ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jeffrey Springs pitched neatly into the sixth inning, Christian Bethancourt hit a seventh-inning two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays moved within five games of the AL East-leading New York Yankees with a 9-0 victory on Friday night.

It was the first of six games between the teams in a 10-day span as New York saw its once-commanding 15 1/2 game advantage continue to evaporate.

Springs (7-4) gave up four hits and three walks, along with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. JT Chargois, Colin Poche, Jason Adam and Calvin Faucher completed the five-hitter.

Tampa Bay has limited the Yankees to 42 runs (32 earned) in 14 games.

Bethancourt made it 3-0 on his homer off Domingo Germán (2-3), who allowed three runs – two earned – and six hits over 6 2/3 innings.

Yu Chang had a two-run infield single and Manuel Margot drove in two with a single during a six-run eighth against Greg Weissert and Anthony Banda. Yankees Manager Aaron Boone turned to infielder-outfielder Marwin Gonzalez with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth, and he retired Harold Ramirez on comebacker off a 45-mph pitch.

New York has lost five of six, while the Rays have won four in a row to move a season-high 16 games over .500.

Yankees left fielder Andrew Benintendi left in the third inning after injuring his right wrist on a swing. X-rays were negative, but he will have an MRI exam Saturday.

The announced crowd was 17,886. Tampa Bay entered averaging 13,845 at home.

ORIOLES 5, ATHLETICS 2: Gunnar Henderson doubled twice in his home debut, Jorge Mateo had a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning, and Baltimore beat Oakland.

Another highly touted rookie, Adley Rutschman, put the Orioles in front with a bases-loaded walk as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

MARINERS 6, GUARDIANS 1: Cal Raleigh homered twice, Luis Castillo pitched six solid innings and Seattle pushed its winning streak to five with a victory at Cleveland, which at least ended its longest scoreless drought in 31 years.

Raleigh hit a solo homer in the second inning off rookie Cody Morris (0-1) and connected for a three-run shot in the sixth as the Mariners kept pace in the crowded AL wild-card chase.

Seattle has won seven of eight and 12 of 16.

TIGERS 5, ROYALS 4: Ryan Kreidler scored twice in his major league debut, including the go-ahead run on pinch-hitter Harold Castro’s seventh-inning single, and Detroit won at home.

Kreidler, promoted from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, drew two walks. Javier Baez hit a two-run homer and Willi Castro had three hits, including a solo homer. Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak.

INTERLEAGUE

BLUE JAYS 4, PIRATES 0: Alek Manoah pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and Bo Bichette homered, leading Toronto to a win in Pittsburgh.

Manoah (13-7) allowed five hits and struck out six in 7 1/3 innings, retiring 15 of the final 18 batters he faced. The right-hander went at least seven innings without allowing a run for the first time since last Sept. 13, when he made it through eight innings.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

METS 7, NATIONALS 3: Pete Alonso hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the sixth inning, and New York won at home.

Alonso’s high drive to left field off Josiah Gray made it 4-3 and kicked off a four-run inning. He has 32 homers, and his 106 RBI are 18 short of the team record shared by Mike Piazza in 1999 and David Wright in 2006. The NL East-leading Mets have 30 games left for Alonso to make a run at the mark.

Eduardo Escobar hit his first homer since July 26 and drove in three runs for New York.

Mychal Givens (7-3), who entered with an 8.03 ERA in his first 13 appearances for the Mets, recorded five outs in relief of starter David Peterson. Givens stranded a runner at third in the sixth and worked around a two-out walk in the seventh.

Gray (7-9), pitching for the first time since Aug. 20, allowed six runs in five-plus innings for last-place Washington.

BRAVES 8, MARLINS 1: Travis d’Arnaud and Vaughn Grissom homered off Sandy Alcantara in a four-run fourth inning, Michael Harris II homered in the sixth and Atlanta won its third straight, tying a season-high with five long balls in a win at home.

The power display extended into the seventh when Austin Riley went deep for the 34th time and d’Arnaud followed with his 16th, marking 201 homers, most in the NL, hit by the defending World Series champion Braves.

Atlanta, three games behind the New York Mets in the NL East, matched its season high at 31 games over .500 (82-51).

REDS 3, ROCKIES 2: Jonathan India drove in Spencer Steer from third base with a game-ending chopper against Colorado’s five-man infield, sending Cincinnati to a win at home.

Steer, who hit his first career home run in the fifth in his major league debut, led off the ninth with a double against Alex Colomé (2-7) and went to third on a one-out wild pitch. Jake Fraley was intentionally walked and took second on fielder’s indifference.

The Rockies moved into the stacked infield with three fielders on the left side. India hit a bouncer up the middle that shifted center fielder Garrett Hampson caught on the grass in front of second base, but he had no play on Steer. India was credited with a single.