CHICAGO: The Chicago White Sox breathed life back into their fading playoff hopes with a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Friday, driving a nail into the Rays’ own postseason hopes.

Chicago moved back within a game of the American League Central Division-leading Detroit Tigers, who slipped to a 4-2 loss against the Minnesota Twins.

Alex Rios hit his career-high 25th homer of the season for Chicago, while the Rays batting lineup could not muster enough to extend what had been an eight-game winning streak. The defeat dropped the Rays three games off the second and last wild-card berth, with only five games to go.

Detroit led the Twins early but reliever Brayan Villarreal walked three batters to load the bases in the eighth and Ryan Doumit got a one-out hit to drive in the winning run.

The top two in the American League East are also separated by only one game, after both the New York Yankees and the pursuing Baltimore Orioles won.

The Yankees cruised past the Toronto Blue Jays 11-4, with Russell Martin hitting a three-run homer and Eric Chavez adding a two-run shot.

Baltimore downed the Boston Red Sox 9-1, setting up with six runs in the first inning, thanks chiefly to Ryan Flaherty’s first career grand slam. Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman gave up only one hit in eight innings.

The Oakland Athletics stayed two games clear in the fight for the last wild card, beating the Seattle Mariners 8-2. Stephen Drew hit a two-run homer and Coco Crisp added a solo shot for the A’s, who also closed within three games of the West division-leading Texas Rangers, who were beaten 7-4 by the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels remain two games behind Oakland, but with only five games left, their wild-card hopes are fading.

In the other AL game, the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City 8-5.

In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals maintained their three-game lead for the second wild card — the only unsecured playoff spot in the NL — by routing the Washington Nationals 12-2. Allen Craig matched his career high with four hits.

The good news for the Nationals was that the Atlanta Braves also lost — beaten 3-1 at home by the New York Mets — so Washington maintained a four-game lead in the NL East, needing only one more win or another Braves loss to clinch the division crown.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 8-0 to keep alive in the wild-card chase, but they too are running out of games to catch up. Clayton Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings for the Dodgers while Shane Victorino hit a three-run homer.

The main individual achievement of the day came from Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey, who threw a no-hitter in the 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the seventh no-hitter pitched the in the majors this year, tying the modern record; there were eight in 1884.

In other NL games, the Miami Marlins edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1, the Houston Astros all but killed off the Milwaukee Brewers’ remote playoff hopes with a 7-6 win, the Arizona Diamondbacks were 8-3 winners over the lowly Chicago Cubs, and the West division-winning San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-1.