Cedric Mullins' two-run double capped a big ninth-inning rally for the Baltimore Orioles, who remained atop the American League East standings with Sunday's 6-5 comeback win over the rival New York Yankees.

After rookie Ben Rice's three-run homer in the top of the ninth gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead, the Orioles capitalised on two New York miscues in their half of the final inning to score three times and avoid being swept in the key three-game series.

Mullins' game-winning hit, a line drive that sailed over the head of New York's Alex Verdugo after the left fielder initially ran in on the ball, also snapped the Orioles' five-game losing streak and put Baltimore a game ahead of the second-place Yankees in the division race.

All three Baltimore runs in the ninth came with two outs, with Adley Rutschman extending the game by drawing a walk against New York closer Clay Holmes that loaded the bases. Ryan Mountcastle followed with an infield grounder that Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe bobbled for an error that let in a run and cut the lead to 5-4.

Mullins then drove a pitch over Verdugo's head to bring home Ryan O'Hearn and Rutschman with the tying and winning runs.

The Orioles had a chance to wrap up the game beforehand, but closer Craig Kimbrel walked the first two batters he faced after entering with his team up 3-2 to begin the top of the ninth. Rice then drilled a fastball over the wall in right center field to suddenly put the Yankees in front.

All-Star Anthony Santander went 2 for 4 and gave Baltimore a 3-2 edge with a solo homer off Tommy Kahnle in the bottom of the fifth. The Yankees had tied the game in the top of the inning on Trent Grisham's solo homer off Orioles' starter Dean Kremer.

Grisham finished 3 for 3 and also drove in the Yankees' first run with a second-inning single that plated Volpe, who had reached on a two-out double.

The Orioles went ahead in the third when James McCann drew a walk against New York starter Carlos Rodon and Gunnar Henderson followed with a two-run homer, the All-Star shortstop's 28th long ball of the season.

D'Arnaud's two homers help Braves' Sale earn 13th win

Travis d'Arnaud drove in four runs on a pair of homers to help Chris Sale to his MLB-leading 13th win in the Atlanta Braves' 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Sale yielded just one run and four hits over five innings to improve to 13-3 and send Atlanta into the All-Star break by taking two of three meetings from San Diego in the weekend series.

The All-Star hurler overcame some early trouble, as the Padres pushed home a run in the first inning on consecutive singles by Donovan Solano, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. Sale then proceeded to retire 13 of the final 16 batters he faced as the Braves eventually forged ahead.

Atlanta drew even in the fourth as Ozzie Albies singled off San Diego starter Randy Vasquez, stole second and scored on Matt Olson's single. The Braves went ahead an inning later when d'Arnaud walked, stole second and crossed the plate on an Adam Duvall single.

D'Arnaud extended the margin in the sixth with his first homer of the day, which came after Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna reached via singles, with the three-run blast off Stephen Kolek increasing the lead to 5-1.

The Padres inched closer on Luis Campusano's pinch-hit, two-run homer off A.J. Minter in the seventh inning, but d'Anaud answered with a solo homer in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias retired the side in order in the ninth for his 22nd save of the season.

Vasquez (2-5) struck out five while allowing two runs over five innings.

A's slug eight home runs in 18-3 rout of Phillies

Lawrence Butler had three of the Oakland Athletics' eight home runs as the AL West's last place team earned a surprising series win over the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies with Sunday's 18-3 rout.

Brent Rooker and Seth Brown each went deep twice as the Athletics tied a franchise record for homers in a single game, a mark set in an 18-2 win over the then-California Angels on June 27, 1996.

Butler drove in a total of six runs for Oakland, which also got a grand slam from Zach Gelof in the ninth inning with the Phillies using catcher Garrett Stubbs as a pitcher. Rooker knocked in five runs, Brown had three hits and three RBIs and JJ Bleday went 3 for 4 with four runs scored.

Philadelphia was dealt a second loss of the three-game series despite leading 1-0 after three innings, courtesy of All-Star Trea Turner's solo home run off Joey Estes in the first.

