By KEN POWTAK
By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press
BOSTON — Jon Lester is proving he’s Boston’s ace again.
Lester pitched eight dominant innings, and the AL East-leading Red Sox dealt the New York Yankees’ wild-card hopes another blow with a 5-1 win on Saturday.
The 29-year old left-hander is 6-3 since mid-July with a 2.52 ERA in 12 starts after a rough stretch midway through the season.
“What he’s done since the All Star break has been consistent with how he’s started the season,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “A well above-average pitcher, a front-line starter and that’s what Jon Lester is.”
Lester (14-8) was solid from the start, mixing a sharp cutter with a well-spotted, mid-90s fastball. He allowed one run and three hits, striking out five and walking two for his fourth win in six starts.
Midway through the season, he went 0-4 in six starts with a 7.20 ERA.
“I knew after what I went through at the middle of the year that it’s just a matter of time and things will take care of itself,” he said. “I think anytime you take someone that’s had some success, your confidence is high. When you struggle, that kind of varies from certain starts.”
Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino each had two hits as the surging Red Sox won for the 16th time in 19 games, and beat the Yankees for the fifth time in six meetings in just over a week.
Napoli, in his first season with the Red Sox, has seen the best of Lester from the opposite side.
“I remember facing him when he had his changeup, it’s tough because he’d throw that cutter in on your hands and a changeup strike when he’s just pounding you inside all the time,” he said. “He’s been doing great. You can see he’s confident out there. He’s just getting the ball and throwing.”
The Yankees lost their second straight after a three-game winning streak and fell 2½ games behind Tampa Bay for the AL’s second wild-card spot. The Rays played at Minnesota on Saturday night.
“You have to find a way to get it done is the bottom line,” New York manager Joe Girardi said of facing Lester. “He’s been throwing the ball well. He threw it well against us last time and he did it again today, but you’ve still got to find a way.”
Boston entered the day with an 8½-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay.
The Red Sox (91-59) improved to a season-high 32 games over .500, their best mark since the final day of their World Series championship season in 2004.
Franklin Morales worked a perfect ninth.
For the second time in week, Boston goes for a sweep against New York. Last weekend, the Red Sox won the initial three of a four-game set at Yankee Stadium but lost the finale.
The Red Sox built a 5-1 lead against CC Sabathia (13-13) after five innings.
“I felt like I was behind everybody and got into some tough counts,” Sabathia said. “With a team like they have, when you get behind and in a hitter’s count, you’re going to give up some hard-hit balls.”
Will Middlebrooks’ run-scoring grounder gave Boston a 1-0 edge in the second. Napoli singled before moving up on a walk and sacrifice.
In the third, David Ortiz had an RBI double and Gomes added a run-scoring single. Sabathia then fanned the next two hitters with runners on first and third.
Lester breezed through the first nine batters, holding the Yankees hitless before Curtis Granderson tripled off the center field wall leading off the fourth. He scored on Robinson Cano’s bouncer to first to make it 3-1. But Victorino had a two-out RBI single in the bottom half.
Sabathia went six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, walking four and striking out five. He’s 4-6 with a 6.48 ERA in his last three seasons against the Red Sox.
Daniel Nava’s sacrifice fly increased it to it 5-1.
A’s 1, RANGERS 0
ARLINGTON, Texas — Bartolo Colon scattered seven hits over eight impressive innings for the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics, who stretched their division lead over Texas to 5½ games with a 1-0 victory over the Rangers and Yu Darvish.
The A’s won for the seventh time in eight games, and clinched the key division series by beating Texas twice in less than 24 hours.
Colon (16-6) struck out seven and lowered what is already his career-best ERA to 2.73.
Darvish (12-9) struck out 10 over seven innings in his fourth 1-0 loss of the season. The right-hander from Japan has lost his last four starts, the last two by 1-0 scores, and is winless his last six.
Even though Darvish struck out the side in the first, Josh Donaldson drew a one-out walk and scored on a two-out double by Brandon Moss into the right field corner.
BLUE JAYS 4, ORIOLES 3
TORONTO — Colby Rasmus hit a two-run home run, Jeremy Jefress won for the first time in more than two years and the Jays handed the slumping Orioles their fifth loss in seven games.
Rasmus erased Baltimore’s 3-2 lead with a drive off the facing of the second deck against Chris Tillman (16-6) in the seventh inning. For Rasmus, it was his 20th homer of the season and second in two days.
Jeffress (1-0) pitched one scoreless inning of relief to win for the first time since April 5, 2011, when he beat the Chicago White Sox while pitching for Kansas City.
Tillman allowed four runs and six hits in eight innings to lose for the first time since Aug. 19.
ROYALS 1, TIGERS 0
DETROIT — Prince Fielder was thrown out at home plate to end the game, preserving Ervin Santana’s impressive outing and leading the Royals to a victory over the Tigers.
Eric Hosmer had an RBI triple in the first for the Royals. He was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a grounder to third base.
