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Rookie Shane Smith got his first career win and Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas homered as the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in a seven-inning weather-shortened game on Thursday in Minneapolis. The White Sox had lost three in a row and nine of their previous 10. They salvaged the final contest of the three-game series and snapped a 14-game losing streak at Target Field -- the franchise's longest at any other team's venue. Smith (1-1) allowed four hits over five shutout innings, walking one and striking out a career-high seven. He threw 82 pitches, 50 for strikes. Brandon Eisert pitched the seventh for his first career save. Twins starter Chris Paddack (0-3) allowed two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out five in five innings. Smith's only 1-2-3 inning was the fourth, when he struck out Trevor Larnach swinging, got Carlos Correa on a groundout and wiped out Ty France swinging. The Twins could not capitalize on Christian Vazquez's leadoff double in the third. Smith retired the next three batters. Sosa led off the top of the second with a solo home run to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. He drove Paddack's slider over the left-field fence for his second homer of the season. Joshua Palacios drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fourth to make it 2-0. The White Sox loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and an infield single. Vargas greeted reliever Jorge Alcala with a 422-foot blast into the second deck in left leading off the sixth to stretch the lead to 3-0. It was Vargas' first home run since being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White Sox on July 29. The Twins threatened in the bottom of the sixth when a walk and a single put runners on first and second against reliever Jordan Leasure. But Leasure struck out Larnach swinging on a 3-2 pitch, got Correa looking on a 3-2 offering and took care of France on a soft lineout to second. Minnesota placed utility man Willi Castro on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique, recalled infield/catcher Mickey Gasper from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned right-handed pitcher David Festa to St. Paul. --Field Level Media

The New York Yankees activated Trent Grisham off the paternity list Thursday. The move comes one day after infielder Jorbit Vivas was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees were off Thursday in advance of a three-game home series that starts Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Grisham, 28, has started 13 of the 20 games he has played this season in center field, batting .320 with six home runs and 13 RBIs. In seven major league seasons, he is batting .216 with 76 home runs and 259 RBIs in 643 games with the Milwaukee Brewers (2019), San Diego Padres (2020-23) and Yankees. Grisham won a Gold Glove Award with the Padres in 2020 and 2022. Vivas, 24, did not get into a game after he was called up Monday to replace Grisham on the roster. He is batting .342 with two home runs and 14 RBIs in 20 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. --Field Level Media

Trevor Larnach has rediscovered his power stroke. The Minnesota Twins hope they have rediscovered their production at the plate, too. The Twins will go for a three-game sweep when they face the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis. Minnesota is aiming for its first three-game winning streak of the season, immediately after dropping three games in a row against the Atlanta Braves. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli praised his team for its patience at the plate after the Twins drew six walks and struck out seven times on Wednesday in a 6-3 victory. "It's hard not to like the at-bats," Baldelli said. "It's hard not to like loading the bases up over and over again. Obviously, we want to bring them home early on, but we didn't (on Wednesday). But it ended up not mattering because we just kept pushing forward." Larnach has helped push the Twins forward in recent games. He has belted three homers in his past five games, including a go-ahead solo shot in the sixth inning on Wednesday. "He's doing a little bit of everything," Baldelli said. "I think you could say that's a quality of a good hitter. He's a guy that can drive the ball hard the other way and grab some hits but can also turn on the ball and do some good things." Larnach boosted his season totals to three home runs and nine RBIs in 23 games. A 2-for-3 effort boosted his average to .218. "So far this season hasn't been going exactly how you want it, but that's baseball," Larnach said.. "You just keep grinding away. Just like tonight, I think we fought and clawed and grinded away, and we got a (win). ... "Anytime you're in the big leagues and you're hitting homers or doing something for the team, it's awesome. I'm blessed." The White Sox will try to salvage the series finale behind right-hander Shane Smith (0-1, 2.82 ERA), who will make his fifth start of his rookie campaign. The Wake Forest product has struck out 15 batters in 22 1/3 innings to start his career. Smith faced the Twins in his big-league debut on April 1, and he allowed two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings while finishing the game with a no-decision. Chicago right-hander Bryce Wilson, who stepped in to start Wednesday in place of injured veteran Martin Perez, did his best to eat up innings and keep the bullpen fresh for the series finale. However, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings while throwing 55 pitches. "I kind of put them in a tough spot," Wilson said. "I was on a pitch count, but I was still hoping to get ... at least into the fourth inning, if not through the fourth inning." The Twins plan to give the ball to Chris Paddack (0-2, 7.27 ERA), who also is slated to make his fifth start of the season. The 29-year-old right-hander is coming off an impressive start against the Atlanta Braves on Friday, when he received a no-decision but limited opposing hitters to one run on three hits in five innings. Paddack is 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. Minnesota is 6-5 at home this season. Chicago is 1-11 on the road. --Field Level Media

