The Los Angeles Angels hope three-time MVP Mike Trout will return to the starting lineup Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim, Calif.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday he was “pretty certain” Trout would be ready after missing the past three games with a contusion on the back of his left hand. Trout was hit by a pitch thrown by Rangers reliever Spencer Patton on Sunday.

Trout is off to a mediocre start to the season, batting .267 with a .405 on-base percentage, a .567 slugging percentage, two homers and three RBIs in nine games.

Los Angeles shortstop David Fletcher, on the 10-day injured list due to a strained hip, is eligible to return to the active roster Friday but is not expected to be ready.

The Angels, though, have had success without two of their most important players in the lineup — they are 3-1 in games without Trout and 6-2 in games without Fletcher.

Brandon Marsh has played center field in place of Trout, and Andrew Velazquez has spelled Fletcher at shortstop, part of a deep bench that has been key to the club’s early success.

Also on the list of reserves is Jack Mayfield, who has played both second base and third base this year and has hit safely in all seven games he’s played in. Going back to last season, Mayfield has hit in 13 straight and 18 of 19.

This season, Mayfield is batting .360 (9-for-25) with a 1.029 OPS, one double, one triple and one home run.

“The pop is real, the ball off the bat is real; he’s a really big part of what we’re doing,” Maddon said. “Jackie plays that way. If you look at his minor-league numbers, they were good. It’s not like this is a surprise. He is a classic example of somebody needing an opportunity.”

Mayfield, 31, also has played for the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners but is getting more playing time with Los Angeles.

“The staff and the coaches and everyone, they show confidence in me, and that definitely helps,” Mayfield said. “They make me feel relaxed out there, and they trust me. I just have to keep playing my game and stay consistent, stay scrappy, do what I do best.”

Left-hander Reid Detmers (0-0, 8.59 ERA) will start for the Angels against Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Friday, each making his third start of the season and each looking for his first win.

Zimmermann, though, has been better, having thrown nine scoreless innings overall. He threw four innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on April and five against the New York Yankees on Sunday, giving up a total of seven hits and four walks while striking out 10.

Zimmermann is not the only Baltimore pitcher throwing well. The entire starting staff has stepped up since the club lost No. 1 starter John Means to an arm injury April 13.

Including Tyler Wells’ start against the Oakland A’s on Thursday (two runs in 2 1/3 innings), the Orioles’ rotation has given up just seven earned run in 42 innings, good for a 1.50 ERA in that span.

“When the guys around you are throwing well, you want to be a part of it,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “They’re feeding off each other.”

Detmers has never faced the Orioles, and Zimmermann has never faced the Angels.

Detmers is coming off a rough outing April 15 against the Texas Rangers, when he allowed five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Orioles catcher Robinson Chirinos could return to the lineup as soon as Friday, just two days after being hit in the face by a pitch in Oakland. Chirinos passed concussion protocol and is cleared to play.

It’s likely that a potentially more serious injury was avoided because the pitch glanced off Chirinos’ shoulder before hitting him in the face.

–Field Level Media

The Minnesota Twins will open a six-game homestand when they meet the Chicago White Sox on Friday night in Minneapolis.

The Twins, who posted a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, are looking to record back-to-back wins for only the second time this season. Minnesota concluded its seven-game trip with a 3-4 record.

Meanwhile, Chicago hopes to snap a four-game losing streak. The White Sox’s latest setback was 6-3 to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday that capped a three-game series sweep.

Chicago will seek to repeat last year’s success against the Twins. The White Sox won the season series 13-6 and outscored Minnesota 123-71.

White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech (0-0, 1.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his third start of the season. Kopech allowed one run in four innings against the Detroit Tigers in his season debut April 10, and he followed that by allowing one run, which was unearned, in five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Chicago has been conservative with Kopech’s pitch counts in part because of his injury history. The 25-year-old threw 69 pitches against the Tigers and 75 against the Rays.

Opponents have struggled to square up against Kopech’s pitches, managing only three hits in nine innings — two singles and a triple. Batters are hitting .107 (3-for-28) against him.

“I think if I would have been more efficient in those first couple of innings that it probably could have been six or even seven (innings),” Kopech said after his most recent outing. “But efficiency is something we’re working hard for every day. I was happy with how (the start) went.

“I want to be able to continue building up and continue going deeper and eating innings so we can take some stress off our relievers — especially since they’ve been heavily relied on. … I’ve been in that position, as well, and I know what it feels like. I want to be able to do my job for the sake of the rest of the team.”

