Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte homered and the New York Mets scored seven runs in the ninth inning to rally past the host Philadelphia Phillies 8-7 on Thursday.

Brandon Nimmo ripped a two-run single with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 7 before Marte delivered the winning RBI double one batter later.

Marte drove in two runs, Lindor added a two-run homer and Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil had two hits apiece for New York, which had been 0-330 over the past 25 seasons in games in which it trailed by at least six runs in the ninth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a home run and double, knocked in two runs and scored twice for the slumping Phillies, who have lost four in a row. Nick Castellanos homered and drove in three runs and Jean Segura contributed three hits for the Phillies.

Angels 8, Red Sox 0

Jared Walsh’s two-run home run broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning and preceded a five-run eighth that lifted Los Angeles over host Boston.

Walsh went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored for the Angels, who claimed the three-game series with back-to-back wins in which they outscored the Red Sox 18-5. Shohei Ohtani (3-2) pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up six hits with 11 strikeouts without a walk. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

The game started as a classic duel between Ohtani and Boston’s Rich Hill, with the latter allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six over five scoreless frames. It was the 42-year-old lefty’s longest start of the season — the 200th of his career.

Guardians 6, Blue Jays 5

Cleveland rode a three-run fifth inning and a solid performance from starter Aaron Civale to nip visiting Toronto.

Civale (1-2) pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, six hits and no walks. He struck out a season-high eight batters in the opener of a four-game set. Emmanuel Clase earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth. Rookie Steven Kwan hit his first career home run.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk blasted homers for the Blue Jays.

Astros 3, Tigers 2

Kyle Tucker delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning and Houston Astros claimed the opener of a four-game series with visiting Detroit. The Astros have won four consecutive games while the Tigers fell for the third time in four games.

Trailing 2-0 with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Tigers rallied behind Miguel Cabrera’s single and Jeimer Candelario’s home run. The tying blast came off Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who had missed the previous 19 games due to right knee inflammation.

Pressly (1-1) emerged as the winner despite allowing the two runs in his lone inning. Gregory Soto (1-2) took the loss.

Brewers 10, Reds 5

Willy Adames homered twice and drove in four runs as host Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep of woeful Cincinnati.

It was the eighth win in nine games for the Brewers, who clubbed five home runs off Cincinnati rookie starter Hunter Greene. Christian Yelich homered as part of a three-hit game for the National League Central leaders, who outscored the Reds 34-12 in the series.

Tyler Stephenson homered and singled for the Reds, who lost their ninth straight and were swept in an entire road trip for a second consecutive time. The Reds have dropped 20 of their past 21 games. The loss was Cincinnati’s 13th straight on the road, its longest such skid since dropping 19 straight between July 5-Aug. 24, 1933.

Orioles 5, Twins 3

Ryan Mountcastle hit two of Baltimore’s five solo home runs as the Orioles beat visiting Minnesota to salvage a split of the four-game series.

Austin Hays broke a tie with a one-out homer in the eighth inning, and Mountcastle followed with his second blast of the game. Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo also homered for the Orioles. Mountcastle doubled his home run total for the season as he now has four.

Jorge Lopez (3-1) earned the win by logging the last 1 1/3 innings. Byron Buxton homered and knocked in three runs for the Twins, who had won 11 of 12 games before losing to the Orioles on consecutive nights.

Rockies 9, Nationals 7

Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers each blasted three-run home runs and Randal Grichuk added a solo shot to power host Colorado over Washington in Denver.

Behind the three long balls, the Rockies took two of three games in the series. The ball was carrying to all fields at Coors Field, with the teams combining for five home runs and 25 hits. The difference was that two of Colorado’s homers came with runners on base, compared to solo shots by Juan Soto and Keibert Ruiz for Washington.

Grichuk’s opposite-field home run in the seventh inning gave the Rockies some insurance. Cesar Hernandez, who extended his hit streak to 11 games, had an RBI groundout in the eighth for the Nationals.

Padres 2, Marlins 1

Manny Machado hit two solo homers and Nick Martinez fired seven effective innings as host San Diego won for the third time in four games and handed Miami a fifth straight loss.

Martinez (2-2) delivered his best start of the season to outduel Miami’s Jesus Luzardo in the opener of a four-game series. The San Diego right-hander allowed one run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

Machado hit his sixth homer of the season into the Padres’ bullpen with two outs in the first inning. No. 7 came with one out in the fourth and sailed into the second deck at Petco Park in left-center. Machado produced his ninth multi-homer game at Petco Park, a record at the 18-year-old venue.

