The New York Giants have seemingly wrapped up their first round of interviews for a new coach.

The Giants talked to former Denver Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville on Wednesday. The 50-year-old was supposed to meet with the Giants last week [url=http://www.edmontonoilersteamshops.com/authentic-evan-bouchard-jersey]Evan Bouchard Oilers Jersey[/url] , but his interview on Thursday was postponed by a snowstorm.

Studesville met with co-owner John Mara, new general manager Dave Gettleman, and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams at the franchise’s headquarters. He has 21 years of NFL coaching experience, including three seasons with the Giants (2001-03) as a running backs coach.

The Giants (3-13) interviewed six candidates in their search to replace the fired Ben McAdoo.

—

Max Fried was so good that he didn’t even need all the support Nick Markakis and the Braves provided for his first win of the season.

Markakis hit a grand slam, Fried took a shutout into the seventh inning and Atlanta beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4 on Saturday night.

”You’ve got to give all the credit to Max,” Markakis said. ”He went out and pitched one of the better games I’ve seen. For him, two runs early on was enough for him. It was nice to get some runs and give him a nice cushion there.”

The Braves have won the first two games of the three-game set. The Cardinals have dropped three in a row.

Fried (1-2) stymied the Cardinals on 101 pitches before being pulled with two outs in the seventh. Recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start the game, he struck out 11, allowed four singles and walked three.

”My curveball was definitely on tonight,” said Fried, who also recorded his first major league hit with a single in the fifth. ”I was able to throw it for strikes, put it in the dirt when I wanted to. The big thing for me was getting the fastball over. I felt like I was able to get strike one pretty good. That was my main goal.”

Luke Weaver (4-7) went 4 2/3 innings, giving up 10 runs on eight hits, walking two and striking out five. He gave up homers to Markakis in his final inning and a two-run shot to Ronald Acuna Jr. in the second.

”At the end of the day [url=http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-lukas-dostal-jersey]Authentic Lukas Dostal Jersey[/url] , I was just done on a couple big swings,” Weaver said. ”I thought I threw some pitches in good spots, but it’s got to be executed a little bit better and you’ve just got to flush these types of days.”

The Braves sent 11 players to the plate in the six-run fifth. After Ozzie Albies doubled in Fried, the Cardinals intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to face Markakis. The right fielder hit his ninth homer of the season and fourth career grand slam off a 3-2 pitch.

”To be honest with you, I was just looking to hit something into the outfield and get a run in, and I ended up one of the better at-bats in the season,” Markakis said. ”I looked back at the video and (the pitch) wasn’t exactly where he wanted it, but he threw it somewhere close to the zone and I put a good swing on it.”

He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to bring in Albies, finishing with five RBI on the day.

Albies went 3 for 5 and has a 10-game hit streak, batting .467 (21 for 47) during that span.

The Cardinals scored all of their runs in the ninth off Matt Wisler, including a leadoff home run from Jose Martinez.

LONGEVITY

Cardinals C Yadier Molina played in his 1,800th game, joining Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Lou Brock [url=http://www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-alex-cappa-jersey]http://www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-alex-cappa-jersey[/url] , Ozzie Smith and Enos Slaughter as Cardinals to play in at least that many. Molina entered the majors in 2004 and has spent his entire career with St. Louis. He ranks 12th among active players in games played.

MOVES

To make room for Fried, the Braves designated OF Peter Bourjos for assignment. Bourjos, in his first year with the Braves, was batting .205 in 36 games. He also played for St. Louis in 2014 and 2015.

TRAINING ROOM

Braves: RHP Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder inflammation) is expected to come off the 10-day DL on Monday. The Braves closer threw a side session Saturday and is on target for his return to the team. … C Tyler Flowers, who left Friday’s game with a right hamstring cramp after flying out to end the sixth inning, didn’t start Saturday. The Braves said it was part of the regular rotation between Flowers and C Kurt Suzuki. The two have alternated starts for the past 16 games.

Cardinals: RHP Luke Gregerson (right shoulder impingement) is scheduled to begin a rehab stint at Triple A Memphis on Sunday. He has yet to appear with the minor league club since going on the 10-day DL on May 16.

UP NEXT

Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (5-4, 2.14) goes for his first win in a month. After tossing a 4-0 shutout against the Washington Nationals on June 1, he went 0-1 in his final three starts of the month. He failed to get past the fifth in any his final three June outings.

Cardinals: RHP John Gant (2-2, 3.48) is coming off his best start of the season, giving up one hit over seven innings as St. Louis beat the Cleveland Indians 4-0 on Monday. This is his first appearance against his former club since a 2016 trade that saw the Cardinals send starting pitcher Jaime Garcia to the Braves in exchange for three minor leaguers, including Gant.

—

Washington Nationals reliever Ryan Madson had spent the past couple of weeks thinking about how long he’d gone between giving up home runs.

He won’t have to wonder about it any more after the Toronto Blue Jays burned him with back-to-back blasts.

Teoscar Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte broke a tie with consecutive home runs in the eighth inning [url=http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-daryl-worley-jersey]http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-daryl-worley-jersey[/url] , Randal Grichuk added a pair of solo shots and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Washington Nationals 8-6 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Hernandez and Solarte connected off Madson (1-3) as the Blue Jays won their seventh consecutive home game. Hernandez hit his 12th home run while Solarte’s was his team-leading 15th.

”Everybody knows Madson is one of the best relievers in the league,” Hernandez said. ”We made some adjustments, took good swings, and hit it hard.”

Madson last gave up a home run on June 4, 2017, while pitching for Oakland against Washington, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run shot.

”I’ve been thinking about it a little bit because it seemed like it had been a while,” Madson said of his year-plus streak. ”It’s kind of been on my mind for the last couple of weeks.”

Madson, who allowed two home runs in all of 2017, blamed poor fastball command for his rough outing.

”I envisioned the inning going a lot different than that, obviously,” he said. ”The stuff was good but no command of it.”

Hernandez went 3 for 4 and was hit by a pitch, reaching bases four times.

Grichuk went 3 for 3 with a bases-loaded walk. He homered off Tanner Roark in the second and went deep again off Shawn Kelley in the fifth. The homers were the sixth and seven of the season for Grichuk, five of which have come in June.

Kevin Pillar and Kendrys Morales each had two hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who are 6-2 in interleague play this season.

”Every game we win means a lot,” Hernandez said. ”We’re just trying to get closer to the fight for first and second (wild card) spots.”

Washington has lost five of six.

”You never want to get swept but I’m glad we swung the bats today,” manager Dave Martinez said. ”We haven’t been swinging very well. I’ll take our chances very time we score six runs.”

Grichuk snapped a 5-5 tie with an RBI single off Justin Miller in the seventh but the Nationals answered in the eighth with Brian Goodwin’s RBI single off Toronto’s Tyler Clippard.

Ryan Tepera (4-2) pitched the final 1 1-3 innings for the win.

Slumping Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper started as the designated hitter and went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, dropping his average to .217.

Harper, who has seven hits in his past 51 at bats, flied out to leave the bases loaded against Tepera in the eighth.

Neither starter lasted more than four innings. Blue Jays right-hander Sam Gaviglio allowed three runs and six hits while Roark allowed four runs and eight hits.

”I stunk today,” Roark said.

THIEVERY

Toronto allowed a season-worst five stolen bases, four of them by Michael A. Taylor. The five steals matched Washington’s season-high.

CATCH WITH DAD

On Father’s Day, the sons and daughters of several Blue Jays tossed ceremonial first pitches to their dads, a group that included Solarte [url=http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-terrell-edmunds-jersey]http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-terrell-edmunds-jersey[/url] , Pillar, Morales, Aledmys Diaz and pitchers J.A Happ and John Axford.

FATHERHOOD

Gaviglio left before the game was over to fly home to Washington state after learning his wife had gone into labor with the couple’s first child.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: 1B Matt Adams (left hand) was out of the lineup for a second straight day. Adams was hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt Friday. Daniel Muprhy made his second straight start at first.

Blue Jays: OF Steve Pearce (strained left oblique) went 2 for 2 with a walk in his second rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo. Pearce went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk Saturday.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Washington returns home Monday to face the New York Yankees. The teams will resume a May 15 game that was suspended with the score tied 3-3 in the middle of the sixth inning. Following the completion of that game, the Nationals and Yankees will make up a May 16 game that was postponed by rain. RHP Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.91) will start the nine-inning game. The Yankees have not named a starter.

Blue Jays: After an off day Monday, Toronto begins a two-game series against Atlanta on Tuesday. LHP Jaime Garcia (2-5, 5.71) starts for the Blue Jays against Braves RHP Mike Soroka (2-1, 2.57). Garcia is winless in nine starts while Soroka took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his previous outing, June 13 against the New York Mets

—

Chris Sale got an earful from the biggest crowd at Yankee Stadium this season while walking from the bullpen to the bench prior to the first pitch.

The Red Sox ace said he didn’t hear the boos and insults.

By the second inning, the catcalls weren’t for him, anyway.

Sale pitched his latest Bronx gem, Rafael Devers went 5 for 5 with a first-inning grand slam and Boston held New York to two hits during an 11-0 rout Saturday night to take back baseball’s best record.

Sale (8-4) allowed only Giancarlo Stanton’s clean single over seven innings, striking out 11. He has a 1.73 career ERA against the Yankees, best among pitchers with at least 10 starts against them since 1920. His ERA at Yankee Stadium is 1.86, second only to Seattle’s Felix Hernandez among pitchers with five starts.

”He looks like the best pitcher in the big leagues right now,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

Boston is a major league-leading 56-28, just ahead of the Yankees at 53-27. New York held the best mark by percentage points after winning Friday’s series opener 8-1.

Yankee Stadium hosted a season-high sellout of 47,125, and the crowd ripped into starter Sonny Gray (5-6) after he gave up six runs in 2 1/3 innings. The right-hander dropped to 0-4 with a 9.35 ERA against Boston since being acquired by New York from Oakland last season.

”I expect to come out and perform and make it fun,” Gray said. ”The way I’ve thrown the ball, I don’t think it’s been fun. I feel like we’re the best team in baseball four out of five days, and then I come out and do that.”

Devers had a career-best five hits. He nearly socked another homer in the seventh, but right fielder Aaron Judge reached over the wall and knocked Devers’ shot back into play with his glove. Devers ended up with a double following a video review.

Since June 5, the 21-year-old Devers has raised his OPS from .675 to .741.

”We take it for granted because he’s talented and did what he did last year [url=http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mike-mcglinchey-jersey]http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mike-mcglinchey-jersey[/url] , but he’s still a kid,” Cora said, adding that Devers has been working hard with Boston’s staff to shore up the holes left in his game from racing through the minor leagues. ”He’s staying with the program.”

Sandy Leon brought in Devers with a two-run homer into the second deck in right field. J.D. Martinez had three hits and three RBIs, and Mookie Betts added two hits and two walks as Boston piled up 17 hits.

Heath Hembree and Hector Velazquez closed it out with a hitless inning each. Velazquez gave up a groundball single to Gleyber Torres in the ninth for New York’s second hit.

New York had won seven consecutive games against left-handed starters and was a major league-best 19-5 against them this season, but Sale had them spinning. The Yankees hit just four balls out of the infield against Sale, and he retired his final 16 batters.

”Got punched in the face last night, so you obviously want to respond well,” Sale said.

