NEW YORK — Brandon McCarthy has been a steady presence in the New York Yankees’ rotation since his arrival in a trade with Arizona. Still, he knew the stakes were even higher against Max Scherzer and the AL Central-leading Tigers.

McCarthy won his fourth start in a row with a gritty effort, and the Yankees took the first of three straight matchups against Detroit’s Cy Young Award winners, beating the Tigers 2-1 Monday night.

“This is a chance to step up against one of the best and to make our own mark,” McCarthy said. “It’s on me to do my part to kick in, especially against a tough team and Max.”

Brian McCann hit an RBI single and Jacoby Ellsbury had a sacrifice fly in the third, an inning in which the Tigers saved several runs with fine fielding.

McCarthy (4-0) allowed five hits and an unearned run in 5 2-3 innings. The Yankees have won each of his five starts since being acquired July 6. Using a sharp curveball, he threw a season-high 116 pitches and struck out eight, including all three in the second when Victor Martinez led off with a double and Detroit loaded the bases.

“He’s been huge for our rotation,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s come over here and pitched about as well as you could.”

David Robertson was perfect in the ninth for his 30th save.

Scherzer (13-4) gave up nine hits over seven innings in losing for the first time since June 17, a span of eight starts. The reigning AL Cy Young winner yielded two runs in the third, but it could’ve been much worse.

With the bases loaded, Ellsbury sent a deep drive to center field. Ezequiel Carrera, promoted from Triple-A last week after Austin Jackson was traded in the deadline deal that sent David Price to Detroit, made a long run before diving back toward the wall. Fully extended, Carrera made the catch and slid on his stomach onto the warning track.

“That looked like it had a chance to give us a much bigger lead,” Girardi said. “That was an unbelievable play by Carrera.”

Carrera was making his first start in center field for Detroit.

“Very happy,” Carrera said through a translator. “Being aggressive is what helped me make the play and that is what I am trying to do here with the team.”

Ian Kinsler made two nice plays at second base in the third and had an RBI single in the fifth after Eugenio Suarez reached on third baseman Martin Prado’s throwing error.

On Tuesday, Price the 2012 AL Cy Young winner, will make his Tigers debut. He’ll be followed by 2011 winner Justin Verlander.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Suarez, the shortstop, left in the fifth after spraining his knee sliding into second base on a steal. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

Yankees: Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka played light catch for the first time since he was sidelined in early July with a slight tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He said he felt relieved and was ready for the next step.

UP NEXT

Tigers: Price (11-8) has had a lot of success at the new Yankee Stadium. He’s 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 12 starts there.

Yankees: Hiroki Kuroda (7-7) sure enjoys pitching at home for New York. He’s 22-12 with a 2.93 ERA in 44 starts in the Bronx since putting on the pinstripes in 2012.

DIZZY

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was a late scratch because he became lightheaded about 45 minutes before gametime. He said he’s not sure why it happened. He was given IV fluids and hopes he’ll be ready to play Tuesday.

RARE OH-FER

Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 3, just the seventh time in 47 games against the Yankees in which he didn’t have at least one hit. He’s hitting .366 (63 for 172) against New York.

ORIOLES 7, NATIONALS 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Caleb Joseph homered and drove in three runs, J.J. Hardy had four hits and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Monday night in a duel between neighboring first-place teams.

Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles, who trailed 3-1 before rallying for their eighth win in 11 games.

Hardy and Ryan Flaherty opened the seventh with successive doubles off Tanner Roark (11-7) to tie it at 3. Delmon Young followed with an RBI single ”“ making him 9 for 17 as a pinch-hitter this season ”“ and Adam Jones capped the uprising with a run-scoring single.

Kevin Gausman (6-3) pitched six innings.

The game was a makeup of a rainout on July 8. A sellout crowd of 42,181 ”“ many of them wearing Oriole orange ”“ showed up to watch teams located just 38 miles apart on I-295.

