The Oakland Athletics continue to struggle with their offense, and right-hander Frankie Montas knows that all too well.

Montas is scheduled to take the mound against the visiting Boston Red Sox on Sunday, hoping to prevent the A’s from getting swept in their second straight three-game series and fifth time overall this season.

Oakland was shut out for the seventh time this season on Saturday in an 8-0 loss to the Red Sox, who have won three in a row.

The A’s are an MLB-worst 7-22 at home.

Montas (2-5, 3.20 ERA) had a 2.31 ERA in six starts in May, but went 0-3 as the A’s combined to score six runs in those games.

He went seven strong innings in each of his last two outings, but the A’s couldn’t capitalize on his efforts.

Montas limited the Houston Astros to two runs and seven hits and didn’t walk a batter on Tuesday, but took the loss in the 3-1 defeat.

Five days earlier, he held the Texas Rangers to one run and four hits and left with the score tied at 1-1. Oakland eventually dropped a 4-1 decision.

“End of the day, you’ve still got to go out there and do your job,” Montas said after the loss to the Rangers. “Runs are going to come. Of course, the guys are trying to have your back and get you some runs, but at the end of the day, you can’t control that. You have to still go out there and compete and do your job.”

The Red Sox will counter with veteran left-hander Rich Hill (1-3, 4.85).

Hill (1-3, 4.85) went 16 straight innings without allowing a run over parts of five starts earlier this season, but the 42-year-old hasn’t been as sharp in recent outings.

He gave up six runs and seven hits — including two homers — over four innings in a 10-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Hill said the ball didn’t feel right coming out of his hand for most of the game, but didn’t have any explanations as to why.

“There aren’t any excuses,” Hill said. “It’s not mechanically. It’s not tipping. It’s not any of those things. Those are side notes to what’s going on. However, you’ve got to figure it out and get the job done when you’re out there.”

Hill is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in eight career appearances against the A’s, including four starts.

He faced them on April 26, 2021 and gave up two runs on two hits and struck out 10 in six innings. Hill, however, took the loss in the 2-1 defeat after surrendering a two-run homer to Sean Murphy in the fourth inning.

Montas is 0-1 with 1.98 ERA in four career appearances against Boston, including two starts.

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is 4-for-6 with two doubles in his career off Montas. Devers is 5-for-17 with three doubles and three RBIs in his last four games overall.

The Red Sox activated Jarren Duran on Friday and placed Jackie Bradley Jr. on paternity leave. Duran had two hits and started in right field on Saturday, the first time he has played that position in the majors.

–Field Level Media

Brendan Donovan is proving to be a jack-of-all-trades for the St. Louis Cardinals, who will conclude a five-game series against the host Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

St. Louis lost 6-1 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader before winning 7-4 in the nightcap. Donovan delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the 10th inning of the second game and finished with three hits and four RBIs.

Donovan, 25, has hit safely in 10 of his last 13 games, batting .333 (16-for-48) with four doubles and nine RBIs during that stretch. The rookie also has shown the ability to play multiple positions, including left field, right field, shortstop and second base.

“You can tell Donovan to play anywhere and he’s completely fine with it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s not fazed by it. He actually enjoys it.”

The Cardinals and Cubs have split the first four games of the series. St. Louis reliever Ryan Helsley and Chicago closer David Robertson likely will be unavailable for the finale after pitching multiple innings on Saturday.

St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had his hitting streak snapped at 25 games in the first game of the doubleheader, but he extended his on-base streak to 41 games with a single in the nightcap.

Cubs rookie Christopher Morel finished the doubleheader with five hits, two RBIs and two runs. He has reached base in all of his first 19 major league games.

Chicago will send Justin Steele (1-5, 5.40 ERA) to the mound for the series finale. The left-hander owns a 2.50 ERA in his last four starts covering 18 innings.

Steele, 26, received a no-decision after giving up three runs over five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers last Tuesday.

“His stuff’s good,” Cubs pitcher Wade Miley said. “He throws hard, he has all the nasty stuff, and now he’s learning how to use it. And I’m excited for that kid’s future because I think he’s got a really bright outlook ahead of him.”

Steele, who has lost his last five decisions, made his only previous start against St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2021. He allowed six runs over five innings in an 8-5 loss.

St. Louis will counter with veteran starter Adam Wainwright (5-4, 2.75) in the series finale. The right-hander struck out 10 over seven shutout innings against the San Diego Padres last Tuesday.

