Travis d’Arnaud hit a grand slam for his third home run of the game and drove in six runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to their fifth straight win, 8-3 over the Texas Rangers on Friday.

D’Arnaud, who entered with no homers this season, hit solo shots off Andrew Heaney in the second and fifth innings before connecting for his slam off reliever Jacob Latz in the sixth to put the Braves ahead 7-3.

It was his third career grand slam and second three-homer game.

D’Arnaud grounded out in the eighth with a chance for his fourth home run.

Marcell Ozuna had a run-scoring single in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games, the longest active run in the majors.

Chris Sale allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Astros’ Verlander wins season debut

Justin Verlander pitched six strong innings to win his season debut and the Houston Astros stole five bases in a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

The 41-year-old Verlander, who began the season on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, struck out four and walked none, throwing 50 of 78 pitches for strikes in his 258th win.

He retired the side in order four times and improved to 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Nationals.

Jeremy Pena and Mauricio Dubon had three hits apiece for the Astros and Kyle Tucker doubled, singled, walked twice and stole two bases as the Astros snapped a three-game skid.

Phillies’ Turnbull flirts with history

Spencer Turnbull took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Alec Bohm belted a pair of three-run homers to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-0 win over the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Turnbull kept the White Sox hitless until Gavin Sheets singled with one out in the seventh. He struck out six and walked two, pitching seven innings for the first time since his no-hitter for Detroit against Seattle on May 18, 2021.

Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering each pitched an inning to finish up a two-hitter and the Phillies’ fourth straight win.

Bohm matched a career high with six RBIs and had his fourth career two-homer game.

The White Sox fell to a major league-worst 3-16.

Logan Webb pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores had a two-run double as the San Francisco Giants opened a 10-game homestand with a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Webb walked one and struck out five and retired 19 straight batters at one point. He lasted seven innings for the third straight start.

Tyler Rogers worked one inning and Ryan Walker struck out the side in the ninth.

The Giants, who won consecutive games for the second time this season, have three games left against Arizona before three each with the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates.  

LaMonte Wade Jr.’s sacrifice fly in the third inning remained the game’s only run before the Giants broke it open with a four-run eighth.

Nick Ahmed led off with a double and moved up on an error by second baseman Ketel Marte. After Wade walked and Jorge Soler hit into a fielder’s choice, Flores doubled to left to make it 3-0. Matt Chapman was then walked intentionally and Mike Yastrzemski singled home two more runs one out later.

Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson was forced to leave following two scoreless innings with a bruised pitching elbow sustained when he was hit by a line drive off Yastrzemski’s bat.

Rangers win after Leiter’s poor debut

Al Leiter Jr. struggled in his major league debut, but Leody Taveras scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning and added an RBI single in the ninth to lift the Texas Rangers to a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers.

With the teams tied at 7, Taveras doubled with one out and moved to third on Marcus Semien’s fielder’s choice and an error by third baseman Gio Urshela before scoring on Corey Seager’s failed fielder’s choice.

Leiter Jr., the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, allowed seven runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim homered to help the Rangers win three of four in the series.

Kerry Carpenter drove in two runs and Javier Baez had a pair of doubles for Detroit, which is 5-9 since opening the season 5-0.  

Carrasco, Gimenez lift Guardians

Carlos Carrasco earned his first win with Cleveland since 2020 and Andres Gimenez knocked in two runs as the Cleveland Guardians edged the Boston Red Sox, 5-4.

Ramon Laureano, Josh Naylor and Jose Ramirez each drove in a run as the Guardians improved the AL Central’s best record to 13-6 and moved to 10-3 on the road.

Carrasco gave up two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with Cleveland since Sept. 20, 2020. He pitched for Cleveland from 2009-2020 and spent the past three seasons with the New York Mets.

Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his fifth save as the Guardians won three games in a series in Boston for the first time since 2000.

Aaron Judge capped a four-run ninth with a two-run single to rally the New York Yankees to a 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

The Blue Jays took a 4-2 lead into the ninth with Erik Swanson making his season debut after opening the season on the injured list.

Giancarlo Stanton led off with a home run to make it a one-run game and Gleyber Torres singled before Alex Verdugo doubled. After Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out, pinch-hitter Jose Trevino singled into right-center off Tim Mayza to tie it.

Anthony Volpe fouled out for the second out, but Juan Soto walked and Judge drilled a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line for a 6-4 lead.

Soto’s home run in the eighth drew the Yankees within 4-2. He had three hits, two RBIs and reached base five times.

