Akinori Iwamura had the go-ahead, two-run triple in the sixth and set up a four-run eighth with a sacrifice bunt as the Rays defeated the Orioles 11-6 to reduce their magic number in AL East to one.
The Astros kept their slim wild-card hopes alive as Randy Wolf threw 6 2/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts in a 5-0 victory over the Reds. Houston trails the Mets and Brewers by 3 1/2 games.
Hank Blalock homered in his fourth straight game as the Rangers won their home finale, 14-4 over the Athletics. Blalock’s three-run homer, his 11th of the season, put Texas up for good in the fourth.
THREE DOWN
Brett Myers failed to make it out of the fifth, allowing six runs (four earned) on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings in the Phillies’ 10-4 loss to the Braves, leaving the magic number for clinching the NL East at three.
Blue Jays reliever Jesse Carlson hadn’t allowed a run in 14 innings before the Yankees got to him for four runs in the 10th inning of a 6-2 loss. He allowed three hits, a walk and hit a batter.
Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte is done for the season because of a sore shoulder. The 36-year-old Pettitte went 14-14 and threw 204 innings. His 4.54 ERA was his highest since 1999, when it was 4.70.
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EDITED BY MIKE PANKOW AND THOMAS L. OUTLAW