“That was an absolute tutorial,” Marmol said. “What he did was unbelievable. That was fun to watch.”

Wainwright, 40, leads all active pitchers against the Cubs in career wins (17), losses (13), starts (44), innings pitched (271 1/3) and strikeouts (242).

Ian Happ is 8-for-20 (.400) with four home runs against Wainwright, who allowed one run in two starts across 15 innings vs. Chicago last season.

Cardinals outfielder Corey Dickerson is listed as day-to-day after exiting the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader with left-calf discomfort.

The Cardinals have received a boost from center fielder Harrison Bader, who has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, batting .350 (21-for-60) with two homers and eight RBIs.

St. Louis outfielders Tyler O’Neill (shoulder impingement) and Dylan Carlson (left-hamstring strain) began minor league rehab assignments this weekend and could rejoin the team within the next two weeks.

–Field Level Media

An intriguing pitching matchup is scheduled in the Seattle Mariners-Texas Rangers’ series finale on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.

Left-hander Martin Perez (4-2, majors-best 1.42 ERA) will make the start for the Rangers. The Mariners will turn to promising rookie right-hander George Kirby (1-1, 3.46), who picked up his first win in the majors during his last start.

Seattle recorded a 4-3 win in the series opener on Friday before Texas countered with a 3-2 victory the following night.

Perez has been one of the biggest surprises in the big leagues. The left-hander was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for May after he posted a 4-0 record with an 0.64 ERA.

A free-agent signing after spending the previous two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Perez is in his second stint with Texas. He initially was with the Rangers from 2012-18.

Few could have imagined Perez would be off to such a fast start after going 7-8 with a 4.74 ERA with the Red Sox one season ago. But Texas’ familiarity with him led to the reunion.

What made Perez so appealing to sign?

“A lot of things,” Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward said on his pregame radio show this week. “His growth and development as a pitcher and as a player. He was in a really good spot mentally. We knew he could still pitch. We saw it last year in Boston. The stuff was still there. But the way he’s put it all together has been phenomenal. It’s been exciting.”

Perez owns an 8-5 record with a 3.44 ERA in 25 career appearances (22 starts) against Seattle.

The Mariners have an offense that is capable of flexing its muscles. Jesse Winker hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning of Saturday’s loss, but the offense did little else.

“You’ve really got to hit it in Texas to get it out,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Just have good at-bats. Keep the line moving, and don’t try to do the big things. Do the little things, (and) sometimes big things happen.”

In Sunday’s series finale, the Mariners are eager to see what they get from their touted rookie right-hander.

Kirby made the leap from Double-A Arkansas after posting a 2-0 record with a 1.82 ERA in five starts.

Kirby scattered four hits and struck out seven in six scoreless innings in his major-league debut on May 8 against the Tampa Bay Rays. On Tuesday at the Baltimore Orioles, the rookie picked up his first big league win after allowing four hits and fanning eight in six scoreless innings.

The 24-year-old has notched 28 strikeouts in 26 innings for the Mariners.

On Saturday, the Rangers called up infield prospect Ezequiel Duran from Double-A Frisco, and the 23-year-old started at third base. Duran was called up because rookie Josh H. Smith exited Friday’s game due to a sore left shoulder.

Duran was hitting .317 at the Double-A level. A natural shortstop, he’s playing at third base, a position with which he’s familiar while competing in the Arizona Fall League. Duran made an error that didn’t factor into any scoring on Saturday.

“Basically, every game he played in the Fall League was at third base,” Woodward said.

— Field Level Media

It took a few days, but the New York Mets finally got their offense on track, as well as their 10-game trip through Southern California.

After consecutive defeats to the Los Angeles Dodgers, when they scored just one combined run, the Mets’ offense looked more like itself Saturday in a 9-4 victory and will try to do more of the same Sunday in the finale of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

The Mets got two home runs from Pete Alonso and one each from Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar in handing Dodgers ace Walker Buehler the loss.

In their first 18 innings of the series, the Mets’ offense consisted of a lone Alonso solo home run on Friday.

Despite the Mets’ late five-run lead on Saturday, there was confusion when the Dodgers tried to use infielder Zach McKinstry to pitch the ninth inning. The move was not allowed because of a rule before the 2020 season that requires more than a six-run score difference before using a position player on the mound.

“I hope we don’t see it again,” an amused Mets manager Buck Showalter said when asked about the situation afterward. “I was wondering if the guy they brought in to pitch was eligible to play.”

