Mets beat Pirates 7-1 on Clemente Day to extend slim lead

NEW YORK (AP) – On a Roberto Clemente Day particularly meaningful to both of them, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco propelled the New York Mets past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 on Thursday night to extend their slim lead in the NL East. Lindor launched his 24th home run to set a Mets season record for shortstops, and Carrasco (15-6) struck out 11 in six splendid innings as New York moved a game ahead of idle Atlanta. Slumping designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach drove in three runs against his former team, and pinch-hitter Mark Vientos had an RBI single for his first major league hit. Breaking out early at the plate in the opener of a four-game series, the Mets halted a five-game home losing streak and rebounded from a three-game sweep by the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Michael Chavis had an RBI double in the second for the last-place Pirates. JT Brubaker (3-12) was tagged for five runs and seven hits over three innings before leaving with discomfort in his right lat muscle. He is day-to-day. RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 0 TORONTO (AP) – Yandy Díaz hit a three-run home run and Tampa – starting an unprecedented nine Latin American players on Roberto Clemente Day – routed Toronto to pull within a half-game of the Blue Jays in the wild-card chase. Clemente, the late Hall of Fame outfielder from Puerto Rico, was a two-time World Series winner and NL MVP who played 18 seasons with Pittsburgh. Activated off the injured list after missing 15 games because of a left shoulder impingement, Shane McClanahan (12-5) pitched five shutout innings. He allowed three hits, struck out five and walked one. Isaac Paredes hit a solo home run and added an RBI single as the Rays (80-63) won the fifth and final game of the series. Toronto (81-63) will play a four-game series at Tampa Bay, starting next Thursday. Seattle (80-62), which holds one of the three AL wild-card spots, was idle Thursday, but moved percentage points ahead of Toronto. Díaz homered in a four-run second inning, his ninth. Paredes made it 5-0 with a leadoff blast in the seventh, his 19th Kevin Gausman (12-10) was the loser. ASTROS 5, ATHLETICS 2 HOUSTON (AP) – Aledmys Díaz hit a two-run homer, Lance McCullers Jr. had a solid start and Houston beat Oakland for its fifth straight victory. At 94-50, American League-leading Houston’s magic number to clinch a postseason spot is one. The Astros are 13-3 in their last 16 games. Díaz broke a 2-2 tie in seventh inning, roping an 84-mph slider from Joel Payamps (3-6) into the left-field Crawford Boxes. Díaz has 11 homers this season. McCullers had 11 strikeouts – his most since July 29, 2018 – and held Oakland to two hits and two runs while walking four. Seth Martinez (1-1) pitched a scoreless seventh, and Rafael Montero worked the ninth for his 13th save. WHITE SOX 8, GUARDIANS 2 CLEVELAND (AP) – Elvis Andrus hit one of Chicago’s five home runs off rookie Hunter Gaddis – and backed up a pregame swipe at the Guardians -to help cut Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central to three games. Andrus connected in the fifth inning off Gaddis (0-2) – the first Cleveland pitcher to allow five homers in a game since Luis Tiant in 1969. On Wednesday, Andrus raised some eyebrows by telling reporters he expected the first-place Guardians ‘œto crumble, the closer we get.’� Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer in the second to start Chicago’s homer spree against Gaddis, and Andrew Vaughn, Yoán Moncada and Yasmani Grandal joined Andrus by hitting shots off the right-hander. Lance Lynn (7-5) limited the Guardians to two run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 5-0 in his last seven starts. Cleveland had its winning streak stopped at six. REDS 3, CARDINALS 2