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• Royals, Tigers draw even in AL playoffs

  Salvador Perez's solo home run ignited a four-run fourth inning that sparked the Kansas City Royals to a crucial 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in Monday's Game 2 of the teams' American League DIvision Series.

  Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia each delivered run-scoring singles during the big inning, while four Kansas City relievers kept the Yankees' potent bats largely quiet the rest of the way as the Royals evened this best-of-five series at 1-1.

  Garcia finished 4 for 5 to tie a franchise record for hits in a post-season game.

  The fifth-seeded Royals, making their first post-season appearance since 2015, will now host the next two meetings with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday in Kansas City.

  New York, the AL's top seed, got a ninth-inning home run from Jazz Chisholm but a shaky performance from starting pitcher Carlos Rodon, who held the Royals scoreless for the first three innings before getting hit hard in the fourth.

  Perez, the last remaining member of Kansas City's 2015 World Series champion team, started the uprising with a long home run to left field that tied the game at 1-1.

  Yuli Gurriel followed Perez's blast with a single and took second on Rodon's wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run on Pham's one-out single.

  Pham stole second and later crossed the plate on Hampson's two-out single that chased Rodon. Garcia then greeted reliever Ian Hamilton with a single to bring in Hampson, who advanced to second on the throw home to try to prevent Pham's run, for a 4-1 advantage.

  Angel Zerpa (1-0) and John Schreiber threw a scoreless inning each to protect the lead before Kris Bubic worked the seventh and eighth to maintain the three-run cushion.

  Lucas Erceg came on in the ninth and allowed Chisholm's lead-off homer, but retired the three of the next four Yankee hitters for his third save of these playoffs.

  Rodon struck out seven in 3 2/3 innings, but was charged with all four runs while surrendering seven hits.

  Cole Ragans threw the first four innings for Kansas City and issued four walks, but allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five.

  New York's lone run against Ragans came in the third. Gleyber Torres drew a lead-off walk, moved to second on an Austin Wells single and came home on Giancarlo Stanton's single.

  Carpenter's homer in ninth gets Tigers even with Guardians

  In the AL's other Division Series, Kerry Carpenter's three-run homer off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning broke a scoreless tie and lifted the Detroit Tigers to a much-needed 3-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

  With two on and two out in the top of the ninth, Carpenter drove a slider from Clase over the right field wall to finally put Detroit ahead in a game dominated by pitching and defence to that point.

  Beau Brieske then struck out two in a perfect bottom of the ninth to allow the sixth-seeded Tigers to send this best-of-five series to Detroit tied at 1-1. Game 3 will be held Wednesday at Comerica Park.

  Clase, the AL leader with 47 saves during the regular season, retired the first two Detroit hitters in the top of the ninth before Jake Rogers extended the Tigers' half of the inning with a single. Trey Sweeney followed with a single before Carpenter delivered just the third home run Cleveland's usually dominant reliever has allowed in 2024.

  The blast also ended Detroit's 17-inning scoreless streak to begin this series, which the second-seeded Guardians opened with Saturday's 7-0 victory. 

  Clase had not permitted more than one run in any of his 75 previous appearances this season and yielded just five earned runs in a combined 75 1/3 innings going in.

  Carpenter's homer made a winner out of Will Vest after the right-hander threw one scoreless inning in relief of Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, who held the Guardians to just three hits and struck out eight in seven innings.

  Cleveland used five pitchers to keep the game 0-0 through eight innings, with former Tiger Matthew Boyd striking out five over the first 4 2/3 innings.

  Both teams had scoring chances earlier in the contest, with the Tigers nearly taking the lead in the eighth after putting two on with two out. Wenceel Perez then greeted Clase with a sinking line drive that was caught by a diving Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan to end the threat.

  Cleveland threatened in both the fifth and sixth, but came away empty both times as Skubal induced inning-ending double-play grounders with two runners on base on both occasions.

   

• MLB: Yankees, Mets rally for wins

  Austin Wells snapped a tie game with a three-run homer in the seventh inning as the New York Yankees rallied for a 10-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday that extended their lead atop the American League East.

  The Yankees scored seven times over the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 4-3 deficit and take the opener of this three-game series between AL post-season contenders.

  New York also received some assistance from its biggest rival, as the Boston Red Sox rolled to a 12-3 win over Baltimore that increased the Yankees' advantage over the second-place Orioles to 1 1/2 games in the division race.

  Wells added a run-scoring double and Alex Verdugo had a two-run homer among his two hits for New York. Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge also knocked in runs in the win, with Torres ending 3 for 5 and Judge collecting two hits. 

  Salvador Perez went 4 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs for Kansas City, which currently holds the AL's second wild card. The Royals also received a solo homer from Hunter Renfroe, but had a four-game winning streak snapped after failing to protect a one-run lead in the seventh inning. 

  James McArthur (5-7) entered with one out in the bottom of the seventh and allowed a single to Torres before walking Juan Soto in front of Judge, who ripped a single to left to bring in Torres and tie the game at 4-4.

  Wells followed with a blast deep into the seats in right center field to put New York ahead.

  The Yankees tacked on three more runs in the eighth. Oswaldo Cabrera doubled and later scored on a Torres single, and New York loaded the bases with none out before Judge hit into a double play to bring in another run. Wells then delivered a double that plated Anthony Volpe for a 10-4 advantage.

  Verdugo's two-run homer off Brady Singer in the fourth inning gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead, though the Royals pulled even in the fifth when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on a single and scored all the way from first on Perez's blooper to right that fell in for a hit.

  Kansas City went ahead an inning later on Renfroe's homer off Carlos Rodon, who struck out nine in six innings but permitted four runs - three earned.

  Perez singled in a run in the first inning and homered in the third to put Kansas City up 2-0, but the Yankees later countered with three runs in the fourth.