Cardinals 7, Giants 1

Tommy Edman and Tyler O’Neill combined for five hits and five RBIs, Miles Mikolas pitched 5 2/3 effective innings and St. Louis ran away from host San Francisco.

Yadier Molina socked his first home run of the season for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in five games. Mikolas (2-1) allowed one run on seven hits while walking three and striking out three.

Mike Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores and Luis Gonzalez had two hits each for the Giants, who dropped their fourth straight. Yastrzemski knocked in San Francisco’s only run.

Rays 4, Mariners 3

Mike Zunino’s three-run homer against his former club highlighted Tampa Bay’s four-run fourth inning as the visiting Rays edged Seattle for their fourth consecutive win.

Tampa Bay’s Harold Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base, and Yandy Diaz had a single and a walk to extend his on-base streak to 16 games. Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (2-2) yielded two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Jesse Winker and Adam Frazier homered for the first time and Eugenio Suarez had an RBI single for the Mariners, who lost their fourth straight. Robbie Ray (2-3) gave up four runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

The bats are livening up for the Baltimore Orioles, and the goal will be to keep that trend going.

The Orioles haven’t shown much consistency on offense, so they will be tested in that regard when the visiting Kansas City Royals arrive to begin a three-game series on Friday night.

The Royals, who were off on Thursday, are embarking on a nine-game road trip after losing five of their past six contests.

The Orioles again are in position to pick up their first three-game winning streak of the season after splitting four games with the Minnesota Twins by winning the last two.

Baltimore emerged with a 5-3 victory on Thursday by hitting five solo home runs.

“We’re really talented,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Some of these guys are starting to figure it out this year.”

The Orioles have belted seven homers in their past two games. They also struck out 12 times on Thursday without drawing a walk, so there are pros and cons to the latest batch of performances on offense.

Baltimore still sends out a lineup that has most of the players sporting sub.-250 batting averages.

“I think they’ve done a great job of staying positive,” Hyde said. “They know they’re better hitters than their numbers have shown offensively. … I think our guys are starting to get in the fight a little bit more with two strikes.”

Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins has homered in back-to-back games. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle homered twice Thursday night, and left fielder Austin Hays had the go-ahead blast.

“Putting good swings on the ball and hitting line drives,” Hays said of the objective.

Getting positive results could be the key.

“Guys were a little frustrated,” Baltimore catcher Robinson Chirinos said, noting the importance of withstanding hard-luck situations at the plate. “We want to keep it going heading into this next series.”

Baltimore’s bullpen has turned out to be clutch as well. The team’s relievers haven’t given up a run in the past two games.

If the Orioles think they’re having struggles at times offensively, those might look tame compared to Kansas City’s issues. The Royals have been shutout victims in three of their past five games.

Royals manager Mike Matheny said he has made decisions regarding the pitching staff knowing that the team was experiencing difficulty generating runs.

“We have an urgency,” Matheny said.

Kansas City’s bullpen has been scrutinized, but Matheny said it’s important to get work for right-handed reliever Dylan Coleman and others. Coleman threw two perfect innings on Wednesday in a 10-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the wake of consecutive poor outings.

“We needed to get him back on the mound,” Matheny said of Coleman. “He made some nice mechanical adjustments.”

Left-hander Amir Garrett should get more looks out of the bullpen, though Matheny has been hampered in that regard because Kansas City has faced several lineups dominated by right-handed batters.

“The more he throws, the better he’s going to be,” Matheny said.

Kansas City will go with Carlos Hernandez (0-1, 6.00 ERA) as its starting pitcher to open the series in Baltimore. The Orioles send Jordan Lyles (2-2, 4.50) to the mound.

“We need our starting pitching (to set the tone),” Matheny said.

Hernandez has allowed just two home runs in 18 innings this season. He owns an impressive career 1.80 ERA against the Orioles, having won once and lost once in two starts vs. Baltimore, both last year.

Lyles is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five career starts against Kansas City. Royals catcher Salvador Perez has two home runs in eight career at-bats vs. the veteran right-hander, but Perez is hitless in his past 23 at-bats overall.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays have a scary lineup, but the Cleveland Guardians were the ones delivering timely hits in the opener of the current four-game series.