Logan Webb took a shutout into the seventh inning, Wilmer Flores ended a scoreless deadlock with a two-run single in the sixth and San Francisco held on to beat visiting Milwaukee 4-2 on Wednesday night. Jung Hoo Lee collected three hits and Camilo Doval pitched out of a ninth-inning jam for the Giants, who won for the second time in three nights to start a four-game series. Webb (3-1), who already had started two games this season in which the Giants were shut out, found himself in a pitchers' duel with Freddy Peralta (2-2) until his teammates finally broke through. Held to three hits in five innings, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth on singles by Willy Adames and Lee, and a walk to Matt Chapman. Peralta was pulled at that point, then watched reliever Nick Mears serve up Flores' two-run single. San Francisco scored twice more in the inning, one on a fielding error by second baseman Brice Turang and the other on a throwing error by shortstop Joey Ortiz. Peralta was charged with the first three of the runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out three. Webb allowed Garrett Mitchell's single and walked Ortiz to open the seventh, then was taken out after getting Caleb Durbin to fly out. Left-hander Erik Miller came on to get Turang and Jackson Chourio to ground out. Tyler Rogers threw a 1-2-3 eighth before the Brewers got a two-run, ground-rule double by Turang to cut their deficit in half with one out in the ninth against closer Ryan Walker. Doval came on with the potential tying runs in scoring position and needed just five pitches to strike out Chourio and get Christian Yelich to ground out for his fourth save. Webb allowed six hits in his 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six. Flores had two of San Francisco's eight hits, all of which were singles. Turang's ninth-inning double was the game's only extra-base hit. He finished with three of Milwaukee's nine hits. --Field Level Media

Starling Marte delivered a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to wrap the New York Mets' 4-3 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon and complete a perfect homestand. The Mets' 7-0 record over the last seven days ranked as the second-longest undefeated homestand in franchise history -- trailing only the 10-0 showing in April 2015. That team went on to earn the franchise's most recent World Series appearance. The Mets also improved their MLB-leading record to 18-7, which ranks as the second-best 25-game start in franchise annals. Only the 1986 World Series champions, who jumped out to a 20-5 record, got off to a hotter start. The Phillies, meanwhile, suffered their fourth loss in a row. Johan Rojas and Trea Turner produced back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth inning to make it 2-2, then Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the 10th with an RBI single. However, the Phillies couldn't do further damage with the bases loaded and one out. Reliever Max Kranick (2-0) entered for the injured Edwin Diaz and induced flyouts by Bryson Stott and Max Kepler. That set the stage for the Mets' heroics. Automatic runner Francisco Lindor moved to third on Juan Soto's groundout against Jordan Romano (0-1) before Pete Alonso laced the game-tying RBI double to right-center. Brandon Nimmo was walked intentionally and Romano struck out Mark Vientos before Marte blooped the game-winning single just beyond the reach of second baseman Stott. Alonso slid across home plate ahead of the throw from center fielder Cal Stevenson and slapped his hands on the ground before being lifted up by teammate Jesse Winker. Brett Baty hit a second-deck two-run homer in the second inning for the Mets. Soto was 1-for-4 and remains without a homer in 13 games at Citi Field since signing with the Mets in December. He preserved the 2-2 tie in the eighth inning when he threw out Castellanos trying to score from second on Kepler's single. Alec Bohm had three hits for the Phillies while Edmundo Sosa added two singles. Mets starter David Peterson allowed two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out two over 5 1/3 innings. The Phillies' Zack Wheeler gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out nine over six innings. --Field Level Media

