Rivalry Roundup: Jays, Rays, and Red Sox all lose close ones

After a couple unplanned off-days, the Yankees were back in action on Sunday in a doubleheader against the Rangers. They split the two games, taking the opener on a Gleyber Torres’ walk-off home run, while the offense couldn’t quite get going in a 4-2 loss in the second game.

Before the Yankees wrap up that rain-affected series later today, let’s take a look at what their AL competition did in the Rivalry Roundup of Sunday’s action.

Chicago White Sox (14-13) vs. Boston Red Sox (10-19)

Boston’s slide continued as the White Sox finished off a sweep, condemning the Red Sox to their fifth consecutive loss. Chicago struck with three runs in the third inning and held the lead from there, eventually winning 3-2. The previously struggling Dallas Keuchel gave Chicago six innings of two-run ball before turning it over to the bullpen, who finished off the win. The Red Sox will be licking their wounds after losing by just one run, considering that they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Cleveland Guardians (14-14) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (17-13)

Ahead of another series against the Yankees starting on Tuesday, the Blue Jays looked to be en route to a crucial win when they took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh. They had gotten five solid innings out of Alek Manoah, and RBI from Teoscar Hernández and George Springer, giving them a slim lead going into the late innings. That slim lead would not be enough, as the Guardians struck with two runs in the eighth. Owen Miller tied the game with a homer, and Oscar Mercado singled home another run a couple batters later, giving Cleveland the lead for good.

Houston Astros (18-11) vs. Detroit Tigers (8-19)

After winning all three previous games in the series by a 3-2 score, the Astros finally did something a bit different as they swept Detroit. Aledmys Díaz’s third-inning grand slam gave Houston a lead that they would never lose. Alex Bregman added a solo shot in the fifth as the Astros cruised to a win. On the mound, they got five solid innings from Jake Odorizzi, but reliever Cristian Javier was arguably their true star on the mound on Sunday. Javier threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, retiring 9 of the 10 batters he faced while striking out 5.

Minnesota Twins (18-11) vs. Oakland Athletics (10-18)

The AL Central-leading Twins added another win to their tally in a game against the A’s where almost all the action happened early. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and a 3-1 lead in the third, but Minnesota countered them both times, taking a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third and never relinquishing it. Former Yankees Gio Urshela and Gary Sánchez combined for the Twins’ first run, with the catcher scoring on Urshela’s sac fly in the second. However, it was Jorge Polanco’s two-run single in the third that gave Minnesota their first lead of the day. It was a good day for the Twins’ bullpen, as they combined for 6.2 scoreless innings after starter Chris Paddack got knocked out early with elbow inflammation. They allowed just two hits and two walks over those 6.2 innings.

Seattle Mariners (13-16) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (18-11)

Making his MLB debut, Seattle’s George Kirby held the Rays scoreless for six innings, but it took a while for the Mariners’ offense to get the team the win. The game was a pitchers’ duel through seven, with Tampa Bay finally opening the game’s scoring on a Manuel Margot homer in the eighth. Down to their final two outs, the Mariners’ Abraham Toro tied the game with a home run of his own, sending the game to extra innings. There, a Ty France walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th gave the Mariners the win.