Major leagues:
New York Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon was added to the 10-day injured list Thursday with a partial tear of a tendon in his right ankle, and manager Aaron Boone also said reliever Zack Britton has had season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The reeling Yankees are feeling more optimistic about ace Gerrit Cole, who left a start Tuesday with left hamstring tightness. Cole played catch Thursday and plans to throw a bullpen Friday or Saturday with an eye toward a return to game action Monday or Tuesday.
The Yankees have lost five straight and nine of 11 since winning 13 in a row. A 6-3 defeat to Toronto on Wednesday dropped them a half-game behind Boston for the first AL wild card.
Boone said Taillon felt discomfort in his ankle toward the end of a start Monday, when he pitched three-run ball over seven innings in an 8-0 loss to the Blue Jays. He had a PRP injection this week and was in a walking boot Wednesday and Thursday, Boone said. He’s hopeful to be out of the boot Friday, and there’s a chance he only misses one start.
There isn’t concern that Taillon would worsen the injury by pushing it, Boone said.
“It sounds worse than it is, but his body is going to tell us what he’s able to handle,” he added.
Taillon is 8-6 with a 4.41 ERA over 27 starts in his first season with the Yankees. Prior to this year, he hadn’t pitched since May 1, 2019, while with Pittsburgh due to Tommy John surgery.
American League
Oakland 3, Chicago White Sox 1: Sean Manaea struck out nine in seven dominant innings, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Thursday.
Manaea (9-9) allowed one run and five hits in his first win since July 28. The left-hander went 0-3 with an 8.00 ERA in his previous six starts.
Cleveland 4, Minnesota 1: Franmil Reyes, Oscar Mercado and José Ramirez homered, and the Cleveland Indians scored for the first time in three games, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-1.
Reyes’ two-run shot in the third inning against Andrew Albers snapped the Indians’ 25-inning scoreless streak. The 418-foot blast to center also gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead.
National League
St. Louis 2, L.A. Dodgers 1: Tyler O’Neill hit a tiebreaking homer, Cardinals relievers combined for five scoreless innings, and St. Louis salvaged a split of its four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 2-1 win.
The Cardinals climbed within three games of the San Diego Padres for the final NL wild-card spot, while the Dodgers fell 2 ½ games behind the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants.