Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle homered and All-Star closer Felix Bautista escaped trouble as the Baltimore Orioles held on for a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep on Thursday.

Bautista was called on to protect a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning for Baltimore but again struggled, giving up a run and loading the bases before getting Jon Singleton to pop up for the final out.

Bautista, who gave up a ninth-inning grand slam to Kyle Tucker on Tuesday, has allowed five earned runs in his last two appearances after giving up just five in his first 48 games this season. His season ERA went from 0.85 to 1.66 in this series.

Dean Kremer limited Houston to two runs and six hits in seven innings to join teammate Kyle Gibson as Baltimore’s 11-game winners.

Rutschman led off the bottom of the first against Hunter Brown with his 16th home run and Mountcastle’s two-run shot in the seventh extended the lead to 5-2.

The AL-best Orioles have gone 76 consecutive series of at least two decisions without being swept for the fifth-longest streak in major league history.

With Tampa Bay’s loss to St. Louis on Thursday, Baltimore owns a three-game lead in the East.

Jose Altuve went 4 for 5 with a home run for Houston, which dropped 2 ½ games behind AL West-leading Texas.

Phillies star Harper injured in win

Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto hit two-run homers and the Philadelphia Phillies overcame Bryce Harper’s injury in a 6-2 win over the Washington Nationals.

Harper left in the top of the fifth inning with what the team called mid-back spasms. He was undergoing evaluation and manager Rob Thomson said he’s day to day.

Philadelphia improved to a season-best 12 games over .500 and moved 1 ½ games ahead of idle San Francisco for the top spot in the NL wild-card race.

Turner’s 12th home run in the sixth inning gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead and Castellanos and Realmuto both went deep in the seventh off reliever Joe La Sorsa to make it 6-1.

Kershaw sharp in return as Dodgers stay hot

Clayton Kerhaw worked five effective innings in his first appearance in six weeks and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Colorado Rockies 2-1 for their ninth win in 10 games.

Kershaw allowed his only run on Elehuris Montero’s fifth-inning home run and two other hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The left-hander had been sidelined since June 27 with left shoulder soreness.

Ryan Yarbrough fanned four in three scoreless innings before Brusdar Graterol pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

Max Muncy drove in both runs for the Dodgers, hitting his 28th home run in the seventh inning and drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed star shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, two days after the American League's current batting leader injured his right knee against the Baltimore Orioles.

Bichette underwent tests Tuesday that revealed no structural damage and the 2023 All-Star has been diagnosed with patellar tendinitis. 

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team does not anticipate a lengthy absence for Bichette, who's batting .321 this season and ranks second in the major leagues with 144 hits. Schneider said it's too early to tell, however, whether the 25-year-old can return when first eligible on Aug. 11.

“The quicker we can get Bo back the better, obviously,” Schneider told MLB.com. "But we’ve got to see how he goes with each day, with each treatment, with each activity.”

Bichette exited Monday's 4-2 loss to Baltimore in the third inning after his right knee buckled as he rounded first base after reaching on a single. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but was noticeably limping and grimacing.

The injury prompted the Blue Jays to acquire veteran infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals at Tuesday's trade deadline. DeJong will make his Toronto debut in Wednesday's series finale against the Orioles.

DeJong has produced 13 home runs and 32 RBIs along with a .233 average in 81 games this season. The seven-year veteran was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2019 and finished that season with career highs of 30 homers and 78 RBIs.

Anthony Santander drilled a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees on Friday night, spoiling Aaron Judge’s return.

After Gerrit Cole and rookie Grayson Rodriguez hooked up in a classic pitcher’s duel, the scoreless game was turned over to the bullpens.

Orioles closer Felix Bautista struck out two in a perfect top of the ninth before Santander sent a 2-0 offering from Tommy Kahnle into the seats in right field with one out in the bottom half for his 18th home run.

The American League-leading Orioles avoided a third straight loss and maintained a 1 ½-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the East.

Judge was 0 for 1 with three walks in his first game back from a toe injury. The Yankees slugger had been sidelined since June 3.

Cole limited Baltimore to three hits over seven innings without a walk and five strikeouts.

