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Paul Skenes struck out nine over 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates opened a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 3-0 victory on Friday. Oneil Cruz hit an RBI single and later scored in a two-run fifth inning as the Pirates improved to 3-1 on their six-game road trip. Skenes (3-2) gave up five hits with no walks on a career-high 108 pitches as he outdueled Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered on an 18-inning scoreless streak. Yamamoto (3-2) allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings. Andy Pages hit a pair of doubles for Los Angeles, which lost for the fourth time in its past five games. The Dodgers are 8-10 since opening with an 8-0 record. Nationals 5, Mets 4 James Wood singled to drive in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as host Washington snapped New York's seven-game winning streak. With Washington trailing 4-3, Dylan Crews led off the ninth against Ryne Stanek (0-1) with his third hit, a triple off Juan Soto's glove at the wall, and scored on a single up the middle by Jose Tena. Two outs later, Wood hit a grounder that barely eluded second baseman Jeff McNeil and CJ Abrams raced all the way around, just beating Tyrone Taylor's throw home. Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos singled to start the Mets' fourth, but Jesse Winker lined to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who threw to Abrams at second and took the return throw to complete a triple play. Blue Jays 4, Yankees 2 Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run double with no outs in the ninth inning for visiting Toronto, which stopped a season-worst five-game losing streak with a victory over New York. Devin Williams (0-2) blew his first save in five chances by not getting an out in the ninth with the Yankees nursing a 2-1 lead. He allowed a single to George Springer and hit Andres Gimenez with a pitch. Kirk then gave Toronto a 3-2 lead by hitting a 1-0 changeup over center fielder Trent Grisham's head. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered for the Blue Jays, who had nine hits -- matching their total from a three-game sweep in Houston. The Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera hit a tying single in the seventh through a drawn-in infield. Austin Wells' sacrifice fly in the eighth gave New York a short-lived 2-1 lead. Royals 2, Astros 0 Seth Lugo pitched eight shutout innings as host Kansas City beat Houston and extended its winning streak to five games. Lugo (2-3) ended a three-start losing streak with his best effort in the young season as he struck out a season-best eight and allowed a season-low three hits. Kyle Isbel and Vinny Pasquantino each had a sacrifice fly. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. singled three times in four at-bats to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, the best current run in the majors. Astros starter Hayden Wesneski (1-2) scattered eight hits in five-plus innings and yielded two runs. Braves 8, Diamondbacks 2 Chris Sale pitched five innings of one-run ball and remained perfect against Arizona as Atlanta won the opener of a three-game series in Phoenix. Sale (1-2) improved to 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five career appearances against Arizona. Eli White and Austin Riley each had two hits and two RBIs for the Braves, while Michael Harris II had two hits and scored twice. Arizona starter Zac Gallen (1-4) gave three runs on four hits, all in the second inning, in his five-inning outing. Rays 1, Padres 0 Shane Baz fired seven shutout innings and visiting Tampa Bay handed San Diego just its second home loss in 14 games this season. Baz (3-0) permitted just four hits and a walk while striking out six. Manuel Rodriguez worked the eighth and Garrett Cleavinger pitched the ninth for his first save of the season. Michael King (3-1) absorbed the loss despite yielding only four hits and an unearned run in five innings. He walked one and struck out nine. A Xander Bogaerts error in the third led to the game's only run on a Yandy Diaz sacrifice fly. Rangers 2, Giants 0 Nathan Eovaldi prevailed in a pitchers' duel with Justin Verlander, Wyatt Langford had an RBI double among three hits, and Texas opened a three-game series with a victory at San Francisco. Chris Martin, Robert Garcia and Luke Jackson combined with Eovaldi on a four-hit shutout. Eovaldi (2-2) worked the first six innings, allowing three hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Langford gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with his two-out RBI double in the third. Verlander (0-2) kept the score at 1-0 until the sixth, when former Giant Joc Pederson singled in a run. Verlander was charged with two runs on five hits in six innings. Marlins 8, Mariners 4 Jesus Sanchez's home run capped a six-run fifth inning and Miami went on to defeat host Seattle in the opener of a three-game series. Agustin Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a double and his first major league homer for the Marlins, who have won four of their past five games. Xavier Edwards had two hits and two RBIs for Miami. Cal Quantrill (2-2) gave up four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Dylan Moore and Jorge Polanco went deep for the Mariners, who had won four of their previous five. Seattle ace Logan Gilbert left after pitching three perfect innings with what the team called tightness in his right forearm. Cubs 4, Phillies 0 Colin Rea went five scoreless innings and Pete Crow-Armstrong scored a run, drove in another and stole two bases as Chicago shut out visiting Philadelphia following a rain delay of more than two hours. