Manny Machado homered twice and drove in five runs and Jackson Merrill had three hits, including a home run, to lead the streaking San Diego Padres to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Machado hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Tanner Houck and added a three-run shot in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-0.

It was the 40th career multihomer game for Machado, who is 17 for 41 (.415) with four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games.

Bryce Sullivan also went deep as the Padres (46-41) won their season-high fifth straight and ninth in 10 contests to move five games over .500.

Michael King limited the Red Sox to one run and five hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Houck was tagged for a career-worst eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on his 28th birthday, raising his ERA from an AL-best 2.18 entering the day to 2.67.

Jarren Duran homered for Boston, which has been outscored 29-7 during a three-game skid after an 8-1 stretch.

Astros score 8 unanswered to rally past Mets

Alex Bregman delivered a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth and the Houston Astros rallied from five down for a 9-6 victory over the New York Mets.

Jake Meyers hit an early home run and Jeremy Pena triggered the comeback with a two-run double during a three-run fourth against starter Tylor Megill.

The Astros drew four walks and had just one hit in the decisive eighth inning. Reed Garrett threw a run-scoring wild pitch before Bregman’s line single to right scored two to give Houston a 7-6 lead.

Maurico Dubon added some insurance with a two-run double in the ninth and the Astros won for the 11th time in 15 games.

Mark Vientos homered and Jose Iglesias had three hits for the Mets, who had won four straight and 16 of 20.

Kjerstad’s slam lifts Orioles

Rookie Heston Kjerstad hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Santander added his 13th home run this month as the Baltimore Orioles held on for their fourth straight win, 6-5 over the reeling Texas Rangers.

The Orioles became the third team in MLB history to hit at least 60 homers in a calendar month, joining the 2023 Atlanta Braves (61 in June) and the 2019 Yankees (74 in August).

Baltimore has gone deep 14 times in its last five games and leads the majors with 139.

Cade Povich earned his first major league win after allowing two runs – both on homers – and five hits in five innings.

Craig Kimbel walked two in the ninth but got Adolis Garcia to fly out for the final out for his 19th save.

Corey Seager, Derek Hill, Nathaniel Lowe and Garcia homered for the Rangers, who matched a season high with their sixth straight loss and dropped their ninth in a row on the road.

Seager left in the fifth inning after he was hit on his left wrist by a pitch from Povich. The Rangers said X-rays on the wrist were negative, and the four-time All-Star would be evaluated Sunday.

Jeff McNeil hit a three-run homer and Pete Alonso and Tyrone Taylor added solo shots to lead the surging New York Mets to a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Friday night.

The Mets (40-39) have won four straight and 12 of 14 to move over .500 for the first time since May 2. They are 18-6 since May 30 – the day after players held a team meeting following a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers.

New York scored four runs in the sixth off Ronel Blanco to snap a 2-2 tie.

Alonso hit a home run with one out before Francisco Alvarez doubled. One out later, Mark Vientos reached on an error by third baseman Alex Bregman and McNeil followed with his fourth home run.

McNeil had been 12 for 83 (.145) since his previous homer against Cleveland on May 22. He finished 3 for 4 in his first three-hit game since May 7.

Jose Altuve homered and Yordan Alvarez had three hits for the Astros (40-41), who went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 14 runners on base.

Houston failed to move over .500 for the first time this season.

Chourio’s slam lifts hot Brewers

Jackson Chourio became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a grand slam and the Milwaukee Brewers won their fifth straight, 4-2 over the Chicago Cubs.

The Brewers loaded the bases in the fourth against Jameson Taillon on a walk, catcher’s interference and Rhys Hoskins’ single off Taillon’s glove. Chourio then connected on a 1-2 sweeper for his ninth home run and second in two games.

It was the second straight game that Milwaukee went deep with the bases loaded after Jake Bauers’ slam on Wednesday against Texas.

At 20 years and 109 days, Chourio is the youngest player in the majors with a grand slam since Jose Reyes at 20 years and four days on June 15, 2003, for the New York Mets.

The Brewers have won six straight at home and are 16-3 in their last 19 there.

Wisely’s walk-off homer lifts Giants

Brett Wisely belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 5-3 victory, snapping the Los Angeles Dodgers’ four-game winning streak.

After the Dodgers tied the game in the top half of the ninth on Jason Heyward’s sacrifice fly, Luis Matos opened the bottom half with a walk against Blake Treinen. Wisely then drilled a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right field for his third home run.

Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a walk, ending his franchise-record 10-game streak with at least one RBI.

The Giants took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Matt Chapman’s two-run homer after Matos’ blast an inning earlier drew San Francisco within 2-1.

Though the Philadelphia Phillies currently hold a comfortable lead atop the National League East, they'll have to make do without two of their most important hitters for at least some period of time.

The Phillies placed first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber on the 10-day injured list Friday, one day after both were hurt in the team's 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins.