Rodriguez was just as good, allowing three singles over 6 1/3 innings with two walks and four strikeouts in the best performance of his young career.

DJ LeMahieu had two hits for last-place New York, which lost its fifth consecutive road game.

Tauchman’s catch allows Cubs’ streak to continue

Mike Tauchman robbed pinch-hitter Alec Burleson of a potential winning home run to end the game and the Chicago Cubs topped the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2 for their seventh straight win.

With a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Burleson sent a deep drive to centre but Tauchman reached over the fence to take away a sure home run and prevent the Cardinals from winning.

Patrick Wisdom hit his team-leading 18th home run and Trey Mancini had a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning for Chicago, which has its longest winning streak since also taking seven in a row last Sept. 25-Oct. 2.

Lars Nootbaar accounted for all of St. Louis’ offence with solo home runs in the first and third innings.

Casas provides spark for surging Red Sox

Triston Casas homered and had and RBI double to back Kutter Crawford as the Boston Red Sox won their fifth straight game, 3-2 over the San Francisco Giants.

Moved up to sixth in the order, Casas doubled home a run in the second inning and took Logan Webb deep in the fifth to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Crawford allowed one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings while walking one and striking out seven.

The Red Sox improved to 15-5 in July and are a season-best nine games over .500 (56-47).

The Baltimore Orioles extended their lead to two games over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East with a 5-3 victory in Sunday's finale of an important four-game series between the division rivals.

Ryan O'Hearn snapped a 3-3 tie with a solo homer in the sixth inning to back another strong performance by the Baltimore bullpen as the Orioles took three of four from the still-sputtering Rays.

Tampa Bay entered July with a 6 1/2-game lead atop the division but has gone 4-14 thus far for the month. The Orioles, on the other hand, have won 12 of 15 since July 5.

Baltimore sealed its latest win with a combined 4 2/3 scoreless innings from three relievers. Mike Baumann (7-0) did not allow a hit in 2 2/3 innings and All-Star Felix Bautista struck out three in the ninth to record his 28th save. 

Gunnar Henderson had a two-run homer in the second inning for the Orioles and finished 2 for 4 along with O'Hearn.

Yandy Diaz went 2 for 5 for Tampa Bay and tied the contest in the fifth inning with a two-run homer off Orioles starter Tyler Wells.

Rangers overcome early deficit to avoid sweep by Dodgers

The Texas Rangers rallied from an early four-run deficit to hand the Los Angeles Dodgers an 8-4 loss in the finale of a three-game interleague series between division leaders.

After Max Muncy's first-inning grand slam put Texas in a 4-0 hole, the Rangers blasted rookie Emmett Sheahan for eight runs over 3 2/3 innings to bounce back from two lopsided losses at the hands of the National League West leaders.

Jonah Heim cut the deficit in half with a two-run double in the bottom of the first before Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung each delivered RBI singles off Sheahan in the second to put Texas up 5-4.

Leody Tavares added a two-run double in the third to stretch the lead, while Martin Perez overcame a shaky start to last six innings and improve to 8-3 on the season.

The Dodgers scored 27 runs in winning the series' first two games and kept the offence going when Muncy blasted his 24th homer of the season to stake Los Angeles to a quick 4-0 lead.

Perez settled down thereafter and held the Dodgers to just three hits and a walk over the next five innings. 

The win put the AL West-leading Rangers at 59-41, tying the franchise's best record after 100 games in a season set three times previously, most recently in 2012. 

Albies' late home run lifts Braves over Brewers

In another clash of division leaders, Ozzie Albies' clutch three-run homer in the eighth inning staked the Atlanta Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Down 2-1 entering the eighth, the Braves put two on against a usually dominant Milwaukee bullpen before Albies homered on the first pitch he saw from Elvis Peguero. The All-Star second baseman's 23rd homer of the season snapped a streak of 28 2/3 scoreless innings by Brewers relievers.

After Ben Heller worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Raisel Iglesias struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth as the NL East-leading Braves took two of three games from the NL Central-best Brewers.

Travis d'Arnaud added a solo homer and finished 2 for 4 for Atlanta, though star third baseman Austin Riley went 0 for 4 and had a streak of five consecutive games with a home run end.