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki each had two hits as the Cubs improved to 5-1 on an eight-game homestand and extended their league-leading run total to 167. Rea (1-0) gave up three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. J.T. Realmuto had two hits for the Phillies, whose losing streak increased to five games. Taijuan Walker (1-2) went just three innings, giving up two runs on six hits. Twins 11, Angels 4 Trevor Larnach launched a three-run homer during Minnesota's six-run fourth inning and the Twins set a season high in runs while routing Los Angeles in Minneapolis. Byron Buxton homered, tripled and drove in three runs, and Larnach had two hits and four RBIs for Minnesota, which won for the third time in its past four games. Pablo Lopez (2-1), who had not pitched since April 8 due to a right hamstring strain, allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. He threw a season-high 101 pitches. Mike Trout homered for the Angels. Cardinals 3, Brewers 2 Lars Nootbaar went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI as St. Louis edged visiting Milwaukee, which lost center fielder Garrett Mitchell in the fourth inning to left oblique tightness. Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore (2-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in six innings. Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his fourth save in five chances. Brewers starter Chad Patrick (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Christian Yelich had two hits and an RBI. Reds 8, Rockies 7 Spencer Steer homered, Noelvi Marte and Santiago Espinal had three hits each, and Cincinnati beat Colorado on a drizzly night in Denver. Elly De La Cruz, Blake Dunn and Austin Hays had two hits each, Graham Ashcraft (1-2) pitched an inning of scoreless relief and Emilio Pagan picked up his sixth save in seven opportunities for Cincinnati. Jordan Beck hit two home runs for the second straight game and has five in the past three games for the Rockies. Michael Toglia finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Hunter Goodman had two doubles and scored three runs. Athletics 6, White Sox 5 Jacob Wilson went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs as the Athletics rallied to defeat Chicago in West Sacramento, Calif., for their third straight win. Tyler Soderstrom also had three hits, an RBI and a run, and Brent Rooker drove in the go-ahead run with a double. Justin Sterner (1-0) picked up his first major league win, and Mason Miller notched his eighth save despite serving up a two-run homer to Brooks Baldwin in the ninth. Baldwin finished 2-for-4 and also had a double. Miguel Vargas doubled among his two hits and had an RBI for Chicago. Sean Burke (1-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. Orioles-Tigers, ppd. Baltimore's scheduled game at Detroit was postponed due to rain. The contest will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. Red Sox-Guardians, ppd. Boston and host Cleveland had their scheduled game washed away because of rain. The clubs will add an extra game on Saturday, part of a day-night doubleheader. --Field Level Media

Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run double with no outs in the ninth inning for the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, who stopped a season-worst five-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night. Devin Williams (0-2) blew his first save in five chances by not getting an out in the ninth with the Yankees nursing a 2-1 lead. He allowed a single to George Springer and hit Andres Gimenez with a pitch. Kirk then gave Toronto a 3-2 lead by hitting a 1-0 changeup over center fielder Trent Grisham's head, and Williams gave way to Mark Leiter Jr. Williams was charged with a third run when Addison Barger added an RBI single off Leiter. Williams has an 11.25 ERA in his first 10 appearances with the Yankees, and he heard loud boos when exiting the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered in the sixth off Tim Hill for a 1-0 lead for the Blue Jays, who had nine hits -- matching their total from a three-game sweep in Houston. Oswaldo Cabrera hit a tying single in the seventh through a drawn-in infield as the Yankees lost for the third time in four games. New York had 10 hits, went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 in its first of nine straight games against AL East opponents. The Yankees then seized a 2-1 lead when Austin Wells hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the eighth off eventual winning pitcher Mason Fluharty (1-0). Fluharty kept the deficit at 2-1 by retiring Cabrera