DETROIT — The Kansas City Royals were at it again, starting the ninth inning with a couple of infield singles.
Then the team that’s threatening to win the AL Central because of its speed and defense made a costly blunder on the bases.
“Every time I’m in I’m looking to steal. I just didn’t get the job done,” pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson said. “There’s no excuse for it.”
Dyson was picked off second with one out in the ninth, and the Royals lost again to the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 on Tuesday night. The Tigers pulled within percentage points of Kansas City atop the AL Central, and they can sweep the three-game series with a win Wednesday night.
Rajai Davis and J.D. Martinez homered for the Tigers, and Max Scherzer (16-5) allowed a run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Kansas City was down 3-1 in the fifth when Alex Gordon’s deep fly to right went just foul with two on.
“When that came off the bat, I was sure that thing was gone, and I was stunned when I turned around and realized it had gone foul,” Scherzer said.
Gordon walked to load the bases with one out, but Salvador Perez lined out and Eric Hosmer struck out.
Joe Nathan worked out of another jam in the ninth to earn his 30th save in 36 chances. He allowed the two infield singles before closing out the game with two strikeouts sandwiched around the picked-off runner.
Kansas City’s Jason Vargas (11-8) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Scherzer had allowed 14 earned runs over his previous four starts — not terrible, but below his standards as the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. He’s had a hard time protecting leads lately.
On Tuesday, the Tigers led 3-0 in the fifth when Omar Infante hit an RBI single for the Royals — but Scherzer avoided the big inning.
Martinez opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Davis’ two-run homer in the second made it 3-0.
Martinez’s 20th homer of the season gave Detroit a 4-1 lead in the fifth.
ANGELS 9, RANGERS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas — Kole Calhoun hit a leadoff homer, Collin Cowgill had a big eighth inning and Los Angeles stretched its winning streak to six by beating Texas.
Cowgill reached on an infield single to start a seven-run eighth. He scored on Mike Trout’s triple and capped the outburst with a bases-loaded triple.
The Angels, with the best record in the majors at 89-55, matched their longest winning streak of the season. The AL West leaders have won 12 of 14 overall.
ATHLETICS 11, WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO — Josh Donaldson had a career-high five hits while driving in four runs, helping Jon Lester and the Athletics to the road win.
Donaldson also scored two runs as Oakland got just its third win in 12 games. Lester (14-10) gave up two runs over eight innings, and the Athletics took advantage of a season-high five errors for Chicago.
ORIOLES 4, RED SOX 1
BOSTON — Alejandro De Aza hit two homers, Adam Jones added another and Baltimore beat Boston to win for the 10th time in 13 games.
Chris Tillman (12-5) gave up one run in five innings, the 18th straight start in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer. Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 38 opportunities.
The first-place Orioles maintained their 10-game lead in the AL East over Toronto.
Last-place Boston is a season-high 22 1/2 games out of first one year after winning the World Series.
RAYS 4, YANKEES 3
NEW YORK — Left fielder Matt Joyce threw out Stephen Drew in the fifth inning when catcher Ryan Hanigan blocked the sliding runner, and Tampa Bay held on to beat the fading Yankees.
Hours after Major League Baseball gave teams and umpires new guidelines on what catchers can do under this year’s experimental rule designed to avoid collisions, the latest instructions were put to a test when Drew tried to score what would have been the tying run.
The out call was upheld after a replay review. Derek Jeter then lined into a double play, and the Rays preserved their 4-3 lead.
Chris Archer (9-8) allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. Jake McGee got three outs for his 17th save in 19 chances.
NATIONALS 6, BRAVES 4
WASHINGTON — Adam LaRoche had two hits and two RBIs, and Washington essentially put to rest any thought that there is still a serious race for the NL East title with a win over Atlanta.
Washington’s second victory in two nights over the Braves, gave the Nationals a nine-game lead over their second-place rivals with 19 to play. The Nationals have won five of the last seven meetings with the Braves.
Jordan Zimmermann (11-5) allowed four runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and no walks in six innings. He hasn’t lost a decision since July 11 and is 5-0 — and the Nationals are 8-0 — in his last eight starts.
REDS 9, CARDINALS 5
CINCINNATI — Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in three runs, and Mike Leake pitched into the seventh inning and doubled home a run, as Cincinnati snapped a six-game losing streak against St. Louis.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals lost for only the second time in 11 games and maintained their 4½-game lead over Pittsburgh.