Judge struck out three times against the lefty in three at-bats, giving him 13 punchouts in 18 career at-bats against Sale. That’s the most strikeouts for Judge against any pitcher.

Torres also struck out three times against Sale during his first career start in the leadoff spot. This was the fourth time New York was shut out this season, all in the past 18 games.

GRAY DAY

Gray quickly disposed of Betts and Andrew Benintendi to open the game, but a well-placed grounder by Martinez sparked a big first inning. After Martinez’s infield single, Mitch Moreland’s walk and Xander Bogaerts‘ single, Gray floated a waist-high 1-2 curveball that Devers lofted just over the left-field wall. It was Devers’ second career slam – both this season – and his 14th homer of the year.

Benintendi and Martinez each added an RBI in the second, and Yankee Stadium fans jeered loudly as Gray walked off in the third.

JUMPING JACKIE

Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. caught Aaron Hicks’ drive in the third while leaping and slamming into the wall in front of New York’s bullpen.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Boston reliever Tyler Thornburg pitched two innings for Double-A Portland on Friday and a clean inning Saturday with Triple-A Pawtucket, perhaps a final hurdle for the right-hander before he returns to the majors following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last June.

Yankees: Hicks was visited by a trainer after being hit by a pitch on his right foot or ankle in the first inning. He remained in the game. … C Austin Romine was pulled in the seventh inning and sent for a precautionary MRI with left hamstring tightness. Results were negative, and he is day to day.

ROSTER MOVE

After the game, the Yankees optioned RHP Giovanny Gallegos to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

UP NEXT

Boston LHP David Price (9-5, 3.66 ERA) and Yankees ace Luis Severino (12-2, 2.10) square off in prime time Sunday. Price is 7-1 with a 2.72 ERA in nine starts since being diagnosed with a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome that caused him to miss a turn against the Yankees in early May. Severino had his worst start this season vs. Boston on April 10, allowing five runs in five innings, but then matched a season high with 11 strikeouts in a strong outing against the Red Sox on May 8.

—

Trevor Bauer turned from pitcher to politician to prize fighter.

If the weather was going to finish him [url=http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-leighton-vander-esch-jersey]http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-leighton-vander-esch-jersey[/url] , Bauer was going down swinging.

Bauer pitched seven scoreless innings before a rain delay ended his night, and Jason Kipnis homered to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-2 win over the sliding and sloppy Chicago White Sox on Monday.

Bauer (6-5) allowed just three hits, struck out eight and was in line to potentially pitch his first career shutout. However, after the game was halted in the seventh for 35 minutes, manager Terry Francona pulled the right-hander following the delay.

Not before Bauer pleaded his case.

”Carl Willis was lucky he didn’t come tell me,” Bauer said, referring to Cleveland’s pitching coach. ”I told him any one but Tito and I was throwing fists.”

Bauer was joking, of course, but Francona liked how his right-hander fought to remain in the game.

”Boy, I give him credit, man [url=http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-akins-jersey]http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-akins-jersey[/url] ,” Francona said. ”Even during the rain delay he was politicking. It just doesn’t make sense. But I gotta tell you, if you’re going to get into a little bit of a push and shove, I like it that he wants to stay in. I respect the hell out of that. I just didn’t think it made sense. I don’t have any doubt he could have done it, too. ”

Roberto Perez drove in two runs off Dylan Covey (3-2) as Cleveland improved to 15-4 in its last 19 home games against Chicago.

The White Sox committed three errors – one by Covey – in the first three innings, lost their fifth straight and dropped a season-high 23 games under .500.

Matt Davidson homered in the ninth for Chicago.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria felt Covey deserved better.

”Believe it or not even though Dylan did have a few walks, he didn’t throw the ball as badly as the numbers might show,” he said. ”We didn’t defend for him. A lot of sloppy play out there to be honest. We just didn’t catch the ball and pick him up when we could have and he still ground out five innings.”

Chicago’s hitters couldn’t get anything going against Bauer, who struck out 12 in a tough loss against the White Sox and Covey last week. Bauer was bidding to tie a club record held by two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber with his fifth consecutive game of at least 10 strikeouts.

Bauer got to eight, but was denied any more because of a line of storms off Lake Erie and Francona’s decision not to push him further. Bauer has thrown at least 100 pitches in all 16 starts this season.

The enigmatic starter is crediting his success to some new pitches and a ”tunneling approach” in which he divides the plate into quadrants.

”The more I’m able to execute those spots, with given pitches, the more confusion there is in the hitters because they see the same look over and over [url=http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-uchenna-nwosu-jersey]http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-uchenna-nwosu-jersey[/url] , and the ball goes different ways at different speeds and what not,” he said.

Perez’s two-run, ground-rule double highlighted Cleveland’s three-run second inning, which was set up by Chicago second baseman Yoan Moncada’s fielding error.

MARSHALL PLAN

Indians reliever Evan Marshall left in the eighth after complaining of elbow soreness. Francona said the team will likely have an update on him Wednesday.

MORE THAN A NAME

Looking for bullpen help, the Indians signed veteran reliever Marc Rzepczynski to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Columbus. The left-hander previously pitched for Cleveland from 2013-15, appearing in 145 games.

The club currently needs a lefty reliever with both Andrew Miller and Tyler Olson on the disabled list. Rzepczynski could be an option.

”It’s a guy we know,” Francona said. ”We’re down to one lefty right now, so it’s a guy that certainly could come here and help. He didn’t sign to stay in Triple-A.”

Francona joked that he still has trouble spelling the lefty’s last name.

”I’ve got it in my phone: Z-E-P,” he said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: Renteria said OF Avisail Garcia (strained right hamstring) is progressing well on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. Garcia’s status will be reassessed after he plays Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s been on the disabled list since May 24.

Indians: OF Bradley Zimmer will undergo an MRI on his right shoulder. Zimmer felt discomfort while throwing after he initially strained the shoulder while doing drills after being sent to Columbus to work on his game. ”I don’t think he thought it was anything, and it just didn’t feel good. So, we’re going to go ahead and get him looked at [url=http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trenton-cannon-jersey]http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trenton-cannon-jersey[/url] ,” Francona said.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Mike Clevinger will face the White Sox for the second straight start. He set a career high with 11 strikeouts and held Chicago to one run over seven innings last Thursday. Carlos Rodon will start for the White Sox.

—

For the Chicago Cubs, the last few days have felt like Christmas in July.

The team has won five games in a row and will try to stretch it to six on Wednesday afternoon in a Fourth of July matinee.

“Everything is believable,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters when asked about his team’s recent hot streak. “We believe in everything right now. Santa Claus is absolutely true.

“When you get to that point and you get that kind of confidence, you don’t want to do anything to nick it.”

Chicago (48-35) has climbed 13 games above .500 to match its high-water mark. The Cubs have a chance to set a new high when they host the Detroit Tigers (38-49) in the finale of a two-game series at Wrigley Field.

All of the Cubs’ five wins during the streak have been in come-from-behind fashion.

“One of our concepts is to score first,” Maddon said. “One of our concepts is to win the inning. But I think this is maybe the residue of our starting pitching not being what it probably is. We’ve given up more runs early from our starters that we didn’t anticipate happening.

“But it’s a tightly knit group. They’re there to pick everybody else up. So, OK, they’ve scored a couple runs. There’s no quit. The chatter in the dugout is great, all that stuff is outstanding. I just think that the come-from-behind component right now is based on our starters not pitching to their capabilities yet.”

That said, the Cubs will look for a solid start from left-hander Jose Quintana (6-6, 4.31 ERA) in his 17th start of the season. The 29-year-old has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his past 12 starts.

In 18 career starts against the Tigers, Quintana is 5-5 with a 4.37 ERA. The Colombia native has walked 26 and struck out 82 in 111 1/3 innings.

The Tigers will counter with veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano (3-4 [url=http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-p.j.-hall-jersey]http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-p.j.-hall-jersey[/url] , 3.99 ERA), who is scheduled to make his 13th start of the season. The burly southpaw carries a career record of 105-103 with a 4.14 ERA in 335 career games.

More than a few teams could be scouting the 34-year-old Liriano as the trade deadline approaches. He is coming off a quality start against the Toronto Blue Jays but has not logged a victory since April 17 against the Baltimore Orioles.

In 14 career starts against the Cubs, Liriano is 5-4 with a 3.27 ERA. He most recently faced the club in 2016, when he posted an 0-2 record with a 7.63 ERA in three starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Tigers could turn to a six-man rotation in the next couple weeks, which is fine with Liriano.

“I think that would work,” Liriano said recently to mlive.com. “It wouldn’t bother me at all. I don’t know about any other guys. (Blaine) Hardy has been doing a great job, so it’s hard to put him in the bullpen with the way he’s throwing the ball right now. I think that’s a great idea.”

Injured Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (shoulder) is not expected to play Wednesday. He is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season.

NEW YORK — New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway has been using some variation of the term “sync up” so often lately [url=http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-sonny-milano-jersey]Sonny Milano Jersey[/url] , he sounds like an early 1990s music critic discussing Milli Vanilli. At least on Monday the Mets will face another out-of-sorts team whose fortunes are sinking faster than those of an exposed one-album wonder.

Two squads enduring a miserable June will meet when the Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series at Citi Field. Seth Lugo (2-2, 2.85 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for New York against Jameson Taillon (4-6, 4.03 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.

Both teams suffered the final loss of a three-game sweep Sunday, when the Mets gave up seven solo homers in falling to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7, in 11 innings and the host Pirates dropped a 3-0 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The losses ensured the Mets (31-44) and Pirates (36-41) will enter Monday with the worst June records in the National League. New York is 4-17 since the calendar flipped while Pittsburgh is 7-14.

The nosedives have all but ended once-robust playoff hopes. The Mets, who opened the season 11-1, are 12 1/2 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East and 10 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the second wild card.

The Mets opened June in a historic offensive slump in which they scored just 20 runs in 12 games from June 1-15. New York has scored 47 runs in its last eight games but has lost three games in which it scored at least seven runs.

“We just can’t sync up exactly what we’re trying to do every day,” Callaway said Sunday. He also used the sync up expression following Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

“If we swing the bats, we give up seven homers,” Callaway said Sunday. “If we pitch and swing the bats good, our defense isn’t quite there. It’s kind of been the whole season — we’re not syncing up all the components that we need to sync up to win some ballgames. We did that early in the season.”

The Pirates are uttering the same laments. Through 43 games, Pittsburgh led the NL Central with a 26-17 record and ranked fifth in the majors in runs scored (216).

Since then, though, the Pirates have gone an NL-worst 10-24 while scoring just 123 runs, the fewest in the NL and the fourth-fewest in the majors.

“At the beginning of the season, pitching was clicking [url=http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-zach-werenski-jersey]Zach Werenski Jersey[/url] , hitting was clicking,” Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams told reporters after he took the loss Sunday, when he allowed three runs over six innings. “We’re starting to get apart from each other and we’re hitting a skid at the same time.”

Lugo will be looking to snap a two-start slump Monday. He didn’t factor into the decision last Wednesday, when he gave up six runs (three earned) over three innings as the Mets fell to the Rockies, 10-8.

Lugo has given up 11 runs (eight earned) over eight innings in his last two starts after tossing 13 straight scoreless innings in three games (two starts) from May 31-June 10.

Taillon took the loss last Tuesday, when he allowed three runs over five innings as the Pirates fell to the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2. He has alternated wins with losses in four June starts.

