This is the time of the season when a hug can set off alarm bells.

The Minnesota Twins will try their best to avoid distractions when they face the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon in the teams’ final game before the trade deadline.

On Tuesday night, Twins closer Jhoan Duran sparked a social-media firestorm when he was spotted giving a hug to the team’s bullpen catcher. Fans quickly speculated that the gesture meant that Duran had been told that he was traded.

Fans’ fears subsided almost as quickly once reports emerged that Duran still was on the Twins and that no trade was imminent.

The Twins hope to produce more runs — and avoid any ominous dugout embraces — when they meet the Red Sox in the decisive contest of a three-game set. Minnesota won the series opener 5-4 on Monday before falling 8-5 on Tuesday.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora hopes that his team’s offensive production will continue. He praised several of his hitters, including Trevor Story, for their recent approach at the plate.

Story will try to stay hot after he went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs on Tuesday night. He has 16 homers and a team-best 64 RBIs on the season.

“Solid season,” Cora said. “It didn’t look that way before we went to Milwaukee, and he turned it around. He’s actually one of the best offensive shortstops in the big leagues right now.”

Jarren Duran has provided a spark, too. The Boston outfielder contributed a double and a homer in the Tuesday win while batting third in the lineup for the third day in a row.

“The last month, if you look at it, I think it’s like .950 OPS (for Jarren Duran),” Cora said. “He’s getting on base. Hitting the ball all over the place.

“He’s in a good spot. We like this lineup, we really do.”

Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (2-2, 4.97 ERA) will try to subdue Boston’s lineup. Matthews is coming off his best start of the season, when he fired six scoreless innings on Friday against the Washington Nationals. He allowed two hits, walked none and struck out seven.

Matthews has made one career start against the Red Sox. He gave up one run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings during a no-decision on Sept. 22, 2024.

Boston will counter with Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA). The 26-year-old right-hander will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat after dropping his past two starts to the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In two career starts against Minnesota, Bello is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He didn’t get a decision vs. Minnesota on May 2 after permitting one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Twins’ lineup will not be at full strength after the team placed All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton on the injured list because of soreness in his left ribcage. Carlos Correa also is uncertain for the series finale after leaving the Tuesday game because he felt light-headed.

Other players including Jhoan Duran, Joe Ryan, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Danny Coulombe will try to avoid distractions with their names mentioned in trade rumors.

Coulombe acknowledged that the next couple days might feature a lot of uncertainty.

“It’s impossible not to (think about it),” the left-handed reliever said. “Your life gets flipped upside down. You’re with a different team, new city, new teammates — not to mention all the logistical parts for wives and families. It’s definitely unsettling.”

–Field Level Media

Chris Paddack suddenly finds himself with the American League Central leaders, and the Detroit Tigers have high hopes for him.

Paddack, a 29-year-old right-hander, was acquired by Detroit from the Minnesota Twins on Monday. He will make his Tigers debut in the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon, with Detroit vying for a sweep.

The Tigers announced on Monday that Reese Olson would miss at least the remainder of the regular season due to a shoulder injury. The front office made a swift move to replace Olson in the rotation.

“One of the things I wanted to emphasize to him is that we believe in him,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We believe he can help us win. I told him the only people who walk into our clubhouse are guys who we think can help us win. We’re excited to get him.”

Statistically, Paddack (3-9, 4.95 ERA) has much to prove. He has delivered only five quality starts — going at least six innings while permitting three earned runs or fewer — in 21 outings this season.

“We’re going to push him to be better,” Hinch said. “Just like we do all of our players. We have a great clubhouse and we’re welcoming him with open arms. I wanted him to know that.”

Paddack’s latest start was promising. He held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run and four hits in six innings on July 23, striking out eight without issuing a walk.

In his previous two outings, Paddack allowed 11 runs and 19 hits across 10 innings. He is 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA in nine career starts against Arizona.

Right-hander Ryne Nelson (6-2, 3.29 ERA), Paddack’s mound opponent on Wednesday, has posted four quality starts in his past five outings. Nelson has only allowed one run and five hits combined in his past two starts, spanning 12 innings.

He limited the Pittsburgh Pirates to one hit in six scoreless innings on Friday. Nelson is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA in two career outings against Detroit.