Daulton Varsho hit a pair of home runs for Toronto, which had won four straight.

Padres’ King takes no-hitter into 7th in tough luck loss

Michael King pitched no-hit ball for 6 2/3 innings, but Blake Perkins singled home the game’s only run as the San Diego Padres topped the Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0.

King went a career-high 7 2/3 innings and threw 109 pitches, striking out 10 and walking two. He didn’t allow a runner past first base until the eighth inning, when Bryce Turang singled with one out, stole second and scored on Perkins’ hit to left.

Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak and ended Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak.

Abner Uribe earned the win with a scoreless eighth, giving up a leadoff triple to Matthew Batten before he retired the next three hitters.

Homer-happy Orioles sweep Twins

Cedric Mullins belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins and a three-game sweep.

Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander also went deep as the Orioles homered at least three times for the fifth consecutive game. Baltimore had a streak that long only twice before in franchise history, in 1987 and 1996.

Albert Suarez pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first major league appearance in seven years for the Orioles. The 34-year-old right-hander was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to take the place of Tyler Wells, who went on the injured list on Tuesday.

Minnesota has been outscored 26-12 during a four-game losing streak.

Chris Bassitt tossed 6 1/3 effective innings to lead the way as the Toronto Blue Jays dealt the New York Yankees their first losing streak of the season with Monday's 3-1 win to open a three-game series.

Bassitt allowed just one run on four hits to help Toronto to its season-high third straight win. The right-hander has now won back-to-back starts after losing his first two outings of the season. 

The Blue Jays managed just four hits but took advantage of seven walks issued by New York starter Luis Gil in five innings of work.

Gil walked three straight Toronto hitters to force in a run after Cavan Biggio opened the bottom of the second inning with a ground-rule double with the Blue Jays trailing 1-0. The right-hander later uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Alejandro Kirk to cross the plate for a 2-1 lead.

Kirk recorded two of the Blue Jays' four hits, including a two-out double in the third that scored Bo Bichette, who had reached on an infield single.

The Yankees had briefly gone ahead in the top of the second on Oswaldo Cabrera's run-scoring single, the last of three consecutive hits off Bassitt.

Bassitt did not surrender a hit from the fourth inning on, however, and relievers Tim Mayza and Chad Green combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Yimi Garcia retired the side in order in the ninth for his second save.

Gil struck out six but permitted all three Toronto runs as the Yankees lost consecutive games for the first time in 2024. New York was coming off Sunday's 8-7 defeat at Cleveland in which the Guardians rallied for three runs in the 10th inning.

Riley helps Braves pull away from Astros

Austin Riley collected three hits, including an RBI single during a four-run ninth inning that enabled the Atlanta Braves to pull away for a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros.

Four Atlanta relievers combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings to protect an early 2-1 lead and allow the Braves to take the opener of this three-game series between the two participants in the 2021 World Series.

Aaron Bummer was credited with the win after retiring two of three hitters in relief of Darius Vines, who held Houston to one run and four hits over 4 2/3 innings.

The Astros did touch Vines for a run in the first inning as Kyle Tucker drew a walk, stole second and scored on Alex Bregman's two-out single.

Atlanta answered by scoring two runs in the second off Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, all with two out.

Travis d'Arnaud started the rally with a double and later scored on an error by Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena, who threw wildly to first base after fielding Luis Guillorme's infield single.

Arrighetti then walked Ronald Acuna Jr. to load the bases before hitting Ozzie Albies with a pitch to bring in the go-ahead run.

The score remained 2-1 until the Braves erupted in the ninth off struggling Houston closer Josh Hader, who surrendered four hits and a walk while recording just one out.

Hader also threw a wild pitch that allowed Adam Duvall to advance to second in front of Orlando Arcia's run-scoring single that gave Atlanta a 3-1 advantage. Riley and Marcell Ozuna later delivered RBI singles and the Braves scored another run on a fielder's choice groundout.

Arrighetti struck out five over four innings in his second major league start, but took the loss after permitting two runs.

Cubs rally in ninth inning, then beat Diamondbacks in 11

Nico Hoerner's run-scoring single in the 11th inning capped a late rally that propelled the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a three-game series.

Hoerner finished 2 for 4 and also scored the tying run in the ninth when he raced home from second base on a wild pitch thrown by Arizona reliever Kevin Ginkel.

