Rangers stretch series lead

TORONTO — The Texas Rangers beat Toronto 6-4 in a 14-inning marathon Friday to push the Blue Jays to the brink of elimination from baseball’s American League playoffs. The victory gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Division Series, with a potentially decisive game three at the Rangers’ home park in Arlington, Texas, Sunday. The Kansas City Royals avoided falling into a similar hole in the other American League series with a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros. The Royals came from behind with two runs in the sixth to knot the score at 4-4 and notching what proved the decisive run on Ben Zobrist’s seventh-inning single. The victory in Kansas City tied the series at one game apiece, with game three in Houston on Sunday. In Toronto, the game was tied at 4-4 when the Rangers got four straight hits with two outs in the 14th inning. Hanser Alberto, a 22-year-old rookie, singled in the go-ahead run and Texas added one more on an infield hit by Delino DeShields. Rougned Odor sparked the rally with his infield single. Chris Gimenez then singled to right to put runners at first and second, although Odor raced well past second base and had to slide back when Toronto right fielder threw behind him. The call on the field was safe, and even though replay seemed to show he might have pulled his foot off the bag long enough to be tagged out, the video was deemed inconclusive and the call stood. forced extra innings when pinch-hitter Mike Napoli’s single drove in a run in the eighth inning. Toronto had taken a 4-3 lead in the fifth with a run-batted-in single from left fielder Ben Revere. They had tied it at 3-3 in the second, when shortstop Troy Tulowitzki reached base on an Alberto error and Colabello hit a ground-rule double to right. Catcher Russell Martin hit a long single to score one run and center fielder Kevin Pillar grounded into a double play to score another. The marathon lasted four hours and 57 minutes and tempers frayed late. Reliever Keone Kela took the mound for the Rangers in the 13th and had a tense exchange of words with Donaldson after the Toronto player watched his long shot drift foul. Both benches cleared, but the situation settled down without any blows exchanged. Lackey wins classic pitching duel for Cards John Lackey pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings and the bullpen finished the job as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Chicago Cubs 4-0 in the opening game of their National League playoff series. Lackey, who had a no-hitter going through five innings and allowed just three baserunners, outduelled Cubs ace Jon Lester Friday as the Cards took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five second round series. In the night game, Jacob deGrom struck out a career high 13 batters to lead the New York Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to take a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals rode the sizzling right arm of Lackey before rookies Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty blasted late home runs to help seal the victory in the first ever playoff contest between the National League rivals. The 36-year-old Lackey won World Series rings as a member of the 2002 Anaheim Angels and the 2013 Boston Red Sox. He allowed just two hits and struck out five before relievers Kevin Siegrist and Trevor Rosenthal did the rest to polish off St. Louis’ 21st postseason shutout. Lackey posted a 13-10 record with a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings and 33 starts this year. The Mets victory at Dodgers Stadium extended the postseason woes of Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has now lost five straight playoff starts. Reigning NL rookie of the year deGrom allowed five hits in seven innings to win the pitching duel with Kershaw, who finished with 10 strikeouts. DeGrom’s 13 strikeouts tied Tom Seaver’s franchise mark, which the Hall of Famer set in game one of the 1973 National League Championship Series against the Cincinnati Reds.