Lugo has never faced the Pirates. Taillon is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two career starts against the Mets. He made both starts consecutively to open his big league career in 2016 and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the second start on June 14.

Chris Sale was headed out of the game anyway, so it didn’t matter if he received an ejection on his way to the dugout.

The important thing was that Sale was dominant through six innings, and the Boston Red Sox rode his performance to a 5-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.

After issuing two walks to open the seventh in a 5-0 game, Sale (6-4) was lifted by manager Alex Cora. As he was making his way to the dugout, the left-hander yelled at home plate umpire Brian Knight and was promptly ejected .

”There are going to be points in the season, points in the game where stuff happens,” Sale said. ”No one’s perfect. Obviously I lost my cool a little bit. That’s going to happen, too.”

It was the second career ejection for Sale, the other coming in April 2015 when he was with the White Sox.

”I like competing. When I feel like I’m getting something taken away from me, I get emotional,” Sale said. ”At the end of the day [url=http://www.officialstarsproonline.com/authentic-adidas-alexander-radulov-jersey]Authentic Alexander Radulov Jersey[/url] , hey, we’re human, stuff is going to happen.”

Sale struck out nine, allowed one run and gave up two hits in ending a run of three straight losing starts.

Baltimore has lost seven straight and 14 of 16. The last time the Orioles scored more than five runs in a game was May 24, and it sure wasn’t going to happen against Sale.

”It’s a bad combination, we’re not swinging the bat well and facing as good a pitcher as him,” manager Buck Showalter conceded.

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez homered for the Red Sox, who are 9-1 against the Orioles this season.

Betts, the major league leader in batting average, came off the disabled list Monday after missing 14 games with an abdominal strain. He played Monday, was rested Tuesday and returned to the top of the lineup in the series finale.

Betts hit a 3-2 pitch from Yefry Ramirez over the center-field wall in the third for his 18th home run .

”The quality of his at-bats are incredible for not playing, what, two weeks?” Cora said. ”I mean, the guy’s talented.”

A three-run fifth made it 4-0, and Martinez hit his team-leading 22nd homer in the seventh.

After placing Andrew Cashner (back) on the disabled list Tuesday, the Orioles recalled Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old left with the score 1-0 in the fifth, but Mike Wright allowed both inherited runners to score.

Ramirez had no complaints.

”I felt awesome [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkjets.com/cheap-trenton-cannon-jersey]Trenton Cannon Color Rush Jersey[/url] , excited, happy to be here,” he said. ”It’s been an opportunity that I’ve been waiting for 12 years. Now, it’s finally here.”

Ramirez (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six.

Baltimore got its lone run in the seventh, when Jace Peterson hit a sacrifice fly soon after Sale departed.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Cora said LHP Drew Pomeranz’s neck is sore and that the club would not plan for his return until after a weekend series in Seattle. Pomeranz originally went on the DL on June 5 with biceps tendinitis. … 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee) has been doing some weight lifting but is staying away from baseball activities for now, Cora said.

Orioles: Orioles reliever Richard Bleier, one of the better performers on a ragged team, clutched his shoulder after throwing a pitch in the eighth inning and was immediately removed from the game. Asked for a prognosis, Bleier said, ”I have no idea. I don’t feel great right now.” Bleier is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA over 31 appearances. … IF Tim Beckham (core muscle surgery) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Friday, Showalter said.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: LHP David Price (7-4, 4.00 ERA) seeks his sixth straight win when Boston faces Mariners ace Felix Hernandez in the opener of a four-game series at Seattle.

Orioles: After taking Thursday off, Baltimore opens a three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins in a matchup of last-place clubs.

—

Robbie Ray looked like he was in All-Star form while making his first start in nearly two months.

Ray returned from the disabled list and pitched six scoreless innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday night.

”That was about as good as it could have been [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-nate-solder-jersey]Nate Solder Color Rush Jersey[/url] ,” Ray said.

Ray (3-0) allowed two hits and issued two walks.

”I know there was one inning where his pitch count climbed, but aside from that I know it was vintage Robbie Ray,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

Ray struck out six while throwing 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes in his first game since April 29. Ray had been on the disabled list with a strained right oblique.

”He turns into a different animal the day that he is starting and I saw it throughout his entire outing so it’s good to have him back,” Lovullo said.

Ray has won a career-long nine consecutive decisions over his last 15 starts since Aug. 24, 2017.

Daniel Descalso homered and Deven Marrero knocked in a run for the Diamondbacks, who have won six of seven.

Brad Boxberger allowed Starlin Castro’s leadoff homer in the ninth and walked the ensuing batter before retiring the next three for his 19th save in 23 chances.

Wei-Yin Chen (2-5) allowed one run and five hits in six innings for the Marlins.

”I pitched well, but the pitcher on the other side pitched better than me,” Chen said through a translator. ”He was successful in putting down our offense.”

Miami was held to just three hits.

The Marlins threatened in the fourth when Ray issued walks to the first two batters, but he calmly retired the next three, including the final two on strikeouts.

”I’m pretty tough on myself so I just took a step off the mound and told myself that, `You’re better than this, you shouldn’t be walking these guys, make them put it in play like you have been, get back in the zone, and get your outs,”’ Ray said. ”And I was able to get my focus back and get out of it.”

Ketel Marte doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on Marrero’s base hit.

Descalso hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the eighth off Adam Conley in a battle of lefties. It was his sixth career pinch-hit homer and his ninth home run of the season.

”I don’t care if it’s righty, lefty, my job is to go up there and get a hit,” Descalso said. ”I feel like I’ve always had a pretty good approach against lefties. Conley is a tough lefty [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-kareem-martin-jersey]Kareem Martin Color Rush Jersey[/url] , his numbers are really good, but he fell behind there 2-0 and I was looking for something over the middle and he left a fastball that I could handle pretty easily.”

Castro’s homer was his fifth of the season and second in as many days.

”He always gets his hits,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ”We saw a little bit of power the last two nights. Hopefully, he can keep riding that.”

HIRANO TIES CLUB RECORD

Arizona’s Yoshihisa Hirano pitched one inning of relief and extended his scoreless game streak to 24, tying a club record set by J.J. Putz in 2012 and Brandon Lyon in 2008.

ANDERSON EXTENDS STREAK

Marlins rookie Brian Anderson walked in the fourth to extend his career-best, on-base streak to 24 games. That’s the longest active streak in the National League.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: C Alex Avila (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to June 24. ”He’s felt it for a while, but it was the game in Pittsburgh where it really jumped up on him and it became uncomfortable,” Lovullo said. … OF Steven Souza (pectoral) is 3 for 9 with a double and an RBI in two rehab assignment games with Single-A Visalia.

Marlins: C J.T. Realmuto (wrist) missed his third consecutive game. ”He took some swings, still a little sore,” Mattingly said. ”I talked to him before that if he’s feeling anything in there at all, I don’t want him swinging. That’s the one thing with hands and hitters, you start changing things and the next thing you know we’re going to be in an 0-for-20 (slump) or something, so we need to make sure he’s feeling like he can be himself. He was feeling it still at the finish of his swing. Better today than yesterday, but still not where we’re willing to take a chance.”

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (7-5, 3.66 ERA) will start the fourth and final game of the series on Thursday. Greinke is 5-0 with a 1.77 ERA in five starts at Marlins Park.

Marlins: RHP Trevor Richards (2-4, 4.91) is coming off a win at Colorado in which he tossed six innings and allowed one run with eight strikeouts.

The Marlins overtook the Mets on the scoreboard and in the standings Saturday.

And for the second game in a row, Miami beat New York with a rookie pitcher making his first major league start.

Brian Anderson hit a two-run homer off Jacob deGrom and the Marlins climbed out of last place in the NL East by rallying past the reeling Mets, 5-2.

”We’re not in last place? Awesome,” said J.T. Riddle [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-cody-latimer-jersey]Cody Latimer Color Rush Jersey[/url] , whose scratch RBI single put Miami ahead to stay.

The Mets (32-48) lost for the 10th time in 11 games and fell into last place for the first time this year. They finished 5-21 this month for the worst June in franchise history, and they’ve plummeted from 10 games over .500 to 15 under at an earlier date than any team in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

”It was not the goal when we came in,” deGrom said. ”This is the complete opposite. Nobody’s happy with that.”

Meanwhile, the rebuilding Marlins (34-50) went 14-14 in June, their best month this season.

They seem to get better as they get younger. Pablo Lopez (1-0) allowed two runs in six innings in his major league debut less than 24 hours after Sandy Alcantara won his first big league start Friday. Both are 22.

The last time two pitchers on the same National League team earned wins in their first career starts in consecutive days was in 1967 when Gary Nolan and Mel Queen did so for the Reds, according to Stats LLC.

DeGrom took a 2-0 lead into the sixth, but Anderson’s fifth homer tied it. Riddle beat out a dribbler to the first baseman for a two-out RBI hit that put Miami ahead.

”I thought that swinging bunt was foul,” deGrom said. ”I should have gone over there and got it.”

Another fielding lapse cost the Mets in the seventh. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run double after an error by shortstop Amed Rosario prolonged the inning.

Drew Steckenrider pitched a perfect eighth, and Kyle Barraclough earned his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Steckenrider has thrown 15 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and Barraclough has thrown 20 2/3 – two more reasons the Marlins are on the rise.

”We’re gaining some type of identity as to what kind of games we need to play to win,” manager Don Mattingly said. ”We’re not going to outslug anybody. We’re going to have to pitch and play defense and scratch for runs.”

The Mets’ runs came on solo homers against Lopez. Jose Bautista hit his fifth of the year, his third with the Mets. Todd Frazier added his ninth.

DeGrom (5-4), who departed after six innings trailing 3-2, fell to 1-4 in his past five starts despite allowing only 15 runs. His ERA, lowest in the majors coming into the game, rose to 1.84.

”I am definitely frustrated,” he said. ”I’m tired of losing.”

ROOKIE PITCHERS

Lopez was the 17th rookie and 12th rookie pitcher used by Marlins, both most in the majors.

”As soon as I stepped out of the dugout [url=http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-patrick-omameh-jersey]Patrick Omameh Color Rush Jersey[/url] , I just kept looking up in the stands, and they were so big, all the way up to the sky,” the Venezuelan right-hander said. ”This is where I wanted to be. I just needed to calm myself down.”

Four pitchers have made their first major league start against New York this year, and they’ve combined to go 3-0 with an ERA of 1.57. But at the moment, the Mets are having trouble beating anybody.

”It’s difficult right now,” first-year manager Mickey Callaway said. ”I know the players are feeling it. I know the fans are feeling.”

EFFORT ISSUE?

Mets pinch-hitter Jose Reyes appeared not to run out a grounder to short in the seventh.

”It looked like that to us, too,” Callaway said. ”I went to talk to Rey-Rey, and he said he felt something out of the box and he was scared he was going to pull something. He kind of pulled up halfway. I thought that maybe he was frustrated, but he felt something coming out of the box.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (finger) and LHP Jason Vargas (calf) are expected to start against each other in a simulated game next week at Single-A Port St. Lucie.

UP NEXT

Mets LHP Steven Matz (3-5, 3.69), who has thrown 13 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings at Marlins Park, is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday against RHP Dan Straily (3-3, 4.82).