GIANTS 4, METS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Pablo Sandoval drove in three runs and got three hits, including an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning that sent the San Francisco Giants over the New York Mets.

The Giants took three of four at Citi Field. The Mets lost a home series for the first time since June 10-12 against Milwaukee.

Sandoval hit a two-run double in the third, then delivered again in the ninth off Jenrry Mejia (5-4).

Sergio Romo (5-3) got the win with one scoreless inning and Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save.

INDIANS 7, REDS 1

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber allowed one run in 7 1-3 innings to win his fifth straight decision and lead the Cleveland Indians over Cincinnati.

Kluber (12-6), who hasn’t lost since June 30, held the Reds to six hits, struck out seven and walked two.

Kluber’s 17-inning scoreless streak ended in the eighth on Brayan Pena’s RBI double off reliever Nick Hagadone.

Lonnie Chisenhall hit a three-run homer in the fourth off Alfredo Simon (12-7). Yan Gomes hit a two-run homer in the eighth as Cleveland won its fourth straight.

ATHLETICS 3, RAYS 2, 10 innings

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Derek Norris singled up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded in the 10th inning against former Oakland closer Grant Balfour, and the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Monday night.

Norris notched his second career game-ending RBI against Balfour (1-4) in Oakland’s eighth walkoff win.

The AL West-leading A’s remained one game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels and avoided losing consecutive home games for just the second time this season.

The A’s loaded the bases against Balfour, who received a mound visit before Brandon Moss stepped in with a chance at a fourth grand slam but struck out. Norris delivered with his first game-ending RBI since June 24, 2012, against the Giants.

Rays manager Joe Maddon was ejected by first base umpire Quinn Wolcott during the inning and rushed the field to argue.

Ryan Cook (1-1) earned the win on a night the A’s left stranded 18.

ANGELS 5, DODGERS 0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Garrett Richards pitched a five-hitter for his first career shutout, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols had RBI doubles in a four-run first inning, and the Los Angeles Angels opened the Freeway Series with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

Josh Hamilton homered in the sixth for the Angels, who improved the majors’ second-best record to 67-44 with their seventh win in 10 games.

Richards (12-4) was dominant in his first nine-inning complete game, striking out nine and retiring 15 of 16 in the middle innings with a fastball regularly hitting 98 mph. He finished his first victory in four starts by getting pinch-hitter Andre Ethier on a groundout.

Richards outpitched Zack Greinke (12-7), who has just one victory in his last five starts.

WHITE SOX 5, RANGERS 3, 7 innings

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Flowers homered and drove in three runs and Jose Abreu had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Chicago White Sox to a rain-shortened 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night.

The game was called in the bottom of the seventh inning following a 57-minute delay.

Flowers went 3 for 3 and was a double shy of a cycle. He scored two runs as the White Sox snapped a two-game losing streak.

Abreu, who has 86 RBIs, went 2 for 3 on a day when he named the American League’s player and rookie of the month for July. The Cuban slugger also won both awards in April and is the only rookie to win the player of the month award twice.

Rougned Odor had a two-run homer for Texas, which has lost four straight.

Hector Noesi (6-8) bounced back from a rough outing at Detroit in his last start ”“ six runs in six innings ”“ to allow one earned run and four hits in seven innings.

Mets cut slumping Abreu, calling up OF Nieuwenhuis

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have cut slumping 40-year-old Bobby Abreu and are calling up outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis from the minors.

The Mets designated Abreu for assignment after Monday’s 4-3 loss to San Francisco. His final appearance came in the sixth inning when he was sent up as a pinch-hitter, then pulled after the Giants made a pitching change.

Abreu had been out of the majors since 2012 when the Mets promoted him from Triple-A on April 21. He provided a left-handed bat and good patience at the plate as a pinch-hitter, occasional outfielder and designated hitter for games at American League stadiums.

Abreu started well, but quickly dropped off. He was hitless in his last 22 at-bats as a pinch-hitter. He hit .238 with one home run and 14 RBIs in 142 plate appearances.