The Reds won for the third time in 11 games. They are 17-33 since the All-Star break, a slide that has dropped them out of contention.
Leake (11-11) was coming off his worst start of the season. Against the Cardinals, Leake allowed three runs and eight hits.
PHILLIES 4, PIRATES 3
PHILADELPHIA — Maikel Franco hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning to lift Philadelphia over Pittsburgh.
Freddy Galvis homered, doubled and scored the go-ahead run after an infield single and a stolen base. Justin De Fratus (3-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Jonathan Papelbon finished for his 36th save in 39 chances.
The Pirates entered the night with a 1 1/2-game lead over Atlanta and Milwaukee for the second NL wild card. The last-place Phillies have won 10 of 15.
ASTROS 2, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE — Jonathan Villar hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning to lift Collin McHugh and the Houston Astros over Seattle.
Logan Morrison homered off McHugh in the eighth to tie it, but the Mariners fell a half-game out in the race for the second AL wild card.
With two outs in the ninth, Yoervis Medina (4-3) walked Jon Singleton and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. Singleton moved to third on Matt Dominguez’s single to deep shortstop before Villar came through.
PADRES 6, DODGERS 3
LOS ANGELES — Andrew Cashner pitched seven strong innings to win for the first time since mid-April, Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and San Diego ended a six-game skid by beating Los Angeles.
The Dodgers had their four-game winning streak snapped, and their NL West lead was cut to 2½ games over San Francisco.
The Padres totaled 12 runs during their losing streak, but they built a 5-0 lead for Cashner by the third inning, helping him beat the Dodgers for the first time.
Cashner (3-7) allowed two runs and nine hits after going winless in 11 outings. His last victory was against Colorado on April 16.
GIANTS 5,
DIAMONDBACKS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Yusmeiro Petit pitched a four-hitter for his second career complete game, leading San Francisco past Arizona.
Making his third start since replacing Tim Lincecum in the rotation, Petit (5-3) faced just two more batters than the minimum and matched his season high of nine strikeouts. The right-hander needed only 84 pitches to finish the gem, the fewest in a nine-inning complete game by any pitcher in the majors this season.
Petit, who threw 26 first-pitch strikes, came within one out of a perfect game against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 6, 2013.
MARLINS 6, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE — Casey McGehee and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back home runs with two outs in the ninth inning, breaking open a tie game and leading Miami over fading Milwaukee.
McGehee connected for a two-run shot off Francisco Rodriguez (4-5). Ozuna, who reached base five times, followed with another drive off of Rodriguez, who has given up a career-high 14 home runs this season.
Christian Yelich added a pair of singles and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
The Brewers lost for the 13th time in 14 games.
METS 2, ROCKIES 0
NEW YORK — Jacob deGrom burnished his rookie of the year credentials by pitching three-hit ball for eight dominant innings, and the New York Mets held on to beat Colorado for their sixth win in seven games.
Jeurys Familia, the Mets’ third pitcher in the ninth inning, got Wilin Rosario to ground out with the bases loaded for his fifth save.
The win came after the Mets learned captain David Wright would be shut down for the rest of the season because of inflammation in his left shoulder.
TWINS 4, INDIANS 3
CLEVELAND — Oswaldo Arcia’s two-run homer capped Minnesota’s four-run fourth inning against Trevor Bauer, and the Twins dented Cleveland’s playoff hopes.
The last-place Twins won for just the fourth time in 16 games.
Minnesota rookie Trevor May (2-4), who entered with a 9.38 ERA, limited the Indians to just two runs in five innings.
Arcia’s homer off Bauer (5-8) made it 4-2, and the Twins hung on despite doing nothing else against the right-hander. Bauer gave up just four hits over eight innings.
BLUE JAYS 9, CUBS 2
TORONTO — Jose Bautista hit a go-ahead, three-run double in the seventh inning, and Toronto rallied for the win.
Mark Buehrle (12-9) allowed two runs and 10 hits in seven innings to stop a six-start winless streak, helping the Blue Jays improve to 6-2 in September.
Aaron Sanchez pitched eighth and Daniel Norris finished for Toronto, which came in five games out in the AL wild-card race.
The Cubs lost their fifth straight game and dropped to 64-81, putting them one defeat away from a fifth consecutive losing season.
By wire sources