Estes (4-4) was solid the rest of the way as he allowed three runs - two earned - over six innings while well-supported by his team's power barrage.

Rooker followed a Bleday double with a homer off Michael Mercado (1-2) in the fourth to put the A's ahead, and Butler's two-run blast in the fifth extended the margin to 4-1.

Rooker had another two-run homer in the sixth, with Brown adding a solo shot during the inning to stake Oakland to a 7-1 advantage.

The Phillies put together a mild threat in their half of the sixth when a double by All-Star Alec Bohm put runners on second and third with one out. Bryson Stott followed with a sacrifice fly in which two runs scored on the play, as Bohm came in from second on a throwing error by Oakland left fielder Miguel Andujar.

It was all A's from that point on, though. Butler's two-run homer in the seventh increased the lead to 9-3, and Bleday tripled later in the inning and scored on Rooker's sac fly.

Brown delivered his second solo homer of the day in the eighth, and Butler had another two-run shot later in the frame to put Oakland up 13-3.

The A's scored five more times off Stubbs in the ninth on Brown's run-scoring single and Gelof's slam.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 33rd home run and the New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in a game marred by a late benches-clearing incident on Friday night.

Benches cleared in the bottom of the ninth after Baltimore’s Heston Kjerstad was hit in the helmet by a pitch from closer Clay Holmes. There was some pushing and shoving, but no punches were thrown.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde walked toward the New York dugout and pointed at someone, at which point Yankees catcher Austin Wells tried to restrain Hyde.

The teams met for the first time since the Orioles took two of three in New York last month. Since then, the Yankees are 6-13 and Baltimore is 8-12.

Gerrit Cole rebounded from a poor start in his last outing by allowing one run and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver each worked one inning and Holmes pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

The Orioles had their lead in the East trimmed to one game over the Yankees as they lost their fourth straight. They have scored three runs during that skid and are 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position.

New York scored twice against rookie Cade Povich in the second.

Anthony Volpe singled and moved to third on an error by right fielder Anthony Santander. He scored on Jose Trevino’s double and Jahmai Jones singled home another run.

Judge led off the third by sending an 0-2 pitch from Povich over the wall in left field for his first RBI in nine games. Judge walked in his other four plate appearances.

Surging Mets hold off Rockies

Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader each homered twice and the New York Mets fended off the last-place Colorado Rockies, 7-6.

Mark Vientos also went deep and had an RBI double for the Mets, who are 4-0 on a six-game homestand against the struggling Nationals and Rockies heading into the All-Star break. New York has won six of seven overall and is 24-10 since it was 11 games under .500 on June 2.

Sean Manaea pitched seven effective innings, throwing a season-high 107 pitches. He allowed three runs and five hits while walking one and striking out nine.

He left with a 7-3 lead, but Charlie Blackmon homered to open the eighth and Brenton Doyle’s two-run shot later in the inning made it a one-run game.

Edwin Diaz worked around consecutive two-out walks in a hitless ninth for his 10th save.

Vientos and Iglesias hit back-to-back home runs in the second and Bader’s blast one batter later gave the Mets three homers in an inning for the first time since July 1, 2023, against San Francisco.

Hendricks pitches Cubs to 5th straight win

Kyle Hendricks pitched seven shutout innings and Nico Hoerner and David Bote each knocked in two runs as the Chicago Cubs stretched their season-best winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hendricks didn’t allow a runner to reach second base and gave up five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. He rebounded from three straight losses to improve to 14-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 27 career appearances against the Cardinals.

Chicago was coming off consecutive shutouts in Baltimore and had a scoreless streak of 32 2/3 innings snapped in the ninth on Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI single.

Hector Neris walked Nolan Arenado with two outs to load the bases before striking out Lars Nootbaar for his 13th save in 17 chances.

Chris Sale pitched six strong innings to become the second 11-game winner in the majors and Austin Riley had a two-run double to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Sale allowed three hits and struck out nine with two walks to join Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 11-game winners.