While Showalter was being credited with knowing the rule, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the umpires did not, Showalter said it actually was the umpires who initiated a rule check with the league office.

“We won today against a really good team, and God bless everybody,” Showalter said as the questions continued. “I thought I was in the Twilight Zone there.”

Perhaps there will be less confusion when New York sends right-hander Trevor Williams (1-3, 3.58 ERA) to the mound Sunday in his 10th appearance of the season and fifth start.

The San Diego native earned his first win of the season Tuesday at home when he held the Washington Nationals scoreless over five innings on three hits.

Williams has five career appearances against the Dodgers, going 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA. In three appearances at Dodger Stadium, he has a 9.00 ERA over 11 innings.

The Dodgers will counter with left-hander Julio Urias (3-5, 2.89), who will try to avoid his fifth loss in his last six starts. He has a 3.72 ERA over his last five starts, but unlike last season, when he was getting 6.4 runs of support per game while winning 20 games, the Dodgers are scoring an average of 2.1 runs per game for him this season.

The Pirates tagged Urias for four runs on eight hits over six innings Tuesday.

“It happens to pitchers at different times in different years,” Roberts said about Urias’ lack of run support. “But I don’t think it hurts him. He will never use that as an excuse.

“I do know that he doesn’t want to put us behind the eight ball early in the game. To his credit, he fought back (against the Pirates) and kept us in the ballgame.”

In four career appearance against the Mets, Urias has a 7.00 ERA in nine innings. Of the current seven Mets hitters Urias has faced, they have combined for just one extra-base hit against him in 32 at-bats.

–Field Level Media

One game doesn’t turn a season around, but if there’s one guy who can do that for the Kansas City Royals, it’s Salvador Perez.

The Royals will host the Houston Astros in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon, and they’ll be looking for just their fourth series win of 2022. They have a chance to take the series because of Perez’s efforts on Saturday.

Perez came to the plate with two outs in the sixth inning of a scoreless tie Saturday. He was mired in a 1-for-25 slump since coming off the 10-day injured list on May 28 following a strained left thumb.

Perez deposited a fastball from Luis Garcia into the bullpen in left field, providing all the runs the Royals would need in a 6-0 victory. Perez provided insurance with an RBI double as part of a four-run eighth inning for Kansas City, which snapped a five-game losing skid.

“Salvy kind of stole the show for us,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “That’s the guy we want stealing the show. We want to see him come through and feel that confidence that we know he has as an offensive weapon. To have that homer, and then come back later and drive the ball for a double, it was a great day for him.”

Perez downplayed the homer, and the injury.

“Doing my job is part of the game,” he said. “There are going to be some ups and downs.

“My thumb feels good. It’s a little bit tight. Nothing is going to stop me from playing.”

Kansas City will be looking for another victory at Kauffman Stadium after becoming the sixth team to win 2,000 games at its current stadium. The Royals joined the Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park), Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field), Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium), Oakland Athletics (RingCentral Coliseum) and Los Angeles Angels (Angel Stadium) with 2,000 victories on their home field.

Kansas City will send right-hander Jonathan Heasley (0-2, 4.66 ERA) to the mound on Sunday to face Houston left-hander Framber Valdez (5-2, 2.57).

Heasley could use the run support as he’s allowed exactly three runs in each of his last three starts, covering five, five and six innings.

The biggest issue for Heasley is control, as he’s walked 16 batters in 19 1/3 innings. With the 18 hits allowed, his WHIP is 1.76.

It will be Heasley’s first time facing the Astros.

Valdez is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three appearances (one start) against the Royals.

He’s been on a roll lately, winning his last four starts. He’s been an innings-eater for Houston, going at least seven frames in those four starts, surrendering six runs on 22 hits over 30 2/3 innings (1.76 ERA).

His last start was a strong one, as he allowed one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in a complete-game win at the Oakland Athletics.

“That’s not something a lot of guys do anymore,” Valdez said through an interpreter after his first career complete game. “I just tried to stay focused the whole time, just trying to get the guys out.

“It feels super great. That’s kind of one of those moments I’ve been looking for. It’s one of those goals I’ve proposed for myself, to go nine innings in a game. I accomplished it, thankfully.”

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves will look to increase their season-best winning streak to five games by finishing off a four-game sweep of the struggling Colorado Rockies on Sunday in Denver.

