J. D. Martinez highlighted a seven-run third with a grand slam and Kodai Senga won his season debut before leaving with an injury as the New York Mets remained red hot with an 8-4 win over the struggling Atlanta Braves on Friday night. 

Senga allowed two runs – both on Adam Duvall’s second-inning home run – and two hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts after spending the first four months of the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain.

He left in the sixth when he strained his left calf after throwing 73 pitches. Senga will have an MRI on Saturday.

New York won its fifth straight and moved past the Braves for the NL’s top wild card. The Mets (55-48) are a season-high seven games over .500 following their 11th win in 14 games.

The Mets reached Charlie Morton for seven runs in the third.

After Tyrone Taylor reached on an error by third baseman Austin Riley, Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch and Brandon Nimmo walked. Martinez then belted his ninth career grand slam to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Morton retired Pete Alonso, but Jeff McNeil doubled and Vientos followed with his 14th home run. One out later, Francisco Alvarez homered to make it 7-2.

Duvall hit his second home run of the game in the ninth and Marcell Ozuna added his 29th, but the Braves lost their season-high sixth straight. That is their longest slide since another six-game skid from Sept. 25-30, 2017.

Profar’s blasts power streaking Padres

Jurickson Profar hit his second two-run homer to snap a ninth-inning tie and the San Diego Padres won their sixth straight, 6-4 over the Baltimore Orioles.

Profar took struggling Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel deep in the ninth to score Luis Campusano, who singled with one out.

Kimbrel blew saves in two of his previous three appearances and has allowed eight runs in his last 3 2/3 innings.

Profar hit his first two-run shot of the game off Grayson Rodriguez in the sixth to erase a 2-0 deficit.

San Diego had 13 hits and used eight pitchers one day after Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter at Washington.

Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg homered for the first-place Orioles, who have lost four of five and nine of 13.

Red Sox rally, overcome Judge’s long home run

Masataka Yoshida capped a three-run eighth with a two-run single and the Boston Red Sox overcame Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 36th home run in a come-from-behind 9-7 win over the reeling New York Yankees.

Judge’s three-run blast in the seventh gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead and was measured at 470 feet. It landed in a small section of stands above a back wall and below a videoboard.

Austin Wells followed with a solo shot to make it 7-4.

The Red Sox got two runs back in the bottom half on Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-run homer off Luke Weaver that went over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park.

Weaver allowed Rob Refsnyder’s third hit of the game to lead off the eighth and walked Connor Wong.

Clay Holmes relieved with one out and allowed Wilyer Abreu’s tying double before Yoshida singled home two runs.

The Yankees have lost five of six and are 10-23 since a 50-22 start.

Masataka Yoshida hit a game-tying, two-run home run with two outs in the ninth, Ceddane Rafaela went deep to open the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to stun the New York Yankees 5-3 on Friday.

The Boston victory kept the two AL East rivals on their recent paths, with the Red Sox winning 15 of their last 20 games and the Yankees falling to 3-12 in their last 15.

New York’s Clay Holmes was one out away from a save in the ninth before pinch-hitter Dominic Smith singled. Yoshida fought back from an 0-2 hole before driving a full-count pitch over Yankee Stadium’s famous right field wall.

Tommy Kahle pitched the 10th for the Yankees, with Rafaela taking him deep on his second pitch and driving in automatic runner David Hamilton.

The bullpen collapse spoilt a strong start from Nestor Cortes, who allowed three hits and one run in six innings with eight strikeouts.

New York’s big bats remained mostly quiet, with AL MVP favourite Aaron Judge going 0 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Dodgers C Smith bashes trio of homers in win

Will Smith went deep three times, including a game-tying shot in the 7th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5 in a matchup of NL division leaders.

Smith, who walked in his other two plate appearances, became just the fourth Dodgers catcher to hit three home runs in a game, joining Yasmani Grandal (2016), Mike Piazza (1996) and Roy Campanella (1950).

On a night when Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 5, the Los Angeles offence was powered by Smith and Miguel Vargas, who was 2 for 3 with a walk and a two-run home run. Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez had clutch RBIs in the eighth to give the Dodgers the late lead.

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow cruised through the first three innings but gave up two singles and two walks in the fourth before Rhys Hoskins put the Brewers ahead with a grand slam.

Glasnow allowed three hits and five runs over six innings in the no-decision.

Pirates’ 7 HRs back Skenes in blowout of Mets

Rookie sensation Paul Skenes threw seven strong innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates tied a club record by hitting seven home runs in a 14-2 rout of the New York Mets.

Skenes, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, continued the dominant start to his career. The 6-foot-6 flamethrower improved to 5-0 after allowing four hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out eight.

Bryan Reynold and Rowdy Tellez each had two home runs, including a grand slam each, as the pair combined for 11 RBIs.

Jack Suwinski, Yasmani Grandal and Michael A. Taylor also went yard for the Pirates in front of a sell-out crowd at PNC Park.

The Mets’ Luis Severino was tagged for seven runs in six innings, while Ty Adcock gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings as the Mets lost their third straight game.