Michael Busch tied a franchise record for Chicago with his fifth consecutive game with a home run. The first baseman achieved the feat with a solo shot off Diamondbacks' starter Merrill Kelly in the top of the second inning that gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Kelly did not allow a run over the remainder of his five-inning stint, helping the Diamondbacks eventually move ahead when Randal Grichuk doubled in the eighth and scored on Corbin Carroll's single off reliever Drew Smyly to put Arizona up 2-1.

Ginkel surrendered one-out singles to Hoerner and Mike Tauchman in the ninth, however, before Hoerner hustled home from second on the closer's errant pitch to the plate with the Cubs down to their final out.

Hoerner put Chicago ahead in his next at-bat by delivering a bases-loaded single off Bryce Jarvis in the 11th. Keegan Thompson then stranded the tying run at third in the bottom of the inning to wrap up the Cubs' third straight victory.

Chicago starter Ben Brown worked six innings and yielded just one hit, a single to Jake McCarthy in the second that brought in Arizona's first run.

Jackson Holliday collected his first major league hit and scored the go-ahead run to help the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Holliday, the No. 1 pick of the 2022 MLB draft, was part of a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning that enabled the Orioles to prevent Milwaukee from sweeping the three-game series.

The 20-year-old infielder had gone 0 for 13 with nine strikeouts to begin his major league career before recording a single in the seventh.

Former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes did not factor in the decision in his first meeting against his ex-team since being traded to Baltimore in the offseason. The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs - two earned - while striking out five in five innings.

Blake Perkins' solo homer in the top of the seventh gave Milwaukee a 4-3 lead that turned out to be short-lived, as Jordan Westburg, Holliday and Gunnar Henderson all singled off reliever Abner Uribe in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.

Holliday advanced to third on Henderson's run-scoring hit before crossing the plate on a double-play grounder off the bat of Adley Rutschman.

Colton Cowser's solo homer in the eighth gave Baltimore some insurance before Craig Kimbrel stranded two runners in a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Burnes was greeted by a leadoff homer from William Contreras in the top of the first inning, though the Orioles answered in their half when Henderson was hit by a pitch by Milwaukee starter Colin Rea and later scored on Ryan O'Hearn's single.

Cedric Mullins' homer off Rea in the second put Baltimore up 2-1, and O'Hearn sent the Orioles back ahead with a solo shot in the third after the Brewers scratched home a run in the top of the inning. 

Burnes couldn't protect the 3-2 lead, though, as the Brewers put two on in the fourth before Brice Turang put down a bunt that brought in a run when the Baltimore right-hander threw wildly to first base to allow Willy Adames to score.

Perkins went 3 for 4 with two runs scored for Milwaukee. Rea lasted 5 2/3 innings and was reached for three runs while striking out six.

Rays slug four homers to spoil Snell's return to Tampa Bay

Rene Pinto drove in four runs and had two of four Tampa Bay homers as the Rays spoiled Blake Snell's return to Tropicana Field with a 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. 

Snell was tagged for seven runs in four innings in his second straight lacklustre start since joining the Giants as a free agent in the offseason. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was making his first appearance at Tropicana Field since being traded by the Rays to the San Diego Padres in December 2020.

The 31-year-old pitched five seasons for Tampa Bay and won the American League's Cy Young Award after going 21-5 with the Rays in 2018.

Snell took the mound with a 1-0 lead after the Giants scored once in the top of the first inning, but the left-hander was greeted by a leadoff double from Yandy Diaz and a one-out single by Randy Arozarena that quickly tied the game.

Two batters later, Amed Rosario homered to left to give Tampa Bay a 3-1 advantage.

Isaac Paredes' two-out RBI single off Snell in the third increased the Rays' margin, and Snell issued two walks in the fourth before Pinto launched a three-run homer to center to extend the lead to 7-1.

Tyler Fitzgerald doubled in the top of the sixth and scored on Jorge Soler's single to get the Giants closer, though Pinto answered in the bottom of the inning with his second homer of the day.

A solo homer by San Francisco's Michael Conforto in the seventh was countered by Paredes' solo blast in the Rays' half of the inning as Tampa Bay took a 9-3 lead into the eighth.

Fitzgerald finished 2 for 4 and knocked in the Giants' final run with a triple in the ninth.

Tyler Alexander picked up the win after allowing two runs across six innings in relief of opener Shawn Armstrong, who permitted one run in two innings.

Guardians rally for three runs in 10th to stun Yankees

Andres Gimenez's sacrifice fly capped a stunning 10th rally as the Cleveland Guardians avoided a series sweep by the New York Yankees by rallying for a wild 8-7 win.