The Guardians outhit the visiting Blue Jays 11-9 en route to a 6-5 victory on Thursday, and they will look to author another solid effort when they oppose Toronto again on Friday.

“That’s a tough lineup to get through,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk bashed a home run for the Blue Jays, who now have 34 on the season, tied for third in the majors.

Guerrero is batting .313 (26-for-83) against right-handers this year with all seven of his homers and 18 of his 19 RBIs. He is just 1-for-10 against lefties.

The Blue Jays’ right-handed slugger is also batting .378 (14-for-37) on the road this season.

Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said earlier in the week his team isn’t hitting the way it can.

“We’re cold,” he said. “I’m not going to come in here and say we’re swinging the bats. We’re not.”

Montoyo believes the Blue Jays will break out soon, but the Guardians hope it’s not this weekend.

Cleveland ace Shane Bieber (1-1, 2.45 ERA) will oppose right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-1, 2.27) in the Friday game.

Bieber is 2-0 with a 2.11 ERA in three career starts vs. Toronto. He threw a season-high 105 pitches in his last outing against the Oakland A’s, allowing a run on seven hits in seven innings during a no-decision on Saturday.

Gausman is 2-3 with a 2.45 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) against Cleveland. He is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in two games (one start) at Progressive Field.

Guardians DH Franmil Reyes, who got off to an extremely slow start to 2022, has been showing some signs of life. He is 6-for-13 with three RBIs in his past three games after going 0-for-23 in the previous six games.

“It’s nice to see him smiling,” Francona said. “It’s been wearing on him. Hopefully he can relax and be who he is.”

Reyes recorded his first three-hit game of the season on Thursday against Toronto, helping the Guardians earn their fifth win in the past six games.

“It feels great,” Reyes told Bally Sports Great Lakes. “I’m trying to be happy and smile more and have fun out there.”

Cleveland rookie outfielder Steven Kwan continued his hot streak with his first home run on Thursday, a two-run shot that tied the game at 2-2 in the third inning. He had a walk-off hit to beat the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the doubleheader on Wednesday and is batting .328 on the season.

“I was happy for my boy (Kwan),” Reyes said. “It’s fun to watch.”

Kwan has a five-game hitting streak (6-for-20, four RBIs).

Meanwhile, Blue Jays All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette was 3-for-5 with two runs on Thursday. He is batting .458 (11-for-24) during his current six-game hitting streak. Since the start of the 2021 season, he leads the majors in hits (220) and multi-hit games (66).

Thursday’s game was cold and rainy. More rain is forecasted Friday.

“The weather this year has already been a physical grind and a mental grind,” Montoyo said.

–Field Level Media

Tommy Edman and Tyler O’Neill combined for five hits and five RBIs, Miles Mikolas pitched 5 2/3 effective innings and the St. Louis Cardinals ran away from the host San Francisco Giants late for a 7-1 victory in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night.

Yadier Molina chipped in with his first home run of the season for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in five games. The homer was the 172nd of Molina’s career. The solo shot produced his 999th career RBI.

After Molina’s blast off Giants reliever Zack Littell (0-1) in the third, the Cardinals increased their margin to 3-0 in the fifth on a two-run single by Edman.

Activated from the COVID list before the game, Littell had taken over for opener Mauricio Llovera, who threw a 1-2-3 first inning.

Mike Yastrzemski got San Francisco back within 3-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, but St. Louis broke the game open with a four-run seventh.

All of the scoring in the inning came with two outs, with Edman and Juan Yepez smacking RBI hits and O’Neill a two-run single.

Mikolas (2-1) allowed one run on seven hits while walking three and striking out three.

In a 3-1 game, he was replaced by Andre Pallante, who got Jason Vosler to ground out with the bases loaded to preserve the lead.

Edman finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and O’Neill 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the Cardinals, who out-hit the Giants 12-10.

Molina, who had the game’s only homer, and Dylan Carlson each collected two hits and scored twice for St. Louis. Yepez also had two hits.

Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores and Luis Gonzalez had two hits each for the Giants, who dropped their fourth straight. Gonzalez’s second-inning double was San Francisco’s only extra-base hit of the contest.

–Field Level Media

Mike Zunino’s three-run homer against his former club highlighted Tampa Bay’s four-run fourth inning as the visiting Rays edged the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Thursday night to open a four-game series.

A Seattle catcher from 2013 to 2018, Zunino lofted a 379-foot homer to left off Mariners starter Robbie Ray (2-3) — his third long ball of the season and second in three days.

Tampa Bay’s Harold Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base, and Yandy Diaz had a single and a walk to extend his on-base streak to 16 games.

In a 5 1/3-inning start, Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (2-2) yielded two runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked two.

The Rays won for the fourth straight time to start their 10-game road trip, and they have nine victories in their past 12 games. They improved to 7-3 on both the road and in one-run games.

Jesse Winker and Adam Frazier homered for the first time and Eugenio Suarez had an RBI single for Seattle, which lost its fourth straight and fell to 6-11 against winning clubs.

The visitors produced four runs in 6 2/3 innings against Ray, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. He allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked one.

Tampa Bay broke through in the fourth when Manuel Margot’s leadoff bunt single and stolen base ended with him scoring on Ramirez’s single. Isaac Paredes’ single to shallow center set up Zunino’s drive to left for a 4-0 lead.

In the fifth, Winker swatted a long ball for the Mariners’ first hit off McClanahan, a solo shot to center.

Seattle got to McClanahan again in the sixth on Suarez’s single off Jason Adam, but the reliever fanned Julio Rodriguez looking and got Winker to fly out to strand runners on the corners.

In a lefty-on-lefty matchup in the seventh, Frazier hit Colin Poche’s first pitch for a high homer just inside the right-field foul pole to put it at 4-3.

Adam, Poche and Brooks Raley tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief. The trio allowed two hits and one run while striking out three and issuing a walk.

Raley, a left-hander, crafted a perfect ninth and ended the game by snaring a one-hop comebacker by Luis Torrens to post his second save in as many chances.

–Field Level Media

Manny Machado hit two solo homers and Nick Martinez fired seven effective innings as the host San Diego Padres edged the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Martinez (2-2) delivered his best start of the season to outduel Miami’s Jesus Luzardo in the opener of a four-game series. The San Diego right-hander allowed one run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts, lowering his ERA from 4.12 to 3.38.

After giving up a run on three singles in the third inning, Martinez retired 13 straight Miami hitters to end his outing. Martinez equaled his season high of 102 pitches.

Machado hit his sixth homer of the season into the Padres’ bullpen with two outs in the first inning. No. 7 came with one out in the fourth and sailed into the second deck at Petco Park in left-center.

San Diego won for the third time in four games while Miami dropped its fifth game in a row.

Machado produced his ninth multi-homer game at Petco Park, a record at the 18-year-old venue.

Luis Garcia followed Martinez to the mound and allowed a two-out single in a scoreless eighth for the Padres. Taylor Rogers then earned his National League-leading 11th save with a perfect ninth.

Luzardo (2-2) yielded two runs on three hits while walking two and fanning seven over six-plus innings. He fired a season-high 98 pitches.

Miami tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third on three hits, although a double play denied the Marlins a potentially bigger inning.

Miguel Rojas and Payton Henry, the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied out to center, Jesus Aguilar singled home Rojas to tie the game. However, Jorge Solar followed with a grounder to short that Ha-Seong Kim turned into the rally-killing double play.

Bench coach Ryan Christenson managed the Padres as Bob Melvin remained home with a non-COVID illness.

–Field Level Media

The stakes aren’t as high this weekend as the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Atlanta Braves to open a three-game series. A year ago, the two clubs met in the National League Division Series, with Atlanta going on to win the World Series.

While it’s far too early to start talking playoffs, this is an important series for Atlanta, which is hosting its annual “Hank Aaron Weekend.” Aaron, who died last year, had deep ties with both cities and franchises. He began his career with the Milwaukee Braves, broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record as at Atlanta Brave, then played his final season with the Brewers.

“He’s the reason I’m here,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, whom Aaron hired as a coach immediately after releasing him as a player. “I hate that (today’s players) aren’t going to be able to experience Hank Aaron. He was the epitome of grace (and) professionalism.”

The Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep. Milwaukee is 17-5 over the last 22 games and 8-1 over the last nine.

The offense is rolling, with 20 home runs over the last six games. Six came in the series finale with the Reds.

“The guys, they came locked in,” Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames said. “They came to compete and sweep the series. We knew we needed to do that.”

Milwaukee will send left-hander Eric Lauer (2-0, 1.93 ERA) to the mound in the first game. The Braves aren’t expected to name their starter until Friday morning.

Lauer will be making his fifth start of the season. In his last outing, against the Chicago Cubs on April 30, he allowed only one run over seven innings, with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

He joined Teddy Higuera (1988) as the club’s only left-handed pitcher to have consecutive 10-strikeout games. Lauer fanned 13 in six innings against Philadelphia on April 24.

Lauer made one regular-season appearance against the Braves last season and received a no-decision after allowing three runs in three innings in the Brewers’ 6-3 loss. He also faced Atlanta in Game 4 of the NLDS and allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings of a 5-4 loss.

The Braves could start Kyle Muller, who started on Sunday in the series finale against Texas, or they could recall another pitcher from the minor leagues or go with Spencer Strider, the hard-throwing rookie. Strider has pitched three-plus innings in three of his five relief appearances and could serve as an opener.

The Braves did not play Thursday after splitting a four-game set with the New York Mets. Atlanta’s offense returned in the finale, a 9-2 win, after being limited to a total of four runs in losing both ends of a doubleheader on Tuesday.

The Braves have scored three or fewer runs in 15 games. They have lost four times while allowing three or fewer runs, tied for the most in the National League. They also lead the major leagues with 250 strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Kyle Tucker delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros claimed the opener of a four-game series with the visiting Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Thursday.

Tucker plated pinch runner Chas McCormick with his opposite-field single to left field off Tigers left-hander Gregory Soto (1-2). McCormick ran for Yordan Alvarez, who had singled to open the ninth and moved to second on Yuli Gurriel’s walk.

The Astros have won four consecutive games and eight of their past 10.

Trailing 2-0 with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Tigers rallied behind Miguel Cabrera and Jeimer Candelario. Cabrera recorded his third hit of the game and the 3,008th of his career, a single, to pass Al Kaline for 30th on the career list.

Candelario then smacked a two-run homer to right off Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who had missed the previous 19 games due to right knee inflammation.

Pressly (1-1) emerged as the winner despite allowing the two runs in his lone inning.

The Astros are off to a 4-0 start on their seven-game homestand behind strong starting pitching and timely displays of power.

Right-hander Jose Urquidy fired six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and one walk while recording three strikeouts in his strongest start of the season. He allowed just two baserunners into scoring position and kept the Tigers off balance with a deft blend of four-seamers, changeups, curveballs and cutters. Urquidy threw 91 pitches, 60 for strikes.

Detroit fashioned scoring threats in the first and fifth innings. Robbie Grossman smacked a one-out double to right-center field in the top of the first before Urquidy followed with a pair of ground-ball outs to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard. When Tucker Barnhart and Akil Baddoo stroked two-out singles in succession in the fifth, Urquidy induced Grossman into a groundout.

Urquidy continued an exceptional stretch for Houston starters, who were a combined 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA and .181 opponent batting average over the previous 10 games. Urquidy followed by producing the eighth start of at least six innings over an 11-game stretch.

Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal nearly matched Urquidy pitch for pitch but was undone by a first-pitch sinker to Jose Altuve that turned into a homer in the first and a 2-2 knuckle-curve that Jeremy Pena drilled 426 feet onto the home run porch in left-center leading off the fifth.

Altuve gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with his third homer before Pena doubled that lead with the sixth home run of his rookie season.

Skubal allowed just four more hits and did not walk a batter while recording a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings. He had struck out nine Astros in his prior start against them, last season.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds hope a return home will result in a change of fortune as they open a four-game weekend series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night.

The Reds are not just battling the opposition — they’re up against history as they try to awaken from the club’s worst-ever start.

Cincinnati enters the game against Pittsburgh having lost nine straight and 20 of 21 after a 2-2 beginning to the season. Their 3-22 record stands as the worst 25-game start in franchise history.

The Reds are coming off a three-game sweep in Milwaukee in which they were outscored, 34-12.

“We just have to keep getting better in every area, every one of us,” Reds manager David Bell said. “That’s what we’ll continue to do. We look for every little adjustment, every edge we can to improve.”

The Reds have been plagued by injuries and poor starting pitching. They currently have 15 players on the injured list, including regulars like Joey Votto, Jonathan India and Tyler Naquin.

Rookie starter Hunter Greene allowed another eight earned runs on five homers in just 2 2/3 innings Thursday in Milwaukee. In their first 25 games, Reds starters are 3-19 with a major league-worst 8.91 ERA, allowing 22 home runs and 99 earned runs in 100 innings.

“We want to win every game very badly, especially right now,” Bell said. “I’m impressed with every single guy in this clubhouse and the way they’re handling it. It’s not easy. It’s a huge challenge that we have in front of us. They’re handling it better than I would (as a player). It’s impressive to me.”

Right-hander Connor Overton (0-0, 1.69 ERA) has been the rare exception to the rule. In his Reds debut last Saturday in Colorado, he held the Rockies to one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Overton is making his fifth career start and first against the Pirates, for whom he pitched in five games with three starts in September 2021. The right-hander is still looking for his first major league win.

The Pirates counter with right-hander JT Brubaker (0-2, 6.20), who will be making his sixth start of the season. Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter is 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in his three starting assignments on the road. The Pirates have won each of his last two starts.

Lifetime against Cincinnati, the 28-year-old is 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA in four career starts. He was 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts last season.

The Pirates are coming off a doubleheader split on Wednesday in Detroit, dropping the first game 3-2 before bouncing back for a 7-2 win in the nightcap. Dillon Peters started and went 3 1/3 innings in the loss but extended his scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings to start the season with just two hits allowed.

“He’s thrown the ball really well,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Peters. “He’s attacked, he’s done it with really good hitters at different parks, starting (at) getting the top of lineups. He continues to impress. He continues to execute.”

The win was just the second in eight games for Pittsburgh, which will play another road doubleheader on Saturday against the Reds.

“We pitched well enough to win two games, but we need to tighten up our defense. We made mistakes in both games, but it cost us runs in the first one,” added Shelton.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox hope to change their recent trends against a new opponent as they open a three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

The Red Sox send Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 2.51 ERA) to the mound as they look to bounce back from losing a third consecutive home series to begin the season.

Thursday’s 8-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels was Boston’s second straight and ninth in 12 games. The Sox were shut out for the second time this season, a day after losing a 10-5, 10-inning game in which the Angels were down to their final strike.

“We have to keep swinging at strikes and do damage in the zone. We’ve got to get better,” manager Alex Cora said. “… We have to put a complete game together, and we haven’t done that in a while.”

Shohei Ohtani’s 11 strikeouts in seven innings were the most by a starting pitcher against Boston this season.

Outfielder Enrique Hernandez was out Wednesday due to sickness, which the team hopes is not COVID-related.

“He’s feeling better, but nothing (is known yet) as far as testing,” Cora said.

Eovaldi struck out eight across seven scoreless frames Saturday at Baltimore. He retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced in his 28th career scoreless start of at least six innings.

Despite struggling to find the win column, Boston’s starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of the last 14 games.

“The only way we’re going to get back to where we need to be is even taking it at a smaller step than one game at a time — one pitch at a time, one swing at a time — and be able to make things small,” said lefty Rich Hill, who threw five shutout innings on Thursday.

Eovaldi is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the White Sox, including a 10-strikeout performance over 6 1/3 innings in a win on April 19, 2021.

The White Sox had Thursday off one day after beating the rival Chicago Cubs, 4-3, for their third straight win. Gavin Sheets and AJ Pollock had the game-tying and winning hits with two outs.

They will head to Boston without outfielder Andrew Vaughn, who was placed on the 10-day injured list (bruised right hand) on Thursday. Vaughn was originally scheduled to play on Wednesday, but the injury still ached when he attempted to swing.

“It’s an area where it’s not about being tough enough to handle it, it just alters everything you do,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said.

Infielder Danny Mendick, who played collegiately at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

“We faced a lot of adversity (including an early two-run deficit) and now we have guys banged up,” White Sox relief pitcher Matt Foster said on Wednesday. “But we have other guys who step up and fill those roles and just do their job, and we come through it.”

Lucas Giolito struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings, and now Vince Velasquez (1-2, 4.58) will look to build upon that performance.

Velasquez earned his first win for Chicago in a Saturday start against the Angels, allowing four hits with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Notably he did not walk a batter and has allowed just one free pass over his last two starts, covering nine innings.

The righty will be making his sixth career appearance and fifth start against Boston. He has a 8.47 ERA in 17 innings against the Red Sox after being tagged for eight runs in 2 1/3 frames last July 9 at Fenway while pitching for Philadelphia.

–Field Level Media