NEW YORK -- Brandon McCarthy threw six more solid innings, fellow newcomer Chase Headley delivered another timely hit and the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 Thursday for their sixth win in seven games.
Brett Gardner doubled, scored a run and drove in one as the Yankees kept up their push since the All-Star break.
Texas fell to 3-17 in July and dropped 22 games under .500 for the first time since the final week of the 1988 season.
McCarthy improved to 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in three starts since the Yankees got him in a deal with Arizona earlier this month. He was 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA at the time of the trade.
McCarthy limited Texas to one run and four hits. He struck out five, and fanned Alex Rios to finish off an 11-pitch at-bat that ended the first inning.
Rios almost got even in the eighth with Texas trailing 3-2, hitting a drive off All-Star reliever Dellin Betances that was caught on the warning track in right field.
David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 27 chances.
Colby Lewis (6-8) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. He took the loss, but kept his composure -- in his previous start, he got rankled when Toronto's Colby Rasmus bunted for a two-out single midway through the game.
Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 0
TORONTO -- Marcus Stroman and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, Juan Francisco drove in four runs and came within a double of the cycle and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 8-0.
Stroman's no-hit bid ended when Shane Victorino blooped a single to center to lead off the seventh. One out later, Victorino was erased on Mike Napoli's double-play grounder.
Stroman (6-2) only allowed two other baserunners on walks and struck out seven in seven innings. The rookie right-hander is 5-1 with an 1.54 ERA in seven home starts.
Todd Redmond worked the eighth and Rob Rasmussen finished.
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz injured his lower back on a swing in the ninth inning and was replaced by Jonny Gomes, who flied out to end the game.
Phillies 2, Giants 1
PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels pitched eight strong innings and Chase Utley had a tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hamels (5-5) got the better of Tim Hudson in a matchup between starters who have combined for seven All-Star appearances. The Philadelphia left-hander gave up six hits while striking out 10 and walking one.
Hudson (8-7) gave up two runs in six innings although both were unearned. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.
The Giants, who were looking for their first four-game sweep in Philadelphia since 1998, lost for just the second time in eight games. San Francisco's lead over the idle Dodgers in the NL West dropped to 1 1/2 games entering this weekend's three-game series between the rivals at AT&T Park.
Utley, Marlon Byrd and Wil Nieves had a pair of hits for Philadelphia, which snapped its four-game losing streak while winning for just the second time in nine games.
Sports on 07/25/2014