After the Yankees tied the game on Anthony Volpe's RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning and scored twice more in the top of the 10th, Cleveland struck for three runs off reliever Caleb Ferguson in the bottom of the inning to salvage the series finale.

Jose Ramirez started the comeback with a leadoff single and Josh Naylor followed with a fielder's choice groundout that scored brother Bo Naylor, the Guardians' designated runner to begin their half of the inning. David Fry then doubled to put two men on before Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres threw late to home plate after bobbling a ground ball, allowing Josh Naylor to score and tie the contest at 7-7.

Gimenez then lifted a fly ball to right deep enough to bring home Fry with the winning run.

The Yankees were down to their final out in the ninth when Volpe drove a pitch from Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase into the gap in right center field to drive in Oswaldo Cabrera from first and knot the score at 5-5.

New York then loaded the bases with none out in the 10th to set up Anthony Rizzo's single off Tyler Beede which sent home designated runner Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who was intentionally walked.

Judge belted a three-run homer off Cleveland starter Logan Allen in the top of the third inning to open the scoring, though the Guardians countered with Ramirez's two-run shot off Nestor Cortes in their half of the frame.

Jose Trevino's solo homer in the fourth increased New York's lead to 4-2, but Cleveland again answered with two runs in the fifth.

Gabriel Arias led off the bottom of the inning with a homer off Cortes before Josh Naylor later tied it with a one-out single that plated Steven Kwan.

The score remained 4-4 until former Yankee Estevan Florial delivered a pinch-hit solo homer off Luke Weaver in the eighth.

Ramirez and Josh Naylor each had two hits and two RBIs for Cleveland, while Allen allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings. 

Volpe went 3 for 4 for New York, which removed Cortes after four-plus innings after the left-hander was reached for four runs despite striking out six. 

Juan Soto’s three-run homer backed a stellar season debut by Cody Poteet and the New York Yankees rolled to an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians for a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.

With a 3-2 victory in the opener, the Yankees are 12-3 for the seventh time in their history and first since 2003. They have won eight of nine road games.

Poteet allowed one run and six hits over six innings to earn his first win since 2021 with Miami. He did not pitch in the majors last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022.

Soto’s three-run homer came off starter Triston McKenzie and was preceded by Anthony Volpe’s RBI single.

Josh Naylor and Estevan Florial homered for Cleveland, which is 1-9 in its last five doubleheaders.

In the opener, Oswaldo Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Clay Holmes survived a shaky ninth inning.

Brewers slug way to another win

Jake Bauers snapped a tie with a three-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers scored at least seven runs again in an 11-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Rhys Hoskins also homered and Willy Adames and Brice Turang each added three hits for the Brewers, who have scored 58 runs in their last six games, with at least seven in each. That streak ties a franchise record set in 1982 and 1989.

Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman went deep for Baltimore, which has allowed 22 runs in the first two games of this series.

Milwaukee went 6 for 10 with runners in scoring position and is 33 for 69 (.478) over the last six games.

Cubs’ Imanaga continues strong start

Shota Imanaga allowed one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings and Michael Busch homered in his third straight game to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Imanaga has thrown 15 1/3 innings in his first three major league starts without giving up an earned run. He scattered five hits, struck out four and walked two.

Mark Leiter Jr., Yency Almonte, Hector Neris and Adbert Alzolay surrendered just two baserunners in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya added solo home runs as the Cubs improved to 2-3 on a nine-game road trip.

Atlanta Braves ace and 2023 All-Star Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right elbow Friday.

Strider, 25, had his right ulnar collateral ligament repaired by Dr. Keith Meister, the club announced Saturday.

The procedure was notably a repair of Strider’s existing UCL with an internal brace, not a total reconstruction, also known as Tommy John surgery.

While UCL repairs typically require less recovery time than Tommy John surgery, the Braves said that Strider will not return this season.

Strider pitched four innings in the Braves’ 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 5, leaving the game with elbow discomfort. An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL.

Strider led the major leagues with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts last season and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

The flame-throwing right-hander made two starts in 2024, allowing seven runs in nine innings.

Elbow injuries have ravaged major league pitching staffs early this season, with the Cleveland Guardians announcing last week that ace Shane Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery. New York Yankees ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is out at least until June with elbow inflammation.

Shohei Ohtani homered to tie for the most by a Japan-born player, but Jackson Merrill singled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning to lift the San Diego Padres to an 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Ohtani took Michael King deep with one out in the first inning for his fourth home run of the season and 175th of his career, tying him with Hideki Matsui, who played 10 seasons in the majors from 2003-12.

Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez also homered for the Dodgers, who squandered a 7-3 lead after five innings.

Jake Cronenworth’s solo home run in the sixth drew the Padres within 7-4 and San Diego scored three in the seventh on a run-scoring groundout before Fernando Tatis Jr.’s two-run blast off Ryan Brasier tied it.

Manny Machado and Ha-Seong Kim homered as the Padres got back to .500 (8-8) with their third win in four games.

The Dodgers failed to score in the 10th and 11th innings, with Betts flying out to center with the tying run at third in the 11th.

De La Cruz homers again as Reds cruise

Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer for his fourth longball in his last four games to back a strong start by Andrew Abbott in the Cincinnati Reds’ 11-1 rout of the Chicago White Sox.

Tyler Stephenson also went deep and Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Santiago Espinal each added two hits and three RBIs for the Reds.

De La Cruz singled in the second inning to reach safely for the 18th straight game dating to last season.

He hit his fourth home run of the season in the third after he had an inside-the-park homer and 450-foot drive during a 10-8 win over Milwaukee on Monday before going deep again in a 7-2 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday.

De La Cruz is 8 for 15 with four home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs in his last four games.

Rangers drop Astros 7 under .500

Jonah Heim homered and had four RBIs and Evan Carter added three hits to help the Texas Rangers to a 12-8 victory that dropped the Houston Astros seven games under .500 for the first time in eight years.

Houston, which has lost four straight and allowed 36 runs in its last three games, fell to 4-11. The Astros are seven below .500 for the first time since they were 22-29 before a Memorial Day win in 2016, a season in which they dropped to 20-29 before a five-game winning streak.

Texas extended its lead to 12-3 with four runs in the sixth, as Adolis Garcia singled home a run before Heim had a run-scoring groundout and Jared Walsh stroked a two-run single.

Kyle Tucker homered twice, and Jake Meyers drove in three runs for the Astros.

Bobby Witt homered to cap a nine-run first inning and finished with four hits, two home runs and five RBIs as the Kansas City Royals routed the Houston Astros 12-3 for their seventh consecutive victory on Thursday.

Vinnie Pasquantino added three hits and three RBIs and Maikel Garcia knocked in two runs for the Royals, who completed a perfect seven-game homestand. It’s just the third time in franchise history they’ve played at least seven games on a homestand without a loss. The other two came in 1988 and 1985.

Kansas City sent 15 men to the plate in the first inning and tied a club record with 11 hits. The Royals batted around in an inning for the second straight game.

Hunter Brown recorded just two outs and allowed nine runs and 11 hits.

Houston gave up 24 runs in the final two games of the series and dropped to 4-10. It is the Astros’ worst 14-game start since also opening 4-10 in 2013.

Sears, Athletics 1-hit Rangers

JP Sears pitched no-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics combined on a 1-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Sears allowed leadoff walks in the first, second and fifth innings before Adolis Garcia ended his no-hit bid with a one-out single in the seventh on an 0-2 pitch.

Sears struck out five, including 2023 World Series MVP Corey Seager three times.

Austin Adams got the final two outs of the seventh and Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller each worked one inning to finish the one-hitter.

Cowser hits 2 homers as Orioles sweep

Rookie Colton Cowser capped a stellar series with his first two career home runs and four RBIs as the Baltimore Orioles rallied for a 9-4 win in 10 innings to complete a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

Gunnar Henderson opened the 10th with a two-run homer off Isaiah Campbell and Cedric Mullins singled home a run before Cowser drilled a 3-0 pitch over the wall in right field for a three-run shot.

Cowser, who hit his first career homer in the fifth inning, went 6 for 13 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in the three-game set.

Orioles prospect Jackson Holliday scored two runs but went 0 for 4 for the second straight game.

Jackson Holliday had a relatively quiet MLB debut, but teammate Jordan Westburg capped a four-run seventh with a three-run homer to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Triston Casas’ two-run homer in the fifth inning extended Boston’s lead to 5-0, but Baltimore answered with three runs in the sixth.

Colton Cowser delivered a two-run single and Westburg doubled before Holliday’s ground out scored him.

Cower is 3 for 8 with six RBIs in the first two games of this series.

The Orioles scored four runs in the seventh off Chris Martin, with a wild pitch scoring one run before Westburg’s blast to center made it 7-5.

The 20-year-old Holliday – baseball’s top-rated prospect - went 0 for 4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in his debut.

After Cole Irvin gave up five runs in five innings, the Orioles’ bullpen pitched one-hit ball and struck out nine over the next four innings. Craig Kimbrel fanned two in a perfect ninth for his second save.