The Braves are at the .500 mark for the first time since April 16 after erupting for four runs in the 11th inning in Saturday’s 6-2 triumph over the Rockies.

“We’re feeling good,” Braves left fielder Adam Duvall said afterward. “The mood in the clubhouse is good, so hopefully we can keep that rolling.”

Duvall delivered one of the key hits in the 11th inning when he sent a two-run blast deep into the left-field seats.

Earlier in the frame, Marcell Ozuna lined a tiebreaking double to center and William Contreras followed with an RBI double deep inside the left-field line.

Duvall’s homer put the finishing touches on the win. But it was just his third home run of the season and first since May 8.

Last season, Duvall hit a career-best 38 homers while splitting the season between the Miami Marlins (22) and Braves (16).

“I don’t remember one feeling as good as that one did because it’s been a while,” Duvall said of Saturday’s homer. “I’m not necessarily used to that. That one felt good, especially late in the game like that.”

Austin Riley hit his 14th homer of the season Saturday for Atlanta, which has outscored Colorado 22-9 in the first three games of the series. The Braves won the opener 13-6.

The Rockies have lost 19 of their past 26 games and will look to get their bats untracked in the series finale.

Colorado has just six hits — three in each game — in 21 innings over the past two nights. Atlanta prevailed 3-1 in 10 innings on Friday.

It is the first time in the club’s 30-season franchise history that it has been held to three or fewer hits in back-to-back games at Coors Field.

Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who allowed one run and five hits over seven innings on Saturday, is exasperated by the offensive struggles.

“It’s frustrating,” Freeland said after Colorado fell to seven games below .500. “You want to be firing on all cylinders. You want your offense scoring enough runs. You want your pitchers out there getting deep into games and throwing up goose eggs. It’s a spot we need to get to if we want to get back to .500 and start building from there.”

Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton will start the finale for the Braves.

Morton (3-3, 5.47 ERA) hasn’t found his stride this season and has allowed four or more earned runs in five of his 10 starts. He gave up four runs and four hits over five innings in a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Morton, 38, went 14-6 last season when he sported a superb 1.04 WHIP. But baserunners have been plentiful this season with his WHIP at 1.50.

Morton is 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 11 career starts against the Rockies. He is 2-1 with a 5.08 ERA in six outings at Coors Field. He has struggled with Randal Grichuk (6-for-15) while shutting down C.J. Cron (2-for-13).

Colorado right-hander Ryan Feltner (1-1, 3.71) will make his fourth start of the season.

Feltner, 25, has struck out 20 and walked five in 17 innings. He beat the Miami Marlins on Monday when he gave up one run and four hits over seven innings.

Feltner made his major league debut against Atlanta last Sept. 5 and was roughed up for six runs and five hits in 2 2/3 innings during a 9-2 loss.

He served up a three-run blast to Duvall and solo shots to Ozzie Albies and Travis d’Arnaud.

–Field Level Media

After consecutive shutout losses, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to rediscover their offense and salvage a split against the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday when they wrap up a four-game weekend series.

Milwaukee left-hander Eric Lauer (5-1, 2.49 ERA) will make his second career start against his former team. The Padres counter with right-hander Mike Clevinger (1-0, 3.21), who will make his first start since coming off the injured list.

The Padres recorded a 4-0 victory on Saturday, one day limiting Milwaukee to one hit in a 7-0 victory.

The Brewers rallied to win the opener 5-4 with four runs in the ninth inning off Padres closer Taylor Rogers.

Aside from that rally, which included two batters hit by pitches, the Brewers have scored just one other run in the 27 innings so far. It’s the first time Milwaukee has been shut out in consecutive games since early July 2019 at Cincinnati.

Rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore dominated the Brewers on Saturday, allowing three singles and matching his career high with 10 strikeouts with three walks over six innings.

On Friday night, Kolten Wong got the Brewers only hit with a two-out double in the eighth inning off starter Joe Musgrove.

“We’ve to figure out a way to score and we’ve got to just have good at-bats,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve faced two very good pitchers the last two days, but we’ve got to figure out a way to score. We’re a little bit banged up, but the guys that are out there, they have to play and they’re capable of putting up runs.”

Although often overshadowed by the front end of the Brewers rotation, Lauer leads the team in victories and has allowed 10 earned runs in 40 1/3 innings over his last seven starts.

Lauer went just four innings in his last start, giving up three runs, two earned, on five hits with three walks, but did not get the decision in an 8-7 victory over the Cubs.