The Diamondbacks got very good news on Tuesday regarding Eugenio Suarez, one of the most talked-about players ahead of the Thursday trade deadline. The slugging third baseman was hit by a pitch in the series opener on Monday. A CT scan and MRI exam revealed no fractures on the right index finger that was struck by Will Vest’s fastball.

Suarez sat out on Tuesday but could be in the lineup on Wednesday if he’s not dealt to a contender by that point.

“I’ve been traded three times in my career, but never in the middle of the season,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or where I’m going.

“When you have a trade in the offseason, everything is different because you start from the beginning. Now, in the middle of the season, you don’t know where you are going. You don’t know what’s going to be your role or whatever. That’s why I try not to think too much about it.”

The Tigers have won three straight, including the first two games of the current series. They pounded out 11 extra-base hits in a 12-2 thumping of the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Arizona’s seventh defeat in eight games.

–Field Level Media

Andrew Vaughn hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs to back a strong start from Quinn Priester, who won his ninth consecutive decision in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 9-3 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

Priester (10-2) allowed two runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Aaron Ashby yielded one run over the remaining 3 1/3 innings to earn his second save as the Brewers moved two games ahead of the Cubs in the National League Central by winning the first two games of the series.

Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio had two hits but exited due to a right hamstring spasm.

Nico Hoerner led the Cubs with three hits, including a solo homer. Colin Rea (8-5) gave up four runs on eight hits in four-plus innings.

Padres 7, Mets 1

Manny Machado clouted a three-run homer to cap a five-run seventh inning that lifted San Diego past visiting New York.

Wandy Peralta (5-1) pitched a scoreless sixth to claim the win in relief as the Padres earned their fourth straight victory. Jackson Merrill had two hits and two RBIs.

The Mets lost right fielder Juan Soto to a left foot contusion in the fourth inning after he fouled a pitch off his foot. Soto completed his at-bat, grounding out, before departing.

Orioles 16, Blue Jays 4 (Game 1)

Ramon Urias hit two home runs, Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O’Neill each drove in four runs and Jordan Westburg collected four hits, fueling host Baltimore to a romp over Toronto in the opener of a doubleheader.

O’Neill and Henderson both homered, while Henderson, Urias and Ramon Laureano each had three of the Orioles’ 19 hits. Cedric Mullins doubled twice and added two of the team’s five sacrifice flies.

Joey Loperfido homered among his three hits and Addison Barger also went deep for the Blue Jays. Easton Lucas (3-3), recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to make the start, gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Orioles 3, Blue Jays 2 (Game 2)

Adley Rutschman, in his second day back from the injury list, hit a run-scoring double to break an eighth-inning tie as host Baltimore completed a doubleheader sweep of Toronto.

Ramon Laureano had two singles and a walk for Baltimore. Orioles rookie starter Brandon Young worked a career-high six innings and allowed two runs on six hits.

Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer threw five innings and surrendered two runs on five hits. Jeff Hoffman (6-4) gave up one run in his lone inning.

Yankees 7, Rays 5

Cody Bellinger cracked a three-run homer and Anthony Volpe produced two hits and two RBIs as New York rallied to beat visiting Tampa Bay.

Yankees starter Max Fried (12-4) gave up three runs in the first but later set down 14 hitters in a row in his 6 2/3-inning stint. He allowed four hits, four runs (two earned) and two walks while fanning nine.

Joe Boyle (1-1) lasted 3 1/3 innings for the Rays and surrendered four hits and six runs (four earned). Jonathan Aranda poked a home run and scored twice for the Rays, and Jonny DeLuca drove in two runs.

Guardians 10, Rockies 4

Kyle Manzardo knocked in three runs with a pair of homers while Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio contributed two RBIs apiece as Cleveland routed visiting Colorado.

Guardians starter Logan Allen (7-9) matched his career high with a seven-inning outing. He allowed just two runs on eight hits.

Jordan Beck, Michael Toglia and Kyle Farmer cracked solo homers for the Rockies. Tanner Gordon (2-3) went three innings and surrendered eight hits and seven runs (six earned).

Tigers 12, Diamondbacks 2

Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry blasted two-run homers during a six-run fifth inning as host Detroit pounded reeling Arizona.

