Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run home run to help the Boston Red Sox stretch their winning streak to 10 games by beating the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Sunday.

Rafaela’s home run came against Tampa Bay starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot and gave the Red Sox a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning. It was his 14th home run of the season and his fifth in his last eight games.

Boston’s Brayan Bello (6-3) held the Rays to one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five. Aroldis Chapman struck out each of the three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his 17th save.

Pepiot (6-7) was pulled after six innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits, struck out three and walked one.

The victory gave Boston a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay. It’s the first time the Red Sox have won 10 games in a row since July 2018.

Cubs 4, Yankees 1

Shota Imanaga pitched seven outstanding innings as visiting Chicago ended the unofficial first half of the season with a victory over New York.

Imanaga (6-3) struck out six and walked one while throwing 55 of 91 pitches for strikes. Michael Busch homered in his first career plate appearance in the leadoff spot on the second pitch from New York rookie Will Warren (6-5). Dansby Swanson hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth off Ian Hamilton.

Giancarlo Stanton hit his 433rd career homer in the second for the Yankees, who lost their second straight following a five-game winning streak.

Reds 4, Rockies 2

TJ Friedl homered, singled and scored three times as Cincinnati beat visiting Colorado to give Terry Francona the 2,000th win of his managerial career.

Francona is the 13th manager in major league history with 2,000 victories. Matt McLain and Austin Hays also had two hits and Emilio Pagan picked up his 20th save for Cincinnati, which won its 50th game heading into the All-Star break.

Ryan Ritter had two hits for Colorado, which stayed on pace to break the modern-era record for losses, set by the 2024 Chicago White Sox. The Rockies have 22 victories at the end of the first half of the season, five less than Chicago did at the same point a year ago.

Rangers 5, Astros 1

Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien each homered while Nathan Eovaldi capped his stellar first half with another quality start as visiting Texas claimed the rubber match of a three-game series against Houston.

The Rangers completed a season-long 10-game road trip at 5-5 by pouncing on Astros All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown (9-4) and riding Eovaldi for 7 2/3 innings, his longest outing since a four-hit shutout of the Cincinnati Reds on April 1.

Eovaldi (7-3) allowed one run on five hits in his 10th quality start of the year. Brown allowed four runs on five hits over five innings. He surrendered 10 runs over his final two starts of the first half after giving up just seven runs in his previous seven starts combined.

Marlins 11, Orioles 1

Kyle Stowers hit three home runs in a five-hit, six-RBI performance against his former team as Miami blew past host Baltimore in the teams’ final game before the All-Star break.

Stowers had talked earlier in the series about his close ties to the Orioles, who drafted him and groomed him as he rose through the minor leagues. In the series finale, he provided his power production across the first five innings, racking up three homers and five runs batted in. His career-high three homers tied a Marlins’ franchise single-game record, and he ended the day 5-for-5 with four runs scored.

Miami starter Eury Perez (3-2) pitched seven shutout innings for the victory, winning a decision for the third time in three starts this month. He gave up three hits without a walk and struck out six. Baltimore starter Brandon Young (0-4) took the loss, allowing seven runs, including four homers, in 4 1/3 innings.

Mariners 8, Tigers 4

Pinch hitter Jorge Polanco and Cole Young hit back-to-back homers in the top of the ninth, lifting Seattle to a three-game sweep of host Detroit.

Polanco broke a 4-4 tie with his long ball off Tommy Kahnle (1-2). Julio Rodriguez homered for the third straight game and added an RBI double in a four-run ninth. Randy Arozarena and Mitch Garver also homered for the Mariners, while Matt Brash (1-0) picked up the win in relief.

Dillon Dingler drove in two runs and Riley Greene homered for the Tigers, who lost their fourth straight. Detroit starter Jack Flaherty gave up two runs and four hits in five innings with seven strikeouts.

Guardians 6, White Sox 5 (10 innings)

Steven Kwan hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as Cleveland rallied to edge host Chicago.

Kyle Manzardo smacked a three-run home run and Brayan Rocchio had two hits for the Guardians, who won three of four in the weekend series and enter the All-Star break with victories in six of their past seven games. Closer Emmanuel Clase (5-2) retired all six batters he faced to notch the victory.

The White Sox have lost six of eight and carry an American League-high 65 losses into the break. Losing pitcher Brandon Eisert (2-2) allowed an unearned run in the 10th with one strikeout.

Brewers 8, Nationals 1

Jackson Chourio had a three-run homer and Brice Turang added a solo shot to back a dominant start by Freddy Peralta as Milwaukee defeated visiting Washington to take a seven-game winning streak into the All-Star break.

The Brewers staked Peralta (11-4) to a 3-0 lead with three unearned runs in the second. Milwaukee added five runs in the eighth. Peralta allowed one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Peralta, who has won six consecutive starts, did not allow a hit until a one-out single in the sixth by No. 9 hitter Jacob Young.

The Nationals scored off Peralta in the seventh when Luis Garcia Jr. hit a ground-rule double with one out just beyond the reach of left fielder Yelich. Garcia advanced on a ground out and scored on Daylen Lile’s single.

Athletics 6, Blue Jays 3

Austin Wynns, Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz each hit two-run homers to help the Athletics to a win against visiting Toronto in the rubber game of their three-game series in West Sacramento, Calif.

Kurtz also doubled and scored for the A’s, who have won three of four heading into the All-Star break. A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs (8-6) allowed three runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings. Mason Miller worked a scoreless ninth for his 19th save for the A’s.

Davis Schneider and Addison Barger homered for the Blue Jays, who have dropped three of four following a 10-game winning streak. Toronto starter Jose Berrios (5-4) experienced his shortest outing of the season. He allowed four runs and five hits in three innings.

Royals 3, Mets 2

Kansas City rookie Noah Cameron matched a career high with eight strikeouts while pitching into the seventh, but the host Royals needed Nick Loftin’s walk-off RBI single in the ninth to beat New York.

After the Mets tied the game with two runs in the top of the ninth, rookie Tyler Tolbert singled for just his second career hit and stole second in the Kansas City ninth. Loftin sent a pitch from Sean Manaea (0-1) into left field to break the tie. Manaea made his season debut after dealing with a lengthy oblique issue. Despite taking the loss, the left-hander was solid, allowing the one run and five hits over 3 1/3 innings and 65 pitches.

Cameron, meanwhile, continued the stellar start to his major league career since debuting April 30. The left-hander recorded his seventh quality start while yielding seven hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.31 in 12 big-league starts.

Phillies 2, Padres 1

JT Realmuto’s RBI double in the top of the eighth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted visiting Philadelphia to a win over San Diego.

Bryce Harper started the winning rally by grounding a one-out double down the left-field line against Adrian Morejon (7-4). Cristopher Sanchez (8-2) earned the win by pitching 7 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and one run. Orion Kerkering got the last two outs of the eighth, and Matt Strahm pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

San Diego starter Nick Pivetta was dominant in 6 2/3 innings of work, yielding only three hits and an unearned run with two walks and eight strikeouts. Pivetta has permitted just one earned run in his last four starts, covering 25 1/3 innings.

Pirates 2, Twins 1

Spencer Horwitz drove in the go-ahead run with a groundout in the top of the ninth inning, and Pittsburgh held on to edge Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Tommy Pham hit a solo home run for the Pirates, who ended an eight-game losing streak. Ke’Bryan Hayes went 2-for-4 and scored the go-ahead run, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa finished 4-for-4 — all singles. Right-hander Dennis Santana (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the victory, and closer David Bednar pitched a scoreless ninth for his 13th save.

Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead the Twins at the plate. Right-hander Jhoan Duran (5-4) gave up one run on three hits in one inning. They finished their homestand with a 6-3 record.

Cardinals 5, Braves 4

Jose Fermin hit his first big league homer, a two-run shot, to lift host St. Louis past Atlanta in a game marred by two rain delays totaling more than four hours.

Willson Contreras drove in two runs and Masyn Winn scored twice as the Cardinals avoided a three-game series sweep by the Braves. St. Louis starter Sonny Gray allowed one run on three hits in three innings before rain halted the game. Reliever Gordon Graceffo (3-0) collected the win.

Matt Olson drove in three runs and Michael Harris II scored twice for Atlanta. Starter Davis Daniel, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett for this game, allowed one run on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts in four innings. Jesse Chavez (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in two innings.