Kopech has made five career appearances (one start) against the Twins, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA.

The Twins will counter with right-hander Bailey Ober (1-1, 3.27 ERA), who also is set to make his third start of 2022. He earned a victory in his first outing despite allowing four runs in five innings against the Seattle Mariners on April 10. Ober took the loss in his second start despite giving up only two runs (both unearned) in six innings against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

“I feel like I commanded the zone pretty well,” Ober said after the Sunday outing. “We did a pretty good job of trying to keep guys off-balance. We’re very close (to a turnaround), I feel like.”

Opponents are hitting .205 (8-for-39) against Ober this season, with four singles, three doubles and a homer. He has walked three and struck out seven in 11 innings.

In five career starts against the White Sox, Ober is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA.

–Field Level Media

The Houston Astros have been slow out of the gate offensively, concluding their first dozen games with a .199 batting average that is the worst in the American League.

The Astros, set to host the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series starting Friday, have hitters struggling up and down their lineup.

First baseman Yuli Gurriel, the 2021 AL batting champion, missed three games on paternity leave during the season-opening, nine-game road trip and is 4-for-30 (.133) since his return.

“His rhythm is off,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “He was swinging great coming out of spring training and (Astros hitting coach Alex) Cintron said, ‘Hey man, we need to start the season right now,’ because Yuli was super hot. But it’s hard to maintain that hotness for a long period of time, especially in spring training when the games don’t count.

“It’d be no big deal if it was in the middle of the season because you would have had your timing by then. At the start of the season (it’s different). One thing’s for sure: You don’t win the batting title and forget how to hit. Yuli’s going to hit. I’m not worried about Yuli. We hope that it happens sooner than later.”

Right-hander Justin Verlander (1-1, 0.69 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros on Friday. He worked eight scoreless innings in his latest appearance, a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. He allowed three hits while recording eight strikeouts and walking none in an 87-pitch outing.

According to STATS, Verlander became the first pitcher to log eight shutout innings with eight-plus strikeouts in fewer than 90 pitches on the road since Greg Maddux did so for the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on July 2, 1997.

Verlander is 4-6 with a 4.28 ERA over 14 career starts against the Blue Jays, whom he no-hit in his previous outing against them, on Sept. 1, 2019. Two of his three career no-hitters have come against Toronto, including one on May 7, 2011, also in Canada.

Right-hander Ross Stripling (0-0, 3.00 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays. He made two starts against the Astros last season, going 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He also faced Houston three times during the 2017 World Series while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, working two scoreless innings and allowing two hits and one walk.

Stripling made two relief appearances, both against the Texas Rangers, before making his first start of the season on April 15. He logged four scoreless innings while surrendering two hits and recording three strikeouts in the Blue Jays’ 4-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

The Blue Jays improved to 3-0-1 in series this season by taking the rubber match of their three-game road set against the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Thursday. Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman carried a shutout into the ninth inning.

“We needed a start like that,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “There was no room for error, and he gave it to us.”

The Blue Jays, lauded for their lineup full of sluggers, have allowed three or fewer runs in six of their past seven games.

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves hope to find their missing offense when they return home to start a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

The reigning World Series champions scored only eight runs in a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the week. They put up only 20 runs while going 3-4 on their just-concluded road trip.

The Marlins are having offensive troubles, too. They scored just six runs in losing two of three games against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals the past three days.

Miami has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its 12 games.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker isn’t overly concerned about his club’s offense, knowing he likely will have slugging outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. back in the lineup shortly. Acuna, who is returning from knee surgery, has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, and the target date for his return is May 6.

“It would have been nice to have won the last game and had a winning road trip,” Snitker said. “But like I always say, we have only scratched the surface of what we’re capable of yet. Guys are hanging in there, they’re working, and that’s pretty much all you can ask.

“We’ll be fine. It’s a good team.”

The Braves hitters struggling the most are shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has struck out 22 times in 49 at-bats, and second baseman Ozzie Albies, who is batting just .218 but has a team-leading five home runs and nine RBIs.

The series opener will feature Atlanta right-hander Kyle Wright (1-0, 1.64 ERA) and Miami left-hander Trevor Rogers (0-2, 12.15).

Wright has been impressive in both of his starts. In 11 innings, he has allowed two runs and has struck out 15 while waling only one. In his latest outing, on April 15 against the San Diego Padres, he received no decision after allowing two runs in five innings with a career-high nine strikeouts.

Against Miami, Wright is 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA and nine strikeouts in three career appearances, all starts.