The veteran left-hander needed only six pitchers to retire the Giants in order in the first and struck out the side in the third. He added two more strikeouts to open the fifth before Curt Casali lined a single to center for San Francisco’s first hit.

Three relievers finished the four-hitter with Raisel Iglesias working the ninth for his 21st save.

Atlanta had three straight hits to open the second and took a 1-0 lead on Adam Duvall’s run-scoring double off Jordan Hicks.

Riley’s two-run double off the right-field wall in the fifth made it 3-0.

Kremer, O’Hearn lift Orioles

Dean Kremer pitched five scoreless innings in his return and Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Kremer was excellent in his first start since May 20 due to a triceps strain. He yielded just two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth for his 21st save of the season and 438th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list.

O’Hearn delivered a two-out, two-run double in a three-run third against Logan Gilbert and added a solo home run in the fifth.

Baltimore won for the sixth time in seven games and sent Seattle to its 10th loss in 13 contests. The Mariners’ lead in the AL West has been cut to two games over Houston.

Alvarez homers again as Astros roll

Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game and Jose Altuve delivered a tiebreaking single during a four-run seventh inning as the surging Houston Astros rolled to a 9-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs to help the Astros win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Alvarez doubled home a run in the third, led off the sixth with his 19th home run, scored after an intentional walk in the seventh and capped his night with an RBI double in the eighth.

Alvarez, who has seven home runs in 13 career games in Toronto, is 11 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs in his last six games overall. 

Last-place Toronto (39-47) has lost 11 of 15 to match a season high at eight games under .500.

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.

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.

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.

Luis Gil won his ninth straight decision and Alex Verdugo homered and drove in four runs against his former team as the New York Yankees became the first team to 50 wins with an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

Gil allowed one run and four hits over five innings with four walks and six strikeouts in a season-high 104-pitch outing. The rookie is 9-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 starts since a loss at Toronto on April 15.

New York’s bullpen pitched one-hit ball with eight strikeouts over the final four innings.

Verdugo, who spent the previous four seasons with Boston before he was traded to the Yankees in December, hit the first pitch he saw from Brayan Bello for a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled home a run in the fifth and added an RBI single in the ninth.

Verdugo matched a career high with four RBIs, done twice earlier this season and three times with the Red Sox.

Bello was tagged for five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Jose Trevino also homered for the major league-best Yankees (50-22), who won for the 13th time in 16 games. 

Bohm lifts Phillies over Orioles in 11th

Alec Bohm ripped a two-run double in the top of the 11th inning shortly after a 71-minute rain delay, and the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3.

After the Orioles intentionally walked Bryce Harper to put runners at first and second with one out, Bohm followed with a drive to left-center that eluded Austin Hays that scored both runners.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and Rafael Marchan hit his first of the season for the NL East-leading Phillies, who bounced back from consecutive losses at Boston to take the opener of a three-game series between two of baseball's top teams.

Anthony Santander hit a tying home run in the eighth, but the Orioles went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position in their second straight loss following a six-game winning streak.

Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in five innings before exiting due to elbow pain. He missed the first month of the season with a sprained UCL and will have further tests.

Garver, Castillo keep Mariners surging

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer to back a strong start by Luis Castillo and the Seattle Mariners extended their AL West lead with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

Castillo gave up two runs – both in the first inning - on four hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his last five home starts.

Mike Baumann and Andres Munoz each pitched a hitless inning before Ryne Stanek worked around a hit in the ninth for his sixth save.

Seattle took the lead for good in the third when J.P. Crawford scored on a fielder’s choice. Julio Rodriguez hit a grounder to third with runners at the corners and Crawford trotted home to make it 3-2.

The Mariners have won five of six and 14 of 19 to open a 6 ½-game lead over Texas in the West.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run and Austin Wells had a three-run shot as the New York Yankees cruised to a 10-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Giancarlo Stanton also homered for the AL-best Yankees, who have won seven straight on the road and 11 of 13 overall.

