ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Randy Arozarena hit his 20th homer and drove in six runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Toronto 10-6 Friday night, tying the Blue Jays at the top of the AL wild-card standings.

The win clinched the season series – and the tiebreaker – for the Rays, who have won 10 of 17 against the Blue Jays.

Arozarena’s three-run homer gave Tampa Bay a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning. He hit a two-out, two-run single in the eighth off Yimi Garcia (4-5).

Javy Guerra (1-0) won in relief.

Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit RBI singles during a four-run fifth off Jeffrey Springs that put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3.

After Arozarena put Tampa Bay ahead, Toronto tied it at 6 in the sixth on George Springer’s sacrifice fly.

ORIOLES 6, ASTROS 0: Dean Kremer pitched a four-hitter, Adley Rutschman homered and Baltimore kept itself squarely in the playoff hunt by defeating Houston in Baltimore.

Baltimore trails Seattle by three games in the race for the third and final AL wild-card spot. It’s been an uplifting season for a team that went 52-110 last year, although the Orioles will need to remain hot and get some help to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.

ROYALS 5, MARINERS 1: Brady Singer pitched seven strong innings to lead host Kansas City to a victory over Seattle, cutting the Mariners’ lead for the final AL wild-card spot to three games.

Playing without All-Star rookie center fielder Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners lost for the sixth time in eight games. Rodriguez was placed on the 10-day IL with a lower back strain shortly before the game.

With the Orioles’ 6-0 win over Houston, Seattle’s lead over Baltimore for the third wild-card spot shrank to three games. Both clubs have 12 games remaining in the regular season.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

MARLINS 5, NATIONALS 2: Braxton Garrett pitched six effective innings in his first major league start in a month, and Miami won at home.

Garrett allowed one run – Lane Thomas’ leadoff homer in the first – and five hits. The left-hander struck out six and walked none.

BREWERS 5, REDS 3: Andrew McCutchen drove in three runs, passing 1,000 RBI for his career, and Milwaukee won in Cincinnati.

McCutchen put the Brewers ahead to stay when he drove in Rowdy Tellez with a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning. The five-time All-Star made it 5-2 with a two-run double in the seventh, running his total to 1,002 RBI.

CUBS 6, PIRATES 5: Esteban Quiroz hit a go-ahead single in the eighth, his second in three innings, and Chicago won in Pittsburgh for its fourth straight win.

Quiroz lined a two-out hit against Yohan Ramirez (1-1) to left in the eighth, driving in Jared Young. Two innings earlier, he chopped an infield single to cap a three-run sixth for the Cubs, who have won eight of 11.

PHILLIES 9, BRAVES 1: Rhys Hoskins homered and drove in four runs, Aaron Nola pitched six shutout innings and host Philadelphia beat Atlanta for its third straight victory.

Alec Bohm had three hits for the Phillies, who maintained their 2½-game lead over Milwaukee for the third NL wild card.

NOTES

DODGERS: Craig Kimbrel is no longer the Dodgers closer.

“I just think that right now, um, I’m going to keep Craig down tonight,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “And my expectation is, yeah, I talked to him today. Right now the plan is to change roles and get him into a position to pitch in different innings in different situations.

“He was very open to doing whatever is best for the ballclub. So I feel good about it and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Kimbrel gave up a home run in the ninth inning Thursday that put the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead by a run. The Dodgers won in the bottom of the inning on Mookie Betts’ walk-off single, which gave Kimbrel the win.

But Kimbrel, 34, has blown five of 27 save opportunities and has a 4.14 ERA in 57 appearances this season. He is seventh all-time with 394 saves in 13 seasons and led the league in saves four consecutive years ending in 2014.

MARINERS: Outfielder Julio Rodriguez, a leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year award, was put on the 10-day injured list because of a lower back strain.

The move came with Seattle holding the third and final wild-card spot, a half-game behind Tampa Bay and four games ahead of Baltimore. Outfielder Taylor Trammell was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

Rodriguez left Thursday’s win at Oakland in the first inning after experiencing back tightness. The 21-year-old leads rookies in home runs (27), runs scored (81), and total bases (251), and is second in RBI (73) and stolen bases (25). He was the only rookie to be chosen an All-Star this season.

TWINS: Outfielder Byron Buxton won’t return this season and will have surgery on his troublesome right knee.

Buxton, who was named an All-Star for the first time this season and hit 23 homers in 73 first-half games, has been out since Aug. 23 due to a right hip strain. But the knee has continued to be an issue and Falvey said Buxton will have an arthroscopic “cleanup” surgery to alleviate some scar tissue and fraying.

SUSPENSION: Major League Baseball suspended three minor league pitchers after they tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Melvi Acosta, a 27-year-old right-hander with Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul, was suspended for 80 games without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol. Jendersson Caraballo, a 22-year-old right-hander on the roster for the Dominican Summer League White Sox, received a 60-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol. Braudin Ciprian, a 21-year-old right-hander on the roster with the Dominican Summer League Brewers, also was suspended for 60 games after testing positive for Stanozolol.

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