“He was just getting after them,” Atlanta center fielder Adam Duvall said after Wright’s start in San Diego. “He was throwing everything, it looked like, with everything he had. His curveball, he wasn’t holding back. Seeing that, it sends vibes through the team and through the lineup.”

Rogers was roughed up in his latest start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday when he allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

“He backed himself into a corner in the first,” Miami pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said. “We do have some adjustments to make. He knows he needs to get ahead. We spend a lot of time talking about that.”

Rogers has struggled against Atlanta, going 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts. In his most recent start vs. the Braves on Sept. 29, Rogers allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The game also marks the return to Atlanta for World Series MVP Jorge Soler, who signed as a free agent with the Marlins in the offseason.

Soler hit 14 homers in 55 games with the Braves after being acquired at the trade deadline, then added three homers and six RBIs in Atlanta’s World Series win over the Houston Astros. He is hitting .152 with one home run through 12 games with Miami.

–Field Level Media

Drew Smyly has been a pleasant early-season surprise for the Chicago Cubs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates already experienced that firsthand.

Looking to continue his scoreless tenure with the Cubs and help them avoid a fourth straight defeat, Smyly tries to beat the visiting Pirates for a second time in 11 days on Friday.

Approaching his 33rd birthday and pitching for his seventh team, Smyly (1-0, 0.00 ERA) has yet to allow a run while giving up seven hits, striking out five and walking one over 9 2/3 innings of his first two 2022 starts.

Signed to a one-year deal after winning a career-high 11 games and a World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves last season, the veteran left-hander certainly has made a good first impression with the Cubs.

He began his Chicago tenure by giving up three hits over five innings of the Cubs’ 2-1 win at Pittsburgh on April 12. Smyly is 2-1 with a 4.01 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against the Pirates.

In his latest outing, on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies in Denver, Smyly yielded a first-inning run but no more in a 4 2/3-inning stint.

“After (the slow start), I feel like I got ahead of most hitters, and I was just mixing in the cutter with the curveball and then throw some fastballs in there in between,” Smyly said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I was able to do a good job of keeping them off balance.”

Left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 3.86 ERA), a former Cub, is again scheduled to oppose Smyly. In the April 12 contest, he allowed one of Seiya Suzuki’s two homers and four other hits while striking out three and walking two over 5 1/3 innings.

On Sunday, the 33-year-old veteran lasted just four-plus innings while yielding three runs and five hits and walking three during a no-decision against the Washington Nationals.

Quintana won 33 games during parts of four seasons (2017-20) with the Cubs and is ready to take the mound at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2019.

“For me, it’s one of my favorite mounds,” Quintana said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m just excited to pitch at Wrigley, but right now I’m also focused on getting my first win.”

Quintana is 0-4 with a 3.41 ERA in five career starts against the Cubs.

Pirates starting pitchers are 0-7 with a 6.50 ERA this season, but five relievers held Chicago to one hit and one walk while fanning 10 over six scoreless innings during a 4-3 victory in the series opener on Thursday.

Dillon Peters was part of that stellar bullpen performance. He has not allowed a hit to 25 consecutive batters — the club’s longest such streak since 1974, according to STATS.

Pirates designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach clubbed a two-run homer Thursday. He has gone deep twice in three games and is 5-for-14 in his past four contests. Vogelbach’s teammate Brian Reynolds is 1-for-11 with seven strikeouts in the past three games, but he had a hit off Smyly last week and is batting .308 with two homers against him.

Pittsburgh has won just four times in its past 25 games against the Cubs in Chicago.

Meanwhile, each of Chicago’s past three losses have come at home, where the Cubs have dropped four of five since opening with back-to-back victories over the Milwaukee Brewers. Three of those defeats came by one run.

Suzuki immediately endeared himself to Cubs fans by batting .429 with four homers and 11 RBIs in his first 10 games. However, he is 0-for-7 with one RBI and five strikeouts in his past three contests.

–Field Level Media

While starting the season with an injured pitching staff, the Tampa Bay Rays have received a nice surprise behind the plate from backup catcher Francisco Mejia.

In this weekend’s three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, which starts Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., Mejia may find himself in the lineup more often than a reserve would expect.

The 26-year-old switch hitter is batting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and 10 RBIs and a .986 OPS in seven games.

His pinch-hit sacrifice fly beat Baltimore 2-1 in the season’s second game, and he homered and had three RBIs the next day to complete the three-game sweep of the Orioles.

In a rain-shortened 8-2 win on Wednesday that clinched a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs, Mejia’s two-run homer off Marcus Stroman highlighted a four-run first inning. Mejia finished 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and three RBIs.

