These weekly Rivalry Roundup posts are a great exercise in not talking about the Yankees. I think I’m going to cash in that opportunity and only say — things are rough, and they should try scoring runs soon!

Elsewhere, there was plenty of action around the American League on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers (47-27) 7, Pittsburgh Pirates (29-45) 3

Both Rust Belt-dwelling squads hit the scoreboard early in this one, but it was ultimately the Tigers who took control for much of this game.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Wenceel Pérez belted a two-run homer to turn Detroit’s deficit into a lead with one swing of the bat. Although the Pirates later reclaimed the lead on a two-run single from Alexander Canario, it was a short-lived one. Javier Báez homered in the fifth inning to tie things up, and Pérez pitched in again an inning later with a go-ahead triple.

The Tigers put on their finishing touches on offense in the seventh, when Riley Greene swatted a two-run homer, his 15th on the season, and Báez belted his second of the ballgame.

This was all in an effort to back up Casey Mize’s solid start on the bump. He was on the hook for just two earned runs, as he struck out four across his six innings of work. The Tigers are owners of the best record in baseball, and currently have a 10-game lead in the Central, as the vibes ride pretty high in the Motor City.

Houston Astros (42-31) 13, Athletics (30-45) 3

It was all Houston pretty much from the start in Sacramento. The win was about as easy as they come for the Astros, and they are now just a half game behind the Yankees in 2025.

Jake Meyers managed a two-run single in the first inning, and the Astros never looked back from that point. The Houston bats scored multiple runs in four different innings, and a pair of batters at the bottom of the lineup tallied three hits apiece. This included Cam Smith, who mashed solo homers in both the second and fourth innings, one of those being back-to-back blasts with Mauricio Dubón.

Jason Alexander did a commendable job on the mound for Houston, as the 32-year-old kept the Athletics scoreless through the first six innings. Although the A’s did begin to make some noise in the seventh, scoring all three of their runs thanks to a Gio Urshela single on top of a throwing error and run-scoring double play, too much damage had been done to overcome.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (39-33) 5, Arizona Diamondbacks (36-36) 4: The Jays took home a thriller on Tuesday, and are quietly somehow just three games out of first place now in the American League East. They were trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, but Bo Bichette belted a solo homer to tie the game up with one out, and one at-bat later Addison Barger sent Jays fans home happy with a walk-off blast to secure the comeback win.

Cincinnati Reds (38-35) 6, Minnesota Twins (36-36) 5: Both the Reds and Twins managed a four-run inning in this one, but it was the Reds who were able to deal more damage elsewhere. Byron Buxton and old friend Harrison Bader both homered for Minnesota, But a double from Cincy’s TJ Friedl in the sixth was enough to sink the Twins back to .500.

Baltimore Orioles (31-41) 5, Tampa Bay Rays (40-33) 1: The O’s racked up 13 hits in a win against the Rays. Jordan Westburg tallied three hits and scored two of their runs, and Colton Cowser hit a solo homer to help keep the Rays 2.5 games back in the East behind the Yankees.

Seattle Mariners (37-35) 8, Boston Red Sox (38-37) 0: The Sox did their best Yankees impression Tuesday night, as they suffered a shutout against the M’s. Bryan Woo was excellent for Seattle, working seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit. On offense, Cal Raleigh continued his assault of opposing pitchers, as he hit a grand slam in the second inning, his league-leading 27th on the season.

Cleveland Guardians (36-35) 3, San Francisco Giants (41-32) 2: The Guardians got the best out West in a nail-biter against the Giants. Although Rafael Devers notched a pair of hits in his San Fran debut (including a double), it was a Gabriel Arias home run in the sixth that made the difference in this one.