Lauer, who spent his first two seasons with San Diego, faced the Padres once last season, allowing one run in six innings.

Clevinger, who was sidelined with a right triceps strain, makes his first start since May 17. Clevinger, who missed all of 2021 after Tommy John surgery, has made three starts after opening the season on the injured list with a sprained knee.

In his last start, Clevinger allowed just one hit and no walks in five scoreless innings, his longest outing of the season.

With Milwaukee trailing the entire series, closer Josh Hader has been a non-factor. Hader has converted all 18 save opportunities this season and has not allowed a run.

San Diego manager Bob Melvin went back to Rogers on Saturday in a non-save situation.

“I wanted to be able to get a little bit of a different feel to where you come and you’ve got no room for error,” Melvin said. “I wanted him to walk off the mound in the ninth inning. He gets behind 3-0 (on the first hitter) and comes back and has a nice clean inning. All in all, I think it was an important outing for him, too.”

–Field Level Media

Chicago White Sox utility man Danny Mendick has played second base, shortstop, left field and third base this season.

At the moment, he is filling in for injured shortstop Tim Anderson, and the White Sox are happy to have his bat available heading into the rubber game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Mendick came through in a big way in Chicago’s 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native drove in Chicago’s first run with an eighth-inning single, then scored on pinch hitter Jake Burger’s home run as the White Sox rallied from a 2-0 deficit to break a four-game losing streak.

“We needed a win, but 10-0 would have been nice,” Chicago’s 77-year-old manager Tony La Russa said. “I’m convinced they mess with me just to age me.”

Mendick went 2-for-3 on Saturday, his fourth multi-hit game in five contests while filling in for Anderson. He is 8-for-16 with three RBIs in that span, raising his season average to .333.

Chicago could use continued production from Mendick because other options aren’t coming through. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has a .160 batting average and third baseman Yoan Moncada is hitting .135.

Throw in the fact that outfielder Luis Robert still isn’t at full strength after coming off the COVID-19 list and it’s easy to see why the White Sox had lost six of their past seven before Saturday.

When La Russa handed in the lineup card Saturday, he had five starters with batting averages below .210. The White Sox were shut out for the first seven innings by Drew Rasmussen, but they rallied against the Tampa Bay bullpen for the victory.

“It was exactly the same game we’ve played the whole road trip, but we won this one,” La Russa said. “I told Burger he was never going to start again, just be a pinch hitter. He’s got a flair, doesn’t he? When he hits them, they’re big, important ones. This one was big.”

The Rays will look to bounce back on Sunday behind Ryan Yarbrough (0-2, 4.00 ERA). In three career games (two starts) against the White Sox, the left-hander has no decisions and a 5.09 ERA.

Yarbrough is coming off his longest outing of the season, though he emerged with a loss on Tuesday at Texas. He limited the Rangers to three runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out three without issuing a walk. He served up homers to Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia.

Tampa Bay has used 11 starting pitchers, and the bullpen has had to go 236 1/3 innings, the second-highest total in the majors.

“We’ve got to do more to protect our pitching staff and try to get more out of them,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We need to have our starters go longer and give the bullpen some rest.”

A little more offense might help Tampa Bay, too. In the past 10 games, the Rays have scored three or fewer runs six times.

The White Sox will start Lucas Giolito (3-2, 3.61 ERA) on Sunday. In five career starts against the Rays, the veteran right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

Giolito endured his worst outing of the season on Tuesday, when he yielded six runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

–Field Level Media

The Miami Marlins celebrated their first walk-off victory of the season on Saturday, rallying from a four-run deficit to defeat the San Francisco Giants.

Now the Marlins will look to clinch a series win Sunday afternoon, when they will host the Giants in the finale of a four-game set.

The Marlins hadn’t officially announced a starter, though left-hander Braxton Garrett was in the clubhouse Saturday and is expected to make his season debut Sunday.

Right-hander Jakob Junis (2-1, 2.68 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Giants.

Jesus Sanchez started and ended the Marlins’ rally Saturday. He ripped an RBI double to spark a four-run fifth inning and lofted the game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth to lift Miami to a 5-4 victory.

The win followed the Marlins’ most lopsided defeat of the season — a 15-6 loss to the Giants on Friday — and continued an inconsistent campaign for Miami, which was 12-8 in April but 7-19 in May.