—

A look at what’s happening around the majors Sunday:

CHICAGO’S ACE

Jon Lester has put together some ace-worthy seasons during his 13-year major league career [url=http://www.thebrownsfootballauthentic.com/chad-thomas-jersey-authentic]Youth Chad Thomas Jersey[/url] , including four All-Star appearances and a runner-up finish in the Cy Young voting two years ago. The Chicago Cubs left-hander is in the middle of what might prove to be his finest season so far, and he’ll look to become the National League’s first 12-game winner when he takes the mound against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Lester is 11-2 with a 2.25 ERA this season, and he’s won his last seven starts – including going 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA during June.

GRADE-A OAKLAND

The Oakland A’s downed Cleveland 6-3 in 11 innings on Saturday, winning for the ninth time in their last 11 games and for the 15th time in their last 19. Oakland sits at a season-high nine games over .500 and will try and stay unbeaten for a seventh straight series when it closes out its series with the Indians. Brett Anderson (0-2, 7.63) starts for the A’s, and Shane Bieber (4-0, 2.97) goes for Cleveland.

GOING GREINKE

Arizona starter Zack Greinke has turned around his season since posting a 5.04 ERA in April and is 9-5 with a 3.35 ERA overall, including 112 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings. The Diamondbacks right-hander will take the mound against the San Diego Padres, and he comes in having allowed only two runs in his last three starts combined – a span of 19 2/3 innings.

RICK’S REBOUND

Rick Porcello struggled mightily to follow up his 2016 Cy Young award-winning season a year ago, finishing a disappointing 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA. The Boston right-hander has returned to form this year with a 10-3 record and 3.57 ERA, and he’ll be on the mound when the Red Sox close out their season series with the Kansas City Royals.

OZUNA’S OUTAGE

Since winner the NL’s Player of the Week award last month, St. Louis outfielder Marcell Ozuna has been in a prolonged funk – going 15-for-71 (.211) and failing to hit a home run during that stretch. The Cardinals left fielder was the prized offseason acquisition in a trade from Miami, coming off a season in which he hit .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs. This year, Ozuna is hitting .275 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 83 games.

—

JAGUARS (12-6) at PATRIOTS (14-3)

Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET, CBS

OPENING LINE – Patriots by 9 1/2

RECORD VS. SPREAD – Jaguars 9-7, Patriots 11-5

SERIES RECORD – Patriots lead 10-1

LAST MEETING – Patriots beat Jaguars 51-17, Sept. 27, 2015

LAST WEEK – Jaguars beat Steelers 45-42; Patriots beat Titans 35-14

AP PRO32 RANKING – Jaguars No. 10 [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/customized]Customized Buffalo Bills Jerseys[/url] , Patriots No. 1

JAGUARS OFFENSE – OVERALL (6), RUSH (1), PASS (17)

JAGUARS DEFENSE – OVERALL (2), RUSH (21), PASS (1)

PATRIOTS OFFENSE – OVERALL (1), RUSH (10), PASS (2)

PATRIOTS DEFENSE – OVERALL (29), RUSH (20), PASS (30)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -Patriots are 3-1 in playoffs against Jaguars. Lone Jacksonville win was 25-10 in 1998 wild-card round when Tom Coughlin was Jacksonville’s coach and Pete Carroll coached New England. … Patriots have won past seven meetings overall and two straight in postseason. … Since Jaguars entered NFL in 1995, they are 1-10 (.091) against Patriots, including playoff games. That’s worst winning percentage of any team vs. one opponent (minimum 10 games) in that span. … Jaguars seeking first trip to Super Bowl, one of four franchises (Lions, Texans, Browns) never to get there. … Jaguars are making third appearance in AFC title game in their 23-year history and first since 1999 season. … Jacksonville lost 20-6 to New England in AFC title game on Jan. 12, 1997. … Jacksonville can become 11th team to defeat top two seeds from their conference in same postseason since 1990 when current playoff format was adopted. … Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone is 1-3 all-time vs. Patriots … Jaguars are 8-0 this season when QB Blake Bortles doesn’t have turnover and 4-6 when he does. … Jags have plus-7 turnover margin on road this season (including playoffs), best mark in franchise history. They have 22 takeaways in nine road games this season, most in NFL and most in single season in franchise history. … Including playoffs, Jacksonville’s defense has scored eight touchdowns this season [url=http://www.officialsabres.com/authentic-adidas-johan-larsson-jersey]Johan Larsson Jersey[/url] , three more than any other team. It is most defensive TDs scored in season by one team since 2012 Bears. … In addition to being ranked fourth in NFL in opponent’s red zone TD percentage (43.8), Jacksonville also has best red zone scoring percentage in NFL, scoring TDs on 67.9 percent of trips this season (40 TDs on 56 drives). … RB Leonard Fournette rushed for 109 yards and three TDs in last week’s divisional win. He is only rookie in NFL history with 100-plus yards rushing and three or more rushing TDs in postseason game. … LB Telvin Smith tied career high with 16 tackles and returned fumble for TD last week. He has 27 tackles, forced fumble and fumble return in his two career playoff games. … DE Calais Campbell led AFC with franchise-record and career-high 14 1/2 sacks. … DE Yannick Ngakoue was one of two NFL players (Aaron Donald) with 10 or more sacks (12) and five or more forced fumbles (six). … LB Myles Jack had sack, INT and three pass defenses in first two playoff games. … CB A.J. Bouye has two INTs, forced fumble and seven pass defenses in his past four postseason games. … Patriots playing in seventh straight AFC title game, a record. … New England is 9-4 in AFC championship game overall. Patriots’ 14 appearance rank behind only Pittsburgh (16) and San Francisco (15) for conference title contests. … Coach Bill Belichick is 7-2 all-time vs. Jaguars. … QB Tom Brady is 2-0 in playoffs against Jaguars, throwing for six TDs and no interceptions. …Jacksonville is one of seven NFL teams that Brady has undefeated regular-season record against (5-0). … Jaguars had NFL’s No. 2-ranked scoring defense. Brady has faced top-two scoring defense in playoffs three times (2014 Seahawks, 2004 Eagles, 2004 Steelers). He is 3-0 with passer rating above 100 in each game. … Brady led NFL with 4,577 yards passing and ranked first in AFC with 32 TDs. Both are most by QB at age 40 or older. … RB Dion Lewis has 507 scrimmage yards (126.8 per game) with 5 TDs (three rushing, two receiving) in his past four games, including playoffs. … TE Rob Gronkowski led all NFL tight ends with 1,084 yards receiving, his fourth career 1,000-yard season. That is tied with Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten for most among tight ends in NFL history. … In his past six postseason games, Gronkowski has 512 yards receiving (85.3 per game) and seven TDs. He is looking for his seventh playoff game in row with TD catch. … WR Danny Amendola has 190 yards receiving (95 per game) and TD in past two playoff games. … DE Trey Flowers had sack last week. He has 3 1/2 sacks in past two playoff games. … LB James Harrison has 11 career sacks in postseason, tied for fifth most in NFL history.

—

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane has been arrested on investigation of driving under the influence.

King County Jail records show he was booked at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. He was released less than four hours later on his own recognizance after posting $1 [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-giovani-bernard-jersey]Giovani Bernard Jersey[/url] ,000 bail.

Additional details were not immediately available. The Seahawks say they are aware of the arrest but had no further comment. Lane responded to his arrest with brief series of tweets Monday that were later deleted.

The 27-year-old player has been with the Seahawks since 2012. He has appeared in 70 games and started 21. He was briefly traded to Houston this season but returned to Seattle after failing his Texans physical. Lane is under contract for two more seasons but could be cut by Seattle this offseason to save salary cap space.

—

NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays have become one of baseball’s most pleasant surprises since implementing an unusual wrinkle into their starting rotation. But possessing a true old-fashioned ace atop their rotation hasn’t stopped the New York Mets from enduring one of the worst runs in their history.

Two teams heading in unexpectedly different directions will begin a rare three-game series Friday night when the Mets host the Rays at Citi Field.

It will be just the second time the Rays play the Mets at Citi Field since the stadium opened in 2009, though Tampa Bay played three “home games” against the New York Yankees at Citi Field last September after Hurricane Irma hit the gulf coast of Florida.

Right-hander Ryne Stanek (1-2, 1.98 ERA) is scheduled to serve as the “opener” for the Rays against Mets ace Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.84).

Both teams were off Thursday after completing brief two-game interleague series on Wednesday when the Rays fell to the host Miami Marlins 3-0 and the visiting Mets beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3.

Despite falling to .500 with the loss, the Rays (43-43) received what has become a standard strong pitching effort. Tampa Bay has the lowest ERA in the majors (2.81) since May 19 when it began utilizing an “opener” instead of a traditional starting pitcher in select games.

The Rays have allowed three runs or fewer 25 times in the subsequent 43 games, 23 of which have been started by relief pitchers typically pitching three innings or fewer.

Stanek will make his 10th start, by far the most among openers. He has a 1.42 ERA as a starter and has pitched longer than 1 2/3 innings just once.

Stanek has also contributed as a late-inning reliever in the last six weeks, which means he’ll take the mound Friday fresh off three decidedly different experiences.

After tossing a scoreless inning as a starter against the Houston Astros last Saturday [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-jake-fisher-jersey]Jake Fisher Jersey[/url] , Stanek took the loss Monday when he allowed a run without getting an out as the Rays fell to the Marlins 3-2 in the 10th inning before he tossed two hitless innings in Tuesday’s 9-6, 16-inning win.

“Ryne’s thrown the ball so well for us in that opener role,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the loss Monday. “He’s done some good things in the later innings.”

Nobody in baseball is doing a better job of things during traditional starter’s innings than deGrom, who leads the majors in ERA despite suffering from almost inconceivable bad luck. DeGrom has a 1.42 ERA in his last 13 starts, during which the Mets have gone 3-10 and deGrom is 3-4.

DeGrom’s misery is par for the course for the Mets (34-49), who have gone 7-22 since June 1 and are just 23-48 since an 11-1 start.

“I’m tired of losing to be honest — everybody else in here I’m sure is,” deGrom told reporters Saturday when he took the loss after allowing three runs in six innings as the Mets fell to the Marlins 5-2. “That’s not what we want to do. We came in here to win baseball games and we’re not doing that. We have to find a way to do that.”

With the Mets buried in the postseason race, deGrom has been the subject of trade rumors [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-tyler-kroft-jersey]Tyler Kroft Jersey[/url] , though SNY reported Thursday that it appears he will stay with the team through at least the end of the season.

New York, which has a three-headed general manager setup after Sandy Alderson went on an indefinite leave of absence last week in order to battle a recurrence of cancer, is expected to hire a new general manager in the offseason.

Stanek has never faced the Mets. DeGrom didn’t factor into the decision in his only previous career start against the Rays on Aug. 7, 2015, when he gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings in New York’s 4-3 victory.

Max Kepler drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded in the 13th inning and the Minnesota Twins outlasted the Chicago White Sox 2-1 Thursday.

The Twins pushed across the go-ahead run after Logan Morrison doubled off left fielder Charlie Tilson’s glove with two outs. Hector Santiago (2-3) [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-nick-vigil-jersey]Nick Vigil Jersey[/url] , the sixth White Sox reliever, intentionally walked Ehire Adrianza before walking Jake Cave and Kepler.

Alan Busenitz (2-0), the Twins’ sixth reliever, pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win.