Harper, named to his eighth career All-Star Game as the NL's leading vote-getter prior to Thursday's contest, strained his left hamstring while running out a ground ball for the final out of the game.

Schwarber, the 2022 NL home run champion, exited in the eighth inning after straining his left groin while making a throw from the outfield to first base.

Both players are undergoing additional testing, though Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Friday the team believes the two sluggers may be out for only 10-to-14 days and each has a chance to return before the All-Star break, which begins July 15. 

Harper, the NL MVP in 2015 and 2021, is in the midst of another outstanding season. The 31-year-old currently ranks third in the NL with 20 home runs and fourth in runs batted in (58) to go along with a .303 batting average in 76 games. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a run-scoring double in the first inning of Thursday's loss.

Schwarber, whose 110 home runs since the start of 2022 trails only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge for the most in the majors, is hitting .250 with 17 homers, 49 runs batted in and an NL-leading 59 walks in 79 games.

The two-time All-Star was making only his third start in the outfield this season in Thursday's game.

Kody Clemens is expected to fill in for Harper at first base after being activated from the injured list Friday. The son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens batted .256 with three home runs and 10 RBIs over 17 games before landing on the IL with back spasms earlier this month.

The Phillies own MLB's best record this season at 53-28 despite injuries to other key members of the lineup. Shortstop Trea Turner missed more than six weeks with a strained hamstring before returning on June 17, while catcher J.T. Realmuto is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month. 

Bryce Harper limped off the field with a hamstring injury after making the final out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.

Harper reached for his left hamstring after crossing first base and hobbled toward the dugout after grounding out to second.

“I felt my lower hammy, just a little bit. We’re going to get an image tomorrow and see what that looks like,” Harper said. “See how I feel tomorrow and go from there.”

Earlier in the day, the slugger was selected by fans to start at first base for the National League in the July 16 All-Star Game at Texas.

The Phillies also lost slugger Kyle Schwarber, who exited in the ninth after experiencing left groin tightness. Schwarber, normally a designated hitter, started in left field – just his third game in the field all season.

Jake Burger hit a go-ahead solo homer for Miami in the eighth after Bryan De La Cruz tied the score at 3 with a three-run double in the seventh.

Burger added an RBI single in the ninth to close the scoring.

Orioles slug 4 homers in rout of Rangers

Heston Kjerstad hit one of the Orioles’ four home runs and drove in three to back Corbin Burnes’ stellar start to lead Baltimore to an 11-2 rout of the Texas Rangers in the teams’ first matchup since last season’s American League Division Series.

Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman also went deep for the homer-happy Orioles, who have won two straight following a season-high five-game skid.

Baltimore leads the majors with 136 home runs with a franchise-record 57 coming in June. Only the Atlanta Braves (61 in 20023) and the Yankees (58 in 2022) have hit more in June in major league history.

Burnes scattered nine hits over seven innings and allowed one run in his 13th quality start this season. He joined teammate Grayson Rodriguez as nine-game winners.

The four-game series is a rematch of the 2023 ALDS, in which the Rangers pulled off a three-game sweep.

Jon Gray was tagged for eight runs and nine hits in five innings.

Adolis Garcia homered for the Rangers (37-44), who lost their fourth straight overall and seventh in a row on the road.

Springer’s blasts propel Blue Jays

George Springer hit a pair of three-run homers and Jose Berrios pitched seven strong innings to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-2 win over the struggling New York Yankees.

Springer entered batting just .196 with six home runs, two of which he hit on the first two days of the season. But the veteran outfielder drilled a 391-foot drive into the second deck in Toronto’s five-run first inning against Carlos Rodon, then added a 434-foot shot to center in the second to make it 8-0.

Springer’s second homer was the 250th of his career and gave him 22 multihomer games.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo homer as Toronto won its second straight following a seven-game skid.

The Yankees opened June with five consecutive wins, capping an eight-game streak, but are 7-12 since, including a season-worst four straight losses.

Berrios allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and fanned a season-best eight.

Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the second straight game and extended his RBI streak to a franchise-record 10 consecutive games in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Ohtani took Erick Fedde deep on a full-count fastball for his National League-best 25th home run. It was his third leadoff homer of the season and his eighth home run in the last 10 games.

He is batting .310 (27 for 87) with 11 homers and 23 RBIs in 23 games this month.

Gavin Stone shut down the White Sox on four hits in his first career complete game. He struck out seven and walked none to improve to 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his last 11 starts.

Los Angeles (51-31) won its fourth straight and has won eight of 10 to move a season-best 20 games over .500.

The major league-worst White Sox (21-61) have lost seven of eight to fall 40 games under .500. They were shut out for the 12th time this season and were 1 for 21 with runners in scoring position while totalling three runs and 17 hits in the three-game series.

Streaking Astros roll Rockies

Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 10 over seven scoreless innings and was backed by Yainer Diaz’s three hits as the Houston Astros won their season-high seventh straight, 7-1 over the Colorado Rockies.

