ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nelson Velázquez homered and had an RBI double in a three-run 11th inning as the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Saturday for their eighth straight victory.
After both teams scored once in the 10th, Velázquez opened the 11th with his hit and scored on Adam Frazier’s run-scoring single off Richard Lovelady (0-3). Maikel Garcia also drove in a run with a hit.
James McArthur (2-2) allowed one run in two innings, and Nick Anderson worked a scoreless 11th to get his first save.
The Rays have lost six in a row.
Kansas City’s Kyle Isbel left in the seventh after a pitch by reliever Garrett Cleavinger hit him in the face while swinging. Isabel remained on his feet and walked off with a trainer holding a towel on his face. The team announced that Isbel has facial lacerations and will undergo additional tests.
Dairon Blanco pinch-hit for Isbel and put the Royals ahead 3-2 on a sacrifice fly.
Velázquez had a second-inning homer and Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to a season-high eight games with an RBI single off Aaron Civale in the third.
TIGERS 2, BLUE JAYS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer for a second straight game and Detroit edged Toronto.
Reese Olson (1-5) limited the Blue Jays to one unearned run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings to earn his first victory of the season. He left his previous start at Kansas City with a right hip contusion after being struck by a line drive.
Olson, who was making his 10th start of the season, has also been dealing with a lack of run support in previous outings. His ERA dropped to 1.92 after delivering another quality start.
Tyler Holton got the last three outs for his second career save and first of the season.
Carpenter also had a two-run homer in Detroit’s 6-2 win over Toronto on Friday.
Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (5-4) gave up two runs and seven hits while striking out five in seven innings.
TWINS 5, RANGERS 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Kirilloff hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead Minnesota to a victory over Texas.
Kirilloff, who also hit a go-ahead home run in the Twins’ series-opening victory over the World Series champions on Friday night, drove a 1-0 pitch from David Robertson (2-2) into the bullpen in left-center, helping Minnesota win its fourth straight game.
Cole Sands (2-0) pitched two perfect innings to earn the victory. Jhoan Duran worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save.
Ezequiel Duran homered and threw a runner out at the plate and starter Michael Lorenzen pitched six strong innings for the Rangers, who have lost six straight and 12 of their last 14 games.
Lorenzen gave up one run on three hits over six innings. It was his seventh consecutive start with at least six innings pitched, tied for the longest such streak in the major leagues this season. However, he is winless in his last six starts.
GIANTS 7, METS 2, 10 INNINGS
NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski capped a five-run 10th inning Saturday with a three-run triple and San Francisco earned a win over skidding New York.
The Giants, who overcame deficits of at least four runs in winning each of their previous three games, forced extra innings Saturday on LaMonte Wade Jr.’s pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth against Edwin Díaz, who blew his third straight save opportunity.
Díaz pitched in a save situation Saturday for the first time since he allowed four runs in the ninth inning in a non-save situation against the Miami Marlins on May 18. He is 1-for-5 in save chances this month.
Brett Wisely led off the 10th inning with an RBI single off Sean Reid-Foley (1-2) and Patrick Bailey later drew a bases-loaded walk before Yastrzemski’s two-out triple off the left-center field wall.
Bailey, whose eighth-inning grand slam gave the Giants the lead in their 8-7 win, had an RBI single in the sixth Saturday.
ORIOLES 5, WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn, Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg homered during Baltimore’s five-run eighth inning, as they beat Chicago.
Adley Rutschman walked ahead of O’Hearn’s seventh homer, a drive to right-center off Jordan Leasure. Ryan Mountcastle then singled against Michael Kopech (1-4) and Santander lifted the Orioles to a 4-3 lead with a shot to right for his ninth on the season.
After Colton Cowser struck out, Westburg tacked on his eighth homer. Baltimore had been held to just three singles before its big inning.
Dillon Tate (2-0) tossed 2 1/3 hitless innings, helping the Orioles improve to 3-3 on a seven-game trip. Cionel Pérez handled the ninth for his first save of the season.
The last-place White Sox wasted a sharp performance by Erick Fedde in the team’s eighth loss in nine games. Fedde allowed three hits, struck out six and walked three in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Gavin Sheets drove in three runs for Chicago, and Nicky Lopez went 2 for 2 with a walk.
ATHLETICS 3, ASTROS 1
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — JP Sears allowed one unearned run and two hits in six solid innings, Brent Rooker hit a two-run double in the first and Oakland beat Houston.
It was the A’s first victory over the Astros this season after dropping the first five games. With a win Sunday, Oakland could earn its second straight series win. The A’s had dropped four straight series before taking two of three against Colorado earlier this week.
Sears (4-3) bounced back from a loss in Kansas City in his last start by shutting down the Astros in a 68-pitch performance that included one strikeout and one walk. Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save, capping three shutout innings by Oakland’s bullpen.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (2-5) settled down after allowing the first three batters to reach. But Rooker’s double down the left-field line scored both Abraham Toro and JJ Bleday to provide enough offense for the A’s.