Minnesota bounced back after the White Sox tied it with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when closer Fernando Rodney walked pinch-hitter Daniel Palka on four pitches to force in a run.

Rodney quickly got the first two Chicago hitters in the inning, but ended up blowing his fourth save in 21 chances. Yolmer Sanchez singled, Rodney hit Tim Anderson with a pitch and Charlie Tilson walked before Palka also walked.

Morrison hit his ninth homer deep to right to lead off the seventh for a 1-0 lead. The drive was just Minnesota’s second hit off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who didn’t allow any until Eddie Rosario lined a double off first baseman Jose Abreu’s glove with one out in the sixth.

Twins starter Jake Odorizzi tossed six shutout innings in his best outing in more than a month, allowing three hits and striking out eight. The righty was 0-3 with an 8.77 ERA in his six previous starts.

Giolito recovered after walking the bases loaded in the first for his lowest-scoring outing this season. The 6-foot-6 righty, who entered with a 7.01 ERA, allowed one run on four hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. He leads the AL with 51 walks.

Giolito escaped the first without allowing a run despite throwing just 11 of his first 26 pitches for strikes.

The White Sox barely threatened against Odorizzi.

BOOTED

Anderson, Chicago’s shortstop, was ejected for the second time in his career in the 11th when he argued with umpire Gerry Davis after being caught stealing second.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: RF Taylor Motter hit the wall hard trying to catch Yoan Moncada’s double in the sixth. Motter stayed down on the warning track for a couple of minutes, but was tended to by the trainer and remained in the game until Kepler pinch hit for him in the seventh. . INF Jorge Polanco (PED suspension) was scheduled to DH in one game and play shortstop in the other in a doubleheader for Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. He can be reinstated on July 5. . OF Byron Buxton (fractured left big toe) will play DH and play center field for Rochester.

White Sox: Sanchez left the game in the 13th after tripping on first base when he ran out a grounder. . Manager Rick Renteria said OF Nicky Delmonico (broken right middle finger) will start swinging a bat soon, but isn’t close to beginning a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Twins: Ace RHP Jose Berrios (8-5, 3.15) takes the mound against LHP Mike Montgomery (2-2, 3.39) as the Twins move across town and meet the Cubs in the opener of a three-game interleague set that starts Friday. Berrios has won his last three decisions over five starts in June and has a 2.10 ERA during the span.

White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (3-2, 3.45) faces RHP Yovani Gallardo when Chicago opens a three-game series at Texas on Friday. Covey left in the fifth inning of his previous start [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-clint-boling-jersey]Clint Boling Jersey[/url] , last Saturday, with a right hip flexor strain, but after throwing a bullpen session on Tuesday said he felt fine.

Reynaldo Lopez had just walked in a run when Shin-Soo Choo came up with a chance to give Texas a lead while extending the longest on-base streak in the majors this season.

The White Sox right-hander recorded that key out , and Chicago responded with a five-run fifth inning that included Matt Davidson’s two-run double in a 10-5 victory over the Rangers on Sunday.

”You have to be confident in yourself every time, 100 percent,” Lopez said through an interpreter. ”Have confidence in your pitches, and execute your pitches and execute a plan. I think that was the key for me that inning.”

Avisail Garcia had four hits and Davidson and Jose Abreu drove in three runs apiece to help the White Sox avoid a sweep to start a 10-game road trip, their longest of the season. Davidson had his second straight three-hit game.

Choo extended the on-base streak to 42 games with an eighth-inning walk after going 0 for 4 against Lopez, including the strikeout looking with the bases loaded in a 2-2 tie to end the fourth.

Leading off as the designated hitter after missing a game with a strained right quadriceps that the club said will limit him defensively for a few weeks, Choo’s hitting streak ended at 12 games. The on-base streak is the third-longest streak in club history, and longest since 1995.

Lopez (4-5) made it through 6 1/3 innings in the boiling Texas heat – a first-pitch temperature of 97 degrees that climbed past 100 before the last of Lopez’s career-high 114 pitches. The right-hander allowed seven hits and two runs with six strikeouts.

”I didn’t feel tired in any moment of the game,” Lopez said. ”But right now, yes. Especially because today’s game, a day game with the heat, and I feel really tired.”

One-time Texas closer Joakim Soria pitched around two singles in the ninth and had three strikeouts in a five-out save. It was his 12th save of the season in his 14th consecutive scoreless appearance. It was also his first five-out save since 2009.

Five straight Chicago hitters reached with one out in the five-run fifth against Texas ace Cole Hamels, starting with ninth-hitting Adam Engel on a wild pitch after a strikeout.

Tim Anderson doubled, Garcia hit a run-scoring single and Abreu had an infield single before Davidson’s double off the bottom of the 14-foot wall in left field.

Garcia had two doubles and one of two triples for the White Sox [url=http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-anthony-munoz-jersey]Anthony Munoz Jersey[/url] , who started the day tied for second in the majors with 23 triples. Abreu’s RBIs were on a groundout, a triple and a sacrifice fly.

Hamels (4-7) gave up a season-high seven earned runs on nine hits, which tied the season high from his previous start. The left-hander matched a season low with five innings amid talk of a deadline trade with the Rangers in last place in the AL West.

”The heat’s the heat,” said Hamels, whose ERA in home starts went up to 5.83 while that number in day games ballooned to 7.53. ”It doesn’t really have any sort of effect on locating a pitch. I think it’s a lot of the times you just get into a rhythm or you get outside of your rhythm and you just don’t slow it down.”

GOING EXTRAS

There weren’t any homers while the teams combined for 15 runs and 25 hits. But there were nine extra-base hits, including five doubles by the White Sox. Joey Gallo had a two-run triple for the Rangers on a ball that was misplayed in the gap by Engel, the center fielder, and Garcia, who was playing right.

SHORT HOPS

Rougned Odor reached all five times, a career high, with two walks and three singles for Texas. … Soria recorded his second save of at least four outs this season. … Hamels had at least seven strikeouts without a walk for the first time in almost two years. … Garcia’s four hits were a season high, and Abreu matched his best this year with three RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: LF Leury Garcia left after striking out in the fifth inning with a jammed finger on his left hand. He will re-evaluated Monday.

Rangers: Manager Jeff Banister was noncommittal on the next outing for LHP Martin Perez (right elbow). He’s had two straight scoreless rehab outings. Perez has been on the disabled list since April 30.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP James Shields (3-9, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled for the opener of a three-game interleague series in Cincinnati on Monday. He is 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA in six road games this season, including five starts.

Rangers: RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-1, 3.57) is scheduled for the opener of a two-game series against Houston on Tuesday. He pitched five scoreless innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Tuesday.

—

Tyler Anderson got in a groove from the first inning and kept on going.

Anderson tossed a career-high eight scoreless innings [url=http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-sven-andrighetto-jersey]Sven Andrighetto Jersey[/url] , Pat Valaika, Nolan Arenado and Chris Iannetta homered, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Friday night.

Anderson (5-3) struck out eight and walked one on 96 pitches. The left-hander retired his first 11 batters before giving up a two-out single to Justin Turner in the fourth. Matt Kemp singled leading off the fifth and Yasiel Puig narrowly beat out the throw on a two-out bunt in the same inning.

”It’s been a while since everything has really been on,” Anderson said. ”My last couple of starts were pretty close, I felt like my command was there I just made a couple mistakes. Tonight I didn’t make those mistakes. It was a total mix of all my pitches.”

Anderson retired five straight batters before allowing a single to Cody Bellinger in the seventh. Anderson improved to 4-0 on the road with a 3.48 ERA while holding hitters to a .216 average. The Rockies have won seven of his last nine starts away from home.

”He kept us off-balance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ”He has a three, four-pitch mix that we couldn’t get any swings off of.”

Iannetta homered leading off the ninth, extending Colorado’s lead to 3-0.

Arenado hit his team-high 20th homer in the eighth and Valaika homered over the center-field fence for Colorado’s first run in the fifth.

Valaika homered for the first time since last Sept. 24 at San Diego. It was just his second homer ever at Dodger Stadium. His first long ball in the majors came on Sept. 24, 2016, in the same stadium.

”It felt good to put the barrel on the ball in a real game, a big league game [url=http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-tyson-barrie-jersey]Tyson Barrie Jersey[/url] ,” Valaika said. ”It felt good to get the lead, too.”

The Rockies turned double plays behind Anderson in the fifth and eighth innings.

”Andy pitched great. He was spotting up everything, it was pretty easy to play defense,” Valaika said. ”I was thinking it was the third inning and I hadn’t really fielded anything yet.”

Wade Davis worked the ninth to earn his 23rd save in 27 chances.

Rich Hill (1-3) pitched solidly in his third start since coming off the disabled list because of a finger blister. Only one of his six hits was for extra bases, a double by Trevor Story in the sixth.

”The ball came out of my hand the way I wanted it to,” Hill said. ”Everything was really came together.”

Hill struck out a season-high 10 and didn’t walk anyone while allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. His 110 pitches were a season high and the most he’s thrown since May 13, 2016, at Tampa Bay.

But the Dodgers’ bullpen struggled for the second straight game. Scott Alexander gave up Arenado’s homer and Yimi Garcia allowed Iannetta’s shot.

A day earlier, Walker Buehler was rocked for five runs and five hits in one-plus innings of an 11-5 loss to the Cubs.

Turner’s two-out shot in the ninth gave the Dodgers a franchise-record and major league-leading 54 homers in June with one day left.

”This team has set the record for the most home runs in the month for them, so clearly they’re trying to put the ball in the air,” Anderson said. ”Tonight when they did it they were just underneath a lot of things.”

The Rockies began the month getting swept by the Dodgers in a three-game series [url=http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-alexander-wennberg-jersey]Authentic Alexander Wennberg Jersey[/url] , with Los Angeles scoring 33 runs in those games. Colorado improved to 5-2 against Los Angeles this season.

PITCHER CAN HIT

Anderson collected a career high-tying two hits with singles in the third and seventh. Hill had an 0-2 count against him in the third and appeared annoyed when Anderson made contact. ”He’s a good hitting pitcher,” Hill said.

SLUMP BUSTED

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp singled in the fifth, snapping an 0-for-15 skid. In his last 23 games against the Rockies since Sept. 20, 2015, Kemp has hit .389.

UP NEXT

RHP German Marquez (5-8, 5.53 ERA) starts for Colorado, which has won four of his seven road starts this season. He has a 3.07 ERA away from home compared to 7.93 in Denver. RHP Kenta Maeda (5-4, 3.44) goes for the Dodgers. In eight career games, including six starts, Maeda is 5-2 with a 2.11 ERA to go with 48 strikeouts and nine walks.

—

The Detroit Tigers will go for their fourth victory in a row Saturday afternoon when they face the Chicago White Sox in the second game of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Detroit (34-37) would match a season high if it is able to extend its winning streak. The Tigers have won five of their last eight games and 14 of their last 23, and the mood is light despite the recent loss of star slugger Miguel Cabrera.

Of course [url=http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-artemi-panarin-jersey]Artemi Panarin Jersey[/url] , it helps that the Tigers feel comfortable playing against the White Sox. Detroit has won its past four games on Chicago’s South Side, and it is 8-2 in its past 10 games overall against the White Sox dating back to last season.

Chicago (24-44) has dropped back-to-back games and is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the month. The White Sox have won or split each of their past four series and have posted an 8-7 record in June.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said he is proud of his players and their refusal to get down on themselves.