Arrighetti limited the Rockies to three hits and didn’t walk a batter for the first time in the longest start of his rookie season.

Houston (40-40), which opened 7-19, reached .500 for the first time this season and is batting .320 while averaging 6.9 runs during the seven-game streak.

The Astros broke open the game with a four-run seventh to take a 6-0 lead. Cesar Salazar had a sacrifice fly before Jose Altuve hit a soft grounder to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and his throw home was high, allowing another run to score.

Alex Bregman then grounded into a forceout, but a throwing error by second baseman Brendan Rogers sent another run home. Yordan Alvarez hit a ground-rule double and Diaz’s single stretched the lead to 6-0.

The Rockies are 0-4 against the Astros this season and have dropped 11 in a row at Minute Maid Park, dating to Aug. 15, 2018.

Orioles end skid, cool Guardians

Cedric Mullins snapped a tie with a seventh-inning home run and Gunnar Henderson belted his 26th of the season as the Baltimore Orioles snapped the Cleveland Guardians’ seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory.

Ryan O’Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who had lost five in a row since a 17-5 pounding of the Yankees on June 20. It was their longest losing streak since May 2022.

Mullins connected off Xzavion Curry to lead off the seventh, putting Baltimore ahead 3-2.

Grayson Rodriguez surrendered solo home runs to Jhonkensy Noel and Gabriel Arias but not much else. He gave up three other hits over seven innings without a walk and struck out four.

Cionel Perez pitched a perfect eighth and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save and 434th of his career.

Noel was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and became the fourth Cleveland player to homer in his first major league at-bat. The last Cleveland player to go deep in his first at-bat in the majors was Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006.

Jose Ramirez hit a three-run homer and Gabriel Arias had three hits and three RBIs as the Cleveland Guardians won their seventh straight, 10-8 over the struggling Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Bo Naylor fell a home run shy of the cycle and scored three runs as Cleveland collected 14 hits and went 7 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Ramirez’s drive to center capped a five-run fourth that extended Cleveland’s lead to 8-4. With 237 homers, he’s now in sole possession of third place on the franchise’s career list.

The major league-leading Guardians used five relievers after Logan Allen was tagged for six runs and nine hits over three-plus innings.

Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his AL-best 25th save.

Jordan Westburg went 4 for 4 and Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, James McCann and Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles, who lost their season-high fifth straight.

Santander’s home run was his 12th this month, tying the club record for June shared by Boog Powell (1964), Rafael Palmeiro (1998), Albert Belle (2000) and Chris Davis (2013).

Surging Mets rough up Cole

Mark Vientos homered twice off Gerrit Cole and the New York Mets took the New York Yankees’ ace deep four times before holding on for a 9-7 victory in the first Subway Series matchup of the season.

Reed Garrett gave up Aaron Judge’s grand slam – his major league-leading 29th home run – in the eighth inning but worked a perfect ninth to preserve the Mets’ 10th win in 12 games.

Vientos led off the second with his first home run of the night and Harrison Bader connected against his former teammate one out later.

Vientos opened the fourth with another longball to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0 and Brandon Nimmo’s two-run shot off Cole in the inning made it 6-0.

Cole allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings with four walks and no strikeouts in his second start of the season.

He surrendered a career-high five home runs at Minnesota on June 9, 2022.

Juan Soto also went deep for the Yankees, who have lost seven of nine but maintain a two-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East.

Padres’ Profar hits grand slam after benches empty

Jurickson Profar broke open the game with a grand slam after he was the focal point of a benches-clearing dustup and Manny Machado had a two-run homer as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals 9-6.

With one out in the first inning, Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz jawed at Profar and put a hand on his shoulder just before his at-bat. Machado, who was on deck, then put a hand on Ruiz’s shoulder as he got in between them, and players and coaches from both teams swarmed onto the field.

Plate umpire Brian Walsh warned both teams, and Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore hit Profar with a pitch but wasn’t ejected.

Machado followed by taking Gore deep for a 2-0 lead.

Profar’s fourth career grand slam and second this season came in the sixth off Derek Law and extended the lead to 9-4.

The Nationals apparently felt Profar trolled them after hitting a walk-off, two-run single in the 10th inning in Monday’s 7-6 win.

Jose Ramirez hit a three-run homer and Gabriel Arias had three hits and three RBIs as the Cleveland Guardians won their seventh straight, 10-8 over the struggling Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Bo Naylor fell a home run shy of the cycle and scored three runs as Cleveland collected 14 hits and went 7 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Ramirez’s drive to center capped a five-run fourth that extended Cleveland’s lead to 8-4. With 237 homers, he’s now in sole possession of third place on the franchise’s career list.

The major league-leading Guardians used five relievers after Logan Allen was tagged for six runs and nine hits over three-plus innings.

Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his AL-best 25th save.