Brice Turang had a solo home run for Milwaukee, which had its lead in the NL Central cut to a half-game over second-place Cincinnati after the Reds defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3, on Sunday. The Brewers will host a three-game series against Cincinnati starting Monday.

Former Brave Julio Teheran allowed one run and just three hits over six innings for Milwaukee, while Atlanta starter Bryce Elder yielded two runs on four hits over six innings. 

Chris Taylor's go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning provided the big blow as the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped the Baltimore Orioles' eight-game winning streak with a 6-4 comeback victory in Monday's opener of a three-game series between playoff hopefuls.

The Dodgers managed just one run off Orioles prospect Grayson Rodriguez through five innings before breaking through with a five-run sixth. Freddie Freeman began the rally with a leadoff triple and scored on Will Smith's single to trim Baltimore's lead to 4-2, and Rodriguez then walked Max Muncy before giving way to Bryan Baker.

After Baker walked Jayson Heyward to load the bases, Taylor sent an 0-2 fastball over the center-field wall for his sixth career grand slam and a 6-4 Los Angeles lead.

Four Dodger relievers aided the comeback by keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard over the final four innings, with Ryan Brasier working a scoreless ninth to close out the National League West leaders' seventh win in eight games.

Freeman finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored.

Adley Rutschman had a solo homer in the fifth to stake Baltimore to a 4-1 advantage, while Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI double among his two hits.

Ohtani's 35th homer helps rally Angels past Yankees

Shohei Ohtani launched a majestic game-tying two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Michael Stefanic delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the 10th to send the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 victory over the still-slumping New York Yankees.

The Angels trailed 3-1 when Ohtani took reliever Michael King deep for his major league-leading 35th homer. The two-way superstar has now homered in three consecutive games and finished 3 for 4.

After Aaron Loup held the Yankees scoreless in the top of the 10th, Stefanic ripped a two-out base hit off Nick Ramirez to score automatic runner Chad Wallach from second.

Matt Thaiss had a solo homer earlier in the game for Los Angeles, the only run allowed by Yankees starter Luis Severino in six innings.

Severino scattered six hits and three walks before exiting with a two-run lead New York's bullpen failed to hold as the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games to drop into sole possession of last place in the American League East.

Oswaldo Cabrera put the Yankees ahead 2-0 with a two-run double in the sixth, shortly after Angels starter Griffin Canning was removed after 120 pitches.

Canning struck out a career-high 12 before departing and was charged with two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. 

Rangers edge Rays in clash of AL division leaders

Pinch-runner Josh Smith scored on Pete Fairbanks' wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Texas Rangers a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game series between American League division leaders.

Josh Jung greeted Fairbanks with a double to begin the bottom of the ninth before being replaced by Smith, who took third on a groundout before racing home with the winning run when the Tampa Bay closer's fastball skidded past catcher Christian Betancourt.

Aroldis Chapman kept the game at 2-2 with a scoreless top of the ninth and recorded his first win in a Texas uniform since the Rangers acquired the seven-time All-Star reliever from the Kansas City Royals on June 30.

The Rangers moved to 4-0 since the All-Star break and increased their lead on the second-place Houston Astros to 3 1/2 games in the AL West.

Rays ace Shane McClanahan, making his first start since missing over two weeks with back tightness, allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts in six innings. The All-Star pitcher shut Texas out until surrendering a game-tying two-run homer to Ezequiel Duran in the sixth. 

Dane Dunning matched McClanahan by yielding two runs on five hits over seven innings for Texas.

Josh Lowe went 2 for 3 with a solo home run for the slumping Rays, who fell to 3-9 in July but maintained a one-game lead on Baltimore in the AL East with the Orioles' loss to the Dodgers.

Kyle Bradish threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings and the Baltimore Orioles withstood a furious late rally from the Miami Marlins to hold on for a 5-4 victory on Sunday and extend their winning streak to eight games.

Bradish scattered three hits and a walk while striking out eight before exiting with a 5-0 lead a Baltimore bullpen barely held with All-Stars Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano both unavailable.