Greene had three extra-base hits, scored three runs and drove in three for the Tigers. McKinstry knocked in four runs and Wenceel Perez had three hits and scored four times as the Tigers won their third straight.

Detroit’s Brant Hurter (3-3) tossed 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (10-7) permitted seven runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Ketel Marte had two hits and drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of their last eight.

Dodgers 5, Reds 4

Will Smith doubled home James Outman with the go-ahead run with two outs in the ninth inning to rally Los Angeles past host Cincinnati.

Smith finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Former Reds closer Alexis Diaz (1-0) picked up his first Dodgers win and Alex Vesia logged up his fourth save with a scoreless ninth. Shohei Ohtani struck out in his first four at-bats of the night before flying out in the ninth.

Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo struck out a season-high 11 in 5 1/3 innings. The Reds southpaw allowed two runs on six hits in a no-decision.

Phillies 6, White Sox 3

Jesus Luzardo pitched seven shutout innings and Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh homered to lift visiting Philadelphia over Chicago. The blast was Schwarber’s 37th of the season.

Luzardo (9-5) permitted two hits and one walk while striking out four. Trea Turner, Schwarber and Marsh contributed two hits each for the Phillies, who withstood Chicago’s three-run rally in the ninth, punctuated by a two-run blast from Lenyn Sosa.

Sosa and Edgar Quero had two hits apiece for the White Sox, who finished with just five total. Jonathan Cannon (4-8) allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings.

Royals 9, Braves 6

Kyle Isbel’s three-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning while Vinnie Pasquantino homered, doubled and singled as Kansas City beat visiting Atlanta.

Jonathan India had a two-run double and Bobby Witt Jr. recorded two RBI singles as the Royals evened the three-game set with their sixth win in nine games.

Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna homered for the Braves, who removed Ronald Acuna Jr. in the sixth inning with what they described as Achilles tightness. Acuna is headed to the injured list.

Angels 8, Rangers 5

Yoan Moncada hit a two-run, go-ahead single to highlight a four-run sixth inning and Jo Adell went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs to lead Los Angeles past Texas in Anaheim, Calif., for its third straight victory.

Reid Detmers (4-2) threw a scoreless inning of relief before Kenley Jansen pitched a shutout ninth for his 20th save. It marked the third consecutive game Jansen picked up a save, the first Angel since Huston Street in 2016 to accomplish that feat.

Kyle Higashioka went 3-for-4 with two homers and three runs, Wyatt Langford also had three hits and Josh Smith and Marcus Semien each had two hits for the Rangers, who lost their second straight game.

Red Sox 8, Twins 5

Trevor Story went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs and Boston held on for the win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Jarren Duran also doubled and homered for the Red Sox, who evened the series at a victory apiece. Ceddanne Rafaela tripled and drove in a run. Lucas Giolito (7-2) allowed one run on five hits in six innings, and Aroldis Chapman fanned Mickey Gasper on three pitches to record the final out and earn his 19th save.

Brooks Lee went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs to lead the Twins. Starter Pierson Ohl (0-1) allowed four runs on five hits in three innings in his big-league debut.

Marlins 5, Cardinals 0

Sandy Alcantara boosted his trade stock by pitching five strong innings as visiting Miami blanked St. Louis. Alcantara (6-9) held the Cardinals to three hits. He walked three, hit two batters, threw a wild pitch and struck out four.

Graham Pauley hit a two-run homer for the Marlins, who won for the fifth time in the past seven games. Miami’s Xavier Edwards, Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez had two hits each.

Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (10-5) allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings. St. Louis was held to four hits and fanned 10 times.

Astros 7, Nationals 4

Yainer Diaz and Mauricio Dubon recorded three-hit games and Christian Walker delivered a timely two-run single in the sixth inning as Houston defeated visiting Washington. Bennett Sousa (5-0) earned the win in relief, and Josh Hader registered his 28th save.

The Astros snapped a five-game losing skid by piling on against the Nationals’ bullpen, namely Andry Lara. Washington reliever Andrew Chafin (1-1) allowed the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams finished 3-for-4 with a walk and three stolen bases, and Luis Garcia Jr. hit a two-run homer.

