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• MLB: Blue Jays' Francis loses no-hit bid in 9th as Mets rally for win

  Francisco Lindor broke up Bowden Francis’ no-hitter with a tying homer leading off the ninth and ignited a six-run inning to lift the New York Mets to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

  With the crowd of 29,399 on their feet to start the ninth, Francis got ahead of Lindor 0-2 before the four-time All-Star drilled a 92 mph fastball 398 feet to right field for his 31st home run and a 1-1 tie.

  It was the second time in four starts Francis lost a no-hitter on a leadoff homer in the ninth - Taylor Ward connected off the right-hander for the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 24.

  Francis became the first pitcher to lose two no-hit bids in the ninth inning during one season since Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan with Texas in 1989.

  With the crowd of 29,399 on their feet to start the ninth, Francis got ahead of Lindor 0-2 before the four-time All-Star drilled a 92 mph fastball 398 feet to right field for his 31st home run.

  Lindor's drive was New York’s first home run in the last four games, and the first by either team in the series.

  Chad Green relieved Francis and gave up Jose Iglesias’ infield single and walked Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo before Pete Alonso lifted a sacrifice fly. After J.D. Martinez walked, Starling Marte delivered another sacrifice fly.

  Genesis Cabrera replaced Green and was greeted by Francisco Alvarez’s three-run homer that gave New York a 6-1 lead.

   

  Dodgers hit 4 home runs in 1st in win over Cubs

  Tommy Edman hit one of the Dodgers’ four home runs in the 1st inning and went deep again in the eighth as Los Angeles avoided a sweep with a 10-8 win over the Chicago Cubs.

  Gavin Lux singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the seventh after the Cubs scored four runs in the fifth to erase a 7-3 deficit.

  Shohei Ohtani hit his 47th home run and stole his 48th base, while Edman, Will Smith and Max Muncy also went deep in the first for the Dodgers, whose magic number to clinch the division dropped to 11 after San Diego lost at Seattle.

  Edman’s two-out, two-run shot off Trey Wingenter in the eighth extended the Dodgers' lead to 10-7. The switch-hitter went deep in the first from the right side and then from the left.

  Trailing by three, the Cubs threatened in the ninth. Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech loaded the bases on consecutive walks to Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki and former Dodger Cody Bellinger.

  Kopech was called for a pitch-clock violation, giving an automatic ball to Isaac Paredes, whose sacrifice fly cut Chicago's deficit to 10-8. Suzuki was thrown out trying to steal third and former Dodger Michael Busch struck out swinging to end the game as Kopech eked out his 13th save.

   

  Tigers continue surge

  Kerry Carpenter matched a career-high with four hits and the Detroit Tigers kept their improbable wild-card hopes alive with a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.

  Carpenter came up in the seventh needing a homer for the cycle - the first for a Tiger since Carlos Guillen in 2006 - but hit an infield single.

  Riley Greene and Trey Sweeney homered for Detroit, which won its fourth straight and improved to 20-8 since Aug. 11. They are three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the last American League wild-card spot after both teams won on Tuesday.

  The 2023 Tigers finished second in the AL Central - they are currently fourth - but their 78-84 record left them out of the wildcard race.

  One night after beating the Rockies 11-0, the Tigers got off to another flying start with six runs in the first. Greene hit his 21st homer, Carpenter had an RBI triple and scored, and Sweeney hit a three-run homer.

• MLB: Machado becomes Padres' all-time home run leader in win

  Manny Machado hit his 164th home run to set the Padres’ franchise record and drove in four runs to lift San Diego to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

  Machado’s 164th homer in a Padres uniform was a line drive to center field off George Kirby in the sixth inning and gave San Diego a 5-2 lead. Machado watched from home plate as the ball left the bat at nearly 109 mph.

  Machado’s homer was his 26th this season and snapped a tie with Nate Colbert atop the Padres list. Machado has 339 career homers among Baltimore, the Dodgers and San Diego.

  While Machado’s homer set a mark, Fernando Tatis put San Diego ahead with a three-run shot in the third inning. It was his first home run since June 20 - prior to a lengthy stint on the injured list due a stress reaction in his right thighbone.

  Machado added a two-run single in the seventh inning that clipped the back of pitcher Austin Voth and bounced into center field.

  Yu Darvish threw five innings in his second start since rejoining the Padres. Darvish allowed solo home runs to Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley but pitched out of a jam in the third after Seattle put the first two runners on. Darvish struck out Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena both looking sandwiched around fly out from Raleigh.

   

  Lugo baffles Yankees in Royals’ win

  Seth Lugo struck out 10 in seven stellar innings and Salvador Perez had a pair of run-scoring singles to reach 100 RBIs as the Kansas City Royals blanked the New York Yankees, 5-0.

  Tommy Pham homered and Bobby Witt Jr. had an RBI single for the Royals, who remained 3 ½ games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. They also stayed 2 ½  games ahead of Minnesota for the second AL wild card.

  New York, which matched a season low with three hits, had its lead in the AL East cut to one-half game over Baltimore.

  Lugo carved up a full-strength Yankees lineup that entered leading the majors in homers and ranked second in runs. The right-hander allowed only three singles and walked none, retiring 17 straight batters after Gleyber Torres' bloop hit to begin the bottom of the first.

  Torres snapped the string on another soft single with two outs in the sixth.

  With his 16th win, Lugo tied Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Atlanta’s Chris Sale for the major league lead.  

  Kyle Isbel scored twice after leadoff singles for the Royals, who had dropped six consecutive road games. They won for the fifth time in 13 games overall and improved to 2-4 against the Yankees this season.

   

  Yamamoto returns as Cubs rally past Dodgers

  Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched four strong innings in his return but the Chicago Cubs rallied for the tying and go-ahead runs in a five-run eighth inning in a game that featured a matchup of Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.

  The NL West-leading Dodgers blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Cubs for the second straight night, assuring their first series loss since Aug. 5-7 against visiting Philadelphia. Los Angeles' division lead was cut to 4 1/2 games over San Diego.

  Chicago is four games back of Atlanta and the New York Mets, who are tied for the last NL wild card.

  Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong robbed Max Muncy of a potential two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. He made a terrific sliding catch in the dirt of Kiké Hernández to end the seventh.

  A leadoff walk by Alex Vesia, a throwing error by catcher Austin Barnes, center fielder Tommy Edman’s errant throw that went into the camera well near the Dodgers dugout and a fielding error by second baseman Hernández helped the Cubs take a 6-3 lead.

  Yamamoto struck out his first four batters of his first start in nearly three months, facing off against Chicago’s Imanaga in a matchup of former Japanese big league rivals pitching against each other for the first time in Major League Baseball.

   

• 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.