Dodgers 5, Giants 2 (11 innings)

Los Angeles strung together two-out bloop singles by Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages around an infield hit by Teoscar Hernandez, each producing a run, in a relatively quiet 11-inning uprising that resulted in a road victory over San Francisco.

Baseball’s traditional first half was extended by two innings when Giants pinch hitter Luis Matos smacked a one-out, two-run home run off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott in the last of the ninth, drawing the hosts even at 2-2. The blown save was the major-league-leading seventh of the season for Scott, who had set the table for Matos when he served up a single to Matt Chapman one batter earlier.

Ben Casparius (7-3), who recorded the last out of the 10th before retiring three straight batters in the bottom of the 11th, was credited with the win. Spencer Bivens (2-3), the sixth Giants pitcher, allowed three hits and three runs (two earned) in the top of the 11th.

Diamondbacks 5, Angels 1

Merrill Kelly allowed one run on one hit over five innings en route to his eighth win of the season and Jose Herrera hit a check-swing two-run double to lead Arizona over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Kelly (8-5) walked four and struck out six. John Curtiss, Kevin Ginkel and Kendall Graveman combined for four shutout innings of relief while allowing a combined two hits. Blaze Alexander went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI and a run scored for the Diamondbacks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Zach Neto had a single, two walks and a stolen base and Mike Trout also reached base three times with an RBI single and two walks for the Angels, who had a two-game win streak snapped and missed an opportunity to get back to the .500 mark at the All-Star break. Jose Soriano (6-7) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings.

–Field Level Media

ATLANTA — Fresh off an organizational switch-up, the Washington Nationals made a surprise selection with the first pick of the MLB Draft on Sunday, selecting 17-year-old shortstop Eli Willits.

A week after general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired amidst the franchise’s sixth straight losing season, the team hopes Willits — a Fort Cobb, Oklahoma native — can spark a return to glory for the 2019 World Series champs.

With most pundits predicting LSU pitcher Kade Anderson or high school shortstop Ethan Holliday to be the first choice, the Nationals went a different route with Willits. As a senior in 2025, Willits hit .516 with nine home runs, 33 runs, RBIs and 48 stolen bases. Originally a member of the 2026 class, Willits reclassified and was committed to the University of Oklahoma.

After last year’s draft didn’t see a high school player selected until ninth (Konnor Griffin to the Pirates), the Nationals made Willits the youngest top overall pick in draft history at 17 years and seven months old.

“I’m just a player that’s going to go out there and give everything I’ve got, just like everyone else,” Willits said from home after being selected. “I feel like I have a good hit ability and am going to take that to the next level. I feel like my power is up and coming, but I needed to get into an organization like the Nationals, who can develop that and take me to the next level.”

Willits was the Nationals’ first top pick since 2010, when they drafted Bryce Harper.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said. “Eli is a special player. Great hitting tools. He makes contact, controls the strike zone. We love his swing. It’s just a clean operation at the plate with developing power. Then he’s just an elite shortstop, someone that stays at shortstop. … You add on top of that the intangibles, his confidence, work ethic, just maturity that’s off the charts. You put all of that together, it’s rare to get someone that we think is the best hitter in the draft and the best fielder in the draft. We felt it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

The Los Angeles Angels followed by drafting UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner, who struck out 111 batters in 77 1/3 innings as a junior for the Gauchos in 2025.

Anderson dropped to third, where the Mariners tabbed the College World Series Most Outstanding Player from LSU. Anderson went 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts in 2025. The 6-foot-2 Madisonville, La., native missed his entire freshman season in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Anderson then compiled a 16-3 record in 37 outings (28 starts) over his two college seasons. He was a First-Team All-American and Baseball America’s National Pitcher of the year this season.

Holliday went fourth to the Colorado Rockies, 27 years after the franchise selected his father Matt in the seventh round in 1998. The elder Holliday hit 130 of his 316 career home runs with the Rockies from 2004-08 before returning to Denver for his final season in 2018. Ethan, younger brother of Jackson — the first overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 — was Baseball America‘s 2025 High School Player of the Year at Stillwater High School, where he posted a .611 batting average with 19 home runs and 64 runs batted in (RBIs) in 33 games.

Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle out of the University of Tennessee was picked fifth by the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by the third high school player to be selected in Seth Hernandez (Corona HS in Calif.), a right-handed pitcher.

