DETROIT: Detroit closed the gap on American League Central leader Kansas City to just one game by beating the Royals 9-5 on Monday, with Torii Hunter having two hits in a six-run third inning which effectively decided the contest.

The tight fight for the Central was in marked contrast to the other two AL divisions, where Baltimore and the Los Angeles Angels both won to stretch the leads in the East and West respectively to ten and eight games.

In the National League, Washington’s lead in the East reached equally prodigious proportions by beating nearest rival Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated San Diego to move 3-1/2 games clear in the West.

Detroit’s Nick Castellanos had two hits and two RBIs, while Victor Martinez had three hits, and Hunter finished with three hits, two runs scored and drove in a run.

Detroit’s starting pitcher Justin Verlander (13-12) allowed six hits in seven innings to take the win while Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie only lasted 2-2/3 innings, having given up eight runs.

Angels’ starter Jered Weaver became the first 16-game winner in the AL this season, steering his team to a 12-3 win over Cleveland.

Weaver (16-8) allowed six hits in six innings as Los Angeles notched a fifth-straight win.

Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer in the ninth for the Angels, who hit four homers. Kole Calhoun hit a two-run homer and David Freese had a three-run drive in the fifth off Danny Salazar (6-7), whose run of 21 consecutive innings without conceding a run came to a very abrupt halt.

Washington’s Doug Fister pitched seven scoreless innings to steer the Nationals to a 2-1 win over Atlanta in the opening game of a three-game series between the top two NL East teams.

Fister (13-6), who had lost three straight starts, allowed only two singles in helping Washington move eight games clear of the Braves.

Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon each drove in a run for the Nationals.

The Braves trail Pittsburgh by 1-1/2 games for the second NL wild card.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won 9-4 at home against San Diego, with Clayton Kershaw becoming the major leagues’ first 18-game winner.

Kershaw (18-3) reduced his major league-best ERA to 1.67, allowing one earned run with eight strikeouts in eight innings. Over his past 18 starts, he is 15-1 with a 1.20 ERA.

Yasiel Puig drove in a run for the first time in 60 at-bats and helped the Dodgers notch a fourth-straight win, eking out their division lead over San Francisco.

St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the seventh inning and Matt Adams added a three-run homer to give the Cardinals a 5-0 win over Cincinnati.

St. Louis has won nine of 10, going from two games behind the NL Central lead to 4-1/2 games in front.

Carpenter’s single off Manny Parra (0-3) left Cincinnati’s bullpen 0-14 since the All-Star break. The Reds have fallen 10 games under .500 for the first time since 2009.

Baltimore’s Nelson Cruz had a pair of hits to help the Orioles beat Boston 4-0.

The Orioles now lead the division by 10 games with 21 to play; their first double-digit lead in a division since 1979.

Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez (9-7) pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings.

Oakland’s fading AL West hopes took another hit with a 5-4 loss over 12 innings at the Chicago White Sox, with Tyler Flowers hitting a tying solo homer in the ninth and then another drive in the 12th.

Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton hit his 37th homer of the season, tying the Marlins’ record for career homers at 154, as the hosts beat Milwaukee 6-4.

Seattle’s Brad Miller had a tiebreaking two-run triple in the eighth inning and drove in three runs, helping the Mariners beat Houston 4-1 and close within a game of Oakland for the top AL wild-card spot.

Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte hit a two-run homer to lead the Pirates to a 6-4 win at Philadelphia; their fourth consecutive victory.

Toronto’s Marcus Stroman pitched a shutout in his first complete game, guiding the Blue Jays to an 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.

New York’s Curtis Granderson hit a tying triple in the ninth and scored two pitches later on Wilmer Flores’ sacrifice fly, sending the Mets to a 3-2 win over Colorado.