to end the inning. Jeff Hoffman allowed a two-out double to Ben Rice before converting his sixth save in as many chances by retiring Paul Goldschmidt on a popout. Toronto's Jose Berrios allowed five hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out four and walked two. New York's Carlos Carrasco allowed three hits in five scoreless innings. He fanned two and issued a pair of walks. --Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees competed in a tight five-game American League Championship Series about six months ago, and both teams are off to decent starts to create a possibility of postseason trips. For the first time since Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS, the Yankees head to Cleveland for the start of a three-game series. The Yankees have started their first AL pennant defense since 2009 by winning 14 of their first 22 games and are on their best run of the early weeks. After dropping five of seven on April 6-13, the Yankees are 6-1 in their past seven games. New York is off to a strong start with outfielder Soto playing across town for the Mets, fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton out indefinitely with elbow injuries and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole out for the season following Tommy John surgery on his elbow. Without Cole, the Yankees' rotation owns a 4.50 ERA this season, but in the past seven games, New York's starters are pitching to a 2.70 ERA. On Sunday, Max Fried allowed two hits in 7 2/3 innings of a 4-0 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field, where the Yankees won three of four in their spring training home ballpark. Fried allowed an infield single that was originally ruled an error by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and gave up another hit in the eighth shortly after the initial scoring call was changed. Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Austin Wells homered for the Yankee while Aaron Judge reached base for the 18th straight game, though he had a homer ruled to be a foul ball. "We're playing really good as a team right now," Bellinger said. "It's fun to be a part of." The Yankees will be without Grisham on Monday after he was placed on the paternity list, while infielder Jorbit Vivas was recalled. Cleveland went 3-6 on a season-opening nine-game road trip against the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels but is 9-3 over its past 12 contests. Seven of those wins are by three runs or less, including a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the finale of a six-game road trip on Sunday. Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run homer and added the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th after closer Emmanuel Clase allowed three runs in the ninth. Steven Kwan also hit a two-run homer as the Guardians homered for the 19th time in their past 15 games. "We have been playing good ball," Cleveland starter Logan Allen said. "We're happy to get out of here with a sweep, and we're excited to go back home and keep it rolling." Cleveland's rotation holds a 2.77 ERA in its past 12 games and Gavin Williams (1-1, 4.58 ERA) opens the series with the Yankees. Williams earned his first win this season when he held the White Sox to one run in five innings on April 10. However, on Wednesday he was tagged for five runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 9-1 loss at Baltimore. Williams allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings during his only previous start against the Yankees, a 6-0 loss on Aug. 22, 2024, in New York. He also allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings when the right-hander started Game 4 of the ALCS, which New York won 8-6 though Williams got a no-decision. Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.76) will make his second start after opening the season on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Schmidt allowed three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings and took a no-decision Wednesday against the Royals. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against Cleveland. He also has an 0-1 record in three postseason appearances (one start) against the Guardians, including a start in Game 3 of last season's ALCS when he allowed two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings of a no-decision. --Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox activated third baseman Alex Bregman off the paternity list Friday, while right-hander Michael Fulmer was designated for assignment. In other moves, the Red Sox recalled right-hander Hunter Dobbins, while infielder/outfielder Nick Sogard was optioned. Bregman, 31, last played Tuesday when he went 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs in Boston's 7-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first 19 games with the club since signing as a free agent in the offseason, he was batting .321 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He and his wife, Reagan, welcomed their second son this week. Fulmer, 32, made his Red Sox debut Monday and gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings. A former starter for the Detroit Tigers, he is 37-50 with a 3.96 ERA in 263 appearances (90 starts) over eight career seasons. He won the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year with the Tigers. Dobbins, 25, made his major league debut for the Red Sox on April 6 and pitched five innings and gave up two runs. He got the win in an 18-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Sogard, 27, played in 31 games as a rookie last season and batted .273 with four doubles and eight RBIs. --Field Level Media