Oregon State star shortstop Aiva Arquette was picked by the Miami Marlins at seven, while Purvis High School (Miss.) JoJo Parker was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays at eight.

The high school theme continued to round out the top 10, as the Cincinnati Reds tabbed Steele Hall, a shortstop from Hewitt-Trussville High School (Ala.). Hernandez’s Corona High teammate Billy Carlson, a shortstop, was picked tenth by the Chicago White Sox.

–Jack Batten, Field Level Media

ATLANTA — Fresh off an organizational switch-up, the Washington Nationals made a surprise selection with the first pick of the MLB Draft on Sunday, selecting 17-year-old shortstop Eli Willits.

A week after general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired amidst the franchise’s sixth straight losing season, the team hopes Willits — a Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, native — can spark a return to glory for the 2019 World Series champs.

With most pundits predicting LSU pitcher Kade Anderson — who the Seattle Mariners selected No. 3 overall — or high school shortstop Ethan Holliday to be the first choice, the Nationals went a different route with Willits.

As a senior in 2025, Willits hit .516 with nine home runs, 33 runs, RBIs and 48 stolen bases. Originally a member of the 2026 class, Willits reclassified and was committed to the University of Oklahoma.

–Jack Batten, Field Level Media

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona heads into the All-Star break with history on his side.

With his team rallying for a 4-2 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday, Francona became the 13th manager in MLB history to reach 2,000 career wins.

The 66-year-old joins the Texas Rangers’ Bruce Bochy as the only active managers to accomplish the feat. Of the other 11 individuals ahead of Francona, 10 are in the Hall of Fame, while both Bochy and former Reds manager Dusty Baker are expected to be enshrined.

The Reds are one of the teams Francona played for during a 10-season playing career. He batted .227 in 102 games for Cincinnati in 1987.

Francona boasts a 2,000-1,719 record spread out across four teams and 24 seasons. He has reached the postseason 11 times, winning the World Series twice with the Boston Red Sox (2004, 2007).

In his first season at the helm in Cincinnati, Francona has led the Reds to a 50-47 record heading into the All-Star break.

Connie Mack holds the MLB record with 3,731 victories, the only individual to have topped 3,000 wins. Francona could pass Leo Durocher (2,008) and Walter Alston (2,040) to move into 11th place by the end of the season.

–Field Level Media

JT Realmuto’s RBI double in the top of the eighth inning on Sunday snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

Bryce Harper started the winning rally by grounding a one-out double down the left-field line against Adrian Morejon (7-4). David Morgan then came on in relief and fanned Nick Castellanos but fell behind Realmuto 3-1 before hanging a slider that Realmuto drilled to the wall in left-center.

Cristopher Sanchez (8-2) earned the win by pitching 7 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and one run while walking three and striking out six. Orion Kerkering got the last two outs of the eighth, and Matt Strahm pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

Strahm worked around a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Jake Cronenworth, who moved to second on Bryce Johnson’s bunt. Following a two-out intentional walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., Strahm induced a fly-out from Luis Arraez to end the game.

San Diego starter Nick Pivetta was dominant in 6 2/3 innings of work, yielding only three hits and an unearned run with two walks and eight strikeouts. Pivetta has permitted just one earned run in his last four starts, covering 25 1/3 innings.

Two errors allowed Philadelphia to take a 1-0 lead in the first. After Harper coaxed a two-out walk, Castellanos reached via a throwing error by third baseman Manny Machado. After Realmuto legged out an infield single, Arraez made a high throw to Pivetta covering first on Bryson Stott’s grounder, allowing Harper to score.

Sanchez nursed the lead until the sixth, when the Padres tied it. Machado and Xander Bogaerts led off with singles, and both advanced on a Jackson Merrill bunt. Jose Iglesias drove in Machado with a single off Stott’s glove at second, but Sanchez induced a double-play grounder from Luis Campusano to keep the game even.

San Diego loaded the bases with two outs in the first on a Tatis single, followed by two-out walks to Bogaerts and Merrill. However, Sanchez used three changeups to strike out Iglesias and quash the threat.

–Field Level Media

Merrill Kelly allowed one run on one hit over five innings en route to his eighth win of the season and Jose Herrera hit a check-swing two-run double to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.