The Marlins quickly put two on against Eduard Bazardo in the ninth and cut the deficit to 5-2 on Jean Segura's two-run double with one out. Segura later came home on Jon Berti's two-out single off Danny Coulombe, and Dane Myers followed with a double to suddenly pull Miami within a run.

Coulombe regrouped to strike out MLB batting leader Luis Arraez with the tying run at second, however, and earn his first major league save in 233 career appearances.

Arraez, who entered the day with a .386 average, went 0 for 5.

Adley Rutschman's RBI double and Anthony Santander's two-run homer staked the Orioles to a 3-0 lead after one inning, and Baltimore scored twice more in the fourth for what turned out to be needed insurance.

After sweeping the three-game series, the surging Orioles are now just one game behind first-place Tampa Bay in the American League East after the Rays lost 8-4 to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. 

Mets score in 10th to end Dodgers' six-game winning streak

Luis Guillorme drove in the deciding run with a pinch-hit double in the 10th inning as the New York Mets ended the Los Angeles' Dodgers six-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory.

After David Robertson held the Dodgers scoreless in the top of the 10th, Guillorme greeted Nick Robertson with a sharp ground ball down the right-field line that plated automatic runner Brett Baty and halted the Mets' four-game losing streak. 

The Dodgers managed just one hit off New York's Max Scherzer through the first seven innings, but put the first two runners on against reliever Trevor Gott in the eighth before Mookie Betts' RBI single tied the game at 1-1.

Scherzer walked three and struck out six in a sharp bounce-back outing for the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who was tagged for nine runs in 11 innings in his previous two starts.

Dodgers starter Bobby Miller allowed one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings while recording five strikeouts.

Brewers complete sweep of Reds to pad NL Central lead

Andruw Monasterio delivered a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds to complete a sweep of the three-game series between the National League Central's top two teams.

Milwaukee's fourth straight win overall extended its lead over second-place Cincinnati to two games in the division.

The Brewers trailed 3-2 entering the eighth when Willy Adames drew a leadoff walk off reliever Lucas Sims and former Red Jesse Winker followed with a single. Owen Miller then brought Adames home with a sacrifice fly before Monasterio later plated pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor with a single off All-Star closer Alexis Diaz for a 4-3 Milwaukee lead.

Hoby Milner protected the one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth before Devin Williams retired the Reds in order in the ninth to notch his 22nd save of the season and third of the series.

Monasterio finished 2 for 4 and Christian Yelich had three hits, including a solo home run, and two RBIs for Milwaukee.

The slumping Reds have now lost four straight and had been shut out in the first three of those defeats. Joey Votto's RBI double in the second ended Cincinnati's streak of 28 straight innings without a run, and Jake Fraley put the Reds up 3-1 with a two-run homer in the third.

Gunnar Henderson homered twice and drove in five runs as part of the Baltimore Orioles’ 20-hit attack in a 14-1 drubbing of the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Henderson had a career-high four hits – all in the first four innings - with his first multi-homer game and Ryan O’Hearn added three hits and four RBIs to help Baltimore rebound with wins in the final two games of the four-game series between AL East rivals.

Henderson led off the game with an opposite-field home run off Luis Severino and the Orioles broke open the game with seven runs and eight hits in the third inning.

O’Hearn ignited the outburst with an RBI double and capped it with a two-run single.

The Orioles extended to a 13-0 lead with five runs in the fourth highlighted by Henderson’s three-run homer.

Every Baltimore starter had at least one hit except Colton Cowser, who walked twice in his second major league game.

Kyle Bradish didn’t need much help from his offense, as he limited the Yankees to three hits over six innings with two walks and five strikeouts.

Severino was roughed up for the second consecutive start, yielding seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. His ERA ballooned to 7.38.

Phillies sweep Rays to push road streak to 12

Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner delivered RBI singles in the 11th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies won their 12th straight road game with a 3-1 win over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays.

Darick Hall homered to help the Phillies move to 12-0 on the road since a loss at Arizona on June 12. The streak is one shy of the franchise record set in 1976.

Christopher Sanchez logged a quality start for Philadelphia, allowing one run and four hits over six innings. The bullpen held the Rays hitless over the final five innings.