Jordan Westburg went 4 for 4 and Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, James McCann and Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles, who lost their season-high fifth straight.

Santander’s home run was his 12th this month, tying the club record for June shared by Boog Powell (1964), Rafael Palmeiro (1998), Albert Belle (2000) and Chris Davis (2013).

Surging Mets rough up Cole

Mark Vientos homered twice off Gerrit Cole and the New York Mets took the New York Yankees’ ace deep four times before holding on for a 9-7 victory in the first Subway Series matchup of the season.

Reed Garrett gave up Aaron Judge’s grand slam – his major league-leading 29th home run – in the eighth inning but worked a perfect ninth to preserve the Mets’ 10th win in 12 games.

Vientos led off the second with his first home run of the night and Harrison Bader connected against his former teammate one out later.

Vientos opened the fourth with another longball to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0 and Brandon Nimmo’s two-run shot off Cole in the inning made it 6-0.

Cole allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings with four walks and no strikeouts in his second start of the season.

He surrendered a career-high five home runs at Minnesota on June 9, 2022.

Juan Soto also went deep for the Yankees, who have lost seven of nine but maintained a two-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East.

Padres’ Profar hits grand slam after benches empty

Jurickson Profar broke open the game with a grand slam after he was the focal point of a benches-clearing dustup and Manny Machado had a two-run homer as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals 9-6.

With one out in the first inning, Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz jawed at Profar and put a hand on his shoulder just before his at-bat. Machado, who was on deck, then put a hand on Ruiz’s shoulder as he got in between them, and players and coaches from both teams swarmed onto the field.

Plate umpire Brian Walsh warned both teams, and Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore hit Profar with a pitch but wasn’t ejected.

Machado followed by taking Gore deep for a 2-0 lead.

Profar’s fourth career grand slam and second this season came in the sixth off Derek Law and extended the lead to 9-4.

Jose Ramirez broke a tie with a solo home run in the sixth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians record a sixth consecutive win with Monday's 3-2 victory over the suddenly slumping Baltimore Orioles.

Ramirez had a run-scoring single earlier in the game in support of Tanner Bibee, who tossed six solid innings before three Cleveland relievers protected the one-run lead and send the Orioles to a season-high fourth straight loss.

Bibee (6-2) struck out seven while allowing two runs - one earned - on five hits to win his second straight start.

After Ramirez's 431-foot blast off Cade Povich gave the Guardians a 3-2 edge, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis threw a scoreless inning each before Scott Barlow struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth for his second save of the season.

The Guardians grabbed an early 1-0 edge as their first three hitters reached base off Povich. Steven Kwan led off the game with a single and Andres Gimenez drew a walk before Ramirez brought in the first run with a base hit.

Baltimore countered in its half of the first when Gunnar Henderson stroked a lead-off double and crossed the plate on Ryan O'Hearn's one-out single.

Back-to-back doubles by Gabriel Arias and Bo Naylor in the top of the second put Cleveland back ahead, but the Orioles tied it in the third with an unearned run.

After Adley Rutschman reached base with a double, the standout catcher advanced to third on a fielding error by Guardians' first baseman Josh Naylor before scoring on Anthony Santander's sacrifice fly.

Povich (0-2) took the loss after surrendering three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Lynn, Donovan help Cardinals stay hot

Lance Lynn yielded one run over 6 2/3 strong innings and Brendan Donovan collected three hits as the surging St. Louis Cardinals ran their winning streak to four games with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The Cardinals have now won nine of 12 after taking the opener of this three-game series, though they had to hang on after Atlanta scored twice off star closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning.

St. Louis had built a seemingly comfortable lead by scoring four runs off Atlanta starter Spencer Schwellenbach in the third inning, all coming with two out. 

Alec Burleson began the rally with a double that brought in Michael Siani with the game's first run. Willson Contreras, activated from the injured list prior to the game, then plated Burleson with a single in front of another base hit by Nolan Gorman. Donovan then singled to right to score Contreras for a 3-0 advantage.

Donovan was later thrown out trying to steal second, though Gorman would cross the plate before the tag was made for the Cardinals' fourth run.

That was enough for Lynn (3-3), who gave up a solo homer to Austin Riley in the fifth inning but just three other hits over his outing. The veteran right-hander struck out five without a walk.

Helsley converted his 27th straight save opportunity to begin the season, though it didn't come easy as he walked Marcell Ozuna to begin the ninth before allowing a single to Matt Olson. Another walk would load the bases with one out to set up Ramon Laureano's run-scoring single that cut the lead to 4-2.

Olson scored on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud to get the Braves within a run, though Hesley would strike out Zack Short to end the game.

Schwellenbach (1-3) struck out six over five innings but permitted all four St. Louis runs on eight hits.

Phillies turn rare triple play in rout of Tigers

Bryce Harper went 3 for 5 with a homer and five RBIs and was part of a rare triple play turned by the Philadelphia Phillies in an 8-1 rout of the Detroit Tigers.