Santana (9-9) won for the first time since Aug. 4, outpitching Doug Fister (12-9). He allowed five hits in 6 2-3 innings, walking one and striking out five.
Will Smith, Luke Hochevar and Greg Holland completed the seven-hitter.
Fielder walked to open the ninth. The Tigers’ burly first baseman then tried to score from first on Omar Infante’s two-out double but Gold Glove outfielder Alex Gordon made a strong throw from the left field corner to Alcides Escobar. The shortstop then made a perfect relay to catcher Salvador Perez, who tagged a sliding Fielder to end it.
INDIANS 8, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO — Ubaldo Jimenez pitched 8 1-3 strong innings and Asdrubal Cabrera and Lonnie Chisenhall homered to lead Cleveland to a victory over the White Sox on Saturday night that helped the Indians keep pace in the AL wild-card race.
Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Chisenhall added a three-run shot in a five-run fourth inning that powered the Indians to their 11th straight win against Chicago and third in a row overall to improve to 80-68.
Cleveland’s Carlos Santana went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs with a single in the sixth.
ANGELS 6, ASTROS 2
HOUSTON — Jered Weaver pitched six solid innings, Chris Iannetta homered and the Angels stopped Houston’s four-game winning streak.
Weaver (10-8) joined Nolan Ryan as the only Angels pitchers to reach double-digits in wins for eight straight seasons.
Brett Wallace homered for Houston, which leads the majors with 97 losses. The Astros had their first four-game winning string since mid-June.
Rookie Brett Oberholtzer (4-3) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings.
REDS 7, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE — Joey Votto and Shin-Soo Choo each hit two-run homers, and the Cincinnati Reds kept pace in the NL
Central race with a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Homer Bailey (11-10) allowed three runs over seven innings in winning his career-best sixth straight decision. Votto had three RBIs, including the towering drive off the right field foul pole in the sixth.
The Brewers loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth trailing by four, but All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman struck out pinch-hitter Jonathan Lucroy.
Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth to finish off his 36th save.
PIRATES 2, CUBS 1
PITTSBURGH — Gerrit Cole pitched seven strong innings and got home run help from Marlon Byrd and Jose Tabata, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Chicago Cubs.
The Pirates have won five of six and tied St. Louis for the NL Central lead.
Cole (8-7) gave up one run and five hits. The rookie struck out seven and walked three.
MARINERS 4, CARDS 1
ST. LOUIS — Rookie James Paxton gave up two hits in six shutout innings and the Seattle Mariners ended a five-game losing streak, dropping St. Louis into a tie for the NL Central lead.
St. Louis and Pittsburgh share the division lead once again. The Pirates topped the Cubs 2-1.
The Cardinals mustered only three hits, including Matt Carpenter’s league-leading 50th double.
BRAVES 2, PADRES 1
ATLANTA — Kris Medlen allowed four hits over 7 1-3 scoreless innings to win his fourth straight start, leading the Atlanta Braves over San Diego.
The NL East-leading Braves led 2-0 before Chase Headley hit a ninth-inning homer off closer Craig Kimbrel, who then pitched around a two-out walk to Ronny Cedeno for his career-best 47th save.
PHILS 5, NATIONALS 4
WASHINGTON — Carlos Ruiz had two doubles and three RBIs, John Mayberry homered and the Philadelphia Phillies ended Washington’s seven-game winning streak.
The Nationals fell 5½ games behind Cincinnati for the second NL wild card.
Cole Hamels (8-13) won his fourth straight decision. Jonathan Papelbon worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his 27th save.
Denard Span extended his hitting streak to 25 games. He got three hits and stole three bases for Washington.
Gio Gonzalez (10-7), coming off a one-hitter against the Mets, allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings.
MARLINS 3, METS 0
METS 3, MARLINS 1
NEW YORK — Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed two hits in seven innings for his first major league win in more than a year, and the New York Mets got back-to-back homers from Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda to beat the Miami Marlins for a doubleheader split.
Matsuzaka (1-3) plunked Placido Polanco twice in the nightcap, but other than that the Japanese right-hander was in complete control. It was his first big league win since Aug. 27, 2012, with Boston against Kansas City. He entered 1-10 in his past 16 major league starts.
LaTroy Hawkins got three outs for his 10th save.
Murphy and Duda homered to start the third against Jacob Turner (3-7), who fell to 0-6 in his last 11 starts.
In the opener, Donovan Solano got some payback after he was hit by two pitches, launching a home run and making two terrific defensive plays that sent Henderson Alvarez and the Marlins past the Mets in the opener of a doubleheader.
Logan Morrison drove in two runs, one on a line drive off the right wrist of Frank Francisco that knocked the oft-injured reliever out of the game. Alvarez (4-4) pitched four-hit ball over seven innings for his second win against the Mets this year.
Carlos Torres (3-5) hit Solano with pitches in his first two plate appearances. Torres struck out a career-high eight in six innings and gave up only three hits.