“They continue to play,” Renteria said. “They’re grinding. They’re doing everything they can to put themselves in a good position to do what they need to do individually, and collectively, they continue to come together.

“It’s one of those things where you learn a lot about yourself when you’re going bad, and it’s surviving that little tumble that’s going to share with you what the character is of these guys. I think they’re showing up and playing every day and competing and trying to do the best they can to win a ballgame.”

Tensions briefly flared in Friday’s series opener when Tigers right-hander Mike Fiers hit Tim Anderson in the back with a pitch. It was the first pitch after Fiers allowed a three-run home run to Omar Narvaez to tie the score.

Tempers quickly cooled, and the Tigers eventually pulled ahead for a 4-3 win.

“The confidence is always going to be high, the mood is always going to be great whether we win, lose or draw,” Anderson told reporters before the game. “We’ve got a great group of guys.”

White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.09 ERA) will make his 14th start as he attempts to turn around a difficult start to the season. Giolito walked four batters and allowed four runs in five inning a 4-0 loss in his most recent outing Monday against Cleveland.

In two career starts against Detroit [url=http://www.officialbluejackets.com/authentic-adidas-cam-atkinson-jersey]Cam Atkinson Jersey Kids[/url] , Giolito is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA. He has walked six and fanned eight in 12 2/3 innings. One of those starts took place this season, when he allowed four hits and five runs in 5 2/3 inning in a 6-1 loss to the Tigers on April 7.

The Tigers will counter with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.88 ERA), who is expected to come off the disabled list for his first appearance since May 5. Zimmermann has been sidelined by a right shoulder injury.

In nine career starts against Chicago, Zimmermann has posted a 5-2 record with a 5.73 ERA. The 32-year-old has walked 12 and struck out 30 in 48 2/3 innings.

Zimmermann faced the White Sox on April 5 this season, allowing nine hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings in a game the Tigers won 9-7.

Victor Martinez will try to stay hot for the Tigers. He has reached base safely in eight of his last nine contests against the White Sox, and he is batting .346 (9-for-26) with two doubles and six RBIs during that span.

White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson carries a six-game hitting streak into the game.

At age 36 [url=http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-john-miller-jersey]John Miller Jersey[/url] , James Shields is not in the picture of the future for the rebuilding Chicago White Sox.

Still, he remains a big part of the present.

Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia homered and Shields limited Minnesota to four hits over seven innings, leading the White Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Twins on Wednesday night.

Shields (3-9) struck out five and walked just two in his only scoreless start of the season. The veteran right-hander lasted just 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Oakland on Friday. Before that, he had worked at least six innings in 11 straight turns and has gone at least seven innings five times. After struggling through the last two years following his arrival in a trade with San Diego, Shields has begun to settle in.

”He’s a guy that kind of balances out our rotation,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. ”He shows these guys how to grind through an inning, get through certain situations, remain calm, understand that no matter how much havoc occurs around you, the best thing is to try to execute pitches.”

Tim Anderson and Charlie Tilson each had two hits and an RBI for Chicago, which has won three straight games and four of five.

”The pitching and the defense were really good,” Shields said, ”and the hitting was phenomenal.”

Ehire Adrianza had four hits and an RBI for Minnesota, which has dropped two straight games and five of six. Twins starter Kyle Gibson (2-6) allowed five runs on 11 hits in seven innings.

The White Sox took a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Abreu and Garcia led off with singles. One out later, Leury Garcia doubled to drive in Abreu. Anderson followed with a run-scoring single, and Omar Narvaez drove in a run with a ground out. Abreu’s solo homer in the fifth stretched the lead to 4-0.

Avisail Garcia’s solo homer in the eighth made it 6-0. The Twins tacked on a run in the ninth, but they fell to 34-42 to match their season high of eight games below the .500 mark after another night of chasing too many pitches out of the strike zone.

”Lefties had a hard time laying off the slider, especially down and in,” manager Paul Molitor said. ”We really didn’t hit too many balls hard.”

BALK TALK

With two outs in the sixth, Eddie Rosario walked and Brian Dozier singled to put runners on first and third and give Minnesota a chance to close the gap. But then the game took a bizarre turn. With Max Kepler stepping to the plate, Twins third base coach Gene Glynn suddenly was ejected by third base umpire Gerry Davis.

”He had wanted a balk the inning before [url=http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-lorenzo-alexander-jersey]Lorenzo Alexander Jersey[/url] ,” Davis said to a pool reporter. ”I explained to him it was not a balk, told him I wasn’t sure he knew the definition of what a balk was for a stop. The next half inning he came out, brought it up again … and I ejected him.”

BALK TALK II

Later in the at-bat, Shields faked a pickoff throw to first and then spun around to throw to third baseman Yolmer Sanchez. Shields was called for a balk, which allowed Rosario to score and Dozier to move up to second.

Renteria argued, claiming Shields stepped off before faking to first, which is within the rules. After huddling, the umpires overturned the balk, sending the runners back. Molitor came out to protest and was quickly ejected.

”It was suspicious in the fact that we couldn’t tell if he disengaged with the rubber at all,” Molitor said. ”There’s a lot of things about the move that are suspect to me.”

Shields then struck out Kepler looking on a 71-mph curveball to end the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins CF Byron Buxton (broken left big toe) is scheduled to play both games of a doubleheader with Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. He’ll DH one game and play the field in the other.

UP NEXT

RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.97 ERA) pitches the final game of the three-game series for the Twins, looking to bounce back a rough outing. He gave up for six runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings against Texas on Saturday.

RHP Lucas Giolito (5-7, 7.01 ERA) takes the mound for the White Sox, aiming to win a second straight start.

A show of power helped take the edge off the Colorado Rockies‘ recent pitching problems.

Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Ian Desmond homered in succession during a six-run third inning, German Marquez pitched effectively for six innings and Colorado snapped an eight-game home losing streak by beating the New York Mets 10-8 on Tuesday night.

Carlos Gonzalez also went deep for the Rockies, who won at home for the first time since May 29. Arenado finished a triple shy of the cycle with four RBIs in a game that was delayed 1 hour, 20 minutes because of heavy rain.

”I think that just kind of shows the resilience of our team,” Story said. ”We know things aren’t always going to go our way and we’re not going to win every time we score a lot of runs. That’s just how it is. But sometimes it’s kind of contagious. We’re just trying to hit the ball hard and few of them went out tonight.”

Marquez (5-7) allowed four runs on six hits in picking up his first win in nearly a month. He struck out four and walked two and helped himself with a pair of hits, scoring a run and driving in another to help build a big enough cushion to outlast the Mets. Colorado, which had lost eight of 10 coming into the game [url=http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-kyle-williams-jersey]Kyle Williams Jersey[/url] , had seen its bullpen go 0-7 collectively with two saves in seven chances this month.

”The greater majority of games over the last couple of weeks, we’re scoring enough runs,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. ”(Jacob) deGrom shut us down last night. But the offense is picking up, the averages are climbing. The situational hitting is better. We got 16 hits, a lot of contributions across the board, our pitcher included.”

Jason Vargas (2-6) allowed seven runs on nine hits in a season-low 2 1/3 innings and became the first Mets pitcher since Bartolo Colon in 2014 against the Los Angeles Angels to surrender homers to three batters in a row.

The game was tied at 2 when the Rockies went up with their big inning during which they sent 11 batters to the plate against two Mets pitchers.

Charlie Blackmon singled off Vargas to start the third and Arenado followed by homering into the left field bleachers. Story then drove a 1-0 offering from Vargas into the same general area before Desmond went the opposite way with a drive into the right field seats. It was the eighth time in franchise history that three Rockies hitters had gone deep in succession.

”They were just bad pitches and they all got hammered,” Vargas said.

After Vargas issued a one-out walk, Hansel Robles relieved and gave up run-scoring hits to Noel Cuevas and Marquez as Colorado pulled out to an 8-2 lead.

Gonzalez tacked on another run when he homered off Robles in the fourth and Arenado added an RBI single in the fifth.

”When you come to Coors Field, you tell your pitchers to not worry about what happens here and you move on,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. ”Forget about it.”

The Mets got an RBI single from pinch-hitter Jose Bautista and subsequently loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, adding a second run on a two-out passed ball to pull to within 10-6. But Adam Ottavino induced an inning-ending groundout and struck out the side in the eighth to help fend off the Mets.

The Mets added a pair of runs on RBI groundouts in the ninth before Wade Davis fanned Michael Conforto for the final out.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: RHP AJ Ramos will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, the team announced. Ramos had a 6.41 ERA in 28 appearances this season. … OF Jay Bruce, who missed four of the previous five games because of right hip soreness, has been placed on the 10-day disabled list. ”He was really hurting,” manager Mickey Callaway said. ”So we made the decision to go ahead and put him on the DL so we can get him right so he can be the impactful player that he can be.” Callaway said Bruce was headed back to New York to be evaluated by team doctors and undergo an MRI. ”We’ll go from there, see what’s going on exactly.”

Rockies: RHP Scott Oberg threw a side session Tuesday for the first time since going on the 10-day DL earlier this month because of a back strain. Oberg is eligible for reinstatement Wednesday, though there’s no timetable yet for his return.

UP NEXT

Mets: RHP Seth Lugo (2-2, 2.49 ERA) has gone 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his three starts this season.

Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis (5-1, 4.65 ERA) makes his 15th start of the season and the seventh at home, where he has no decisions in six previous outings.

—

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won their 11th straight game Michael Gallup Color Rush Jersey , finishing off a 10-0 trip by rallying past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.

The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35. Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits, then put them ahead during a three-run burst.

Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros’ trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.

The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.

Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the loss, facing two batters and having both score. Tony Sipp (2-0) picked up the victory. Hector Rondon closed for his fourh save.

RAYS 3, YANKEES 1

NEW YORK (AP) – Wilmer Font held the high-scoring Yankees in check in the latest Tampa Bay game ”started” by a reliever, and the Rays held off New York to avoid a sweep.

Matt Duffy drove in two runs with a second-inning single for his first multi-RBI game in over a month. Carlos Gomez had an RBI double as Tampa Bay scored all three runs in the second against CC Sabathia (4-2).

Tampa Bay beat New York for the first time this season. The Yankees opened the season with five straight wins, outscoring the Rays 31-10 over the games, and was trying for a four-game sweep.

Font turned in his best performance of the year in any role, allowing just one run in 4 2-3 innings with five strikeouts. Tampa Bay used a reliever to open for the 15th time in 29 games. Entering the day, relievers working as starters had allowed 13 earned runs in 18 innings.

Chaz Roe (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Sergio Romo, who has also drawn five starts this season, closed for his third save.

Aaron Hicks homered off Font in the fifth – it was actually the second homer of the day. Hours earlier, the Yankees held the 72nd Old-Timers’ Day and Nick Swisher hit a long drive to right field. Hall of Famers Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson were joined by the likes of Don Larsen, Willie Randolph, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. Current New York manager Aaron Boone took part for the first time.

CARDINALS 5, CUBS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Jack Flaherty and four relievers combined on a four-hitter, Matt Carpenter homered and St. Louis snapped a season-high four-game skid.

Flaherty allowed just two hits while striking out seven in five innings, but he walked three and hit two batters and was pulled after throwing 97 pitches.

