Lowe hits 3 HRs, Rays roll 12-2 to prevent Yankees WC clinch

By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit three home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays rolled to a 12-2 blowout of the Yankees that prevented New York from clinching a playoff spot. The loss dropped the Yankees into a tie with Boston atop the AL wild-card race, with Toronto a game behind. With a chance to pitch his team into the postseason, Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery was rocked. Lowe hit a pair of three-run homers and a solo drive to help the AL East champion Rays reach 100 wins for the first time. Even with the embarrassing defeat before a booing Yankee Stadium crowd of 41,648, New York can still punch its AL wild-card ticket Sunday with a victory over Tampa Bay on the final scheduled day of the regular season.