Back in the lineup after he was rested in Monday’s series opener, Judge had a run-scoring single in the first inning and his 446-foot home run in the seventh – a two-run shot - gave him 62 RBIs, tied with Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez for the major league lead.

Since the beginning of May, Judge is 51 for 127 (.402) with 19 home runs, 44 RBIs and 40 runs in 37 games for a 1.506 OPS.

The Yankees improved to 39-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including playoffs, and are 16-1 against the AL Central this season.

Marcus Stroman pitched four-hit ball over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to win his fourth consecutive decision.

Freddy Fermin homered for the Royals, who dropped their third in a row and are 3-12 in their last 15 meetings with New York.

Mateo lifts surging Orioles over Braves

Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer in his return to the lineup and Albert Suarez worked into the sixth inning to lead the Baltimore Orioles to their fifth straight victory, 4-0 over the Atlanta Braves.

Mateo, reinstated from the concussion injured list before the game, hit a drive into the Baltimore bullpen in the second inning off Max Fried after Anthony Santander walked, and Austin Hays singled for one of his three hits.

Suarez allowed four hits over 5 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Four relievers finished up the five-hitter with Dillon Tate fanning two in the ninth.

Baltimore matched its longest winning streak of the season and sent Atlanta to its season high-tying fourth consecutive loss.

The Braves went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.

Dodgers hit 4 home runs in one inning in rout

Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Jason Heyward all homered during a seven-run sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the Texas Rangers, 15-2.

Mookie Betts’ three-run double in the fourth gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead and Gavin Lux’s RBI single an inning later made it 7-1.

Ohtani hit his 16th home run with one out in the sixth after Betts walked and Freeman followed with his ninth of the season. After Will Smith singled, Hernandez connected for his fifth home run in five games. Andy Pages singled after Grant Anderson got the second out and Heyward’s blast pushed the lead to 14-1.

Rangers catcher Andrew Knizner pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Smith had a three-run homer in the first inning and finished with three hits for the Dodgers, who last had four home runs in an inning on Sept. 29, 2021, against San Diego.

Defending World Series champion Texas lost its fifth in seven games.

Carlos Rodon joined Seth Lugo as the American League's lone nine-game winners this season by out-pitching his counterpart in the New York Yankees' 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Rodon held the Royals to one run and five hits over seven sharp innings to move to 9-2 and win a duel with Lugo (9-2), who was tagged for four runs in seven innings to receive his first loss since April 21.

Jose Trevino went 2 for 3 with a two-run single to pace a Yankees' lineup bolstered by the return of Juan Soto. The star outfielder missed the entirety of New York's three-game weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers while plagued by a sore left forearm.

Soto singled in his first at-bat and scored the Yankees' first run when Alex Verdugo followed Gleyber Torres' single with a base hit to center. Torres then advanced home on a sacrifice bunt put down by DJ LeMahieu to give New York a 2-0 lead in the opening inning.

That was all Rodon would need, as the left-hander had a shutout going until allowing three hits in the seventh inning, including Freddy Fermin's single that knocked in Salvador Perez.

The Royals were trailing 4-0 at that point after the Yankees scored twice more in the fourth. LeMahieu singled and Lugo hit Trent Grisham with a pitch before each advanced on a bunt in front of Trevino's single that brought home both runners.

Kansas City got within 4-2 when Bobby WItt Jr.'s two-out double in the eighth scored Dairon Blanco, who had reached base on a single before stealing second.

Michael Tonkin struck out two during a scoreless ninth, however, to earn his first save of the season and close out the opener of this four-game series. 

The win was the Yankees' 10th in their last 12 games, while the scuffling Royals have dropped two straight and are 5-9 since May 26.

Orioles complete first four-game road sweep of Rays

Gunnar Henderson went 3 for 5 with a lead-off home run that sparked the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays for their first-ever four-game series sweep at Tropicana Field.