Boston's David Hamilton hit a solo home run in the third inning and four Red Sox pitchers made it stand up in a 1-0 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday night. Boston managed only five hits but picked up its second straight victory since being blitzed 16-1 on Monday. Red Sox left-hander Sean Newcomb went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Greg Weissert (1-0) fanned three in 1 1/3 innings, including pitching out of a jam in the fifth inning. Garrett Whitlock allowed a hit and struck out four in two innings for Boston, and Justin Slaten worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his second save. Weissert came on with two on and two out in the fifth and the Red Sox nursing their 1-0 lead. He got the first batter he faced, Yandy Diaz, to whiff on a changeup to end the threat. Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all had doubles for Boston. Tampa Bay was also limited to five hits, leaving Zack Littell (0-4) as the tough-luck loser. In six innings, he gave up all five of Boston's hits, walked three and struck out five. Littell retired the first six batters he faced before Hamilton's line drive homer to right field led off the third. Newcomb limited the hosts to just four singles. Shortstop Trevor Story's spin and throw took a leadoff hit away from Junior Caminero in the fourth, and the inning ended with Christopher Morel getting caught attempting to steal second following a one-out single. Boston was unable to extend its lead despite loading the bases in the fourth, and then getting back-to-back hits from Duran (double) and Rafael Devers (single) with one out in the fifth. Tampa Bay center fielder Jake Mangum made a running catch in the gap on Carlos Narvaez's long fly in the ninth. The visitors were held hitless over the final three innings by Rays relievers Garrett Cleavinger, Mason Englert and Eric Orze. --Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox broke out of an offensive slump by collecting 12 hits during Tuesday's 7-4 road victory over the Tampa Bay Rays and will look to remain hot at the plate when the teams wrap up a three-game series on Wednesday night. Boston entered Tuesday's matchup with six losses in its last eight games. Perhaps more concerning was the fact that Boston was held to eight runs during its last six losses, including Tampa Bay's 16-1 victory on Monday. Alex Bregman had five hits and four RBIs in Tuesday's win. He had two solo home runs and the first five-hit game of his MLB career. "It felt good," Bregman said. "Obviously a lot of hard work in the cage before the game. "I think everyone did a really good job of being convicted in their approach at the plate. I think guys did a really good job of preparing before the game and I was pleased with the effort all around. It was good to see everybody fired up and look forward to continuing that." Boston also received a two-run home run from leadoff hitter Jarren Duran, who reached base three times and scored twice in Tuesday's win. Duran's home run was his fifth extra-base hit this season. He led the team with 83 extra-base hits last season, when he led the majors in doubles (48) and tied for the MLB lead in triples (14). "We put some good swings," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "There were certain guys that we felt were in between, and (Tuesday) they swung with conviction. I like a lot of things that happened offensively. Obviously, Alex with a big night, but overall we made some adjustments and we executed today. "(Duran) is getting close. As you know he's very important to our lineup. He's the one who gets us going, so hopefully he has another good day tomorrow and then enjoy the off day." Jonathan Aranda provided most of the offensive highlights for Tampa Bay during Tuesday's loss. He had two hits, including his third home run of the season. Aranda is batting .413 with a 1.242 OPS in 46 at-bats this season. "He's a really good hitter, and he's been that way," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "I think having confidence has allowed how talented he is to come out a little bit more." Tampa Bay will send right-hander Zack Littell (0-3, 6.88 ERA) to the mound Wednesday in an attempt to win the rubber game of the series. Although he doesn't have good numbers this season, Littell is 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA in four career games (three starts) against the Red Sox. He has 19 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Boston will counter with left-hander Sean Newcomb (0-2, 4.97). In two career appearances against Tampa Bay (both starts), Newcomb is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. -Field Level Media