John Brebbia (1-1) worked around two hits in a scoreless sixth inning to earn his first major league win. Austin Gomber, Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris each pitched a hitless inning to finish the shutout and prevent the Cubs from getting their first series sweep in St. Louis since Sept. 13-15, 2010.

Harrison Bader, Tommy Pham, and Marcell Ozuna strung together singles to open the sixth inning. Pham’s single extended his hitting streak to a National League-best 11 games to chase Jose Quintana (6-5) from the game.

Bader scored the game’s first run when Yadier Molina grounded into a double play and Jedd Gyorko’s RBI single drove in Pham to make it 2-0. Carpenter hit his 10th home run of the season and second of this series in the seventh off Brian Duensing.

METS 5 Dorance Armstrong Jr. Color Rush Jersey , DIAMONDBACKS 3

PHOENIX (AP) – Brandon Nimmo and Asdrubal Cabrera homered off Brad Boxberger in a four-run ninth inning and New York rallied to beat Arizona.

The Diamondbacks led 3-1 entering the ninth and Boxberger (1-3), with his third blown save in 20 tries, struck out the first two batters.

Jose Reyes reached on a bunt single and scored on Jose Bautista’s pinch-hit double to cut the lead to 3-1. Nimmo, who doubled and scored in the first inning, followed with a two-run shot to right field to put New York ahead 4-3 and Cabrera’s solo shot made it 5-3.

The Mets split the four-game series in Arizona and won consecutive games for the first time since May 20-21. The Diamondbacks were 4-3 on the homestand.

Jeurys Familia (3-3), just off the disabled list, allowed a run in an inning of relief to get the victory. Robert Gsellman pitched the ninth for his third save in seven tries.

RANGERS 13, ROCKIES 12

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Jose Trevino blooped a two-run single, capping a four-run rally in the ninth inning that sent Texas past Colorado.

Rockies closer Wade Davis (0-2) retired only one batter while walking four and allowing singles to Rougned Odor and Trevino. A rookie catcher, Trevino entered his third major league game in the top of the ninth. He is 2 for 8 for Texas, including a tying single in Saturday’s 5-2 victory.

Colorado took a 5-1 lead in the seesaw game. The Rangers scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead in the sixth, including Jurickson Profar’s three-run homer off starter Jon Gray.

The Rockies responded with a five-run seventh to go ahead 10-6. Colorado’s Gerardo Parra drove in four runs, three on a bases-clearing double in the seventh.

Texas pulled to 10-9 with three runs in the seventh. Trevor Story hit a two-run homer in the Colorado ninth against Jesse Chavez (3-1).

RED SOX 9, MARINERS 3

SEATTLE (AP) – Rafael Devers, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Xander Bogaerts homered to help Boston rout Seattle.

Devers’ 1 Sonny Gray will get at least one more chance to show he deserves to keep his place in New York’s rotation, though the Yankees are growing increasingly concerned about the struggling starter.

Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer, Yangervis Solarte reached base four times and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Gray and the Yankees 6-2 on Friday night.

Smoak connected in Toronto’s five-run second inning, when the Blue Jays batted around and put an early end to Gray’s outing.

”I am concerned but we also believe in the stuff,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Gray. ”We’ve got to try and help him right the ship a little bit.”

Gray (5-7) allowed five runs and six hits in two innings, his shortest start of the season and his third straight loss.

”It’s not early in the season anymore,” Gray said. ”This is when you’re expected to go out there and contribute and get in some type of rhythm and put together solid starts back to back. I haven’t even been close to being able to do that.”

Gray lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his previous start, matching a season worst by allowing six runs in an 11-0 loss to the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

Boone said Gray will face Baltimore next week and dismissed the idea of skipping Gray to help clear his head.

”Part of it is right now we feel like he’s our best option,” Boone said.

Solarte went 3 for 4 with a walk as the Blue Jays won for the 12th time in 16 home games.

Aaron Hicks homered and had two RBIs in the opener of New York’s 11-game road trip. Hicks has hit five home runs in his past five games.

Gray retired the first two batters before loading the bases with two walks and a single. He escaped unscathed when Russell Martin struck out swinging.

Things went downhill for Gray in the second, which began with Randal Grichuk’s double. One out later, Devon Travis and Curtis Granderson hit back-to-back RBI singles. Smoak capped the inning with a two-out homer Dalton Schultz Color Rush Jersey , his 12th.

Hicks hit a solo home run in the third, his career-high 16th, then chased Blue Jays right-hander Sam Gaviglio with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth. Joe Biagini came on and struck out Giancarlo Stanton looking, then got Didi Gregorius to fly out.

New York went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners stranded.

”We just didn’t get that hit to put us over tonight,” Boone said.

Gaviglio allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Gaviglio is winless in seven starts, dating to a May 25 victory at Philadelphia.

Biagni (1-5) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win, snapping a streak of 10 straight losing decisions.

Five Blue Jays relievers combined to pitch 4 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just one hit.

”Our bullpen did some kind of job,” manager John Gibbons said.

BIG FINISH

Boone said finishing off hitters is Gray’s biggest challenge.

”It’s getting himself into good counts and making pitches when he has a chance to put guys away,” Boone said. ”That’s what he’s really struggled with.”

LONG RELIEF

David Hale pitched 5 2/3 innings in relief of Gray, his longest career outing as a reliever. Hale allowed one run and five hits.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Sallie Gibbons, the 80-year-old mother of John Gibbons, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to her son. ”It made my night, that’s for sure,” said Gibbons, who got his mom to autograph the ball afterward.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: New York recalled INF Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He takes the place of 2B Gleyber Torres (right hip), who was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. … RHP Masahiro Tanaka (left and right hamstring strains) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings in a rehab start at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Tanaka is expected to return to New York’s rotation next Tuesday at Baltimore. … Boone said LHP CC Sabathia will pitch the opening game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Orioles. New York will call up a pitcher from the minors to start Game 2, Boone said, with RHP Luis Cessa and RHP Jonathan Loaisiga among the candidates.

Blue Jays: LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) felt good after a bullpen session Friday and will be re-evaluated Saturday. He has yet to begin a rehab assignment. … Utilityman Darnell Sweeney cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Luis Severino (13-2, 1.98) faces Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (10-4, 4.03) on Saturday afternoon. Severino, who leads the majors in wins, will be pitching on extra rest thanks to New York’s off day Thursday. Happ lost to Detroit last Sunday, matching season worsts by allowing seven runs and 10 hits. The defeat snapped Happ’s streak of six straight winning decisions.

—

Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The 21-year-old Hilinski was discovered in his apartment after he didn’t show up for practice. A rifle ”was recovered next to Hilinski and a suicide note was found Youth Antonio Callaway Jersey ,” according to the Pullman Police Department.

Hilinski was the presumptive starting quarterback going into next season. He started Washington State’s Holiday Bowl loss to Michigan State after Luke Falk was unable to play due to a wrist injury.

Hilinski appeared in eight games during his sophomore season, throwing for 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns. His most memorable outing came in the second week of the season when he led Washington State from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Boise State 47-44 in triple overtime. Hilinski threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns coming off the bench, and was carried off the field after the victory.

His only start came in the bowl game against Michigan State, although he played extensively in a loss to Arizona.

OLYMPICS

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea plans to send a 230-member cheering squad to South Korea as part of its delegation to next month’s Winter Olympics, Seoul officials said, the latest in a series of conciliatory gestures the North has abruptly taken recently following a year of heightened nuclear tension.

North Korea informed South Korea of the size of its Olympic cheering squad when officials from the rivals met at the border for the third time in less than 10 days to discuss how to cooperate in the Olympics.

A flurry of Olympics-related meetings has provided a tentative thaw in long-strained ties between the Koreas. But the North’s reluctance to discuss its nuclear weapons program is raising skepticism over how long this mood of reconciliation will last.

During Wednesday’s talks, the North also told South Korea that it has a plan to send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Paralympics set for March 9-18, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said in a statement.

The Koreas also discussed fielding a joint women’s hockey team and having their athletes march under a ”unification flag” depicting the Korean Peninsula, instead of their respective national flags, during the opening ceremony for the Feb. 9-25 Games in Pyeongchang, the ministry statement said.

PRO BASKETBALL

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The NBA has spoken to Clippers star Blake Griffin as well as other players from the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles as part of its investigation into late-game and postgame incidents involving the teams.

Griffin confirmed that he had been contacted by league officials.

”I’ve spoken to them,” he said after attending a L.A. Clippers Foundation event at an elementary school. ”I’m sure they’ve talked to everybody by now. We’ll see what they come up with.”

Tempers boiled over Monday night late in the Clippers’ 113-102 victory , to the point where several security guards were needed outside the Houston locker room afterward.

Citing anonymous NBA sources, ESPN reported several Rockets players headed toward the Clippers’ locker room afterward Youth Dorance Armstrong Jr. Jersey , seeking a confrontation, but were escorted away by security before anything got physical.

PRO FOOTBALL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette escaped injury after he was involved in what authorities say was a minor three-car crash.

The team says the rookie’s car was rear-ended about 11:30 a.m., and that he was not hurt. He was able to drive home after the crash.

The Jaguars also say Fournette signed the rear bumper of his 2017 Mercedes-Benz Maybach – it was knocked off in the wreck – and gave it to one of the first responders on the scene.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Fournette was not at fault in the crash.

Fournette and the Jaguars play at New England on Sunday in the AFC championship game.

Fournette ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in Jacksonville’s 45-42 victory at Pittsburgh last Sunday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Todd Haley’s contract as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers is up.

And coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t sound as if he’s in a rush to decide whether Haley will be back next season.

Tomlin sidestepped several attempts to endorse Haley’s return on Tuesday as the AFC North champions continued to dissect what went wrong in an upset home playoff loss to Jacksonville . Asked if he anticipated any changes to his staff, Tomlin demurred.

”I don’t know where these roads are going to lead,” Tomlin said. ”Some contracts are up. Some aren’t. I’m not ready to discuss that.”

Haley just finished his sixth season with the Steelers and has helped design one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses.

Leonard Fournette’s thousand-yard season is costing him thousands.

Maybe even tens of thousands.

The Jacksonville Jaguars running back bought seven offensive linemen – five starters and two backups – Rolex watches.

Fournette ran 268 times for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie. He also had 36 receptions for 302 yards and a score.

”I couldn’t do it myself,” Fournette said Thursday, three days before Jacksonville (10-6) hosts Buffalo (9-7) in an AFC wild-card game. ”I can’t block 11 guys on my own. That’s the O-line and wide receivers, too. They played a big part of contributing to me getting 1,000 yards.”

The former LSU star rewarded his linemen with some wrist bling. Left tackle Cam Robinson, left guard Patrick Omameh, center Brandon Linder, right guard A.J. Cann and right tackle Jermey Parnell will get their watches Friday. Backups Tyler Shatley and Josh Wells, both of whom started four games because of injuries, also will get Rolexes.

”Just show them the dedication for all the hard work they put in to help me to get me where I’m at and all for this team Marquez Valdes-Scantling Color Rush Jersey ,” Fournette said. ”Their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Fournette said he picked the watches out himself and had each lineman’s number and initials engraved on the back.

”They got me my 1,000 yards,” he said. ”That’s what I need.”

Fournette finished eighth in the NFL and fifth in the AFC in rushing despite missing three games. He averaged 3.9 yards a carry against the most eight- and nine-man boxes in the NFL. His average was buoyed by touchdown runs of 90 and 75 yards in consecutive games.