The Phillies also got a very good start from Aaron Nola (9-3) en route to their third straight win. The right-hander held the Tigers to one run and six hits while striking out six without a walk over seven innings.

Nola also snared a line drive off the bat of Matt Vierling with the Tigers threatening in the third inning, then threw the ball to Harper at first base to double off a runner for another out. Detroit's Zach McKinstry was also running from third on the play and was thrown out as well when Harper relayed the ball to third baseman Alec Bohm to complete the triple play.

According to Major League Baseball, it was the first 1-3-5 triple-play (pitcher-to-first base-to-third base) in an MLB game since 1929.

The Phillies had a 4-0 lead at that point thanks to a big first inning that began when Kyle Schwarber reached on a fielding error by shortstop McKinstry. Trea Turner then doubled before Harper sent both runners home with a double of his own to open the scoring.

Bohm then drilled a pitch from Casey Mize over the left field wall for his first of four hits on the night, with the two-run homer giving Philadelphia a 4-0 advantage.

Detroit got on the board in the fifth when McKinstry doubled and scored on Carson Kelly's single, but Harper's three-run homer off Tyler Holton in the sixth increased the Phillies' lead to 7-1.

Harper also scored Philadelphia's final run in the eighth by coming home on a double from Bohm, who finished 4 for 5 with three runs batted in.

Mize (1-6) registered a career-high 10 strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings, but was tagged for nine hits while surrendering four runs - three earned.

Max Scherzer allowed one hit over five scoreless innings in a triumphant return to the mound as the Texas Rangers earned a 4-0 win over the sputtering Kansas City Royals on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep.

Scherzer retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced in a dominant delayed season debut. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was making his first appearance in a major league game since last year's World Series after recovering from back surgery and a nerve issue in his right arm.

The 39-year-old set down the first 13 Kansas City hitters before surrendering a ground-rule double to MJ Melendez with one out in the fifth inning.

Leody Taveras led Texas offensively by going 2 for 4 and delivering a two-run single as the Rangers scored three times in the fourth inning to break a 0-0 deadlock.

Adolis Garcia led off the inning by drawing a walk against Alec Marsh and Nathaniel Lowe followed with an infield single to put two on for Wyatt Langford, who drilled a double to center to plate Garcia with the game's first run.

Marsh got the next two hitters out but couldn't retire Taveras, who blooped a ball into left field that fell in to extend Texas' lead to 3-0.

The Royals managed just two hits on the day and lost for the 11th time in 14 games. Jose Urena relieved Scherzer and gave up one hit over the final four innings to record his first save of the season and close out the Rangers' fourth straight win.

Josh Smith accounted for Texas' final run with a solo homer in the seventh inning.

Marsh (5-5) worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits.

Lopez fans 14 in eight scoreless innings in Twins' win

Pablo Lopez also came through with a masterful pitching performance Sunday, as the Minnesota ace struck out 14 Oakland Athletics hitters over eight shutout innings in the Twins' 3-0 win.

Lopez (7-6) retired the first 17 Oakland hitters before Lawrence Butler broke up the perfect-game bid with a clean single with two out in the sixth inning. The 2023 All-Star yielded just one other hit and a walk while matching a career high for strikeouts.

Byron Buxton supplied the offence for Minnesota, which took two of three games in the series, by going 2 for 3 with a homer and two runs batted in.

Buxton's solo homer off Hogan Harris in the second inning staked the Twins to a 1-0 lead. Harris held Minnesota scoreless over the next four innings, but ran into trouble in the seventh.

Carlos Santana and Willi Castro began the inning with back-to-back singles before Buxton chased Harris with a run-scoring double. Castro then scored the Twins' final run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Kyle Farmer.

Harris (1-1) was charged with all three Minnesota runs while giving up five hits in six-plus innings.

Griffin Jax relieved Lopez to start the ninth and struck out two more A's hitters to wrap up Minnesota's eighth win in 11 games. 

Valdez's gem gives Astros sweep of Orioles

Framber Valdez shut down the Baltimore Orioles' potent lineup over seven strong innings to lead the surging Houston Astros to an 8-1 win and a three-game series sweep of one of the American League's top teams.

Valdez (6-5) scattered six hits and struck out seven while permitting one run to help Houston to a fifth consecutive win. The defending AL West champions are now two games under .500 (38-40) for the first time since losing their first two contests of the season.

The Astros also received plenty of offence to become just the second team to sweep a three-game series from Baltimore this season. Yainer Diaz and Jeremy Pena each had three hits and three RBIs, Alex Bregman went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and Jose Altuve homered among his two hits.

Houston wasted no time getting on the board, as Altuve launched Orioles' starter Albert Suarez's first pitch of the game over the left field wall to ignite a four-run opening inning.

Bregman followed with a double and scored on Diaz's one-out single before Pena stroked a run-scoring double to quickly put Houston up 3-0. Mauricio Dubon then plated Pena with a single to cap the big inning.

