Jonathan Crighton
Staff Writer
The Baltimore Orioles surged into a tie atop the AL East with a 10-6 victory over the New York Yankees. Adam Jones hit the first of Baltimore's three home runs in a wild eighth inning, and the Orioles climbed back into a first-place tie with the Yankees in the AL East by defeating New York 10-6 Thursday night before a euphoric sellout crowd.
The Angels capitalized on the losses by Baltimore and Tampa Bay by beating Oakland, 7-1. Because all three teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race lost, the Halos now trail by just 2 1/2 games, thanks to their crucial sweep of Oakland.
The AL Central remained status quo with the White Sox a game up on the Tigers after both teams won on Wednesday. Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer, and he is beginning to establish himself as a legitimate Triple Crown threat.
Pittsburgh cut its deficit in the National League Wild Card race to 1 1/2 games with a 6-3 victory over Houston, coupled with the Cardinals falling to the Mets, 6-2. The Dodgers are also 1 1/2 back after losing to the Padres, 4-3. They trail the Giants, who lost to the D-backs, by 4 1/2 games in the NL West.
