NEW YORK – The New York Yankees have responded to Baltimore's extra-innings win over Tampa Bay to rejoin the Orioles on top of the American League East with a 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox Thursday. Baltimore continued its fairytale run with a 3-2 win earlier Thursday to take top spot alone when Manny Machado hit a two-out, run-scoring single off Chris Archer in the bottom of the 14th inning to win the game. Machado's hit was nearly caught by Matt Joyce but the ball fell just under the left-fielder's glove, allowing Adam Jones to trot home from second and give the Orioles their 13th successive extra-innings win. But the Yankees continued Boston's horror season with runs in the fourth and seventh innings at Fenway Park to join the Orioles at 81-62 and continue a thrilling chase for the division title. The Yankees return to New York Friday to play divisional rivals Tampa Bay, who are four games behind both the Yankees and Orioles. “It was great to win this series (against Boston), it really was, but we start all over Friday when we get home,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “Tampa (Bay) always plays us tough. They're a handful, so we have to be ready to play, because the teams we're playing want to beat us.” Jeter claimed his 3,283rd career hit in the game, tying Willie Mays for 10th on the all-time list. In the American League Central the top of the division clash between Detroit and the Chicago White Sox was postponed due to rain in Chicago. Angels 6, Athletics 0: Jered Weaver (17-4) allowed two hits in seven innings and struck out nine in his first start since skipping a turn in the rotation because of biceps tendinitis. Torii Hunter homered and added an RBI single in a six-run seventh as Los Angeles avoided a four-game sweep and remained 3½ games back for the AL's second wild-card berth. The loss snapped Oakland's 12-game road winning streak, two shy of the franchise record set by the Philadelphia Athletics in May 1931. The A's have been shut out a big league-high 16 times. Indians 5, Rangers 4: Jason Kipnis hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Joe Nathan and the Indians snapped a five-game losing streak, beating the Rangers. The Rangers remained three games ahead of Oakland in the AL West after the Athletics lost to the Los Angeles Angels. Nathan (2-4) had converted a club-record 31 straight save chances before the Indians erased a 4-2 deficit in the ninth. Blue Jays 8, Mariners 3: Edwin Encarnacion hit his 40th home run, Adam Lind also connected and Toronto sent Felix Hernandez to his third straight loss. Encarnacion hit a three-run drive into the second deck in left in a five-run fourth as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep. Lind hit a two-run shot in the first. Hernandez (13-8) allowed a season-high seven runs and 10 hits in four innings. Twins 4, Royals 3 (10 innings): Denard Span had a game-ending RBI double in the 10th inning and the Twins rallied for a victory over Kansas City. Trailing 3-1, the Twins capitalized on a bases-loaded walk by Royals closer Greg Holland in the eighth and Trevor Plouffe's homer in the ninth to tie it. Alexi Casilla led off 10th with a double to right-center off Francisley Bueno (1-1). Span got his winning hit. Closer Glen Perkins (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Josh Willingham also connected for Minnesota and Salvador Perez had two RBIs for the Royals. — Agencies