The Astros tacked on another run off Suarez in the fourth when Cesar Salazar singled, took third on another Bregman double and scored on Diaz's sacrifice fly.

Suarez (3-2) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in five innings of work. 

Jordan Westburg homered off Valdez in the top of the sixth for Baltimore's only run, but the Astros would score twice more in the bottom of the inning to pad the margin.

Bregman and Diaz each reached on singles before Pena drove in both with a double that increased the lead to 7-1. 

Altuve singled in the eighth and later scored Houston's final run on Diaz's second sac fly of the game.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 28th home run and Marcus Stroman pitched into the seventh inning as the New York Yankees avoided a fourth straight loss with an 8-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Marcell Ozuna opened the scoring with a home run off Stroman in the first inning, but Judge answered in the bottom half with a two-run shot - his 10th in the last 19 games.

Judge grounded into a double play in the third to make it 3-1, and he drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth for his MLB-leading 70th RBI.

Stroman limited the Braves to a solo homer before allowing two runs in the seventh. He gave up three runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts to win for the fifth time in six decisions.

Trent Grisham also homered and Juan Soto reached base four times on a single and three walks to help the Yankees avoid their longest losing streak of the season.

New York’s Giancarlo Stanton left due to left hamstring tightness. He doubled in the fourth and winced when he rounded third on Gleyber Torres’ double. Grisham pinch hit for Stanton leading off the sixth and the Yankees said the oft-injured slugger will have imaging Sunday.

Travis d’Arnaud went deep for the Braves, who lost for the second time in nine games.  

Ohtani goes deep again in rout

Shohei Ohtani continued his torrid home run pace with a two-run shot and Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 over seven innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels for a split of the Freeway Series.

After Gavin Lux led off the bottom of the third against Zach Plesac with a home run, Cavan Biggio singled before Ohtani launched a 459-foot blast to right to put the Dodgers up 3-0.

Ohtani homered in his third straight game and has six in his last seven games to increase his NL-best total to 23.

Glasnow gave up two runs – one earned – and two hits without a walk in his second straight excellent outing.

The Dodgers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Angels.

Kwan continues surge in Guardians’ win

Red-hot Steven Kwan homered and Jose Ramirez and Bo Naylor added two-run shots as the Cleveland Guardians handled the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3.

Kwan went 2 for 4 with a double to raise his average to .390 but he doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify as the major league batting leader after he missed several weeks with a hamstring injury.

Since returning to the lineup on May 31, Kwan is batting .468 (29 for 62) with three home runs, 11 RBIs and 17 runs in 16 games. He had a 14-game hitting streak snapped Friday.

Cleveland (48-26) hit all three homers off Jose Berrios to win its fourth straight and move a season-best 22 games over .500.

Toronto has dropped five in a row, matching its longest skid of the season.

Chris Sale became the third in the majors to reach 10 wins and Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Austin Riley homered off Carlos Rodon as the surging Atlanta Braves rolled to an 8-1 rout of the New York Yankees on Friday night.

Sale allowed one hit and one run over five innings with three walks and eight strikeouts to join Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez and Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 10-game winners.

Four relievers finished up the three-hitter.

The Braves built a 2-0 lead on Rodon’s first two pitches as Jarred Kelenic singled before Albies homered to left.

Riley added his seventh home run later in the inning for a 3-0 lead. He finished 2 for 3 with two walks and has 12 hits in his last 22 at-bats, including four homers and four doubles.

Kelenic singled home a run in the second and Ramon Laureano doubled home another run in the third. Olson’s two-run blast in the fourth made it 7-1 and an error by left fielder Jahmai Jones allowed the eighth run to score.

Atlanta has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games.

Rodon, who also was bidding for his 10th victory, was tagged for season highs of eight runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He lost his second straight start following a personal seven-game winning streak.

The Yankees have lost three straight and five of six after winning 12 of 15.

Ohtani homers against former team in loss

Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer in his first game against his former team, but Taylor Ward singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nolan Schanuel sacrificed automatic runner Jo Adell to third to open the 10th. Evan Phillips then retired Luis Rengifo on a groundout with Adell holding, but Ward followed with a single to left to give the Angels their first lead of the game.

Ohtani’s two-run blast off reliever Matt Moore in the fifth opened the scoring. It was his National League-leading 22nd homer of the season and seventh in the last 11 games.

He finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two walks in his first game against the Angels, the team he spent his first six major league seasons with before signing a 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

The Angels tied it in the next inning when Zach Neto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and an RBI groundout from Mickey Moniak.  

Mets hammer Imanaga, Cubs

J.D. Martinez, Francisco Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo homered against Shota Imanaga to power the New York Mets to an 11-1 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs.

Francisco Lindor had three hits and two runs and Jose Iglesias added four hits and three RBIs to help the Mets win for the eighth time in nine games.