Arrighetti gave up three runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
NATIONALS 3, MARINERS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Gallo hit a two-out RBI single to cap a two-run seventh inning and give Washington a win over reeling Seattle.
Keibert Ruiz and Jesse Winker had two hits each for the Nationals.
Five pitchers limited the Mariners to five hits. Dylan Floro (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his 14th save.
Julio Rodríguez homered for Seattle, which has lost four straight for the first time this season and has scored one run or less in each of its past three games. The Mariners were held to five hits or fewer for the 14th time this season and struck out 12 times, their 35th time with double digits in strikeouts.
Seattle manager Scott Servais was ejected for arguing a called third strike against Cal Raleigh in the ninth.
Winker singled against Gabe Speier (0-2) with one out in the seventh and stole second. Dylan Moore couldn’t hold Ruiz’s blooper to left, putting runners on first and third. Pinch hitter Ildemaro Vargas was out on a slow grounder to short but Robles, running for Winker, scored. Gallo followed with a single to right and Ruiz beat Luke Raley’s throw to make it 3-1.
BREWERS 6, RED SOX 3
BOSTON (AP) — Joey Ortiz hit a two-run double to cap a five-run third inning and Milwaukee beat Boston.
Brice Turang added a solo homer for the Brewers, who beat the Red Sox for the second straight day in their three-game series.
Wearing their City Connect uniforms of bright yellow jerseys with powder blue lettering and hats, the Red Sox went hitless through six innings. Ceddanne Rafaela drove in two runs for Boston.
Colin Rea (4-2) gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings of relief after opener Jared Koenig got the first four outs.
Rea allowed Rafael Devers’ leadoff double off the center-field wall in the seventh that ended the no-hit bid.
Trevor Megill struck out David Hamilton with two runners on for his eighth save.
PIRATES 4, BRAVES 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched into the seventh inning, Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI double and Pittsburgh beat Atlanta.
Keller (6-3) kept Atlanta in check for 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth consecutive start. The right-hander gave up one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Keller is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA in four starts in May and has worked at least five innings in each of his last 42 starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
Bryan Reynolds had two hits for Pittsburgh, including a run-scoring single in the seventh that gave the Pirates a little breathing room on the day they celebrated the 45th anniversary of the 1979 team’s World Series title.
Several players from that club — including Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, reliever Kent Tekeulve and two-time National League MVP Dave Parker — were honored before the first pitch.
Nick Gonzales doubled and scored for the Pirates. The second baseman, a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, is hitting .333 (15 of 45) with 12 RBI over his last 12 games.
REDS 3, DODGERS 1
CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer and Will Benson homered, Hunter Greene pitched six innings of one-run ball and Cincinnati dealt Los Angeles a season-high fourth straight loss, securing the weekend series with a victory.
After outlasting the Dodgers 9-6 on Friday, the Reds got some big hits and shutdown relief pitching to clinch a season series for the first time in over a month.
Greene (3-2) allowed five hits and struck out five in six innings. The Reds got scoreless innings of relief from Fernando Cruz, Sam Moll and closer Alexis Diaz, who retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth for his ninth save.
After Steer’s solo homer in the first, Greene got into a jam in the second. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Dodgers with no outs, but they came away with just one run as Greene got Jason Heyward to hit into a double-play and Kiké Hernández grounded out.
With two outs in the second, Benson crushed a fastball from Buehler 411 feet into the upper deck in left field for a 2-1 Cincinnati lead. Elly De La Cruz drove in another run with a single in the sixth.
CARDINALS 7, CUBS 6
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brendan Donovan had a two-run single, Lars Nootbaar added an RBI triple and St. Louis rallied in the eighth inning and then held off Chicago Cubs for a victory.
In front of their first sellout crowd since opening day, the Cardinals scored four times with two outs in the eighth and won for the ninth time in 11 games in a surge that followed a seven-game losing streak.
Matt Carpenter had a pinch-hit single to tie it, with Alec Burleson sliding head first and touching home plate with his left hand just before he was tagged by catcher Miguel Amaya. Donovan followed by chopping a single into left field to put St. Louis up 6-4 and chase Mark Leiter Jr. (1-2). Nootbaar added a crucial run with his triple off Porter Hodge.
John Helsley gave up RBI singles by Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger in the ninth, but he retired Christopher Morel on a grounder to secure his 16th save in 17 chances.
The Cubs went ahead in the seventh with a rally that started after Michael Busch reached when the ball squirted out of Paul Goldschmidt’s glove when he tried to catch a throw from second baseman Nolan Gorman. After Swanson walked, Patrick Wisdom pulled a tiebreaking RBI double just inside third base to score Busch.
JoJo Romero (2-0) got the final out of the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win.
