The Oakland Athletics expect manager Mark Kotsay back in the dugout and hope he’ll bring some fresh bats with him when baseball’s losingest team completes a three-game home series against the Houston Astros on Sunday.

Kotsay left the team Saturday to attend his daughter’s high school graduation, and he missed more of the same as the A’s dropped their 10th straight game, 6-3 to the Astros. Oakland hasn’t scored more than three runs in any game in the losing streak.

Interim manager Darren Bush said his experience as the boss felt pretty much like any other day in the 44-loss season.

“It was exciting; don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed it,” Bush noted. “Kots and I talk a lot all the time. Obviously now I don’t have Kots there bouncing ideas off him and going back and forth. But every day, you’re running everything through your head. You’re running all the scenarios through your head. (Saturday) was just another day doing it.”

The A’s were outhit 8-6 in Saturday’s loss but walked four times. They wound up getting 11 opportunities with runners in scoring position; Shea Langeliers, with a two-run single in the eighth, came through with the biggest hit.

Meanwhile, the Astros got only six chances with runners in scoring position, but one chance resulted in a three-RBI double by Alex Bregman as part of a four-run eighth that spelled the difference in the game.

Jeremy Pena scored on Bregman’s big hit and also contributed a two-run homer in the first inning in his return to the lineup after Dusty Baker had opted to go with Mauricio Dubon as Jose Altuve’s double-play partner in the series opener.

“He’s more in rhythm than some of the guys,” Baker said of Pena, insisting the World Series hero’s day off Friday was more of a rest than a benching. “Usually around the 200 at-bat mark, guys find their timing and get in their rhythm. You hope everybody finds that at this point because we’re about one-third of the way through (the season).”

One member of the Astros definitely in a nice rhythm is Sunday’s scheduled starter, right-hander Cristian Javier (5-1, 3.07 ERA), who is unbeaten in four starts in May, going 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA while striking out 29 in 25 innings. He allowed a combined two runs and six hits over 12 innings in his past two starts, which produced wins over the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

The 26-year-old missed the A’s visit last week — a three-game series the Astros swept at home — and has gone just 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA against them in his career over 11 appearances, including eight starts.

After getting an impressive bulk-innings relief effort from Hogan Harris in his second big-league game Saturday, the A’s hope for more of the same from fellow rookie Luis Medina (0-3, 6.45) in a starter’s role in the series finale.

In the wake of a less-than-stellar major-league debut in April in which he allowed seven earned runs in five innings against the Los Angeles Angels, Medina has been consistent in three May starts. He has given up three runs in each while going six innings twice and 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, a 3-2 loss at Seattle on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old has never faced the Astros.

–Field Level Media

Coors Field lived up to its reputation Saturday night with an offensive show despite the New York Mets sending a three-time Cy Young Award winner to the mound.

Tylor Megill doesn’t have Justin Verlander’s resume, but he’ll try to pitch New York to a road-series win against the Colorado Rockies when the right-hander takes the mound Sunday in Denver.

Megill (5-3, 4.32 ERA) will match up against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber (4-4, 6.48) for the second time this month.

The Mets won 5-2 on Friday night, and Colorado answered with a 10-7 win on Saturday night in a game that featured three home runs.

Despite the loss, New York has surged to a winning record over the past two weeks and has received contributions from different players.

Pete Alonso and Francisco Alvarez provided the firepower with a home run apiece on Saturday, but rookie Mark Vientos quietly had a solid game. He had two hits to raise his batting average to .211 and has been platooning with Daniel Vogelbach at designated hitter, so his opportunities since his May 17 call-up have been sporadic.

Vientos said he has been trying to absorb knowledge since joining the Mets.

“I’ve been here for a week-and-a-half, just asking the guys questions and stuff and just watching the game, learning. That’s pretty much it,” Vientos said. “Unfortunately, not playing, but still got to get better in some way and be ready. Because when the opportunity comes, I got to be ready for it.”

Megill usually has a tough act to follow when pitching after Verlander and Max Scherzer. That said, he will be relied upon to hold down the Rockies.

Megill has faced them only once, and that came May 6 in New York. He took the loss after allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Gomber has faced the Mets three times in his career, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in those starts. He got the decision in New York on May 6 after allowing two runs in six innings.

With a win on Sunday, Colorado will finish its homestand with a 5-2 mark. The Rockies have scored five or more runs in their four wins this week and have seen Ryan McMahon start to swing the bat well.

McMahon has home runs in each of the last two games after not going deep since April 21. His two-run shot Saturday put his team ahead for good.

He is 5-for-11 with four RBIs and three runs in the last three games.

“It just feels good to help contribute,” McMahon said after Saturday night’s win. “It’s been a long time coming, been putting in a lot of work, so it feels good to pay off a little bit.”

McMahon and Charlie Blackmon are the two hitters remaining from the last Colorado team to reach the postseason, which happened in 2017 and 2018. McMahon took over at third base after Elehuris Montero struggled and was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque in April.

–Field Level Media

The first two months of the season have been a period of extremes for Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft, who has struggled in his last four starts.

The right-handed Ashcraft (2-3, 5.57 ERA) hopes to return to his early-season form on Sunday when the visiting Reds look to complete a sweep of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

Ashcraft, 25, fared well in his first six starts. He was 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA during that stretch before going 0-3 with a 12.98 ERA in his next four outings. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits — including two homers — over five innings in an 8-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

“We’ll have to continue to dig in and help him figure it out,” Reds manager David Bell said. “There’s zero concern about Graham’s ability to fight through this and get through it. We’re here to help him through it. It’s just a matter of time.

