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ATLANTA (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Rays were prevented from possibly becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth when Martín Pérez threw seven scoreless innings and Austin Riley’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Atlanta its first lead of the series in the Braves’ 3-1 win Thursday.
Seeking its first division title since 2021, Tampa Bay entered with a four-game AL East lead and would have clinched no worse than a wild card with a victory and a loss by Texas to Seattle or the Chicago White Sox to Pittsburgh.
Riley’s hit came after pinch-hitter Ozzie Albies’ had his first triple of the season, a drive against Kevin Kelly (6-4). Light-htting Ha-Seong Kim tacked on a two-run single for the offensively struggling Braves that proved crucial when Victor Mesa Jr. led off the ninth with a homer against Raisel Iglesias.
Iglesias bounced back to get the final three outs for his 32nd save in 35 chances for the Braves, who began the day with a three-game NL East lead.
Didier Fuentes (6-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, which sent the Braves into an important series against second-place Philadelphia with a big lift.
ASTROS 2, PHILLIES 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Cam Smith hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning off Jhoan Duran and Cristian Javier combined on a three-hitter to lead Houston over Philadelphia.
Smith connected on a splitter for the first home run off Duran (2-6) since May 22.
Philadelphia dropped four games behind NL East-leading Atlanta heading into a three-game series at the Braves starting Friday.
Houston started the day with a two-game lead over second-place Texas in the AL West. The Astros are the only team in the division with a winning record.
Javier, who tossed the first six innings of a combined no-hitter for Houston against Philadelphia in the 2022 World Series, gave up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.
Houston retired Philadelphia’s last 12 batters. Bennett Sousa, Bryan Abreu (6-3) and Josh Hader each pitched a perfect inning, and Hader needed just eight pitches to remain perfect in 25 save chances.
Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler allowed one run, five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in seven innings. He’s eight strikeouts shy of striking out 2,000.
MARINERS 4, RANGERS 3
SEATTLE (AP) -- Jacob deGrom retired his first 15 batters and struck out 12 for his highest total since 2022 but Julio Rodríguez hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Jakob Junis in a four-run seventh that lifted Seattle over Texas.
DeGrom didn’t allow a hit until Cole Young singled on a line drive off the pitcher’s raised glove leading off the sixth. The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out eight of his first nine batters for the fifth time and finished with his highest strikeout total since Sept. 19, 2022, for the New York Mets against Pittsburgh.
He left leading 3-0 after six innings due to groin tightness, manager Skip Schumaker said. But Junis (1-3) hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch leading off the seventh, then allowed Dominic Canzone’s RBI single and Cal Raleigh’s single. Rodríguez hit a first-pitch sinker for his 21st home run this season.
DeGrom gave up one hit in six scoreless innings with one walk.
Texas dropped three games behind AL West-leading Houston and two games back for the last AL wild card. Seattle trails by five games for the last wild card.
YANKEES 10, ROCKIES 3
NEW YORK (AP) -- Anthony Volpe hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs during his rousing return to the majors as New York beat Colorado to tighten the AL East race.
Luis García Jr. launched an early two-run homer and rookie Spencer Jones had three hits for the Yankees, including a two-run single. New York completed a three-game sweep to move within three games of Tampa Bay atop the division and 4 1/2 ahead of Boston for the first American League wild card with 16 to play.
Max Fried struck out seven in his third start since coming off the injured list but needed 80 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings. Five relievers followed, and John Schreiber (2-3) worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first win with the Yankees.
New York slugger Aaron Judge was rested as planned after starting back-to-back games in his return from the 60-day injured list. Cody Bellinger doubled twice and lofted a sacrifice fly for the Yankees, who have won 16 of 23 heading into the second Subway Series of the season against the crosstown-rival New York Mets this weekend in the Bronx.
Kyle Karros hit a 431-foot homer and Jake McCarthy had an RBI triple for the major league-worst Rockies (55-91), who have lost four straight and 10 of 13. Colorado has dropped a season-worst seven in a row on the road.
García connected in the first off Ryan Feltner (5-10), who allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.