They are 12-3 in their last 15 games and averaging 6.6 runs during that stretch.

Imanaga was roughed up for 10 runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings after he pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in a 1-0 win over the Mets on May 1. His ERA ballooned from 1.89 to 2.96 following the shortest outing of his rookie season.

Jose Quintana allowed one unearned run and four hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight in his second straight win.

The New York Yankees turned to the American League ERA leader in their series finale with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles turned the tables on Luis Gil.

Baltimore scored seven runs off Gil and clubbed three homers in rolling to a 17-5 win over the Yankees in the Bronx on Thursday.

Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer off Gill as part of a six-run second inning, while Anthony Santander and Austin Hays also homered for the Orioles, who improved to 5-2 against the Yankees this season.

Baltimore (49-25) set a major league record by winning a 22nd consecutive series against an AL East opponent and moved one-half game back of New York (51-26) for first place in the division.

Gil entered the game with a league-leading 2.03 ERA, but was tagged for seven runs and recorded just four outs in his shortest outing of the season. His ERA ballooned to 2.77 after the Orioles battered him, and New York was forced to use seven relief pitchers.

Baltimore pounded out a season-high 19 hits - including seven doubles - with Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle each registering three hits apiece.

Mountcastle had a bases-clearing double and an RBI single, while Ryan O'Hearn also drove in four runs.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 27th homer in his return to the lineup after missing Wednesday's 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Orioles, one day after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch in Tuesday's 4-2 series-opening win.

Judge also hit a run-scoring single for the Yankees, who got a homer from Gleyber Torres before he exited with a groin injury in the fifth inning.

Cardinals beat Giants in game honouring Mays, Negro Leagues

The St. Louis Cardinals held on for a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in the first MLB game played at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Played at the 114-year-old stadium - the oldest professional ballpark in the United States - the game had been scheduled to honour former Negro League players, including Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who played for the Birmingham Black Barons.

The tribute produced an additional emotional element with Mays passing away on Tuesday.

In the game, the Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning - highlighted by Brendan Donovan's two-run homer.

Donovan, who grew up in Alabama, also singled and doubled and finished with three RBIs.

Alec Burleson scored three runs and Masyn Winn scored twice for the Cardinals (37-37), who won for the first time in three games to move back to .500.

Heliot Ramos hit a game-tying three-run home run in the third inning for the Giants (36-40), but St. Louis quickly responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Ohtani homers as Dodgers beat Rockies

Shohei Ohtani led off with a homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers went on to beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 to take three of four in the series.

Ohtani's homer was his 21st, while Will Smith and Freddie Freeman each hit their 11th home run, going back-to-back in the fourth inning for the Dodgers (47-30).

Freeman had two hits, and is batting .378 with three homers and nine runs in his last 10 games, while Ohtani is 10 for 21 (.476) with four home runs, three doubles, nine RBIs and eight runs in his last five contests.

The Dodgers next play Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, which will be Ohtani's first game against his former team since signing a 10-year, $700million deal with the Dodgers in the off-season.

Gavin Stone won his fourth straight decision and improved to 8-2, permitting two runs while matching a season high with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Since giving up eight runs in his first two starts of the season, Stone has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of 12 starts.

Ryan McMahon hit his 13th homer and had his third straight two-hit game for the Rockies (26-49), who lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Baltimore Orioles' Cedric Mullins ended Gerrit Cole's long-awaited season debut in the fifth inning.

Five innings later, he sent the New York Yankees to a loss.

Mullins hit the go-ahead single in the 10th inning and later scored on a throwing error as the Orioles held on to beat the Yankees 7-6 on Wednesday.

The game went to extras on Giancarlo Stanton's run-scoring single off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel with one out in the ninth.

Two innings earlier, Stanton's three-run home run off reliever Yennier Cano pulled New York within one run at 5-4.

In the 10th, Mullins' tie-breaking single scored Anthony Santander, and he made it to second base on the throw to the plate. He then stole third and came around to score as catcher Jose Trevino overthrew third baseman DJ LeMahieu.

With the win, Baltimore (48-25) pulled within 1 1/2 games of New York for first place in the AL East.

The Yankees (51-25) were playing without Aaron Judge after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch in Tuesday's 4-2 win in the series opener.

While New York was without its star slugger it did get its pitching ace back.

Cole had been on the injured list since experiencing nerve inflammation and swelling in his pitching elbow during spring training and delivered an encouraging performance.

The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner allowed two runs and three hits while striking out five and walking one in four-plus innings.

He permitted a single to Mullins to lead off the fifth inning and was promptly pulled after throwing 62 pitches.

Bibee, Naylor lead Guardians in rout of Mariners

Tanner Bibee struck out a career-high 12 batters and Josh Naylor homered twice as the Guardians rolled to an 8-0 win over the Seattle Mariners in a matchup of American League division leaders.

Naylor drove in four runs, and got things started with a run-scoring single in the first inning.

