OAKLAND, California: Oakland pitcher Sonny Gray bounced back from his worst start of the season to steer the major league-leading Athletics to a 4-1 home win over Toronto on Thursday.

The A’s maintained a 3-1/2 game lead in the American League East division over the Los Angeles Angels, who won the opener of a four-game series against Houston.

There was a changing of the order in the National League West as the Los Angeles Dodgers took over top spot with a tight win at Colorado, moving above struggling San Francisco, which was beaten at home by St. Louis.

Oakland’s Gray (8-3) restricted the Blue Jays to four hits over the first seven innings, and got some help from the field as the A’s turned three double-plays.

The most important came in the eighth when Jose Reyes hit a fly to deep right field where Brandon Moss took the catch and made a strong throw to first base, beating Josh Thole who was scrambling to get back to the bag.

Stephen Vogt scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the second inning.

St. Louis’ Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer to help the Cardinals win 7-2 at San Francisco.

Cards pitcher Carlos Martinez (2-3) earned only his second win as a starter, allowing one hit and one walk with six strikeouts over five innings. He also drove in a run.

The Giants have lost 17 of 22 to give up what was a very strong lead in the NL West.

They were replaced at the top of the division by the Dodgers, who won 3-2 at Colorado with Juan Uribe coming up with the go-ahead single in the top of the ninth inning.

Matt Kemp worked a leadoff walk off LaTroy Hawkins (2-2), went to second on a groundout and scored when Uribe singled under the glove of second baseman DJ LeMahieu. Uribe had half of the Dodgers’ six hits for the game.

Zack Greinke (11-4) pitched eight solid innings for Los Angeles.

The Rockies have lost 15 of their past 17 games and are now only half a game above Arizona and Houston for the worst record in the majors.

Detroit’s Max Scherzer pitched eight outstanding innings go guide the Tigers to an 8-1 win over Tampa Bay.

Scherzer (10-3) allowed a first-inning sacrifice fly but that was the first of 10 straight hitters he retired. After allowing a single in the fourth, Scherzer then retired another 13 in a row.

Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter all hit homers in a five-run first inning for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who have won 12 of 14 and were too good for a rejuvenated Rays team that had won its previous five.

The Angels won 5-2 against Houstonh, with David Freese hitting a two-run double.

L.A. starter Matt Shoemaker (6-2) allowed only two runs over six innings despite allowing runners on base in every inning. He returned to winning ways after being roughed up in his previous start at Kansas City.

Shoemaker’s seven strikeouts gave him 57 through his first 10 big league starts. That broke the franchise record of 56 set by Bo Belinsky in 1962.

Baltimore completed a four-game sweep of Texas by beating the Rangers 5-2, with Steve Pearce having a career-high four hits and driving in two runs.

New York’s Carlos Beltran gave the foundering Yankees a jolt with a three-run homer and a 7-4 win at Minnesota, ending a five-game losing sequence.

Arizona’s David Peralta had three hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in four runs to help the Diamondbacks beat Pittsburgh 10-2 and avoid a series sweep.

Philadelphia ended a six-game skid by edging Miami 5-4, with Ben Revere scoring the go-ahead run when Miami second baseman Donovan Solano misfielded a ground ball in the ninth.