The only way to break out of an early-season funk is to keep going. For the Minnesota Twins, that means being as active as possible when they do get on base. Minnesota will look to take another step forward when it faces the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday evening in the second contest of a three-game series in Minneapolis. The Twins snapped a three-game skid with a 4-2 win in Tuesday's series opener. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli praised his team for its intensity and intelligence on the bases. "The aggressiveness on the bases is leading to runs," he said. "It's starting rallies. It's putting runs on the board. It's guys running the bases both hard and smart at the same time. We're seeing it show up almost every game, which is exactly what you want to see. "It also gives the team and the dugout a lot of really good energy. That's what you're looking for. When you see guys playing the game like that around you, it fires you up. And we've got a bunch of guys doing that." One player in particular is rookie Luke Keaschall, who singled, drew two walks, stole two bases and scored two runs in the series-opening win. The highly touted rookie out of Arizona State is hitting .357 (5-for-14) with two RBIs and three stolen bases in his first four games. Baldelli said Keaschall's hot start was not a fluke. "Those are some really good, advanced at-bats," Baldelli said. "He has a very good idea of what he's doing. He's got a good, short stroke to go with it. "He's young (22), and his career is early, but he doesn't seem to get too big. He can put a good, direct swing on the ball and not try to do too much. He's not working very hard to do it. He's just very hard and short, and he barrels a lot of balls up." Meanwhile, the White Sox will look to bounce back after losing for the eighth time in their past nine games. They have scored three runs or less in all but one of those contests. White Sox manager Will Venable said his hitters were close to stringing together more runs. "We've just got to find a way to cash in," he said. "It's as simple as that." Venable praised rookie catcher Edgar Quero for his approach at the plate. Quero is hitting .368 (7-for-19) through the first six games of his big-league career. "Every at-bat has been impressive from him," Venable said. "He's in control of the at-bat. He's not trying to do too much. ... You see a guy who has the intention to be aggressive but also doesn't mind getting deep into counts." Twins right-hander David Festa (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his third start of the season on Wednesday. Through his first two games, he has struck out 10 in nine innings, giving up one unearned run and eight hits. Festa has yet to face the White Sox in his career. Chicago will turn to right-hander Bryse Wilson (0-0, 4.50 ERA) for his first start of the season. He has appeared in nine games out of the bullpen and has eight strikeouts in 12 innings. Wilson, 27, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in five career games against Minnesota. All of those appearances have come in relief. --Field Level Media

It took 20 games for the Houston Astros to win consecutive contests for the first time this season. With their 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, the Astros have won back-to-back series. Houston moved a game over .500 for the first time since winning the rubber match of a three-game series against the New York Mets to open the season. In the interim, the Astros alternated wins and losses for one 14-game stretch, but behind their stellar pitching and defense, they will have an opportunity to secure their first series sweep with a win over the visiting Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Houston manager Joe Espada didn't take any chances with Toronto on Tuesday, deploying closer Josh Hader in the ninth inning in a non-save situation. Hader followed a perfect eighth inning from right-hander Bryan Abreu, who fanned a pair of batters, by striking out two batters to cap a combined two-hitter started by Ronel Blanco and continued by left-handed reliever Bryan King, who recorded an out in the seventh on one pitch. The Astros own a 2.72 bullpen ERA, tops in the American League and fourth in the majors. Over the last 11 games, the bullpen has a 1.45 ERA. "Trying to win a series," Espada said. "That's a good team, and we have an opportunity to win a series, and our back end (of the bullpen) is rested. We're going to go for it." After struggling to generate momentum over the opening weeks, the Astros appear to be rolling. "Energy is up, confidence is up," shortstop Jeremy Pena said. "Our pitchers have been lights out, our defense has been phenomenal. And that's what's been keeping us in ballgames. Close ballgames, it's been pitching and defense." Rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto (2-1, 3.18 ERA) has the starting assignment as the Astros pursue the series sweep. He made his first four appearances out of the bullpen before joining the rotation when right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) landed on the injured list. Gusto is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA as a starter, with eight strikeouts and one walk over nine innings. He will face Toronto for the first time. Right-hander Bowden Francis (2-2, 3.13 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Blue Jays, who have lost four games in a row and have been swept once this season, by Washington from March 31-April 2. Francis notched his second quality start in his previous outing, allowing one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Francis had dropped his previous two starts after posting a quality start and a victory in his season debut against the Nationals on March 31. Francis is 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Astros. In his lone start against them, he allowed seven runs on 10 hits -- including three home runs -- and one walk with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 10-0 road loss on April 1, 2024. --Field Level Media