The Rays’ losing streak reached a season-high five as they dropped to 6-11 in their last 17 games.

Lindor has 5 hits in Mets’ rout of Diamondbacks

Francisco Lindor had a career-high five hits and fell a double shy of the cycle to back Carlos Carrasco’s strong start in the New York Mets’ 9-0 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lindor tripled in the first inning and scored on Pete Alonso’s 26th home run to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.

He tripled again in the third and came home on Alonso’s single, singled in the fourth and hit his 18th home run in the sixth. Needing a double for the cycle in the eighth, Lindor instead settled for another single.

Carrasco allowed three hits in eight innings as the Mets won their fifth straight.

Boston Red Sox center-fielder Jarren Duran continued his terrific start to the season in Tuesday's 8-6 road win against the Baltimore Orioles.

Duran, 26, collected three hits from his four at-bats, highlighted by a 409-foot grand slam to center-field in the third inning to bust the game wide open.

Through nine games and 31 at-bats this season, Duran is slashing sizzling figures of .387/.417/.645, and he is not the only Red Sox hitter with a hot bat.

AL Rookie of the Year hopeful Masataka Yoshida finished two-for-four with a walk, marking his fourth multi-hit game in a row. After a cold start to his debut season in the majors, the 29-year-old is 12-for-24 in his past six outings.

The Orioles tried to mount a late comeback as Cedric Mullins hit a ninth-inning grand slam, making it the first time in MLB history that the center-fielder on each team finished with a grand slam.

With the win, the Red Sox improved their record to above .500 at 13-12, while the Orioles are still in a strong position at 15-8 in the ultra-competitive AL East.

Kelenic does it again

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic hit a home run for the third game in a row to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on the road.

Kelenic had his eye in, hitting a double in the second inning, a solo home run in the fifth, and a single in the ninth, with his only out in the contest coming on a hard-hit line out to left-field.

He was the only Mariners player with more than one hit, although Teoscar Hernandez's two-run home run ended up being the difference.

Berrios and Jansen take down the White Sox

The Toronto Blue Jays battery of Jose Berrios and Danny Jansen combined to dominate the Chicago White Sox in a 7-0 shutout.

Berrios pitched seven scoreless innings in 103 pitches, allowing four hits and one walk to go with nine strikeouts, and as well as calling a great game behind the plate, Jansen punished the White Sox with his bat.

Jansen went three-for-four at the plate including two home runs, driving in four of his team's runs, while team-mate George Springer also collected three hits.

The Tampa Bay Rays tied the record for the best start to an MLB season since 1884 after defeating the Boston Red Sox 9-3 on Thursday to improve to 13-0.

To reach 13-0, the Rays completed their fourth consecutive series sweep to begin the campaign. They began their season at home with a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, before a three-game sweep at the Washington Nationals, followed by a three-game sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics.

Thursday's victory polished off a four-game series against the Red Sox, and while the whole team is in great touch, nobody is swinging a hotter bat than second-baseman Brandon Lowe.

Lowe, 28, hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, marking his fifth game with a home run from his past six starts. He has made the most of his extra-base hits, with only one double and no triples, as five of his 11 total hits this season have cleared the wall.

Tampa Bay ended up scoring the last eight runs of the contest, as the Red Sox opened up a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning thanks to a home run from Rob Refsnyder and RBIs to Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner.

But a seven-run explosion from the Rays at the bottom of the fifth turned the tide, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from designated hitter Harold Ramirez as one of his three hits on the day.

Tampa Bay starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs was forced to leave earlier than planned in the fourth innings due to inflammation in his elbow, but that only put a slight damper on the evening as they joined the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers as the only teams since 1884 to reach 13-0.

One more win on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday would give the Rays the best post-1900 start to a season, with 20-0 the overall record set by the 1884 St Louis Maroons.

Rutschman nails walk-off homer for Baltimore

Elite young catcher Adley Rutschman was the hero as he connected on a walk-off home run to give the Baltimore Orioles an 8-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

In a back-and-forth contest where the teams combined for 21 hits, Rutschman himself was hit-less from four at-bats when he stepped up for a fifth time to lead off the bottom of the ninth.

