Judge HRs twice, Yankees beat Jays 6-2 to extend WC lead

TORONTO >> Aaron Judge hit two of New York’s five home runs and the Yankees extended their AL wild-card lead by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 tonight.

Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo also connected off Blue Jays starter Robbie Ray, and Brett Gardner added a solo homer as New York (91-68) slimmed its magic number to clinch a postseason spot to two. The Yankees are two games ahead of Boston and idle Seattle, both 89-70, after the Red Sox lost to last-place Baltimore 6-2 earlier today. Toronto trails New York by three games.

New York has won eight of nine but could be in better shape entering a season-ending series against AL East-champion Tampa Bay. First baseman Luke Voit went on the injured list today with a sore left knee, and infielder DJ LeMahieu was replaced in the bottom of the sixth inning because of right hip soreness.

Michael King (2-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win in relief of Corey Kluber. Luis Severino worked a perfect seventh, Chad Green struck out three straight after giving up a leadoff double in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman finished in the ninth.

New York’s first five hits were home runs. Judge hit a 455-foot solo blast in the first that landed in a vacant lounge area below the center field scoreboard. He hit another drive to center, a 441-footer into the batter’s eye, as the Yankees homered three times in the sixth to erase a 2-1 deficit.

For Judge, the home runs were his 37th and 38th. It was his sixth multihomer game of the season and the 16th of his career.

Ray (13-7) walked Giancarlo Stanton after Judge’s first-inning blast but escaped further damage when Torres flied out to the warning track in right.

Gary Sánchez walked to begin the second, but Ray responded by retiring 13 consecutive Yankees.

Rizzo ended that streak with a one-out drive to right in the sixth, his 21st. Judge followed with his second homer, Stanton walked and Torres ended Ray’s outing with a two-run shot to left, his ninth.

Ray stumbled in the final chance to make his case for an AL Cy Young Award, allowing four hits, all home runs, and matching a season high by giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.

The four home runs allowed matched Ray’s career-worst, set April 29, 2016 against Colorado while pitching for Arizona.

Gardner made it 6-2 with a homer off Julian Merryweather in the ninth, his 10th.

Toronto’s Corey Dickerson answered Judge’s first homer with an RBI double off Kluber in the second, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. chased Kluber with an RBI double in the fifth that bounced off the top of the center field wall.

Kluber allowed two runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. King came on and walked Bo Bichette before getting Teocar Hernández to ground out.

BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 3

ATLANTA >> Ian Anderson turned in another dominant pitching performance, Jorge Soler and Austin Riley homered, and the Atlanta Braves won their fourth straight NL East title by completing a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies tonight.

After an up-and-down season marred by injuries and legal issues but bolstered by a flurry of moves at the trade deadline, the Braves won their 21st division title since moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.

They open the best-of-five Division Series at the NL Central champion Brewers on Oct. 8.

Soler hit the first leadoff homer of his career, going deep for the 26th time this season on a 3-2 pitch from Kyle Gibson (4-6).

Riley added to the lead with his 33rd homer in the fourth. He drove in another run with a broken-bat single in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0.

That was more than enough for Anderson (9-5), who pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball before yielding a two-run homer to Andrew McCutchen in the seventh. A.J. Minter, Luke Jackson and Will Smith worked the final three innings, with Smith earning his 37th save.

ASTROS 3, RAYS 2

HOUSTON >> Carlos Correa hit his career-high 25th homer and Houston beat Tampa Bay to clinch the AL West.

It’s the fourth division title in five seasons and 10th overall for the Astros. They’re in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, extending a franchise record.

Manager Dusty Baker’s Astros will open the AL Division Series on Oct. 7 against the Chicago White Sox.

Yuli Gurriel singled to start Houston’s fourth and Kyle Tucker walked. Correa followed with his towering shot that smashed off the wall in left field to put the Astros up 3-0 against Ryan Yarbrough (9-7).

Lance McCullers (13-5) didn’t allow a hit until Ji-Man Choi singled to start the sixth. There were two outs in the inning when Brandon Lowe homered on a ball to right field that sailed just inside the foul pole to cut the lead to 3-2.

ORIOLES 6, RED SOX 2

BALTIMORE >> Boston was dealt another blow in its postseason push, with Ryan Mountcastle hitting a three-run homer in the third inning of Baltimore’s win.

The Red Sox fell into a tie with Seattle for the American League’s second wild card.

Boston’s Nick Pivetta (9-8) struck out the side in the first, but he ultimately allowed three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight with two walks.

Alexander Wells (2-3) allowed a run and three hits in six innings after entering the game with a 7.61 ERA.