Kelly (8-5) walked four and struck out six and left after throwing 98 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. John Curtiss, Kevin Ginkel and Kendall Graveman combined for four shutout innings of relief while allowing a combined two hits.

Blaze Alexander went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI and a run scored and Geraldo Perdomo scored two runs for Arizona, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Zach Neto had a single, two walks and a stolen base and Mike Trout also reached base three times with an RBI single and two walks for Los Angeles, which had a two-game win streak snapped and missed an opportunity to get back to the .500 mark at the All-Star break. Jose Soriano (6-7) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Neto walked, tagged up and went to second on a flyout by Nolan Schanuel and then scored on a line single to left by Trout.

Arizona took advantage of an error by third baseman Yoan Moncada to score four unearned runs in the fourth to build a 4-1 lead. Perdomo led off with a walk and went to second on a single by Josh Naylor. Eugenio Suarez then hit a routine double-play grounder that glanced off Moncada’s glove and went into left field, allowing Perdomo to tie the game. Two outs later, Alexander gave the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead with a single, and Herrera followed with a two-run opposite-field double down the left field line.

Arizona extended the lead to 5-1 in the fifth inning when Perdomo walked and scored on a bloop double to right by Suarez.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers strung together two-out bloop singles by Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages around an infield hit by Teoscar Hernandez, each producing a run, in a relatively quiet 11-inning uprising that resulted in a 5-2 road victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon.

Baseball’s traditional first half was extended by two innings when Giants pinch hitter Luis Matos smacked a one-out, two-run home run off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott in the last of the ninth, drawing the hosts even at 2-2.

The blown save was the major-league-leading seventh of the season for Scott, who had set the table for Matos when he served up a single to Matt Chapman one batter earlier.

After neither team scored in the 10th, the Giants’ sixth pitcher, Spencer Bivens (2-3), was one out away from stranding two baserunners in the 11th.

Freeman, though, popped a single between four San Francisco defenders in short right-center field, scoring extra-inning automatic runner James Outman.

Hernandez then chopped a ball to the right of first baseman Wilmer Flores, whose off-balance throw one-hopped and got away from Bivens, allowing Shohei Ohtani (intentional walk) to score. Pages followed with a looper down the right field line, bringing home Freeman for a 5-2 lead.

Ben Casparius (7-3), who recorded the last out of the 10th before retiring three straight batters in the bottom of the 11th, was credited with the win.

Until Matos’ heroics, it appeared Yoshinobu Yamamoto had won an All-Star pitchers duel with Robbie Ray.

Rebounding from a disastrous start against the Milwaukee Brewers, Yamamoto shut out the Giants over seven innings, limiting them to three hits while striking out seven and exiting with a 2-0 lead.

The two early Dodgers runs were the products of a Freeman RBI double in the fourth and a solo homer by Miguel Rojas, his fifth of the season, in the fifth.

Ray was pulled after six innings, charged with two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Both he and Yamamoto will be ineligible to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game because they made Sunday starts leading into the game.

Freeman finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Ohtani singled, walked twice and scored twice for the Dodgers, who will take a two-game winning streak into the break.

Matos’ homer and a double by Jung Hoo Lee were the only extra-base hits for the Giants, who were out-hit 6-5.

–Field Level Media

Austin Wynns, Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz each hit two-run homers to help the Athletics to a 6-3 win against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon in West Sacramento, Calif.

Kurtz also doubled and scored for the A’s, who have won three of four heading into the All-Star break.

A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs (8-6) allowed three runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Davis Schneider and Addison Barger homered for the Blue Jays, who have dropped three of four following a 10-game winning streak.

Toronto starter Jose Berrios (5-4) experienced his shortest outing of the season. He allowed four runs and five hits in three innings, striking out one and walking two.

Mason Miller worked a scoreless ninth for his 19th save for the A’s.

Gio Urshela started the second inning by rolling a single just under the glove of Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette. Berrios then hung a curveball to Wynns with one out and he blasted it over the fence in left for a 2-0 lead.

After Kurtz doubled to right to start the third, Soderstrom came up with one out and lined a home run over the fence in center for a 4-0 lead.

Springs retired the first 14 batters in order before Schneider homered to left with two outs in the fifth to cut it to 4-1.