Ryan O'Hearn also had three hits while driving in three runs to support another strong outing from Baltimore's Corbin Burnes (7-2), who notched his ninth consecutive quality start after allowing just two unearned runs and striking out six in seven innings.

James McCann added two hits, including a solo home run, to help hand the Rays a 13th loss in their last 17 home games.

Ryan Pepiot (4-3) struck out nine in six innings for Tampa Bay, though his night began ominously when Henderson sent the game's first pitch well over the center field wall for his 21st homer of the season, which was measured at 430 feet.

The Rays regrouped to take the lead an inning later when Jose Caballero reached on a error and Alex Jackson followed with a two-run homer, his first time going deep in a major league game since August 2021.

McCann's homer in the third tied the game at 2-2, and the Orioles scored twice more off Pepiot in the fifth to forge ahead.

Singles by McCann and Henderson put two aboard for O'Hearn, who laced a double to right to plate both runners for a 4-2 Baltimore lead.

Henderson doubled in the seventh and scored on O'Hearn's single to extend the margin, and Craig Kimbrel held the Rays scoreless in the ninth to record his 15th save and finish off the series sweep.

Tatis extends hitting streak in Padres' win over A's

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered to extend his career-high hitting streak to 16 games and help the San Diego Padres to a 6-1 win over the struggling Oakland Athletics in the opener of a three-game series.

The Padres also got a solo homer from Jake Cronenworth and six strong innings from Dylan Cease to earn their third win in four games and hand the A's a ninth loss in their last 12.

Cease (6-5) scattered eight hits and struck out eight while permitting just one run, a solo homer from Tyler Soderstrom in the second inning that gave Oakland a 1-0 lead.

Cronenworth's blast off Joey Estes in the third pulled San Diego even before the Padres went ahead an inning later. Jackson Merrill doubled for his second of three hits on the night and scored on Ha-Seong Kim's single.

Tatis put San Diego up 3-1 in the fifth with his 13th homer of the season, and the Padres broke open the game with three runs against Oakland's bullpen in the seventh.

After the Padres loaded the bases with one out on a walk, hit batter and Manny Machado's single, A's reliever Michel Otanez walked Donovan Solano to force in a run. Merrill followed with a single to extend the lead to 5-1 before Kim drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.

Estes (2-2) worked five innings and allowed three runs on eight hits.

Shohei Ohtani had a career-high three doubles and the Los Angeles Dodgers collected 20 hits in an 11-2 rout of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Ohtani went 3 for 6 with RBI doubles in the eighth and ninth innings. He leads the majors in batting average (.371), slugging (.695), OPS (1.128), extra-base hits (21) and doubles (14).

Mookie Betts and Will Smith each had four hits and rookie Andy Pages homered as the Dodgers won their third straight following a three-game skid.

Landon Knack earned his first win in his second career start, allowing two runs and three hits in six innings. He retired his last 13 batters and struck out five.

Nick Senzel homered for the Nationals, who didn’t have a baserunner after the second inning.

Trout hits MLB-leading 10th home run in loss

Mike Trout became the first player in the majors to reach 10 home runs this season, but Gunnar Henderson had three hits and three RBIs as the Baltimore Orioles held off the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5.

Trout got the Angels on the board with a solo shot off starter Dean Kremer in the sixth inning. This is the third time in the past seven seasons that Trout has been the first in MLB to reach double digits in homers.

Los Angeles rallied back from a 6-0 deficit and had the tying run on first in the ninth, but Jo Adell was caught stealing to end the game.

Henderson homered for the second straight game and added a two-run single in Baltimore’s four-run sixth. He is 9 for 20 in the past five games and 18 for 40 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games, helping the Orioles win eight.

Kremer struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs and three hits for his first win of the season.

Surging Braves win in 10 innings

Michael Harris II doubled home Ronald Acuna Jr. in the 10th inning and the red-hot Atlanta Braves topped the Miami Marlins, 4-3, after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.