Surging Royals pound Astros

Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Kansas City Royals to their sixth straight win, an 11-2 rout of the Houston Astros.

Pasquantino entered 4 for 37 with four singles and no RBIs before going 3 for 3 with a single, double, homer and a walk.

His two-run double ignited a seven-run third inning, and he homered an inning later to put the Royals up 8-2.

Seth Lugo limited the Astros to two runs and seven hits in six innings for Kansas City’s ninth quality start in 12 games – the most in the majors.

Naylor brothers power Guardians

Bo Naylor and Josh Naylor had RBI hits in the 10th inning after the brothers both homered earlier and the Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Josh Naylor doubled home the tying run in the 10th and Bo Naylor singled to score pinch-runner Tyler Freeman to complete Cleveland’s comeback from a 5-0 deficit.

Bo Naylor hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Josh added a two-run shot later in the inning to draw the Guardians within 5-3.

Cleveland improved to 9-3 for its best start since going 11-1 in 2002.

Gavin Sheets hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs for the injury-riddled White Sox.

Shea Langeliers hit his third home run of the game in the ninth inning to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Langeliers, who entered with 29 career major league homers, hit solo shots in the second inning off Nathan Eovaldi and in the seventh off David Robertson. He two-run drive with one out in the ninth off Jose Leclerc scored Seth Brown and gave Oakland its first lead of the game.

It was the first three-homer game for Langeliers, who had a two-shot game on Oct. 2, 2022, at Seattle and last Aug. 23, at the Chicago White Sox.

He became only the second Athletics starting catcher to hit three home runs in a game – and the first since Philadelphia’s Mickey Cochrane on May 21, 1925, at the St. Louis Browns.

Michael Kelly pitched a perfect eighth for the win and Mason Miller set the Rangers down in order in the ninth for his first career save.

Jonah Heim and Evan Carter went deep for the Rangers, who have lost three in a row.

Yankees match best 12-game start

Carlos Rodon allowed two unearned runs over six-plus innings and Alex Verdugo homered as the New York Yankees edged the Miami Marlins, 3-2, to match their best-ever 12-game start.

The Yankees won their fourth straight and improved to a major league-best 10-2, equalling the starts of the 1922, 1940 and 2003 teams.

Miami dropped to 1-11 for the first time since losing 11 in a row after a season-opening victory in 1998.

Rodon gave up four hits with two walks and six strikeouts to improve to 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in three starts. Ian Hamilton worked two innings and Clay Holmes pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.

Verdugo’s second home run with the Yankees came a night after he had three hits and reached four times.

Tigers stun Pirates with 4-run 9th

Gio Urshela, Kerry Carpenter and Jake Rogers had RBI singles during a four-run ninth inning off closer David Bednar as the Detroit Tigers rallied for a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bednar was called on to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth, but Riley Greene walked and Spencer Torkelson was hit by a pitch. Urshela then singled and both runners scored when Michael A. Taylor’s wayward throw from center to third base skipped into the netting near the Pittsburgh dugout.

Carpenter and Rogers followed with RBI singles to make it 5-3.

Edward Olivares homered twice for the Pirates, who dropped to 9-3 and failed in a bid to match their best 12-game start since 1992.

The New York Yankees received eight stellar innings from Nestor Cortes and three-run homers from Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe to continue their hot start with Monday's 7-0 win over the floundering Miami Marlins.

Cortes retired 24 of the 26 batters he faced, yielding just a pair of singles, to record his first victory since May 30 and help New York match the best 11-game start to a season in franchise history at 9-2. The left-hander struck out six while throwing 70 of 102 pitches for strikes.

The Yankees have opened a season 9-2 seven times previously, most recently in 2020.

Volpe and Soto's homers both came in the fourth inning off Jesus Luzardo, with Soto's blast his first at Yankee Stadium since New York acquired the star outfielder from the San Diego Padres in the offseason.

Soto finished 2 for 3 and Alex Verdugo went 3 for 3 with an RBI as the Yankees extended Miami's early-season woes. The Marlins have now lost 10 of their first 11 games for the second time in team history, having previously done so in 1998.

Luzardo permitted all seven runs while being tagged for eight hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings.

The Miami left-hander had kept the Yankees scoreless until Volpe followed fourth-inning singles by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo with a drive into the left field seats.

Verdugo then doubled and Luzardo walked Jose Trevino before retiring the next two batters to bring up Soto, who launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in right for a 6-0 lead.

