THREE UP
Rajai Davis entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning, then belted a grand slam later in the inning to cap an eight-run explosion in the Athletics’ 11-2 victory over the Orioles.
Brett Myers tossed eight dominant innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10 in the Phillies’ 3-0 victory over the Mets as Philadelphia pulled within two games of first in the NL East.
Josh Beckett returned from the DL, throwing five shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out seven in the Red Sox’s 8-1 win over the Rangers. He hadn’t pitched since Aug. 17 because of elbow inflammation.
THREE DOWN
The Rays started a nine-game road trip with a 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay, which has baseball’s best home record, fell to 32-33 on the road as it left eight runners on base and struck out 10 times.
It has been a year to forget for Jason Bergmann and the Nationals. Bergmann fell to 2-11 as he yielded seven runs on five hits and three walks in 21/3 innings in a 10-5 loss to the Braves. His ERA rose to 5.23.
The Cardinals’ closing problems continued as Chris Perez blew his second consecutive save chance, giving up a ninth-inning homer to the Marlins’ Mike Jacobs. The Marlins won 4-1 in 11 innings.
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EDITED BY MIKE PANKOW AND DANIEL ELLMAN