Pirates 3, Giants 1

Joey Bart broke an eighth-inning tie with a bases-loaded single and three Pittsburgh pitchers combined on a two-hitter in a win at San Francisco, the Pirates’ fourth straight victory.

In a 1-1 game, Nick Gonzales, Tommy Pham and Ke’Bryan Hayes hit eighth-inning singles against Tyler Rogers (4-3). Bart’s base hit and Liover Peguero’s RBI grounder gave the Pirates a two-run lead.

Pittsburgh reliever Braxton Ashcraft (3-1) fired three perfect innings, and Dennis Santana struck out two of the three batters he faced for his sixth save. Willy Adames homered for the Giants, who have lost five in a row.

Athletics 6, Mariners 1

Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and Luis Severino recorded his first home win of the season as the Athletics defeated Seattle in West Sacramento, Calif.

Shea Langeliers homered and doubled and Miguel Andujar had two doubles and two RBIs as the Athletics won for the fifth time in their past six games. Severino (5-11) gave up one run on five hits over five innings to improve to 1-9 at home.

The Mariners’ Randy Arozarena stole second base in the fourth inning to notch his fifth straight 20-homer, 20-steal season. He is just the 10th player in major league history to have a streak of at least five such seasons.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays have suddenly fallen into a rut.

And while they took one of Baltimore’s players in a trade this week, they haven’t been able to beat the Orioles.

The teams face off again Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a four-game series.

The Blue Jays have dropped four consecutive games after going 8-1 in their first nine games following the All-Star break. The American League East leaders will try to avoid a five-game skid, something they have endured just once this season, back in April.

Baltimore swept a day-night doubleheader 16-4 and 3-2 on Tuesday after winning 11-4 on Monday night.

“Three wins against a really good team in the Blue Jays, yeah, it was fun to be a part of,” Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn said.

Wednesday will be reliever Seranthony Dominguez’s first full day as a member of the Blue Jays after he was traded from Baltimore between games of the doubleheader. The Orioles will miss him for several reasons after they watched him deal a shutout inning for the opposing team in the nightcap.

“He’s an incredible dude,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It’s a leader amongst the Latin players, the American players. A really, really smart, intelligent baseball person. … Toronto, they struck gold on him. We’re going to really miss him.”

Dominguez said he’s “happy to be on a team that’s really good.”

Adding Dominguez resulted in reliever Chad Green being designated for assignment. The Blue Jays might be bracing for more moves the next couple of days.

“Everyone understands the business part of the game,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.

The Wednesday game will end Toronto’s eight-game road trip, which began with three wins in four contests against the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers.

Schneider said the Blue Jays won’t have George Springer available Wednesday as the designated hitter tries to shake off being hit on the helmet by a pitch Monday night. It’s uncertain if Springer will go on the injury list, according to the manager.

Right-hander Jose Berrios (7-4, 3.83 ERA) will make his sixth start of the month for the Blue Jays. He won his past two outings, triumphs over the San Francisco Giants and Detroit, despite surrendering six runs across a total of 11 2/3 innings.

On Opening Day vs. Baltimore, he took a loss by giving up six runs in five innings at home, then had a no-decision against the Orioles on April 13, when he allowed four runs in a five-inning outing. The Orioles homered five times off him in those games, two by Tyler O’Neill and one apiece by Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutschman and rehabbing Ryan Mountcastle.

Berrios is 10-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 18 career starts against Baltimore.

The Orioles will have Dean Kremer (8-7, 4.23 ERA) on the mound. The right-hander has only two decisions in his last six starts, but both of them were victories. He won his season debut against the Blue Jays despite giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings on March 29.

Kremer is 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 12 career matchups (11 starts) vs. Toronto.

In addition to the Dominguez trade that brought back minor league right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown, the Orioles made several other moves on Tuesday. Right-handed reliever Colin Selby (hamstring) went on the 15-day injured list, while righty relievers Elvin Rodriguez and Houston Roth were summoned from Double-A Chesapeake prior to the nightcap.

–Field Level Media

Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. exited the Braves’ 9-6 road loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday with a right Achilles ailment that will force him onto the injured list.

After looking uncomfortable at the plate while getting retired in the third and fifth innings, Acuna unsuccessfully chased Vinnie Pasquantino’s sixth-inning drive that ended up becoming a ground-rule double.

