Myers homers to lift Rays over Rangers 6-2
The Rays took the lead for the first American League wild-card spot after Wil Myers homered and had three RBIs to lead Tampa Bay past the Texas Rangers 6-2 on Monday.
Myers had a second-inning solo shot and hit a two-run double during a four-run fifth inning and Alex Cobb (9-3) allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings while striking out 10 batters.
At Pittsburgh, Andrew Cashner carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in a one-hitter that sent San Diego Padres to a 2-0 win over the Pirates, who lost for the second time in eight games after entering the day tied for first place in the National League Central with the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2.
Detroit’s Rick Porcello struck out 10 batters in six innings as the Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to move a step closer to its third straight AL Central title.
Victor Martinez broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with a run-scoring single, and Omar Infante followed with his own RBI single.
James Shields kept Cleveland off balance for six innings and Salvador Perez led a scrappy Kansas City offense as the Royals won the opener of a three-game set 7-1 with significant playoff implications.
Shields struck out a season-high 10 for the Royals (79-71), who moved within 2½ games of the second AL wild-card berth. The Indians (81-69) remained a half-game back of Texas.
Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson allowed four hits over seven innings for his career-best 17th win as Los Angeles downed Oakland 12-1 to become the first team in nearly four months to beat Athletics starter Jarrod Parker.
In the other AL game, the Chicago White Sox trounced the Minnesota Twins 12-1 and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Astros 6-1 in interleague play.
In the NL, Cliff Lee had three hits for a career-high four runs and struck out a season-high 14 batters to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 12-2 win over the Florida Marlins.
Caleb Gindl had three hits, including a two-run home run, as Wily Peralta pitched six strong innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Chicago Cubs 6-1, while the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1.