SANTIAGO ESPINAL

There’s a whole lot riding on Alek Manoah’s first career playoff start, but the Toronto Blue Jays All-Star right-hander isn’t the least bit fazed about facing the Seattle Mariners in Friday’s wild-card opener.

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

Wander Franco had three RBIs, Jonathan Aranda homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 in the opener of a big four-game series between playoff contenders.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole twice banged on the dugout roof, shouting in frustration and getting booed as scuffling New York lost for the 15th time in 19 games, beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2.

APTOPIX Blue Jays Red Sox Baseball Toronto Blue Jays' Raimel Tapia (15) celebrates his inside-the-park grand slam that scored Lourdes Gurriel Jr., center left, Danny Jansen, left, and Santiago Espinal (5) during the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, July 22, 2022, in Boston. Tapia hit the second inside-the-park slam in Toronto's history — both of them at Fenway. The Blue Jays beat Baltimore 24-10 on June 26, 1978 for what had been the club scoring record. Junior Felix had Toronto's previous inside-the-park slam on June 2, 1989 in Boston against Bob Stanley. Matt Chapman, Teoscar Hernández and Danny Jansen also homered for the Blue Jays, who entered the day with a two-game lead over the Red Sox for the AL’s final wild-card spot.

Toronto’s Raimel Tapia hit an inside-the-park grand slam after Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran lost the ball in the Fenway Park lights and didn’t hustle after it.

White Sox Guardians Baseball Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks reacts after striking out Cleveland Guardians' Nolan Jones during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Cleveland. The White Sox won 2-1. (AP Photo/David Dermer) (David Dermer)NEW YORK — (AP) — Houston's Justin Verlander, the Yankees' Gerrit Cole and Atlanta's Max Fried won't be active for the All-Star Game after weekend starts. Relievers Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox, Jordan Romano of Toronto and Devin Williams of Milwaukee replaced them on the active rosters for Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium, Major League Baseball said Sunday. About a dozen players have changed from the original rosters announced July 6 and 8.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will miss the All-Star Game because of back spasms, joining Bryce Harper on the sidelines and depriving the showcase of two of baseball’s best-known players.

Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, San Francisco Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr won’t be playing in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Red Sox Blue Jays Baseball Toronto Blue Jays' Santiago Espinal (5) celebrates with first base coach Mark Budzinski after hitting a single against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) (Christopher Katsarov)TORONTO — (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski will be away from the team following the death of his eldest daughter. “The Budzinskis have been part of our Blue Jays family over the last four seasons,” general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement on Sunday. Elsewhere, Red Sox manager Alex Cora offered a similar message from Chicago, where his team was facing the Cubs. The Blue Jays’ clubhouse was closed after the 11-5 loss.

Blue Jays Angels Baseball Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., right, gestures after hitting a solo home run as Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi watches during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 26, 2022, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) (Mark J. Terrill)ANAHEIM, Calif. — (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered off Shohei Ohtani for the first time, and George Springer hit a leadoff home run in the Toronto Blue Jays' 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. Toronto hit the ball hard early and often against Ohtani, who beat the Blue Jays last summer in his only previous mound meeting. The Blue Jays’ three-run third was only the third multi-run inning allowed this season by Ohtani. Ohtani retired seven straight Blue Jays before Guerrero's homer — his second in two games after a 15-game homerless drought comprising most of May. UP NEXTRising star Alek Manoah (5-1, 1.62 ERA) pitches on the one-year anniversary of his major league debut for the Blue Jays.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered off Shohei Ohtani for the first time, and George Springer hit a leadoff home run in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Gleyber Torres drove in all New York’s runs with a go-ahead, three-run homer off José Berríos in the fourth inning and a two-run single, leading the surging Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 for their 15th win in 17 games.

Aaron Judge hit a mammoth three-run drive in the ninth inning for his first walk-off home run in the major leagues to give the New York Yankees a 6-5 comeback victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch after scooping up a Toronto scouting report two days earlier, and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a postseason berth with a 7-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

Tigers Blue Jays Baseball Toronto Blue Jays' Randal Grichuk watches his two-run home run, which also scored Santiago Espinal, in the second inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Toronto, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP) (Jon Blacker)TORONTO — (AP) — Hyun Jin Ryu cruised through seven innings, Randal Grichuk and Marcus Semien each homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0 on Saturday. Tim Mayza pitched a perfect eighth and Jordan Romano wrapped it up for his 11th save in 12 chances as the Blue Jays completed their 12th shutout. ROSTER MOVESBlue Jays: RHP Rafael Dolis cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. UP NEXTBlue Jays LHP Steven Matz (10-7, 4,08) starts Sunday against Tigers RHP Drew Hutchison (0-1, 10.80).

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 38th home run this season, but the Toronto Blue Jays hit it out of the park four times, including two from George Springer and a grand slam by Teoscar Hernandez, to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 10-2.

Francisco Mejía hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a seven-run burst in the 11th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won their 11th straight game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 14-8.

New York Yankees pitcher Adam Ottavino walks to the dugout after being pulled during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. Green, Ottavino and Luis Cessa needed 67 pitches and 43 minutes to get three outs. Green's ERA jumped to 4.26, and Ottavino allowed six runs without getting any outs as his ERA rose to 7.82. Ottavino (2-3) relieved, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run, opposite-field single that bounced past Voit and down the right-field line. Sean Reid-Foley (1-0) won despite a bases-loaded walk to Aaron Hicks in the sixth that extended the Yankees lead to four runs.

(AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)A look at what's happening around the majors on Monday:WAIT AND SEEThe Cincinnati Reds will wait for their latest COVID-19 test results to see when they can resume the season. Cincinnati had home games against Pittsburgh postponed Saturday and Sunday after a player tested positive. Cincinnati is the third team to have games postponed because one of its players tested positive for COVID-19, joining the Marlins and the Cardinals. Chapman tested positive for the coronavirus during preseason workouts and hasnt pitched yet this season. AILINGBlue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is on the injured list, interrupting his big-hitting season.

Atlanta Braves' Nick Markakis, left, celebrates with Adeiny Hechavarria (24) after hitting a game-winning home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in Atlanta. Markakis was added to the active roster on Wednesday after changing his mind about sitting out the year. Following the homer, Braves players circled home plate with plenty of distance, waving their hands in the air as Markakis finished his trot. Manager Charlie Montoyo said before the game Waguespack was recalled when right-hander Trent Thornton was placed on the 10-day injured list. Following a chat with home plate umpire Alan Porter, Waguespack left the field without making a pitch and Montoyo instead brought in Rafael Dolis.

The Blue Jays were blocked by the Canadian government from hosting this season because of coronavirus concerns, and hopes of shifting home games to other big league cities didn't work out. First of all, this whole year has been crazy, but its been especially crazy for our team, Biggio said. You get an opening day start usually because of what you did the year before," Morton said. Blue Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, second in NL Cy Young voting when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, allowed three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said it felt awesome after all the uncertainty the Blue Jays have endured recently.