He saw two fastballs, and connected on the second, sending it 405 feet to right-center field and ending the game.

Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo collected his league-leading seventh stolen base, while team-mate Cedric Mullins stole his sixth to sit in a tie for second.

Twins hammer Yankees rookie

It was a day to forget for New York Yankees rookie starting pitcher Jhony Brito as he was only able to secure two outs before being pulled in his side's 11-2 home loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Brito gave up six hits and a walk, punctuated by a two-run Michael Taylor homer to put the Twins up 7-0 in the first inning. Brito was pulled, but his replacement Colten Brewer gave up two more solo homers before the end of the first.

Taylor ended up hitting his second two-run homer of the game in the third inning, before Anthony Rizzo added a pair of consolation solo home runs to put the Yankees on the board.

The Tampa Bay Rays extended their season-opening winning streak to 11 games with Brandon Lowe homering for the fourth straight game in a 7-2 triumph over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The relentless Rays moved closer to history with the win where starter Shane McClanahan put in a strong display fanning nine batters across five innings allowing two hits and one run.

Tampa Bay are within reach of matching the best-ever MLB start since 1900, which is 13 wins held by the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1982 Atlanta Braves.

The Rays continued their dominant ways, after Monday's 1-0 win over the Red Sox, with an 83-20 run differential across those 11 games.

Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe all homered for the Rays, who were 5-0 up after five innings.

Diaz and Brandon Lowe hit back-to-back solo homers with two out in the fifth inning to open up the 5-0 lead.

Tampa Bay have 29 homers across 11 games, which is a joint majors record through 11 games alongside the 2000 St Louis Cardinals.

Mountcastle rips franchise record in O's rally

Ryan Mountcastle hit a grand slam and a three-run homer to tie a franchise record nine RBIs to fire the Baltimore Orioles to a 12-8 win over the Oakland Athletics.

The A's led 7-3 in the fifth inning before Mountcastle led the rally with a three-run blast at the bottom of the same inning to bring it back to a one-run game.

Mountcastle produced his grand slam in the seventh with a 456-foot homer to left field, after Austin Hays, who had four hits, singled to drive in Gunnar Henderson.

The O's first baseman went three-for-four with two runs and nine RBIs, while Grayson Rodriguez sent down six strikeouts but allowed six hits, four walks and five runs in his home debut.

Cordero and Cole star in Yankees triumph

Franchy Cordero blasted a three-run homer and Gerrit Cole rallied after the Cleveland Guardians' fast start as the New York Yankees prevailed 11-2 to improve their record to 7-4.

Cole gave up two runs and three hits in the first inning but responded with six scoreless innings, finishing with three strikeouts, allowing only five hits.

Cordero's 368-feet blast opened up a 6-2 lead as the Yankees piled on five runs in the third inning, with Anthony Rizzo going two-for-three for two RBIs while Aaron Judge went two-for-five with one run.

The Tampa Bay Rays' remarkable start to the 2023 season continued as they extended their winning run to nine games with an 11-0 rout of the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.

The Rays improved to 9-0, becoming the first team since the Kansas City Royals in 2003 to win their first nine games. The longest opening run of wins in MLB history is 13, held by the Atlanta Braves (1982) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1987).

Tampa Bay have won all nine by four or more runs, outscoring their opponents 75-18, which is the most runs scored and least runs allowed in the majors this season.

The record streak for winning games by at least four runs is more than a century old, held by the St Louis Maroons from 1884, when they won 13 in a row.

The Rays swept their third series of the year in the process, blasting three homers on Sunday for an MLB-best 24 this season.

All that came amid pitcher Drew Rasmussen's combined one-hitter with Brandon Lowe's blasting a fourth-inning grand slam. Rasmussen had eight strikeouts and walked none.

Wander Franco homered in the first inning to put the Rays into the lead, before Lowe sent his shot 386 feet over left feld. Harold Ramirez added a two-run blast in the fifth as well.

Judge launches two blasts in Yankees win

Aaron Judge crushed two home runs as the New York Yankees downed the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 to claim the series win.

Judge hit solo blasts in the third and eighth innings, bringing up his 28th multi-homer career game and first of the 2023 season. The outfielder also scored in the first from a Giancarlo Stanton single.