Stanton doubled to open the bottom of the fifth before scoring the Yankees' final run on Verdugo's two-out single.

Nationals rout Giants to spoil Snell's San Francisco debut

Lane Thomas went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs as the Washington Nationals spoiled Blake Snell's San Francisco Giants debut with an 8-1 rout in the opener of a three-game series.

Trey Lipscomb also had three hits, including an RBI single, and delivered a steal of home to help pin a loss on Snell in the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner's first start as a Giant.

Snell, who went 14-9 with an MLB-leading 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts with the San Diego Padres last season, joined San Francisco on a two-year, $62 million contract in March.

The ace left-hander struck out five in three innings, but surrendered three runs on three hits while walking two.

Washington received a more effective outing from starter Trevor Williams, who held San Francisco to one run on three hits over five innings to move to 2-0 on the season.

Snell's trouble came in the second inning, as he issued consecutive one-out walks before Lipscomb singled to left to drive in a run and tie the score at 1-1. 

Luis Garcia followed with an infield RBI single that put Washington ahead before stealing second base, with Lipscomb running home from third on the play and beating the throw to the plate.

The Giants had taken a 1-0 lead when Jung Hoo Lee singled and LaMonte Wade doubled two batters later, with Lee crossing the plate on an errant throw from Nationals left fielder Jesse Winker.

Thomas' two-run homer off Landen Roupp in the fifth pushed Washington's lead to 5-1, and the Nationals tacked on another run in the inning on Ildemaro Vargas' RBI double.

Washington scored twice more in the ninth via an RBI single from Thomas and a bases-loaded walk to Vargas that forced in Winker.

Ohtani's homer, three hits power Dodgers past Twins

Shohei Ohtani tied a career high with three extra-base hits, including a solo homer, as the Los Angeles Dodgers got back on track with a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Ohtani added two doubles along with his third homer in five games to help Los Angeles take the opener of this three-game series. The Dodgers entered Minnesota off two losses in three games to the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

James Paxton did his part for Los Angeles by holding the Twins to two runs on three hits over six solid innings to win his second straight start to begin the season.

Paxton's lone blemish came when he served up a two-run homer to Manuel Margot in the third inning that gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead.

The Twins maintained a one-run edge until the sixth, when Ohtani greeted reliever Steven Okert with a double and later scored on Will Smith's single.

Okert came on for Bailey Ober, who allowed just one run and three hits over five innings before departing in line for the win.

James Outman put Los Angeles ahead with a solo homer off Jay Jackson in the seventh. Two batters later, Ohtani connected for an opposite-field blast off Jackson that increased the lead to 4-2.

Ober's lone run allowed came after issuing a lead-off walk to Mookie Betts in the first inning. Ohtani followed with a double before Betts crossed the plate on Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly. 

The Atlanta Braves backed Chris Sale's solid start with three home runs in a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday that completed a three-game series sweep.

Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Austin Riley all homered to help give Sale his first victory since joining the Braves in an offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox. The seven-time All-Star struck out six in 5 1/3 innings while allowing two runs on four hits.

Harris' solo homer off Ryne Nelson in the bottom of the fourth inning snapped a 2-2 tie, and Riley later provided some breathing room when he followed Ozzie Albies' double in the eighth with a blast into the center field seats off reliever Miguel Castro.

Nelson struck out seven in five innings but permitted three runs to take the loss.

Olson opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning, and the Braves loaded the bases later in the frame on three singles before Chadwick Tromp plated Marcell Ozuna with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Sale set down the first 10 Arizona hitters before Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled to put runners at first and third in the top of the fourth inning. Carroll would score on a balk from Sale before Christian Walker brought in Gurriel with a game-tying single. 

Walker finished 2 for 4 in the defending NL champion Diamondbacks' fourth straight loss. 

Astros' Blanco dominates again in win over Rangers

Ronel Blanco followed up his no-hitter with six scoreless innings of one-hit ball to lead the Houston Astros to a 3-1 win over the rival Texas Rangers.

Six days after throwing the 17th no-hitter in franchise history to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Blanco yielded only a sixth-inning single to Aroldis Garcia while scattering four walks for his second victory in as many starts this season.

Yordan Alvarez supplied all the offence Blanco would need with a three-run homer off Texas starter Dane Dunning in the third inning.

Dunning struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings and encountered his only real trouble in the third, when he issued consecutive walks to Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve before Alvarez belted a pitch into the right field seats.

The Rangers mustered only two hits for the game, with the second coming when pinch-hitter Justin Foscue singled home Garcia with one out in the ninth inning.