Miguel Amaya belted a game-tying solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning and Ian Happ hit a walk-off RBI single in the 10th, fueling the host Chicago Cubs to an 11-10 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. Chicago's Kyle Tucker blasted a two-run homer in the eighth and Amaya deposited a 0-1 fastball from Tanner Scott over the wall in center field to forge a 10-10 tie. Vidal Brujan, who started the 10th inning at second base, came around to score after Happ -- who went 4-for-5 -- sent a first-pitch screwball from Noah Davis (0-1) into right field. Happ's RBI single made a winner out of Porter Hodge (2-0), who struck out one without allowing a hit in one scoreless inning. Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong highlighted a three-hit performance with an RBI double in a five-run first inning and a two-run homer in the fifth. In the first, Seiya Suzuki ripped a two-run double, Dansby Swanson slapped an RBI triple and Amaya had an RBI single to help send the Cubs to their sixth win in the past nine games. Tommy Edman belted a three-run shot in the first inning for his team-leading eighth homer of the season. He also launched a three-run shot in Los Angeles' 3-0 victory over Chicago on April 11. Will Smith and Andy Pages each crushed a solo homer for the Dodgers, and Smith capped a five-run uprising in the seventh inning with an RBI double. Edman also had a sacrifice fly for the Dodgers, who have lost two of their past three games. Crow-Armstrong continued his torrid stretch by sending a 2-2 fastball from May over the wall in right-center field to stake Chicago to a 7-4 lead in the fifth inning. The homer was his fourth of the season and third against the Dodgers. Los Angeles inched closer on Smith's line-drive homer in the sixth before quickly loading the bases in the seventh. Third baseman Gage Workman's error allowed one run to score, and Freddie Freeman ripped a two-run double off Brad Keller into left field to stake the Dodgers to an 8-7 lead. Ethan Roberts took over on the mound, and Edman's sacrifice fly and Smith's double gave Los Angeles a bit more of a cushion. Edman's early blast staked Los Angeles to a quick lead before Chicago responded with five runs in its half of the first inning. Pages halved the deficit in the second inning by capping an eight-pitch at-bat with a homer to left-center field. --Field Level Media

Trevor Larnach went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins held off a comeback bid for a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Minneapolis. Byron Buxton made a diving catch at the warning track with two runners on base to seal the win for Minnesota, which snapped a three-game skid. Luke Keaschall went 1-for-2 with two walks, two stolen bases and two runs. Jacob Amaya and Nick Maton had an RBI apiece for Chicago, which lost for the eighth time in its past nine games. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (2-1) allowed one run on eight hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one. White Sox right-hander Davis Martin (1-3) gave up two unearned runs on three hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out three. Twins closer Jhoan Duran notched his second save despite needing 32 pitches and allowing one run in the ninth. He pumped his fist as he watched Buxton's diving catch to rob Andrew Benintendi, which prevented the White Sox from scoring a pair of runs and making it 4-all. The White Sox opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Edgar Quero hit a leadoff single, advanced to third base on a single by Brooks Baldwin and scored on a sacrifice fly by Amaya. Minnesota evened the score at 1 in the bottom of the frame when Ty France singled to drive in Larnach. Keaschall scored the go-ahead run for the Twins in the third. He drew a two-out walk, swiped second and scored on a fluke play by the White Sox. The play unfolded as Larnach hit a soft ground ball with Keaschall on second. Quero, the White Sox catcher, fielded the ball and threw to first. The throw hit Larnach and deflected away from the base, which allowed Keaschall to come around to score. Quero was given an error on the play, and the run charged to Martin was considered unearned. The Twins took a 4-1 lead on Larnach's two-run blast in the eighth. His 434-foot shot to center marked his second homer, both of which have come in the past four games. The White Sox scored their second run in the ninth on an RBI groundout by Maton. --Field Level Media

The Houston Astros rode a first-inning uprising and a strong start by Ronel Blanco to a 5-1 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. The Astros have won four of their last five games and have moved back over .500 for the first time since their victory over the New York Mets on Opening Day. They pounced on Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-1) for three runs in the first inning to provide ample support for Blanco, who enjoyed his best start this season. Blanco (2-2) cruised through his first two innings and was one batter shy of completing a full trip through the Toronto lineup without a blemish when Blue Jays center fielder Nathan Lukes turned on a 2-1 curveball and deposited the offering into the right-field seats. It was Lukes' first homer this season and the second of his career. Blanco was undaunted. He retired Bo Bichette on a flyout to center to complete the third and surrendered only three additional baserunners, all with two outs. Blanco departed following a two-out walk to Alan Roden in the seventh, finishing with one run allowed on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. His 6 2/3 innings were a season high. Bassitt allowed more runs in the first inning than in his previous four starts this season. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena singled in the frame. Christian Walker followed Pena's RBI single with one of his own, scoring Alvarez, and Brendan Rodgers added a sacrifice fly to left that drove home Pena and upped the lead to 3-0. Bassitt stranded the bases loaded in the third but surrendered a run-scoring double to Yainer Diaz in the sixth that extended the Houston lead to 4-1. Bassitt allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Pena and Walker recorded three hits apiece. Isaac Paredes clubbed his fourth home run in the seventh. --Field Level Media