 35 homers, one behind the Major League-high total of Oakland's A.J. Griffin (36).
RANGERS 5, ANGELS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Alex Rios had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning, and Texas finally gained some ground in the AL wild-card race with the victory over Los Angeles.
For the first time during their five-game winning streak the Rangers moved closer in the wild-card standings.
With two games left in the regular season, the Rangers still have a chance to go to the postseason for the fourth year in a row.
The loss was the 82nd for the Angels, ensuring them of only their second losing record the past 10 seasons when they were AL West champions five times.
Ian Kinsler led off the seventh with a walk off Juan Gutierrez (1-5). He took over after C.J. Wilson threw 121 pitches in six innings. Rios had his run-scoring hit after a sac bunt by Elvis Andrus, then scored on a two-out infield single by A.J. Pierzynski.
YANKEES 3, ASTROS 2
HOUSTON (AP) David Robertson got the save as Mariano Rivera looked on as New York sent Houston to its team-record 13th consecutive loss.
David Adams hit a two-run double and Mark Reynolds also drove in a run for the Yankees, who stopped a four-game losing streak.
Houston dropped to 51-109, the most losses for a Major League team since the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks went 51-111.
The Astros' 322 losses over three seasons are the fifth-most in Major League history, ahead of only the 1962-64 New York Mets (340), the 1963-65 Mets (332), the 1915-17 Philadelphia Athletics (324) and the 1940-42 Philadelphia Phillies (323).
RED SOX 12, ORIOLES 3
BALTIMORE (AP) Clay Buchholz allowed three runs over seven innings as AL East champion Boston Red routed Baltimore to move closer to securing home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Daniel Nava and David Ortiz hit three-run homers for Boston, which opened an 8-0 lead by the third inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a three-run drive overturned in a video review.
Chris Davis hit his Major League-leading 53rd homer in the sixth.
Given a big lead before his first pitch, Buchholz (12-1) rebounded from a loss to Toronto last weekend. Adam Jones hit a two-run homer in the third, the first home run by a right-handed hitter off Buchholz this year.
ATHLETICS 8, MARINERS 2
SEATTLE (AP) Bartolo Colon outpitched Felix Hernandez to reach 18 wins for the fifth time in his career and Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer as Oakland beat Seattle.
Seattle, which has never reached the World Series, is assured of its fourth straight losing season and dropped to 70-90.
Oakland (95-65) remained two games behind Boston (97-63) with two games left in the race for best record in the AL and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
ROYALS 6, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO (AP) James Shields struck out 10 and scattered four hits over seven innings for his 100th career win, and Kansas City's victory ensured Chicago its worst record since 1970.
At 62-98 with two games remaining, the White Sox will finish with the second-most losses in franchise history, only ahead of the team that went 56-106 more than four decades ago.
Shields (13-9) gave up just one run and walked one.
Billy Butler led the Royals with three hits and two RBIs, while Emilio Bonifacio drove in two runs with two hits.
