A.L. Central knotted up
Tigers now 11-4 against Royals
Max Scherzer escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, Rajai Davis and J.D. Martinez homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City 4-2 on Tuesday night to pull within percentage points of the Royals atop the A.L. Central.
Scherzer 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. Gordon walked to load the bases with one out, but Salvador Perez lined out and Eric Hosmer struck out.
Joe Nathan earned his 30th save in 36 chances, allowing two infield singles to start the ninth before ending it with two strikeouts sandwiched around a picked-off runner.
Kansas City’s Jason Vargas allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
The Royals had two on for the dangerous Gordon in the ninth, but he struck out, and pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson was picked off second. Perez went down swinging for the final out.
The Tigers are trying for their fourth straight A.L. Central title, and the hallmark of this run has been their ability to beat their closest competitors in the division head to head. Last year, Detroit went 15-4 against Cleveland and finished one game ahead of the Indians.
The Tigers are 11-4 against the Royals this year, and that’s why the race is now in a virtual tie. Detroit has one more win and one more loss than Kansas City — and the Royals still have to finish a suspended game in which they trail Cleveland 4-2 in the 10th.
A’s 11, White Sox 2
Josh Donaldson had a career-high five hits while driving in four runs, helping Jon Lester and Oakland beat host Chicago.
Donaldson also scored two runs as Oakland got just its third win in 12 games. Lester gave up two runs over eight innings, and the Athletics took advantage of a season-high five errors by Chicago.
The A’s lost Craig Gentry to a concussion when he got into a collision at first base while beating out a bunt single in the fifth. He was replaced by Josh Reddick.
The Athletics are trying to hang on to a wild card after plummeting out of the A.L. West race, and they came away with a much needed win.
Twins 4, Indians 3
Oswaldo Arcia’s two-run homer capped Minnesota’s four-run fourth inning against Trevor Bauer, and the visiting Twins dented Cleveland’s playoff hopes with a victory.
The last-place Twins won for just the fourth time in 16 games.
Minnesota rookie Trevor May, who entered with a 9.38 ERA, limited the Indians to just two runs in five innings.
Arcia’s homer off Bauer made it 4-2, and the Twins hung on despite doing nothing else against the right-hander.
The Indians came in five games out of first in the A.L. Central, and blew a chance to make up ground in the division or wild-card chase.