The Marlins scored twice in the ninth off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias to tie it but failed to score in the top of the 10th.

Harris led off the bottom half with a single to center to score the winning run and send Atlanta to its ninth win in 10 games.

Harris went 3 for 5 and Marcell Ozuna had three hits and two RBIs, giving him an MLB-best 29.

The Marlins were swept for the third time this season and dropped to an NL-worst 6-20.

Ranger Suarez and the Philadelphia Phillies each extended impressive streaks in the team's 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Monday's opener of a four-game series.

Suarez increased his run of consecutive scoreless innings to 22 by limiting the Reds to two hits and a walk over seven dominant frames in Philadelphia's seventh straight win. The left-hander struck out five and improved to 4-0 in five starts this season.

Kody Clemens supplied the offence for the Phillies by going 2 for 4 with a three-run homer after being called up from the minors to replace slugger Bryce Harper, who is away from the team to attend the birth of his child.

Hunter Greene threw a season-high seven innings for Cincinnati but was handed the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits.

The Phillies opened the scoring in the second when Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos reached on back-to-back singles before Bryson Stott plated Bohm with a sacrifice fly.

Johan Rojas tripled off Greene to start the third and came home on Kyle Schwarber's sac fly for a 2-0 edge, and the Phillies tacked on another run in the fourth when Bohm doubled and scored on Stott's fielder's choice grounder.

J.T. Realmuto's run-scoring double in the fifth put Philadelphia up 4-0, and Clemens' blast with Castellanos and Stott aboard in the ninth closed out the scoring.

Gelof's homer in ninth lifts Athletics over Yankees

Zack Gelof broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning that gave the Oakland Athletics a 2-0 win over the New York Yankees in the opener of a four-game series.

Abraham Toro greeted reliever Victor Gonzalez with an infield single to start the ninth before Gelof lined a pitch from the Yankees' left-hander into the right field seats to end the scoreless stalemate.

Mason Miller then struck out Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in order in the bottom of the ninth to record his fifth save and put an end to Oakland's three-game losing streak.

The Yankees were dealt a second loss in three games despite a dominant start from Carlos Rodon, who yielded only a fifth-inning single and two walks over seven innings.

A's starter JP Sears was equally good, however, as the former Yankee permitted just three hits and a walk while striking out seven in six innings.

The Yankees played nearly the entire game without manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in the top of the first inning after questioning whether Oakland lead-off hitter Esteury Ruiz swung a pitch that hit the outfielder.

Boone said after the game Wendelstedt was angered by a remark directed at the umpire by a fan sitting behind New York's dugout. 

Orioles stay hot by extending Angels' struggles

James McCann and Colton Cowser homered to back 5 2/3 scoreless innings from Albert Suarez as the Baltimore Orioles continued their surge with a 4-2 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Angels.

Adley Rutschman added two hits and two RBIs to help Baltimore to its seventh win in eight games, a run that has moved the Orioles a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.

The Angels, meanwhile, have now lost five straight after dropping the opener of this three-game series.

Suarez scattered four hits and two walks while striking out five before departing with a 3-0 lead. McCann's solo homer in the second inning put Baltimore on the board before Jorge Mateo stole two bases in the third to precede Rutschman's run-scoring single.

Rutschman made it 3-0 when he followed Gunnar Henderson's single with a double off Los Angeles starter Reid Detmers in the fifth, and Cowser increased the margin in the seventh with his sixth home run of the season.

All four Baltimore runs came off Detmers, who lasted seven innings and was dealt his first loss of the season after going 3-0 over his first four starts.

The Angels did close the gap in the bottom of the seventh, as Jo Adell homered and Logan O'Hoppe followed with a single before later scoring on Nolan Schanuel's base hit that cut the lead to 4-2.

Los Angeles threatened in the ninth by loading the bases with one out, but Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel got Schanuel to pop out before fanning Mike Trout to end the game and record his sixth save.

O'Hoppe recorded three of the Angels' eight hits for the game. 

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.