Josh Hader shook off the hit to induce a game-ending double play off the bat of Ezequiel Duran to notch his first save since the star closer signed a five-year, $95 million contract with Houston in the offseason.

The defending World Series champion Rangers had won the first two meetings of this four-game series, which concludes Monday. 

Cubs start fast, take series from Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs earned a series win over the Dodgers with Sunday's 8-1 rout that was helped out by a pair of former Los Angeles players, Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger.

Busch smacked a three-run double in the first inning and Bellinger had a solo homer in the sixth as the Cubs took two of three from the defending NL West champions and improved to 6-1 over their last seven games.

Chicago starter Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless innings before being removed due to a weather delay that lasted nearly three hours. The Japanese left-hander has now tossed 10 shutout innings over his first two major league starts.

Imanaga was staked to a quick lead as the Cubs scored three first-inning runs with two outs. With Ian Happ on base via an error by Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman, Christopher Morel singled and Dansby Swanson walked before Busch cleared the bases with his opposite-field double.

Mike Tauchman drew a lead-off walk from Los Angeles starter Gavin Stone in the second and later came around on Seiya Suzuki's sacrifice fly for a 4-0 Chicago lead. Tauchman drove in the Cubs' fifth run with a double in the third, and another Dodgers' error in the fourth led to two more runs and staked the Cubs to a 7-0 advantage.

Stone allowed five runs in three innings, though just one was earned due to two of Los Angeles' three errors on the day.

Bellinger accounted for Chicago's final run with his solo blast off Ryan Yarbrough in the sixth that increased the lead to 8-0.

Shohei Ohtani finished 2 for 4 and drove in the Dodgers' lone run with an eighth-inning double. The 2023 American League MVP also had a triple earlier in the contest.

Austin Riley had the tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves overcame a six-run first-inning deficit in a 9-8 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Arizona squandered a 6-0 lead after it blew a 5-2 advantage in a 6-5 loss in 10 innings on Friday.

The Diamondbacks scored six off Max Fried in the first, triggered by Ketel Marte’s homer and capped by his RBI double.

Atlanta scored twice in the fourth on Marcell Ozuna’s double and Michael Harris’s triple. Ozuna hit a three-run homer in the fifth and Matt Olson and Harris singled home runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 8-7.

Jarred Kelenic opened the eighth with a double and scored on Ronald Acuna Jr.’s single to tie it before a throwing error and Riley’s single put the Braves on top.

Yamamoto earns first career win

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out eight over five scoreless innings for his first major league victory and Max Muncy had a two-run single to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Yamamoto, who signed a record $325 million, 12-year contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, worked out of a bases-loaded, no outs jam in the first inning and another bases-loaded situation in the second. He allowed three hits and two walks.

Three relievers worked an inning each before Evan Phillips surrendered a run in the ninth.

Miguel Rojas had two hits and one RBI for the Dodgers, who improved to 8-3 and ended the Cubs’ five-game winning streak.

Chicago starter Jordan Wicks gave up two runs on six hits and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings.

Cardinals keep Marlins winless

Steven Matz pitched five scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals dropped the Miami Marlins to 0-9 with a 3-1 victory.

The Marlins are off to the worst start in the franchise’s 33-year history and remain the majors’ only winless team.

Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero each worked one scoreless inning before Andrew Kittredge gave up Miami’s lone run on Josh Bell’s RBI single. Ryan Helsley got the final three outs for his third save.

Ivan Herrera and Brendan Donovan each had two hits and Jordan Walker delivered an RBI double for the Cardinals, who have won four of five.

Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow, the team announced Saturday.

The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner was limited to 21 starts last season due to right elbow issues.

Bieber’s 2024 season ends with a 2-0 record after 12 scoreless innings, 20 strikeouts and one walk.

“He's devastated by it,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters on a video call. “He feels as though he is letting a lot of people down. And I tried to reassure Shane that couldn’t be further from the truth because he embodies what it means to be a professional, what it means to be a great teammate and a great leader."

A two-time All-Star, Bieber has been one of baseball’s best pitchers over the last several seasons when healthy, and his 2.91 ERA since 2020 ranks second only to Corbin Burnes’ 2.85.

Bieber, 28, is just the latest notable pitcher to be diagnosed with elbow issues.

New York Yankees flamethrower and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole has been shut down at least until June, while the Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider will undergo tests after feeling elbow discomfort in Friday’s start.

The Florida Marlins announced Thursday that touted right-hander Eury Perez will need Tommy John surgery.