Fournette missed one game in October because of a sprained right ankle, another in November because he violated an undisclosed team rule during the bye week and sat out a third time last month because of a bruised right quadriceps muscle.

He has a combined 117 yards rushing the last two games, averaging 3.2 yards a carry.

”I think it’s tough,” coach Doug Marrone said. ”When you’re out for a bit, whether you’re injured or not, especially early in your career, to be able to come back, you don’t come back and start where you left off. … For him, he comes back and starts getting in a groove and you go.”

Fournette hopes to get back on track against the Bills, who rank 29th in the league against the run. Buffalo gives up 124.6 yards rushing a game. In the past five weeks, the Bills have allowed nearly 150 yards a game on the ground.

Fournette stopped short of committing to buying expensive watches every year.

”We’ll see how it goes,” he said, laughing.

—

The Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears will launch the NFL’s 99th season by playing in the annual Hall of Fame game on Aug. 2.

The Ravens’ first appearance in the Hall of Fame game Authentic Isaac Yiadom Jersey , which launches the league’s 2018 Enshrinement Week. Former Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis is among the inductees, along with former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Lewis, who played 17 seasons with the Ravens, and Urlacher, who played all of his 13 seasons with Chicago, both were elected on the first ballot.

Lewis joins Jonathan Ogden as the only Ravens in the Hall of Fame. Both were selected by Baltimore in the first round of the 1996 draft.

The other members of the Class of 2018 include Bobby Beathard, Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer Youth Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. All will be inducted on Saturday, Aug. 4.

This will be the record-tying fifth time that the Bears will play in the Hall of Fame game. They won the previous four, most recently 27-24 over Miami in 2005.

—

Odubel Herrera smiled when told he was being compared to Ichiro Suzuki and Vladimir Guerrero. He has potential to be known by his first name just like Ichiro and Vlad, too.

Herrera hit a tiebreaking, solo homer in the seventh inning, Cesar Hernandez hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Wednesday to win their third straight series.

”What he’s doing is special,” manager Gabe Kapler said, adding that Herrera reminds him of Suzuki. ”It’s elite.”

Herrera is batting .419 (13 for 31) with two doubles, five homers and eight RBI in the last seven games.

”He’s a different breed Youth Leighton Vander Esch Jersey ,” starter Jake Arrieta said before mentioning Guerrero’s name with Herrera. ”When he gets hot, he’s fun to watch.”

Herrera had a tough stretch after an excellent start before finding his stroke again.

”It’s very satisfying to be compared to two legends,” he said.

Yadier Molina hit a pair of homers for the Cardinals, who lost starter Michael Wacha to injury.

Philadelphia’s beleaguered bullpen tossed three scoreless innings after Arrieta had another so-so outing, giving up both of Molina’s homers. Edubray Ramos (2-0) got five outs and Adam Morgan retired the last two batters with the tying run on second for his first career save.

”It was cool to go out there and succeed,” Morgan said.

The Phillies took two of three to win a series against the Cardinals for the first time since August 2014.

Arrieta gave up three runs and four hits in six innings to remain winless in June after posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts in May. Arrieta, who is earning $30 million this season as part of a three-year, $75 million contract, has a 6.97 ERA in four starts this month.

Wacha left in the fourth with a left oblique strain. The right-hander allowed three runs – one earned – and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. He’ll have an MRI on Thursday.

”Feeling a little bit better Youth Preston Brown Jersey ,” Wacha said. ”I’m hoping for the best.”

Herrera ripped a 91 mph slider from Sam Tuivailala (1-3) off the scoreboard on the facing of the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Herrera has a homer in four straight games.

Pinch hitter Jedd Gyorko hit a one-out double off Victor Arano in the ninth. Morgan entered to get Matt Carpenter on a foul pop and Tommy Pham on a grounder.

Molina drove a 3-2 pitch the opposite-way into the seats in right-center for his fifth career multihomer game in the sixth to tie it at 3.

A throwing error by Carpenter led to a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. Jorge Alfaro reached with one out when Carpenter’s throw pulled first baseman Jose Martinez off the bag. With two outs, Hernandez lined a 1-2 change-up to the seats in right for a 3-1 lead.

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first after Rhys Hoskins hit a single, advanced to third on Herrera’s double and scored on Carlos Santana’s sacrifice fly.

Molina crushed Arrieta’s first pitch in the second inning to left to tie it at 1.

Wacha worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third by striking out Scott Kingery and retiring Nick Williams on a bouncer.

CLUTCH

Seven of Herrera’s 12 homers have given Philadelphia a lead.

TRAINER’S ROOM

PHILLIES: INF J.P. Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list after breaking his hand Tuesday night. INF Mitch Walding was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace him. … Williams returned to the lineup after he broke his nose in the field on Monday night.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (3-3, 2.73 ERA) takes the mound for the start of a four-game set at Milwaukee. He’s 6-4, 1.95 vs. the Brewers.

Phillies: After a day off, RHP Zach Eflin (4-2, 3.43 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Washington on Friday night. Eflin has never faced the Nationals.

—

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber will go into his start Monday night in Kansas City in an unfamiliar position: in a slump.

In his first 14 starts this year Authentic Albert Wilson Jersey , Kluber was 10-2 with a 1.99 ERA. But in his last three starts, Kluber is 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA.

Nevertheless, the slumping Kluber will be on the mound Monday night for the Cleveland Indians, who, not coincidentally, are slumping as a team.

Although they walloped Oakland 15-3 on Sunday, the Indians have lost four of the first six games on their nine-game trip that will conclude with three games in Kansas City.

Kluber, who is 10-6 with a 2.82 ERA in 21 career starts against the Royals, will try to get back on track against one of his favorite opponents.

Kluber’s three-start slump is actually two really bad ones sandwiched around a really good one. It started June 15 with a 10-3 loss to Minnesota in which Kluber gave up four runs in five innings.

However, Kluber’s next start, on June 20, was a 12-0 win over the Chicago White Sox in which he pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up one hit.

But on June 26 in St. Louis, Kluber had his worst start of the year, his worst in several years. In an 11-4 loss to the Cardinals, Kluber was removed from the game after giving up six runs in 1 2/3 innings.

“He’s human. Guys don’t go 35 starts (during the season) without a bump in the road,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Kluber said, “No excuses. I just didn’t get the job done. I had some things going on delivery-wise and didn’t execute my pitches consistently.”

Although the Indians have a comfortable nine-game lead in the American League Central, they have had trouble winning on the road.

Cleveland is 27-13 at home but just 18-24 on the road Authentic Daniel Kilgore Jersey , the only division leader in the majors with a losing record on the road. The Indians are hoping Kluber can help shake his slump and get a road win Monday.

Kluber is 11-4 with a 2.54 ERA overall this season. One of those wins came against the Royals on May 13, a 6-2 Cleveland victory in which Kluber pitched seven innings without allowing an earned run.

The Indians bolstered their bullpen Sunday by selecting left-hander Marc Rzepczynski from Triple-A Columbus and optioning starter Adam Plutko to Columbus.

Kluber’s mound opponent Monday night, Royals right-hander Jakob Junis (5-9, 4.67), is also mired in a slump.

Junis hasn’t won a game since May 18. In seven starts since then, he is 0-6 with a 6.30 ERA. His last start came June 26, a 5-1 loss to Milwaukee. In that game, Junis pitched five innings, giving up four runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Junis’ last start against Cleveland came May 13. In a 6-2 loss to the Indians, he pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

In three career appearances against Cleveland, Junis is 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA.

The Royals, who have lost three in a row, were glad to see the calendar change to July. They went 5-21 in June, the worst record in June in the team’s 50-year history.

PHOENIX — The San Francisco Giants extended their best month in exactly two years with a victory at Arizona on Friday, given a huge boost by rookie outfielder Austin Slater and left-hander Andrew Suarez.

At 17-10, the Giants are having their first winning month since June 2016, and with a victory in the second game of the three-game series Saturday Authentic Josh Sitton Jersey , they will have one more victory than they had that June.

Slater had three hits, including two RBI doubles, in a Giants 2-1 victory on Friday, his sixth day back on his fourth recall from Triple-A Sacramento this season. Suarez gave up one run in six innings and ran his streak to 13 starts without walking more than two.

“He really has that composure out there,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said of Suarez. “He’s got some savvy out there. He knows when to make his pitches. He knows when to be careful, too.”

The Diamondbacks will send right-hander Shelby Miller (0-1, 12.27 ERA) to the mound Saturday for his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery in an attempt so salvage another series win.

The D-backs are 5-0-1 in their last six series since losing two of three at San Francisco from June 4-6. Giants rookie right-hander Dereck Rodriguez (2-1, 3.82) will make his sixth start of the season on Saturday. Rodriguez has never faced Arizona, but he allowed just one run and four hits over seven innings in his most recent start, on Sunday against San Diego. He did not get a decision but the Giants won the game 3-2.

Miller, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May, made his first start of the season in Miami on Monday, when he gave up six hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings while reaching 95-96 mph on the radar gun.

“The fastball command was outstanding,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “I know he is working on his secondary stuff. That’s to be expected. Knowing that he has taken a 15-month journey to get to this point, it’s not going to be a perfect science right away. The secondary pitches are feel pitches, and I know that he is working hard. Landing the second stuff is something that we are hoping to see. We know we see it in bullpens and at different tunes. I know that Shelby is going to be ready for that challenge.”

Miller, the key return in the trade that sent Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson to Atlanta at the 2015 winter meetings, used words of encouragement from Patrick Corbin and the Arizona training staff to get through rehab. Corbin underwent Tommy John in the spring of 2014 season and missed the whole year.

“I talked to Corbin a lot Authentic Fred Warner Jersey ,” Miller said. “The guys in the training room, day in and day out they were giving me reassurance. What to expect. I leaned on them and relied on them a lot. They were big. I am definitely feeling good.”

Miller admitted to feeling some nerves before the Miami start.

“For sure,” he said. “It is different than any other game. It is a big day. I had some minor league rehab starts, but those don’t even compare to the games that are mattering up here. I definitely had some jitters.”

Miller is 2-5 with a 3.51 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants.

Slater has been tearing up the Pacific Coast League in his time between stints in San Francisco. He is slashing .344/.417/.564 with 24 doubles and five homers in 53 games with the River Cats. His 24 doubles were second in the league, and his batting average was sixth when was promoted again last Saturday.

With third baseman Evan Longoria expected to miss at least another month, manager Bruce Bochy mentioned the possibility of giving Slater more time, especially against left-handed pitchers.

Slater is hitting at least .300 against righties and lefties in Sacramento this season, and during his short stay wth the Giants before a leg injury in 2017 hit .333 in 38 plate appearances against lefties.

“We’re missing a right-handed bat, and he could provide that,” Bochy said. “Not that other guys can’t, but you look at what he did tonight and what he’s been doing. He’s going to help stretch out this lineup and us some added offense, which we need against lefties.”

Even with veterans in the outfield, “You have to go with the guys who are swinging the bat well,” Bochy said. “They dictate their lineup.”

Slater has made three starts since being recalled the most recent time Saturday.

“The first couple of times up and down, it is easy to lose focus,” Slater said. “But for me it was try to prove a point that it wasn’t a fluke, that I was here to stay.”