Franchy Cordero hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to open up a 4-0 lead, before the O's offered some resistance led by Adley Rutschman who went four-for-four with a homer and two runs.

Kiermaier gets Blue Jays home in slugfest

Kevin Kiermaier came to the Toronto Blue Jays' rescue after Matt Chapman's grand slam as they rallied back from 6-0 down to win 12-11 over the Los Angeles Angels in 10 innings.

Kiermaier, who went three-for-five with five RBIs, blasted a two-run triple after Chapman's grand slam as part of a six-run sixth-inning rally. Kiermaier's two-run single made it 10-6 in the next inning, before his ground rule double drove in Cavan Biggio, before scoring himself in the 10th inning.

Jays pitcher Tim Mayza retired Shohei Ohtani with bases loaded for the final out, after the Japanese had launched a two-run blast in the third inning. Ohtani's homer was one of four for the Angels.

The Tampa Bay Rays claimed an eighth straight win to start the new season, extending the best MLB start in the past 20 years with an 11-0 rout of the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.

The last team to start 8-0 where the Kansas City Royals in 2003, who won their first nine games. The Rays, however, have won all eight games by four or more runs and outscored their opponents 64-18.

Tampa Bay's margin of victory is arguably most impressive, with the 1939 New York Yankees marking the last time any team has won eight games by four or more runs at any point of any season, managing that in 10 straight games.

Saturday's win came after a scoreless first three innings, before Isaac Paredes' two-run single. Randy Arozarena repeated that feat in the fifth, before another Paredes' RBI to open up a 5-0 lead.

Homers to Manuel Margot, Josh Lowe and Arozarena rounded out an emphatic victory for the Rays.

Jeffrey Springs threw seven strikeouts across seven scoreless innings on the mound, allowing three hits and three walks.

Stott walk-off caps Phillies' rally

Bryson Stott capped the Philadelphia Phillies' three-run ninth inning rally with a walk-off RBI single to secure a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds went 2-0 at the top of the ninth inning from Jake Fraley's sacrifice fly, before the Phillies rallied with Brandon Marsh and Edmundo Sosa driving in runs to square it up.

Stott stepped up and singled to right field, driving in Marsh, who had stolen to second base, as outfielder Wil Myers bobbled the grounded ball.

It was Stott's second career walk-off hit and helped the Phillies secure back-to-back wins and improve to 3-5 after their 0-4 start.

Stanton blasts big in Yankees triumph

The New York Yankees piled on three fifth-inning runs including a Giancarlo Stanton home run in their 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to improve to a 5-3 record.

The O's led early from Anthony Santander's first-inning sacrifice fly to drive in Cedric Mullins, but the Yankees squared it in the fourth from Aaron Hicks' single before their fifth-inning three-run salvo.

Rookie Anthony Volpe tripled before scoring from D.J. LeMahieu's double, with Aaron Judge driving in the latter with a sacrifice fly. Stanton blasted a 436-feet homer to left center with 116.3 mph exit velocity.

Adam Duvall starred before blasting a walk-off two-run homer over the Green Monster as the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-8 on Saturday.

Duvall, who joined the Red Sox from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason, had four hits, three runs and five RBIs for the game in a glittering display at Fenway Park.

But his crowning moment came with the Red Sox two out with a runner on first at the bottom of the ninth, hammering a Felix Bautista fastball just above the Green Monster for the walk-off blast.

The Red Sox capitalised on Ryan McKenna's fielding error at deep left field that allowed Masataka Yoshida to get on first base after hitting a routine fly ball.

Duvall's subsequent blast just cleared the Monster, caroming into a tabletop and back on to the field, but the lights flickered, signalling the walk-off homer.

The 34-year-old outfielder homered in the third inning as part of a four-run salvo after the Red Sox trailed 7-1.

Baltimore had raced ahead with Ryan Mountcastle's two-run first-inning homer along with Cedric Mullins three-run blast in the third. The Orioles tagged Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale for seven runs across three innings.

The Red Sox cut it to 8-7 in the seventh after Enrique Hernandez's homer and Duvall's ground rule double for Rafael Devers to score. Austin Hays went five-for-five with two runs for the O's.

