BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit for the cycle for Baltimore, and his three-run homer in the eighth inning helped the Orioles to a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Mullins hit a single in the third, a triple in the fifth and a double in the seventh before completing the cycle with a drive to right in his final plate appearance. He became the seventh Oriole to accomplish the feat and first since Austin Hays on June 22, 2022 against Washington.
The Pirates have lost 10 of 11 since starting the season 20-8. Up 2-1 in the seventh, Jose Hernandez (0-1) allowed consecutive doubles by Mullins and Adley Rutschman with one out to tie it. Ryan Mountcastle put the Orioles ahead with a two-out single. Mullins’ two-out homer in the eighth made it 6-2.
Bryan Baker (3-0) pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings of relief. After Austin Voth allowed all three batters he faced to reach in the ninth, Félix Bautista came on and struck out three straight hitters for his ninth save in 12 chances.
BLUE JAYS 3, BRAVES 0
TORONTO (AP) — Chris Bassitt pitched a two-hitter, Daulton Varsho homered and Toronto beat Atlanta.
Bassitt (5-2) struck out eight and walked two in the Blue Jays’ first individual shutout since Mark Buehrle accomplished the feat against Washington in 2015. Bassitt threw 70 of his 103 pitches for strikes to win his fourth straight decision. The shutout was Toronto’s sixth this season.
Atlanta lost a series-opening road game for the first time this season after winning six straight to start the year. The Braves came in with a majors-best 15-3 road record.
Spencer Strider (4-1) lost for the first time in eight starts this season, allowing two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Strider struck out 12, boosting his MLB-leading total to 79.
CARDINALS 8, RED SOX 6
BOSTON (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning and St. Louis beat Boston.
Lars Nootbaar’s single off Jansen (1-1) tied the game before Gorman belted his homer to right. The veteran closer did not record an out.
The Cardinals won their second straight series opener after losing their first 11. Nolan Arenado had a two-run homer during his four-hit night and Willson Contreras added a solo shot for St. Louis.
Ryan Helsley (1-2) worked two scoreless innings as Boston lost for just the third time in 12 games.
James Paxton struck out nine over five innings in his first major league appearance in two years for the Red Sox. Enmanuel Valdez and Connor Wong homered on consecutive pitches off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.
YANKEES 6, RAYS 5
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Rizzo homered twice on his bobblehead giveaway night, the second a go-ahead, two-run drive in the eighth inning that lifted New York over Tampa Bay.
After Josh Lowe’s three-run homer off Michael King in the eighth put the major league-leading Rays ahead 5-4, Aaron Judge walked against Jason Adam (0-1) in the bottom half and Rizzo homered to right.
Rizzo hit a solo homer in the first against Trevor Kelly.
Clay Holmes (1-2) stranded a pair of runners in the eighth. Wandy Peralta earned his first save this season by striking out two in a one-hit ninth.
Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena homered in the first and Jose Siri in the second, both off Gerrit Cole.
METS 3, NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON (AP) — Francisco Lindor hit a three-run single in the sixth inning to lift struggling New York over last-place Washington.
New York had lost four of five and 13 of 17 to fall to fourth place in the NL East before rallying against the Nationals’ bullpen.
Carl Edwards Jr. (1-2) entered with runners on second and third and two out in the sixth. Brandon Nimmo walked, setting up Lindor’s single to right-center. With all three runners going on a full-count pitch, Nimmo scored from first as the Nationals made a slow relay.
Tylor Megill (4-2) allowed four hits and four walks in five innings, but limited the damage to two runs (one earned).
Drew Smith earned his first save in 126 major league appearances. He inherited two runners from closer David Robertson, who threw 40 pitches in 1 2/3 innings, and struck out Lane Thomas to end it.
ANGELS 5, GUARDIANS 4
CLEVELAND (AP) — Brandon Drury’s sacrifice fly capped a two-run rally in the ninth inning and Los Angeles snapped a 10-game losing streak at Cleveland.
Drury’s shot to center off Emmanuel Clase (1-3) enabled the Angels to get their first win at Cleveland since Aug. 3, 2018. They had been 1-21 on the road against the Guardians since 2015.
Cleveland loaded the bases in the ninth off Carlos Estévez, who struck out Will Brennan for his ninth save.
Matt Moore (2-1) pitched two innings for the Angels. Josh Naylor put the Guardians ahead 4-3 with a 442-foot homer in the eighth.
REDS 7, MARLINS 4
MIAMI (AP) — Jake Fraley homered twice, including a tiebreaking three-run shot in the ninth inning that sent Cincinnati past Miami.
Eury Pérez, the Marlins’ 20-year-old top prospect, struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings in his major league debut. He gave up Fraley’s two-run homer in the fifth.
The Reds erased a 4-2 deficit on Spencer Steer’s two-run double in the seventh.
Stuart Fairchild hit a leadoff single against reliever Dylan Floro (2-2) in the ninth and advanced two bases on José Barrero’s single to right field. Floro struck out Jonathan India before Fraley homered to right.
Ian Gibaut (2-0) threw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and Alexis Díaz closed with a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
MARINERS 9, TIGERS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Julio Rodríguez had three hits, including a homer, and drove in four runs as Seattle beat Detroit.
Marco Gonzales (3-0) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings.
Detroit starter Matthew Boyd (2-3) allowed six runs — five earned — on five hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings.
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