BALTIMORE -- Zach Eflin and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, Brandon Lowe and Harold Ramirez homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 on Friday night to pull into a virtual tie atop the AL East.
Tampa Bay, which has won nine of 11 and 18 of 24, has erased a season-high four-game deficit in a span of six days thanks in part to winning the first two of a four-game series against Baltimore.
Former University of Arkansas player Heston Kjerstad homered leading off the sixth -- his first major league hit -- for the Orioles, who have dropped four in a row to match their longest skid of the season. Baltimore (91-56) still leads the Rays (92-57) by percentage points in the division race.
Eflin (15-8), who leads the AL in victories, allowed just one baserunner in the first five innings. Gunnar Henderson reached on third baseman Isaac Paredes' fielding error to lead off the first, but was erased two batters later when Anthony Santander grounded into a double play.
Eflin's bid to throw the second no-hitter in Rays history and first since Matt Garza's in 2010 ended when Kjerstad smashed a cutter to right field. It was the first big league start for Kjerstad, who made his debut Thursday as a pinch-hitter.
The home run was the only hit allowed by Eflin, who struck out eight in seven innings.
Jake Diekman walked Aaron Hicks and yielded Cedric Mullins' single to begin the eighth but struck out the next three batters. Chris Devenski pitched a perfect ninth.
The teams combined for two baserunners in the first three innings before Tampa Bay got to Baltimore starter Jack Flaherty (8-9). Lowe led off the fourth with a home run to right-center, and Manuel Margot later added an RBI single.
BLUE JAYS 3, RED SOX 0 Jose Berrios and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a three-run home run and Toronto beat Boston to snap a four-game losing streak. Berrios (11-10) allowed all five hits and struck out eight over seven sharp innings.
GUARDIANS 12, RANGERS 3 Lucas Giolito (8-13) struck out a season-high 12 over seven scoreless innings, Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez each drove in three runs, and Cleveland beat Texas.
ROYALS 4, ASTROS 2 Bobby Witt, Michael Massey and Nelson Valazquez all hit home runs as Kansas City defeated Houston.
TWINS 10, WHITE SOX 2 Royce Lewis set a franchise record with his fourth grand slam of the season in Minnesota's victory over Chicago.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BREWERS 5, NATIONALS 3 Carlos Santana hit two home runs and William Contreras added a three-run shot as Milwaukee rallied to beat Washington.
MARLINS 9, BRAVES 6 Luis Arraez homered twice and Jacob Stallings had two doubles, the second a go-ahead line drive with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Miami beat NL East champion Atlanta. In their first game since winning the division title Wednesday, the Braves lost star slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. after 7 1/2 innings because of right calf tightness. Acuna felt discomfort when he grounded into a double play to end the top of the inning.
PHILLIES 5, CARDINALS 4 Nick Castellanos hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Philadelphia hung on to beat St. Louis.
REDS 5, METS 3 Jonathan India hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Cincinnati beat New York, another important victory in the tight National League wild-card race.
ROCKIES 3, GIANTS 2 Two runs scored on Elehuris Montero's single and Mike Yastremski's throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning giving Colorado a victory over San Francisco.
INTERLEAGUE
YANKEES 7, PIRATES 5 Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres scored when a potential game-ending double play turned into a game-turning error as New York rallied past Pittsburgh on Roberto Clemente Day.
Friday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 9, Atlanta 6
Cincinnati 5, NY Mets 3
Milwaukee 5, Washington 3
Philadelphia 5, St. Louis 4
Colorado 3, San Francisco 2
Chciago Cubs at Arizona, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 7, Baltimore 1
Toronto 3, Boston 0
Cleveland 12, Texas 3
Minnesota 10, Chicago White Sox 2
Kansas City 4, Houston 2
Detroit at LA Angels, (n)
IINTERLEAGUE
NY Yankees 7, Pittsburgh 5
San Diego at Oakland, (n)
LA Dodgers at Seattle, (n)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios works against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., right, celebrates his three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox with Bo Bichette during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello reacts on the mound during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello returns to the dugout after working against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Red Sox first baseman Justin Turner reacts after a throwing error by shortstop Trevor Story allowing Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider to reach first during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida, right, reacts after striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios works against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)