The Marlins opened June with a 14-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a doubleheader Wednesday before losing the nightcap 13-12 in 10 innings. Miami then beat the Giants 3-0 on Thursday before absorbing the Friday rout and coming back Saturday against San Francisco starter Logan Webb, who allowed just one hit in the first four innings.

“We don’t know, but obviously these are ones that have a chance to do something like that,” manager Don Mattingly said when asked if Saturday’s win could jump-start the Marlins. “(They’re) all kind of looking for temporary ‘this is the one thing that changes it.’ Your starter (Sunday has) got to be good. Go out and win another game (Sunday), for me, is how you do it.

“But obviously this is a win your team feels good (about). You’re down four against their best guy and able to fight back and get in the game.”

Webb’s struggles in the fifth put Giants manager Gabe Kapler in the position of trying to mix and match relievers for a second straight game. San Francisco went with a bullpen game on Friday, when John Brebbia started and threw a scoreless inning.

Brebbia was the first reliever called upon Saturday, and he gave up the game-tying, two-run single to Garrett Cooper. That was the only hit allowed by the Giants’ bullpen until Trevor Rogers gave up a leadoff infield single to Jesus Aguilar in the ninth. After Rogers plunked a batter and committed a balk, Sanchez hit the game-ending fly ball to right.

“(Friday) was a bullpen day and that was a win and everybody out of the bullpen today pitched really well.” Rogers said. “And it kind of stinks that it ended the way it did.”

Garrett was 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) for the Marlins over the previous two seasons. He was 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in five starts this season for Triple-A Jacksonville, though he missed a little more than three weeks due to left shoulder inflammation.

Garrett last pitched for Jacksonville on May 29, when he tossed five scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Junis didn’t factor into the decision on Tuesday, when he gave up one run over 4 1/3 innings as the Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 in 11 innings.

Garrett has never opposed the Giants, and Junis has never faced the Marlins.

–Field Level Media

After splitting two lopsided games, the visiting Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays will play the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Jays posted a 12-3 victory on Saturday as former Twins right-hander Jose Berrios recorded a career-best 13 strikeouts. Minnesota traded Berrios to Toronto on July 30.

Berrios allowed two runs in seven innings, lowering his earned-run average from 5.62 to 5.24. He had allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings on May 29 in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels.

“I was encouraged because he was throwing 94-95 (mph),” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “What happened in Anaheim, he had a dead arm. Not making excuses for him, but he was 90-91, so it was a big difference.”

Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two-run homers for Toronto on Saturday. It was the fourth long ball of the season for Kirk and the 12th for Guerrero.

Kirk also had a single to go 2-or-4 for his 14th multi-hit game of the season,

“With Kirk it’s about his approach,” Montoyo said. “He has one of the best approaches in baseball, and that’s saying something because there are a lot of good hitters. He doesn’t strike out, he puts the ball in play and he has good at bats every time and it’s paying off.

“He’s a good hitter already, and he’s only going to get better.”

Minnesota won the opener 9-3 on Friday, but with the loss on Saturday fell to 2-5 on an eight-game road trip that ends on Sunday.

The Blue Jays have won 13 of their past 17 games after dropping seven of their previous nine. Their 16 hits and 12 runs were both season bests, and the nine-run margin of victory was their largest of the season.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-3, 2.51 ERA) will start for Toronto on Sunday against Minnesota left-hander Devin Smeltzer (2-0, 1.50).

Gausman is 0-3 with a 7.30 ERA in seven career outings against the Twins but has not faced them since 2018 when he was with the Baltimore Orioles.

Smeltzer will be making his first appearance against the Blue Jays.

The Twins played without Gio Urshela (foot) and Kyle Garlick (hamstring) on Saturday. Both were injured during the Friday game. It had yet to be determined if Garlick would need a stint on the injured list.

“If we can also get through the next couple days without starting him, it might give us a little time to make a decision as far as what’s to come and what next week looks like,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Urshela is considered day-to-day. He could have been used off the bench if needed on Saturday. Baldelli said that Urshela is “going to be fine.”

Minnesota reinstated outfielder Gilberto Celestino from the COVID-19 injured list on Saturday. Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez, who started the Friday game for the Twins and pitched three innings of three-run ball, was assigned to the taxi squad.

Celestino missed nine games. He was hitting .324 (24-for-74) with four doubles, four RBIs, seven walks, 10 runs, a .398 on-base percentage and a .776 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 31 games for the Twins this season when put on the IL. He singled as a pinch hitter on Saturday.

–Field Level Media