  Jasson Dominguez, called up from the minors before the game, singled in the fourth and eventually scored on Perez's throwing error as the young Yankee outfielder stole third base. Verdugo followed with his 12th homer of the season for a 3-2 New York edge.

  Mets rally late to down Blue Jays, boost play-off hopes

  New York's other team also improved its play-off standing, as the red-hot Mets scored twice in the eighth inning to pull out a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

  The Mets got their late runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball to win for the 10th time in 11 games and move one game clear of Atlanta in the race for the National League's third and final wild card spot. The Braves were handed a 1-0 loss by the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

  Tyrone Taylor scored the tying run after pinch-running for Jesse Winker, who drew a lead-off walk against Tommy Nance in the eighth with the Blue Jays ahead 2-1. Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement's throwing error on an infield single hit by Francisco Alvarez allowed Taylor to reach third, and Taylor scored when Nance uncorked an errant pitch.

  Alvarez moved to third on the play, then crossed the plate when Blue Jays catcher Brian Serven couldn't handle Nance's pitch for a passed ball.

  Relievers Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz held Toronto scoreless over the final two innings, with Stanek recording the win and Diaz working the ninth for his 17th save.

  Mets starter Tylor Megill left with a no-decision despite yielding just one hit and striking out nine over six scoreless innings, as the Blue Jays scored twice off New York's bullpen in the seventh to erase a 1-0 deficit.

  Toronto loaded the bases with one out on a hit batter and singles by Clement and Alejandro Kirk. Jose Butto then hit Leo Jimenez with a pitch to force in the tying run, and Nathan Lukes followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Jays ahead.

  The Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth. After Pete Alonso walked and Jose Iglesias was hit by a pitch, J.D. Martinez delivered a single to right to score Alonso from second.

  Cantillo's gem lifts AL Central-leading Guardians over White Sox

  Joey Cantillo took a perfect game into the seventh inning en route to his first major league win as the Cleveland Guardians held on for a 5-3 victory over the lowly Chicago White Sox.

  Cantillo (1-3) retired the first 20 Chicago hitters before Andrew Benintendi singled with two outs in the seventh. The rookie left-hander surrendered a run-scoring single to Andrew Vaughn after that before completing his superb seven-inning stint with 10 strikeouts.

  David Fry and Bo Naylor supported Cantillo with solo homers as Cleveland increased its lead in the AL Central to 3 1/2 games over second-place Kansas City. The Guardians also remained a game back of the New York Yankees for the AL's best record.

  Chicago, meanwhile, set a franchise record with its 13th straight home loss. The White Sox fell to 33-112 overall and remained on pace for the most losses in a season in modern MLB history, set by the 1962 New York Mets (120).

  The Guardians quickly jumped out to an early lead when Steven Kwan opened the game with a single, stole second, and scored on a base hit from Josh Naylor, who was then brought in by Lane Thomas' double for a 2-0 advantage.

  Fry's homer in the third and Bo Naylor's blast in the fourth extended the margin to 4-0. The Guardians then tacked on another run in the fifth despite not recording a hit during the inning.

  After Cleveland loaded the bases on two walks and an error, Chicago's Jairo Iriarte forced in a run by issuing a free pass to Jhonkensy Noel.

  Benintendi stole second after breaking up Cantillo's perfect game bid before Vaughn drove him in with a single to get the White Sox on the board in the seventh.

  Chicago got closer in the eighth on Bryan Ramos' first major league homer, a two-run shot off Nick Sandlin that followed Lenyn Sosa's single.

  The White Sox did not get a hit the rest of the way, however, as Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two during a scoreless ninth to record his AL-leading 43rd save.

   

• MLB: Quintana earns 100th victory as Mets extend winning streak

  Jose Quintana pitched into the seventh inning for his 100th career victory and J.D. Martinez capped a four-run seventh with a two-run double as the New York Mets won their ninth straight game, 4-0 over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

  Quintana allowed five hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. He became the 19th active pitcher with 100 wins.

  Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz completed the six-hitter for New York's seventh shutout this season - all since July 11.

  A slumping Harrison Bader homered to spark the big sixth for the Mets, who have won nine straight games for the first time since April 2018. New York hasn’t trailed in its last 72 innings since Aug. 30 - the longest streak in the majors this season.

  Bader was mired in skids of 0 for 15 and 2 for 43 before connecting off Sam Moll in the sixth. It was Bader's 11th home run of the year, and first to the opposite field.

  Pete Alonso hit a one-out RBI single before Martinez’s double capped the outburst.

  Francisco Lindor’s career-high 16-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 3, but his sixth-inning walk pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, the longest active run in the majors and the longest single-season streak in Mets history.

  Royals rally past Twins

  Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted a four-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking single, and the Kansas City Royals defeated Minnesota 4-2 to open a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second AL wild card.

  Held to one hit over seven innings by Bailey Ober, the Royals rallied against Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax, winning their third straight following a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

  Kansas City is second behind Cleveland in the AL Central and Minnesota is third after losing four of five.

  Duran entered with a 2-0 lead and gave up a one-out single to Freddy Fermin, then hit Robbie Grossman with a pitch. Kyle Isbel hit an RBI single and Jax relieved, trying for a five-out save.

  Tommy Pham hit a slow four-hopper to Brooks Lee and reached on an infield hit as the shortstop barehanded the ball and bounced his throw past first. Pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who had been on second, scored on the error.

  Witt looped a single into short center as Isbel scored for a 3-2 lead. MJ Melendez drove in Pham with a two-out single off Jax, who blew a save for the fifth time in 13 chances.

  Yankees shut out Cubs again

  Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

  Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26 and Cortes closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.

  Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees lead the Orioles by a half-game.

  New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.

  Chicago has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.