One pitch before, Schneider hit a deep fly that appeared to sail over the left-field foul pole. The ball was ruled foul and the call was upheld after a video review, leading to the ejection of Toronto manager John Schneider.

The A’s put their leadoff batter on base for the fifth straight inning when Toronto reliever Tommy Nance fielded a comebacker from Jacob Wilson and threw it over the head of first baseman Will Wagner for a two-base error to start the fifth.

Justin Bruihl entered the game and immediately served up a two-run homer to Kurtz to make it 6-1.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. collected Toronto’s second hit of the game, a line drive single to center with one out in the seventh, and Barger came through with a two-out two run homer to right, cutting the lead to 6-3 and ending the day for Springs.

–Field Level Media

Jose Fermin hit his first big league homer, a two-run shot, to lift the St. Louis Cardinals past the visiting Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Sunday.

The game was marred by two rain delays totaling more than four hours.

Umpire Brennan Miller ejected Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol in the ninth inning for disputing ball-and-strike calls.

Willson Contreras drove in two runs and Masyn Winn scored twice as the Cardinals avoided a three-game series sweep by the Braves.

St. Louis starter Sonny Gray allowed one run on three hits in three innings before rain halted the game. He struck out five and walked none.

Steven Matz replaced Gray after the first delay and allowed two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Winning pitcher Gordon Graceffo (3-0), Riley O’Brien and Ryan Helsley (19th save) worked after the second delay.

Matt Olson drove in three runs and Michael Harris II scored twice for the Braves.

Braves starter Davis Daniel, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett for this game, allowed one run on two hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out five.

Jesse Chavez (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits and a walk in two innings.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Winn walked, stole second base and scored on Victor Scott II’s infield single.

Gray retired the first eight batters he faced. Then Nick Allen, Jurickson Profar and Olson hit two-out singles in the third inning to tie the game 1-1.

Atlanta pulled ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning. Harris hit a single and went to third on Profar’s single. Profar advanced to second on a throwing error.

Olson stroked a two-run single before the rain returned. After a delay exceeding 2 hours, 40 minutes, the Cardinals tied the game 3-3 in the fifth inning.

Scott walked and went to third on Alec Burleson’s single, then Contreras popped a two-run double down the right field line.

St. Louis moved ahead 5-3 in the sixth inning on a single by Winn and Fermin’s homer.

Atlanta cut its deficit to 5-4 in the seventh inning. Harris hit a leadoff double, went to third on a groundout and came home on Profar’s grounder, which was mishandled by Graceffo for an error.

–Field Level Media

Kansas City rookie Noah Cameron matched a career high with eight strikeouts while pitching into the seventh, but the Royals needed Nick Loftin’s walk-off RBI single in the ninth to win 3-2 over the visiting New York Mets on Sunday.

New York trailed 2-0 entering the ninth against All-Star Royals closer Carlos Estevez (4-2). Ronny Mauricio led off with a liner that left fielder Loftin misread and ended up as a double. Pinch hitter Jeff McNeil followed with an RBI triple that nearly left the park and eventually scored on Jared Young’s sacrifice fly to tie the contest.

However, after rookie Tyler Tolbert singled for just his second career hit and stole second in the Royals’ ninth, Loftin atoned for his defensive gaffe. He sent a pitch from Sean Manaea (0-1) into left field to break the tie and salvage the finale after Kansas City dropped the first two of this set.

Cameron, meanwhile, continued the stellar start to his major-league career since debuting April 30. The left-hander recorded his seventh quality start while yielding seven hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.31 in 12 big-league starts.

New York starter Clay Holmes allowed only John Rave’s two-run double in the second and four other hits, plus a walk, over five innings.

Then Manaea came on in the sixth for his season debut after dealing with a lengthy oblique issue. Despite taking the loss, the left-hander was solid, allowing the one run and five hits while striking out seven without a walk over 3 1/3 innings and 65 pitches.

Kansas City put runners on second and third with one out in the second inning. After the team went 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position through the first two games of the set, Rave laced a double down the right field line that scored the game’s first two runs. The rookie entered the day batting .167 with four RBIs in 34 career games.

The start to Sunday’s contest was delayed a little more than 40 minutes because of rain.

–Field Level Media