Braves manager Brian Snitker then sent Eli White onto the field to replace Acuna.

“It’s an Achilles thing, it’s going to take a while,” Snitker said postgame. “He’ll go on the IL, and hopefully in 10 days or so it’ll clear up.”

Acuna said the injury occurred Monday when he scored from first base on Austin Riley’s eighth-inning double.

“I’m worried,” Acuna said through an interpreter. “It’s more pain, but … I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it.”

He added that the club asked if he wanted the day off, but he replied, “I’ve missed so much time already through injuries, I didn’t want to miss any more time.”

Acuna, the 2023 National League MVP, was selected to the NL All-Star Team for the fifth time this year.

A torn left anterior cruciate ligament ended Acuna’s 2024 season in late May, and that injury kept him out the first eight weeks of the 2025 season. He tore his right ACL in July 2021.

Through 55 games this year, Acuna is batting .306 with a .429 on-base percentage, .577 slugging percentage, 14 home runs and 26 RBIs.

In eight major league seasons, all with Atlanta, Acuna has a .290/.383/.528 slash line with 179 homers, 443 RBIs and 200 stolen bases.

–Field Level Media

Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and Luis Severino recorded his first home win of the season as the Athletics registered a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night in West Sacramento, Calif.

Shea Langeliers homered and doubled and Miguel Andujar had two doubles and two RBIs as the Athletics won for the fifth time in their past six games.

Severino (5-11) gave up one run on five hits over five innings to win his third straight start. He struck out six and walked two in his 13th home start of the season after entering the contest with a 0-9 record and 6.68 ERA at home.

Three A’s relievers combined to blank the Mariners on one hit over the final four frames. Michael Kelly pitched two perfect innings to end it.

Seattle’s Randy Arozarena stole second base in the fourth inning to notch his fifth straight 20-homer, 20-steal season. He’s just the 10th player in major league history to have a streak of at least five such seasons.

Logan Evans (4-4) allowed six runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings for the Mariners. He struck out seven and walked two.

Julio Rodriguez had two of Seattle’s six hits. The Mariners were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Athletics moved ahead with a four-run third inning.

Lawrence Butler singled with one out and Nick Kurtz was hit by a pitch. Rooker came up and swatted a hanging curveball 410 feet over the fence in left to make it 3-0.

Langeliers followed with a double and scored on Andujar’s two-out double.

Arozarena singled with two outs in the Seattle fourth and stole second — the milestone 20th steal. Jorge Polanco then singled in Arozarena.

There were two outs in the A’s fifth when Langeliers smacked a homer to left center to make it 5-1. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a single and Andujar delivered an RBI double to finish off Evans’ night.

–Field Level Media

Yoan Moncada hit a two-run, go-ahead single to highlight a four-run sixth inning and Jo Adell went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels to their third straight victory, 8-5 over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Reid Detmers (4-2) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief before Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 20th save. It marked the third consecutive game Jansen picked up a save, the first Angel since Huston Street in 2016 to accomplish that feat.

Kyle Higashioka went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three runs, Wyatt Langford also had three hits and Josh Smith and Marcus Semien each had two hits for Texas, which lost its second straight game.

Jon Gray (1-1) was handed the loss in relief, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI bloop single to right by Adell, driving in Zach Neto, who was hit by a pitch. Nolan Schanuel, who had walked, also scored on the play due to a throwing error by Adolis Garcia.

Texas cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth on a solo homer to left by Higashioka. The Angels answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning when Adell led off with a triple into the left field corner and scored on a fielder’s choice.

The Rangers got an RBI single by Garcia in the fifth, then went up 4-3 on an RBI single by Ezequiel Duran in the sixth that also saw Smith score on a throwing error by Taylor Ward.

The Angels then parlayed three hits and three walks into four runs in the sixth against Gray. The rally was highlighted by an RBI double by Gustavo Campero that tied it at 4, followed by Moncada’s two-run, pinch-hit single and an RBI double by Neto.

Higashioka cut the margin to 7-5 in the eighth with his second homer of the night, a 411-foot drive to left-center. But the Angels answered in the bottom of the eighth with a sacrifice fly by Schanuel, driving in Campero.

–Field Level Media