“Frankie has come up with some big hits in the early part of the season for us,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s really come up clutch.”

Mike Zunino, an All-Star catcher in 2021, is making Cash’s decision about who to start an easy one. Zunino has had a dismal start, posting just one hit in 25 at-bats (.040 average) and striking out 12 times in 27 plate appearances over eight games.

Ray right-hander Corey Kluber (0-0, 1.86 ERA), who has been strong through two starts this year, will try to even his career mark against Boston on Friday. He is 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 11 outings, including 10 starts, vs. the Red Sox.

Boston’s Thursday started off with bad news, as manager Alex Cora tested positive for COVID-19 and will not travel to Florida. He was replaced Thursday in the series finale against the visiting Blue Jays — a 3-2 Toronto win — by bench coach Will Venable.

On the injury front, the Red Sox got catcher Christian Vazquez back Wednesday from the COVID-19-related injured list but may be without J.D. Martinez in the series opener in Florida.

Martinez (left adductor tightness) left the Wednesday game after hitting a double in the third inning of Boston’s 6-1 loss to Toronto. He sat out Thursday and is listed as day-to-day.

“He mentioned it the other day that he was a little bit tight, but nothing to be concerned about,” Cora said. “Just felt that as soon as he hit that ball, he felt it running, and I think it was more about being smart about it and coming out of the game, taking care of it and hopefully something that’s only a couple days.”

In the first of two series games in which Boston will send out 2021 Rays starters, Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.96 ERA) will make his third start of the year on Friday. The right-hander holds a 0-3 record with an 8.16 ERA in three starts against the Rays, with Tampa Bay batters hitting .317.

Left-hander Rich Hill, who went 6-4 in 19 starts for the American League East champion Rays last season, is due to start for the Red Sox on either Saturday or Sunday.

Since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the Rays have won 18 of the 29 meetings with Boston during the regular season, but the Red Sox were victorious in the most recent (and most important) battle. They won three straight games to claim the best-of-five American League Division Series 3-1 last October.

–Field Level Media

Miguel Cabrera remained one hit shy of 3,000 for his career while Michael Pineda won his Detroit debut as the Tigers downed the visiting New York Yankees 3-0 on Thursday afternoon.

Cabrera was 0-for-3 before he was intentionally walked with runners at second and third and two outs in the eighth inning. The strategy backfired when Austin Meadows followed with a two-run bloop double.

Pineda gave up three hits in five scoreless innings and Gregory Soto notched a five-out save in Detroit’s first shutout this season. Robbie Grossman had three hits, scored a run and drove in another.

Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery (0-1) gave up one run on three hits in six innings with two walks and five strikeouts.

Rangers 8, Mariners 6

Kole Calhoun doubled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as Texas rallied from an early five-run deficit to defeat host Seattle.

Nick Solak hit a two-run homer for the Rangers, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Rangers reliever Joe Barlow (1-0) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first major-league victory.

Ty France went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Seattle, and J.P. Crawford hit a three-run homer.

Mets 6, Giants 2

Carlos Carrasco pitched 7 2/3 outstanding innings as New York recorded a victory over visiting San Francisco.

Carrasco (1-0) pitched into the eighth for the first time since 2019 and allowed two runs on four hits, struck out seven and issued no walks. Francisco Lindor, who joined the Mets from the Cleveland Guardians in the same trade as Carrasco, homered and collected three hits.

Eduardo Escobar also homered as the Mets took three of four from the defending NL West champions. Mike Yastrzemski homered and Thairo Estrada hit an RBI single for the Giants.

Pirates 4, Cubs 3

Five Pittsburgh relievers held the Cubs to one hit over six scoreless innings in Chicago.

Pirates cleanup hitter Yoshi Tsutsugo delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the fifth inning. Daniel Vogelbach clubbed a two-run homer and Ben Gamel had three hits for the Pirates, who improved to 2-5 on the road.

Cubs starter Mark Leiter Jr. gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in four innings.

Marlins 5, Cardinals 0

Pablo Lopez, who got married on Monday, celebrated by striking out nine batters in seven scoreless innings as host Miami defeated St. Louis.

The Marlins snapped their eight-game losing streak against the Cardinals, a skid that started last year. Miami had scored just seven runs in those eight defeats.

Jesus Sanchez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. slugged homers for Miami, which snapped a two-game losing streak and ended its homestand with a 4-3 record.

Guardians 6, White Sox 3

Franmil Reyes hit a two-run homer and Zach Plesac pitched into the seventh inning as Cleveland completed a three-game sweep of visiting Chicago.