Flaherty's mixed day as Cardinals register first win

St Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty threw five no-hit innings along with giving up a career-high seven walks as his side claimed their first win of the season, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Flaherty fanned four, tossing down 49 of 95 pitches for strikes, but only had one clean inning, albeit his final one, on a mixed day on the mound.

The Cardinals opened up a 3-0 lead in the third inning, capitalising on a two-out throwing error by Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, before Nolan Gorman's two-run single.

Angels pile on the runs in Fujinami's A's debut

The Los Angeles Angels scored 11 runs in the third inning as they spoiled Shintaro Fujinami's debut for the Oakland Athletics, winning 13-1.

Fujinami, who joined the A's on a one-year free-agent deal, fell apart in the third after a positive start, with his game ending after 55 pitches with the Angels leading 6-0. The Japanese pitcher allowed eight earned runs with three walks and four Ks.

Taylor Ward blasted a three-run homer off reliever Adam Oller, while Shohei Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs.

Trayce Thompson produced a three-homer, eight-RBI game as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 10-1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The wait is finally over: the Seattle Mariners are returning to the MLB playoffs after 21 years in the wilderness.

The Mariners had been enduring the worst active postseason drought not just in baseball, but in any of the four major sports in the United States.

So desperate had this sequence of failure been, all but one of Seattle's MLB rivals – the Cincinnati Reds – had also won a playoff series since the Mariners' 2001 run.

It would have been difficult to imagine at the end of that 2001 season the Mariners would not be back in the postseason until 2022; Seattle finished with a 116-46 record, setting a new American League benchmark for wins in a single season and matching the all-time MLB high.

But now, after a late-season wobble prompted fears of a repeat of last year's agony when the M's finished two games back in the Wild Card race, the drought is over.

Seattle had lost eight of their previous 11 games before beating the Texas Rangers on both Wednesday and Thursday – results that, combined with back-to-back defeats for the Baltimore Orioles, left the Mariners only one game away heading into Friday.

Either defeat for the Orioles at the New York Yankees or victory for the Mariners over the Oakland Athletics would do, and after the Orioles briefly kept their season alive, the Mariners got the job done in the most storybook fashion imaginable.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cal Raleigh hit a walk-off home run to win 2-1 and send the Seattle fans into raptures as a 21-year weight was lifted off their shoulders.

Seattle happily fell well short of the all-time record for most consecutive seasons missing the playoffs, held by the St Louis Browns between 1903 and 1943 – but there are still several miserable streaks for the Mariners to snap.

They remain the only team in the major leagues never to have been to a World Series, with this their 45th season, while the Houston Astros' dominance in the AL West means Seattle's wait for a first division title since 2001 will go on.

That is the worst run in the AL, but three NL teams – the Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates – will this year see their division droughts reach 29 years.

Not satisfied with ending the longest playoff drought in American sports, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais is now targeting World Series success.

The Mariners are set to return to the MLB postseason on Friday after moving just one win away with a typically chaotic 10-9 walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers in the 11th inning on Thursday.

Defeat for the Baltimore Orioles at the New York Yankees or a Mariners win against the Oakland Athletics would now clinch a Wild Card berth ahead of the final weekend of the regular season.

The city of Seattle has not seen playoff baseball since the 2001 season, with the subsequent 21 years representing the longest active drought in MLB or indeed any of the four major sports in the United States.

While ending that wait has consumed Servais and his players, they have already changed their focus.

The Mariners are the only team in the major leagues never to reach the World Series – the Washington Nationals in 2019 were the last franchise to make their World Series debut – but Servais believes this group of players are capable.

"We've got a really good team – that's why it's exciting," he said after the Rangers win.

"We can pitch, we have clutch hitting, we can defend, we can run the bases. We check a lot of the boxes that you need to have that team to get deep in the playoffs, into the World Series and win it.

"I know everybody is exhausted; we've got to end the drought, end the drought – I've heard it for seven years. Every day, when I get up in the morning and I drive to work, that's what's on my mind.

"But the goal is to win the World Series; it's not just to end the drought. We will end the drought tomorrow. We're going to."