That would be all the offence Bibee would need, as he limited the Mariners to three hits and a walk over six innings.

Steven Kwan hit a two-run homer and singled and has hit safely in all 13 games since missing nearly four weeks with a strained left hamstring, batting .510 with nine RBIs and 13 runs scored during his hitting streak.

Jose Ramirez and Bo Naylor also each had a pair of hits for the AL Central-leading Guardians (45-26), who snapped a three-game losing streak and bounced back from Tuesday's 8-5 setback in the series opener.

The AL West-leading Mariners (44-32) lost for just the second time in 10 games and were shutout for the first time since May 30.

Rangers break up no-hitter to end Mets' seven-game winning streak

Leody Taveras came off the bench to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the Texas Rangers to a 5-3 win over the New York Mets.

The Rangers (34-40) ended a five-game losing streak and snapped the Mets' seven-game winning streak.

Texas prevailed despite being no-hit into the sixth inning.

Mets starter Sean Manaea retired the game's first two batters before issuing three consecutive walks to load the bases. He then hit Wyatt Langford with a pitch to force in a run before getting Nathaniel Lowe to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Manaea then retired the next 13 batters before giving up his first hit on Robbie Grossman's single with one out in the sixth inning.

Pete Alonso hit his 16th homer for the Mets (35-38), who lost for just the third time in 14 games.

Nestor Cortes pitched six scoreless innings and the New York Yankees overcame the loss of Aaron Judge in a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a three-game series between the top teams in the American League East on Tuesday night.

Judge, the major league leader with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs, left one inning after he was hit on the left pinkie by a 94.1 mph fastball from Albert Suarez.

Judge remained in the game and scored on Giancarlo Stanton’s single. He played center field in the top of the fourth but was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half.

Judge said X-rays and a CT scan were negative. He said there is some swelling, and he hopes not to miss any games.

Cortes allowed five hits with six strikeouts and no walks to improve to 4-2 with a 1.57 ERA at home this season.

Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu each drove in a run for the Yankees, who extended their lead in the East over Baltimore to 2 ½ games.

Anthony Santander hit a two-run homer in the ninth off closer Clay Holmes for all the Orioles’ offence. Santander has a major league-best nine home runs this month.

Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg left in the middle of the second inning with left hip discomfort after colliding with baserunner Juan Soto.

Mets rally for 7th straight win

Pete Alonso delivered a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the New York Mets rallied for their season-high seventh straight victory, 7-6 over the slumping Texas Rangers.

The Mets trailed 6-2 after the Rangers put up a five-run fifth, but they scored once in the sixth, once in the seventh and tied it in the eighth on Francisco Alvarez’s two-run double.

Rangers closer Kirby Yates walked Brandon Nimmo with one out in the eighth and J.D. Martinez reached on a catcher’s interference call and Alonso’s double into the left-field corner put New York on top.

Mark Vientos and Nimmo homered for the Mets (35-37), who have won 11 of 13 to get within two games of .500 for the first time since mid-May.

Defending World Series champion Texas (33-40) has lost five in a row to fall a season-worst seven games under .500.

Dodgers stun Rockies with 7-run 9th

Jason Heyward hit a pinch-hit grand slam and Teoscar Hernandez added a go-ahead, three-run homer as part of a seven-run ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a shocking 11-9 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Heyward’s blast came off Tyler Kinney and followed walks by Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas around a single by Miguel Rojas. That drew the Dodgers within 9-8 with one out in the ninth after they trailed 7-2 in the fifth inning.

Shohei Ohtani singled off Victor Vodnik before Will Smith struck out. After a wild pitch, Freddie Freeman was walked intentionally to bring up Hernandez. He checked his swing at a 1-2 fastball and first base umpire Lance Barksdale ruled it wasn’t a swing, as Colorado manager Bud Black argued and was ejected.

On the next pitch, Hernandez hit his 18th home run to make it 11-9. After the ball cleared the wall, Rockies right fielder Jake Cave immediately took a few steps toward Barksdale and began yelling.

Alex Vesia got the first two outs in the ninth and Evan Phillips retired the only batter he faced for his 11th save.

Willie Mays, who was one of baseball's most colourful and exciting stars, has died at the age of 93.

The San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday that he "passed away peacefully" this afternoon.

A two-time MVP and 20-time All-Star in his 22 MLB seasons - spent almost entirely with the New York/San Francisco Giants - many considered Mays to be the greatest living baseball player. He was baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer.

Nicknamed the "Say Hey Kid," Mays made an immediate impact, winning the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award. He finished his career with 660 home runs, 3,283 hits, 1,903 RBIs and a .302 batting average.

An elite defensive centre fielder, he won 12 Gold Gloves and made one of the most famous catches in baseball history. In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, while playing centre field, Mays tracked down a deep fly ball by running with his back to the infield toward the warning track to make a thrilling over-the shoulder catch.