CHICAGO: Starlin Castro matched his career high with six RBIs, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth and a three-run drive in the sixth to lead the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 Friday for their fourth straight win.

Castro went 3 for 3 with a walk in the third multihomer game of his career. He put the Cubs ahead 5-3 in the fifth with his drive off Seth Maness (4-2), then connected off Steve Cishek in the sixth for his 10th homer this season.

Chicago closed the day one game behind Pittsburgh for the NL’s top wild-card berth, after the Pirates lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2. The Cubs closed within six games of the NL Central-leading Cardinals.

Tommy Hunter (2-0), the second of six Chicago relievers, got one out in the fifth, and Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Fernando Rodney and Neil Ramirez combined for four scoreless innings of two-hit relief.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn lasted 3 1/3 innings and threw 83 pitches, allowing three runs, four hits and six walks.

Chicago starter Dan Haren gave up three runs — one earned — and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny and Matt Belisle, the sixth St. Louis reliever, were ejected in the seventh after Belisle hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch.

Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy and Juan Uribe each homered, and closer Jeurys Familia shook off the Yankees’ best shot in the ninth inning to help the New York Mets to a 5-1 victory at Citi Field in the opener of the Subway Series.

Rookie Steven Matz (4-0) outpitched Masahiro Tanaka (12-7), and Familia escaped his own bases-loaded jam by striking Chase Headley to end it.

The Mets began their latest ever regular-season matchup against the Yankees with an eight-game lead over Washington in the NL East.

The Yankees fell 4 1-2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto, which beat Boston 6-1.

Danny Valencia homered twice, including a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning, to help the Oakland Athletics to a 4-3 victory that sent the slumping Houston Astros to their fifth straight loss.

The recent slide has allowed the first-place Texas Rangers to move 2 1-2 games ahead of the Astros in the AL West.

Oakland trailed by a run with one out and one on in the eighth when Valencia launched a pitch from Pat Neshek (3-6) into the seats in left field to make it 4-3. Valencia had a solo shot in the fourth inning.

Zack Greinke posted his career-high 18th victory, rookie sensation Corey Seager hit a two-run homer and Adrian Gonzalez doubled home two more to lead the Dodgers to a 6-2 victory over Pittsburgh.

Greinke (18-3) was charged with two runs and four hits in seven-plus innings, struck out three and walked two before he was lifted with two on and no outs in the eighth.

Rookie Mikie Mahtook tied a team record with five hits, Grady Sizemore had a three-run double during a six-run fifth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6.

Baltimore, which started play 4 1-2 games behind Houston for the second AL wild card, lost for the third time in 10 games. Steve Pearce homered twice for the Orioles, who would have to jump over the Astros, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland to claim the final AL postseason spot.

Dixon Machado’s bases-loaded single in the 12th inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals clung to their faint playoff hopes with a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins.