Trevor Story went 4-for-4 with three home runs, seven RBIs and five runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the visiting Seattle Mariners 12-6 on Thursday night.

The Mariners led 4-0 through 1 1/2 innings, but Story’s homers in the second and third innings helped the hosts tie the score. Boston added two runs in the sixth and three in both the seventh and eighth.

Story capped his second career three-homer and seven-RBI games with a three-run shot to left in the eighth.

J.D. Martinez (4-for-5, three runs) and Alex Verdugo (3-for-5, four runs) also had big nights for the Red Sox, who logged season highs in runs and hits (16) on their way to a second straight win.

Boston’s Tanner Houck (3-3) was outstanding while piggybacking starter Rich Hill, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six over four scoreless innings.

Julio Rodriguez (3-for-5) and Dylan Moore (four RBIs) both homered and Eugenio Suarez went 2-for-5 with two runs for Seattle.

George Kirby (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings.

The Mariners forced Hill to throw 56 pitches and tagged him for four runs in two innings. The Boston southpaw had allowed just three total runs (two earned) in his previous four starts.

After Suarez hit a leadoff double in the second and Abraham Toro grounded a one-out single into left field, Moore crushed a three-run homer to left-center to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. It was Moore’s first long ball since April 30 in Miami.

Ty France’s line double three batters later knocked in Adam Frazier, who had walked with two outs.

Boston quickly cut into the deficit during the last of the second. Story, who entered Thursday with 11 RBIs in his last 14 games, brought home Verdugo on a two-run shot to deep center.

Story’s second two-run homer in as many frames tied the score. The two-out drive over the Green Monster in left also brought home Martinez, who had hit a leadoff single.

In Boston’s sixth, Story’s RBI single and Jackie Bradley Jr.’s run-scoring double added insurance.

In the seventh, the Red Sox piled on with two bases-loaded walks and a bases-loaded hit batter.

–Field Level Media

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tyler O’Neill was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right shoulder impingement.

Due to soreness in his throwing shoulder, O’Neill was scratched from the Cardinals’ lineup earlier Thursday ahead of their 7-6 loss to the host New York Mets.

In his fifth MLB season, all spent with the Cardinals, O’Neill is batting .195 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 32 games this season. He is a two-time Gold Glove award winner and finished eighth in National League MVP voting last year.

The Cardinals also called up power hitter prospect Nolan Gorman, their second-ranked prospect, from Triple-A Memphis with the plan to start him at second base in Friday’s game at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“He’s here to play,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Gorman. “He’s going to show what he’s able to do. … We have a need, so he’s coming to fill it.”

To make room for Gorman on the 40-man major league roster, the Cardinals moved right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. But Marmol told reporters that wasn’t a reflection of Flaherty’s timeline to recover from right shoulder inflammation.

St. Louis also said that left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore, its No. 3 prospect, will join the club and start Saturday’s game against the Pirates for his major league debut.

“Giving him the chance to come up here is something I’m looking forward to,” Marmol said. “He is coming and throwing Saturday. We’ll get a good look at him, and see where we want to go from there.”

–Field Level Media

The Tampa Bay Rays will look to continue their mastery of the host Baltimore Orioles when they open a three-game series on Friday.

The Rays opened the season with a three-game sweep of the visiting Orioles in St. Petersburg, Fla., after defeating Baltimore in 18 of the teams’ 19 meetings last year, including going 9-0 at Camden Yards.

Tampa Bay, which has won two in a row and five of its last seven games, will hand the ball to left-hander Jalen Beeks (1-0, 1.72 ERA), a reliever who will be making his first start of the season.

Beeks has made nine appearances totaling 15 2/3 innings this season, including 1 2/3 innings against the Orioles. Beeks allowed two hits to go along with four strikeouts and a walk during an 8-0 win on April 10.

The Orioles, who lost six straight games until defeating the Yankees, 9-6, on Thursday, will counter with right-hander Tyler Wells (1-3, 4-18 ERA). Wells allowed three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and no walks over four innings in a 5-1 loss at Detroit on Sunday in his last start.

Wells struggled mightily against the Rays earlier this season. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings in which he gave up four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks in an 8-0 loss on April 10.

Tampa Bay had an off-day Thursday after taking two of three games against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Starting pitchers Corey Kluber, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen allowed a combined three runs on 12 hits while striking out 22 without a walk over 18 innings.

Tampa Bay’s starters have compiled a 1.15 ERA during the past seven games, during which time the team ERA is 1.97.

“Our pitching is going to be our avenue to winning the most ballgames,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Meantime, the Orioles ended a six-game losing streak with their most exhilarating win of the season on Thursday. Anthony Santander hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to lift Baltimore to a 9-6 victory over the Yankees, who were seeking to sweep the four-game series.

Santander, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a walk, hit the first walk-off home run of his career when he drove a cutter from Yankee reliever Lucas Luetge (1-1) down the left field line with one out.

Santander’s 376-foot blast enabled Felix Bautista (1-1) to pick up the win for the Orioles, who had seen Jorge Lopez blow a save opportunity in the top of the inning.

“I put myself in the pitcher’s shoes in that situation,” Santander said through a translator. “Knowing that he wanted to come in, trying to jam me, trying to make me hit a soft grounder to force a double play. I was really able to get my hands in and focus on that. I hit the ball really well.”

With the victory, the Orioles tied their season high with nine runs and finished with 11 hits, with Tyler Nevin and Trey Mancini each recording two.

“Last two nights, we lost one-run games,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought today was some of our better at-bats of the season.”

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians are holding their collective breath as the Detroit Tigers come to town for a three-game series that starts Friday.

All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez could be forced to the sideline after fouling a pitch off his right shin in Thursday’s game. He stayed in the game and drove in his 34th RBI of the season (second-most in the American League) later in the at-bat with a single to right. Ramirez was replaced by Ernie Clement after he limped to first base.

“He’s pretty sore,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “It hit above the pad (on his leg), just below his knee. He’ll get some X-rays.”

Ramirez is batting .328 with 22 homers, 32 doubles and 84 RBIs in 110 career games against the Tigers.

Cleveland right-hander Aaron Civale has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 season for the Guardians. He will be on the mound Friday, checking in with a 1-3 record and an inflated 9.85 ERA in six starts.

Civale, 26, was one of the Guardians’ best pitchers last year when he compiled a 12-5 record with a 3.84 ERA in 21 starts.

Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis said he believes the 6-2, 215-pounder is starting to turn the corner.

“He continues to battle,” Willis said of Civale. “He doesn’t give in. He keeps competing.”

Perhaps the Tigers are a welcomed sight for Civale. He’s 6-0 with a 2.19 ERA in seven career starts against Detroit. He’s allowed 12 earned runs and struck out 36 batters in 49 1/3 innings.

Civale will oppose Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.50), who has never beaten the Guardians. He is 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland, including 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA in two starts at Progressive Field.

It might not matter who the Guardians play right now with the way they are swinging the bats. Cleveland has lost five of its last six games. In losing a two-game sweep against Cincinnati, the Guardians managed just eight hits and six runs.

The Tigers have won four of their last six games. They will face the Guardians for the first time this season.

Cleveland has been one of the most troublesome foes of the Tigers over the last several seasons. Dating back to the start of 2016, Detroit has gone just 27-77 against the Guardians, including a 12-38 record on the road. The Tigers posted a 7-12 record against Cleveland last season, marking their best win percentage (.368) in the season series since going 11-7 in 2015.

Detroit designated hitter Miguel Cabrera had one hit Monday at Tampa Bay and now has 3,021 in his career, passing Rafael Palmeiro for sole possession of 29th place in major league history. He is two hits shy of tying Hall of Famer Lou Brock (3,023) for 28th.

Cabrera hit his third home run of the season and 505th of his career Sunday against Baltimore, breaking a tie with former Cleveland star Eddie Murray for 27th in MLB history. He recorded the 602nd double of his career on Friday vs. Baltimore, passing Barry Bonds for 17th place on the all-time list.

–Field Level Media

After another impressive outing, Nestor Cortes was modest when asked about being one of the best pitchers in the game when he said: “I just try to do my part.”

Doing his part means owning the lowest earned run average in the majors and Cortes gets another chance at continuing his remarkable run Friday night when the New York Yankees host the Chicago White Sox.

Cortes (2-1, 1.35 ERA), who was New York’s 36th-round pick in the 2013 draft, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 16 straight starts to match teammate Luis Severino (2018) for the second-longest streak in team history. The record is 20 straight starts by Russ Ford (1910-1911).

Cortes’ last two starts are among the most impressive of his 23 career starts. On May 9, Cortes came within five outs of a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers and he followed it up Sunday afternoon by allowing one run and three hits in a career-high eight innings of a 5-1 win at Chicago.

The left-hander is approaching the one-year anniversary of his second stint with the Yankees, with whom he was 5-1 with a 5.67 ERA in 33 appearances in 2019. After struggling immensely in five relief outings for the Seattle Mariners in the pandemic 2020 season, he returned to the Yankees on May 30 and owns a 2.44 ERA in 133 innings since.

“The chances I got, and the ability that I can go out there and pitch every five days, has been incredible for me,” Cortes said. “As long as I can go out there and compete and give my team a chance, I’m happy.”

Cortes’ performance Sunday marked the fifth time he allowed one run or less this season and it gave him a slight lead over Houston’s Justin Verlander in the AL ERA race after reaching enough innings to qualify.

“He’s been one of the best pitchers in the game, not only this year, but even going back to last year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s been consistent with us, reliable and continues to get better and better.”

Cortes is pitching after a rare loss for the Yankees, who rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning before Lucas Luetge allowed a game-winning, three-run homer to Anthony Santander in Thursday’s 9-6 loss at Baltimore. It ended New York’s four-game winning streak and was its fifth loss in 28 games.

The White Sox, who lost three of four to the Yankees last weekend, are 10-6 in their past 16 games and won three of five in Kansas City. Chicago ended the series with a 14-hit attack in Thursday’s 7-4 win.

Luis Robert hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs Thursday and is hitting .373 (28-for-75) with four homers and 14 RBIs in his past 18 games. Tim Anderson also drove in two runs, hitting .390 (30-for-77) in his past 18 contests.

“He’s as special as our fans think he is,” Chicago manager Tony LaRussa said of Anderson. “The more people around the country that know it, the better.”

Dallas Keuchel (2-2, 5.54), who took a no-decision against the Yankees on Saturday by tossing five scoreless innings, opens the series and is 4-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 10 career starts against New York.

Keuchel also owns a 2.70 ERA in his past four starts since getting tagged for 10 runs in an 11-1 loss at Cleveland on April 20.

–Field Level Media

Joey Votto’s return to the Cincinnati Reds lineup for a three-game series against the host Toronto Blue Jays that opens Friday night also will be a homecoming.

The Reds first baseman, who is from the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, missed the past 15 games after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on May 3.

“I’ve performed so poorly to start the season, it’s not something I’m comfortable with or used to,” Votto said Wednesday from Dayton, Ohio, on a Zoom call with reporters. “Coming back from being on the couch or in bed for eight or nine days, I need to make sure that I’m in a good way physically or I risk injury or I risk poor performance.”

Votto — batting .122/.278/.135 with three RBIs in 22 games with Cincinnati this season — has played with Triple-A Louisville and Class-A Dayton on a rehabilitation assignment.

“I mean, anything can happen, but nothing comes to mind that will keep me from being (in Toronto) on Friday,” Votto said. “I feel well, I’ve been competing well.”

He had a slow start in 2021 — hitting .226 through May — and missed a month that season with a broken thumb. After returning from the injury, he was one of the league’s better hitters in the final four months of the season, batting .278 with 31 homers in 100 games after June 1.

“When I came back last year, it took maybe a month or so before I caught real fire,” Votto said. “It’s a six-month season. Whether I perform well the day I come back or as the season moves along, I have a responsibility to play well every single day. That’s what my focus has been on.”

The Reds defeated the host Cleveland Guardians 4-2 on Thursday afternoon to complete a two-game sweep. The game was played to make up for a postponement caused by rain on Wednesday.

Cincinnati will start right-hander Luis Castillo (0-1, 5.59 ERA) on Friday against Toronto left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu (0-0, 9.00). It will be Castillo’s first career start against Toronto.

Ryu has faced Cincinnati seven times in his career (all starts), each when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 4-2 with a 3.70 ERA.

The Blue Jays’ hyped hitters continued to struggle as a group on Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to the visiting Seattle Mariners in the finale of a three-game series. Toronto did not play on Thursday.

The Blue Jays are averaging 3.68 runs per game, 10th in the American League entering Thursday. They are batting just .190 with runners in scoring position, last in the AL.

“It all gets magnified,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “When we swing the bats and everyone’s fine, you can come back in a 4-1 or 5-1 game to win. It seems like now, when someone scores five runs, it feels like 10. That happens when your offense is struggling.”

Toronto had two players extend career-best hitting streaks on Wednesday.

Santiago Espinal extended his streak to 12 games, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday. He is 15-for-40 (.375) during this streak, including five doubles and four RBIs.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 1-for-3 with a walk to extend his streak to 15 games in which he is 16-for-54 (.296) with two doubles, a homer and five RBIs. He also has grounded into five double plays in that span, including one on Wednesday.

Toronto left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (left hamstring tightness) left the game after five innings on Wednesday. His status in unknown for the weekend series.

–Field Level Media

Trevor Story went 4-for-4 with three home runs, seven RBIs and five runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the visiting Seattle Mariners 12-6 on Thursday night.

The Mariners led 4-0 through 1 1/2 innings, but Story’s homers in the second and third innings helped the hosts tie the score. Boston added two runs in the sixth and three in both the seventh and eighth.

Story capped his second career three-homer and seven-RBI games with a three-run shot to left in the eighth. J.D. Martinez (4-for-5, three runs) and Alex Verdugo (3-for-5, four runs) also had big nights for the Red Sox, who logged season highs in runs and hits (16) on their way to a second straight win.

Julio Rodriguez (3-for-5) and Dylan Moore (four RBIs) both homered and Eugenio Suarez went 2-for-5 with two runs for Seattle. George Kirby (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings.

Mets 7, Cardinals 6 (10)

Pete Alonso belted a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning for host New York, which posted a win over St. Louis hours after learning Max Scherzer would miss six-to-eight weeks with a left oblique injury.

The Mets took three of four from the Cardinals but lost Scherzer, who exited Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning after feeling a “zing” in his left oblique. An MRI administered Thursday revealed a “moderate to high grade” strain. Alonso had three hits and three RBIs, and Jeff McNeil also knocked home three runs.
Colin Holderman (1-0) earned his first big league win despite giving up the go-ahead unearned run in the top of the 10th inning.

The Cardinals rallied from a pair of two-run deficits and tied the game in the ninth inning before going ahead in the 10th on a run-scoring double play by Albert Pujols. Paul Goldschmidt blasted his sixth homer of the season among his three hits and four RBIs, and Juan Yepez also went deep.

Orioles 9, Yankees 6

Anthony Santander hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to lift Baltimore to a win over visiting New York and end a six-game losing streak.

Santander, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a walk, hit the first walk-off home run of his career when he drove a cutter from Yankee reliever Lucas Luetge (1-1) down the left field line with one out.

Santander’s 376-foot blast came after Austin Hays reached on an error and Trey Mancini singled to center. Reliever Felix Bautista (1-1) picked up the win for the Orioles, who had seen Jorge Lopez blow a save opportunity in the top of the inning.

Padres 2, Phillies 0

Yu Darvish tossed seven strong innings and Robinson Cano had an RBI single to fuel visiting San Diego to victory over Philadelphia.

Darvish (4-1) allowed six hits, all singles, to go along with five strikeouts and no walks. Taylor Rogers recorded the final four outs to earn his 15th save in 16 opportunities. Manny Machado added two of the 10 hits for the Padres, who shut out the Phillies for the second time in the three-game series.

Rhys Hoskins had two hits for Philadelphia, which was shut out for the fifth time this season. Both teams combined for 18 hits, with all of them being singles. Bryce Harper was held out of the lineup for a fourth straight game after receiving a PRP injection in his right elbow on Sunday.

Reds 4, Guardians 2

Cincinnati scored three runs in the eighth inning for a victory over host Cleveland.

The Reds swept the two-game series and have won eight of their past 12 games after a 3-22 start as the Guardians have lost five of six. Tyler Naquin had a pair of hits and a home run for Cincinnati.

The Reds jumped all over reliever Trevor Stephan (2-1), who was rocked for three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning in the eighth. It ruined an outstanding start by right-hander Cal Quantrill, who surrendered one run on five hits in seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five.

White Sox 7, Royals 4

Luis Robert was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs as Chicago defeated host Kansas City, taking the rare five-game series three games to two.

Robert’s homer in the eighth gave the White Sox their largest lead, capping six straight runs for the Sox. The White Sox scored five of their seven runs on hits with an 0-2 or 1-2 count. Bennett Sousa (2-0) earned the win in relief. Liam Hendriks earned his 12th save, saving all three White Sox wins in the series.

Gabe Speier (0-1) took the loss for Kansas City, allowing a run and three hits in just one-third of an inning. The White Sox scored at least five runs for just the ninth time in their 38 games, but they could have had more. They left eight runners on base in the first four innings, a total of 11 in the game.

Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1

Daulton Varsho’s homer highlighted a three-run fourth inning, while Zac Gallen yielded a run and pitched out of trouble in the fifth, as visiting Arizona snapped its six-game losing streak with a win over Chicago.

Josh Rojas and David Peralta (two hits) each delivered RBI singles for the Diamondbacks, who needed only one inning of offense to halt its longest skid of the season. Gallen (3-0) retired the first eight Cubs, but gave up an RBI double to Yan Gomes (two hits) in the fourth for one of the two hits he allowed.

The Cubs posted just four hits, stranded nine and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Astros 5, Rangers 1

Framber Valdez recorded his fifth consecutive quality start and Houston extended a pair of winning streaks with a victory over visiting Texas.

Valdez (3-2) allowed one run on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.68. Jose Altuve went 4-for-5 with two doubles for the Astros, who have alternated wins and losses over their past seven games. Martin Maldonado put the game away with a three-run double in the eighth inning.

Rangers right-hander Glenn Otto (1-2) was otherwise effective in his six-inning outing, limiting the Astros to two runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez will have X-rays on his shin and manager Terry Francona will undergo minor surgery and miss Friday night’s game.

The three-time All-Star Ramirez fouled a ball off his right shin in the eighth inning of Thursday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Ramirez was pulled for a pinch-hitter after delivering an RBI single.

“He’s pretty sore,” Francona said. “Hit above his pad, just below his knee. For him to react like that, he’s a pretty tough kid. He’s going to get some X-rays, but he’s sore.”

Ramirez entered Thursday batting .281 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.

Francona will miss Friday’s lid lifter against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Francona is having a minor surgical procedure but is expected to return to the dugout Saturday. Thursday was Francona’s first game back following a positive test for COVID-19.

Guardians bench coach DeMarlo Hale will serve as acting manager Friday night.

–Field Level Media

The St. Louis Cardinals arrive in Pittsburgh on Friday for the start of a series against the Pirates looking to turn around their road trip.

St. Louis dropped three of four against the Mets in New York, including a 7-6, 10-inning defeat on Thursday. The trip concludes with three games against the Pirates.

The Cardinals hope they can get a spark for power-hitting prospect Nolan Gorman, who will be called up from Triple-A Memphis and is expected to start Friday at second base.

“He’s here to play,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s going to show what he’s able to do. … We have a need, so he’s coming to fill it.”

Gorman has 15 homers and a .308 average in 34 games for Memphis.

Marmol said outfielder Tyler O’Neill is going on the injured list because of a shoulder issue.

The Pirates, meanwhile, are in the market for runs. They have scored four total over their past four games, and three of those came in their most game, a 3-2 road win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh was fortunate to go 2-2 in those four games, the first in that stretch a 1-0 victory in which the Cincinnati Reds pitched a combined no-hitter but the Pirates still were able to scratch a run.

“We’ve been stressing, get your pitch. If you don’t get it, take your walks,” Pittsburgh third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes said. “We’re a super young team. We’re all still learning, trying to get better.”

It’s not just this week that the Pirates’ bats have been quiet. They rank last in the National League in runs (122), next-to-last in homers (28) and 12th in batting average (.224).

Overall, Pittsburgh is 7-7 in its past 14 games after dropping six of seven.

In the series opener, St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright (4-3, 3.15 ERA) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh right-hander Zach Thompson (2-3, 5.47).

Wainwright can’t pull out a deed, but he nearly owns the Pirates. In 48 games, including 42 starts, against them, he is 22-7 with a 3.65 ERA.

And the 40-year-old might be getting better with age against the Pirates.

Wainwright comes into Friday with a 32-inning scoreless streak against Pittsburgh, dating to June 26, 2021. At PNC Park, site of this weekend’s series, he has pitched 20 straight scoreless innings dating to Sept. 7, 2019.

Last season, Wainwright compiled a 0.30 ERA in four starts against the Pirates. Then he blanked Pittsburgh over six innings in an Opening Day win this year.

Thompson, who has never faced St. Louis, has been tough to hit lately.

He is riding a string of 12 straight scoreless innings over three appearances — two starts and an inning of relief — lowering his ERA from 10.05.

In those three outings, he has struck out 10, walked four and allowed four hits.

That includes six one-hit innings Saturday in the Pirates’ 3-1 win over Cincinnati. The hit, a little flare by Brandon Drury with two outs in the sixth, came as Thompson was starting to wilt on a warm, muggy day.

He lasted just one more hitter before his job was done, but it was the type of job Pittsburgh craves.

“Any time our guys are that efficient, especially the first few times through the order, it’s important,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Thompson, who threw 17 pitches, 13 of them strikes, through the first two innings Saturday.

–Field Level Media