Josh Naylor had two hits and two RBIs for the Guardians. Plesac (1-1) ended a six-start winless streak, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. Emmanuel Clase retired Chicago in order in the ninth for his second save.

Luis Robert and Gavin Sheets had two hits apiece for the White Sox, who have lost four in a row after winning six of their first eight games.

Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 2

Kevin Gausman pitched into the ninth inning and Matt Chapman went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI as Toronto held on to beat host Boston.

Gausman (1-1) was relieved by Jordan Romano after allowing a first-pitch single to Trevor Story in the ninth. Romano stranded the tying run on third base to record his seventh save. Raimel Tapia and Bo Bichette each had two hits for the Blue Jays.

Xander Bogaerts capped a 3-for-4 day with an RBI double for the Red Sox in the ninth. Bobby Dalbec added two hits.

Twins 1, Royals 0

Joe Ryan pitched six scoreless innings as visiting Minnesota won a pitchers’ duel to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Kansas City.

Ryan allowed no runs on two hits, walked one and struck out five. He allowed only one runner to advance past first base. Emilio Pagan earned his first save of the season.

Gio Urshela walked to lead off the second inning and went to third on a single by Max Kepler before Miguel Sano drove him in on a sacrifice fly, marking the game’s only run.

A’s 6, Orioles 4

Sean Murphy drove in three runs with a home run, a double and a single and Cristian Pache hit his second homer as Oakland beat visiting Baltimore.

Sheldon Neuse was 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the A’s, who also got a pair of hits from Tony Kemp. Paul Blackburn (2-0) earned the win, allowing one run and three hits in five innings. Dany Jimenez tossed a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his second save.

Austin Hays had a double and a single and drove in a pair of runs for the Orioles.

Diamondbacks 4, Nationals 3

Zach Davies pitched five solid innings as visiting Arizona defeated Washington to earn a split of the four-game series.

Cooper Hummel had two hits, including a two-run homer run, and Matt Davidson and Jake McCarthy also homered for the Diamondbacks, who have won two straight for the first time this season.

Davies (1-1) gave up two runs on two hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Nelson Cruz homered for the Nationals. Washington starter Josh Rogers (1-2) was lifted after allowing four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

The San Francisco Giants look to get back on track when they open a three-game series against the Nationals on Friday in Washington.

The Giants lost for the third time in four games to the New York Mets on Thursday and added another player to their injured list.

San Francisco starter Anthony DeSclafani surrendered home runs Thursday to Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar in a 6-2 defeat, just the second and third long balls yielded by the Giants’ rotation this season.

“We weren’t not going to give up a home run all year,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “When you go through a stretch where those things are not happening, you are pleased with the results. But you also always know there are going to be some times that aren’t perfect.”

On offense, San Francisco managed just four hits against in the latest defeat. One bright spot was Mike Yastrzemski, who homered and went 2-for-4, raising his batting average to .231 following a slow start.

“We know that the true talent and the true caliber of play is going to come out over a long period of time, but we have to weather those time periods when they’re not going so well,” Kapler said. “It’s nice to see the results show up for Yaz.”

Giants center fielder Steven Duggar appears headed for the injured list after leaving in the second inning Thursday due to a left oblique injury. Duggar, 28, leads the National League with four stolen bases and was the starter against right-handers.

He joins third baseman Evan Longoria, second baseman Tommy La Stella and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. as Giants position players on the injured list. Starting pitcher Alex Cobb went on the injured list Tuesday with a right adductor strain.

Washington left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-2, 7.50 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season on Friday. Last time out, he allowed two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming (to Pittsburgh),” Corbin said postgame. “The results haven’t been there for me (this season), but I feel like I’m trending in the right direction and I thought today was another step forward.”

Corbin, who spent his first six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, has faced the Giants more than any other opponent in his career. He is 9-8 with a 2.95 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) vs. San Francisco.

After winning the first two games, the Nationals settled for a split of their four-game series against the Diamondbacks, losing the finale 4-3 on Thursday.

Trailing 4-2, Washington loaded the bases in both the eighth and ninth innings but managed only one run on a catcher’s interference call in the eighth. In the ninth, Juan Soto popped out against Diamondbacks closer Mark Melancon with the bases loaded to end the game.

“We battled back and we had our best hitter up with a chance to win the game,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “Just didn’t happen.”

Nelson Cruz’s two-run homer accounted for the other Washington runs and Keibert Ruiz had two hits.

–Field Level Media