“The main thing is he’s healthy. The (velocity) is there. We just have to help him find a way to make it easier, get some easier outs and not have to work so hard.”

Ashcraft is 0-4 with an 11.88 ERA in four career starts against the Cubs, who have been out-hit by the Reds 31-10 and outscored 17-5 in the first two games of the series.

Chicago has fallen seven games under .500 after losing 10 of its past 13 contests overall.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “I’m sure of that. I think there’s still a lot of potential to be better in a lot of areas. We had some success early on, and kind of hit a little bit of a rut this last month and haven’t really gotten on any kind of roll.”

Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer said the team can’t afford to continue losing ground in the National League Central.

“It’s not early forever,” Hoyer said. “We need to bank some wins.”

The Cubs will send left-hander Drew Smyly (5-1, 2.93) to the mound in the series finale. He won his fifth straight decision on Tuesday, when he yielded two runs on four hits over five innings against the New York Mets.

Smyly, 33, has allowed two or fewer runs in nine straight starts, posting a 2.13 ERA during that stretch.

Jonathan India has two hits in 10 at-bats against Smyly, who is 5-1 with a 3.89 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) vs. Cincinnati.

India had three hits — including two home runs — and matched a career high with five RBIs in the Reds’ victory on Saturday.

“Nights like tonight remind you of how good of a player he is,” Cincinnati third baseman Nick Senzel said. “Nights like tonight, he can carry us to a W.”

Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ each drove in two runs on Saturday for Chicago, which has allowed 27 runs during a three-game skid. The team’s bullpen faltered again on Saturday when Michael Fulmer and Jeremiah Estrada gave up a combined four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

The Cubs soon could receive a much-needed boost from right-handed reliever Codi Heuer, who is close to wrapping up his rehab assignment after having Tommy John surgery in March of last year.

–Field Level Media

The Washington Nationals look for their first series sweep of the year when they visit the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.

For the Nationals franchise, it’s a fortuitous matchup as they have won 15 of 20 previous games against the Royals, including a 5-1 mark as the Montreal Expos from 2002 to 2004. Kansas City has never won a series against Nationals.

The Nationals won 12-10 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday, and they’re looking for their first three-game series sweep since June 14-16, 2021, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Washington left-hander MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.88 ERA) has never faced the Royals nor any of their current hitters.

The Royals starter will be lefty Daniel Lynch in his first start of the season after a left shoulder strain sent him to the injured list in March.

“He is super excited and he feels well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said prior to Saturday’s game. “He’s coming off a really good outing and feels like he is in a good place mentally. All things are positive and we are looking forward to seeing him get out there.”

Lynch made five rehab appearances (four with Triple-A Omaha), most recently throwing six shutout innings on just 61 pitches on May 23.

He has never pitched against Washington, and previous only faced one Nationals hitter, Jeimer Candelario, who has a homer among his three hits in 11 at-bats against Lynch.

Candelario continues to swing a hot bat, hitting .417 (20-for-48) over his past 12 games, including 10 extra-base hits and 10 runs scored.

Lane Thomas remains a leadoff threat, reaching safely in 23 consecutive games, with hits in 21 of those games, batting .326 (31-for-95) and scoring 20 runs. The Nationals were 10-6 when Thomas scored during that span.

While Washington stranded 10 runners during Saturday’s victory and had just two hits in 15 at-bats with runners-in-scoring-position, they have recently made the most of their late-inning opportunities.

Over the last three games the Nationals have rallied from deficits to score 20 runs in the sixth inning or later.

Washington recorded seven straight hits to start the seventh inning, scoring five runs, on Thursday. On Friday, the Nationals then bashed out six hits, four for extra bases, during an eight-run sixth inning. The sixth inning was the charm again on Saturday, when six straight batters reach base on five hits and a walk, leading to four runs.

“I love for our offense to start getting runs early in the game,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “But you start wearing pitchers down a little bit, that third time through the order is key. We’ve been really good at it.”

Corey Dickerson, who homered in the sixth on Friday, doubled for his 1,000th career hit and scored the tying run in the sixth inning Saturday.

The Royals bullpen continues to struggle.

On Saturday, Kansas City surrendered their 18th blown lead loss, including 10 in May. Only the Athletics (19) have more blown lead losses.

Royals relievers have allowed 31 runs over 50 1/3 innings pitched in 11 losses during the past 14 games, and have also allowed 12 runners inherited from starters to score. In their last five losses, the Kansas City bullpen has given up 22 runs in 18 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

A replay review and overturned call helped key a four-run 10th inning that propelled the Miami Marlins to an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.

The Marlins took a 5-4 lead in the 10th and loaded the bases with one out. However, the Angels appeared to get out of the jam on a pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play. On a Marlins review, the catcher’s foot was not on home plate as he fielded the throw. A run scored to make it 6-4, and with the inning extended, Garrett Hampson followed with a two-run single.

Marlins reliever Dylan Floro (3-2) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning. Jaime Barria (1-2) took the loss and was charged with the four runs in the 10th, all unearned.

Jorge Soler hit a two-run blast homer for Miami. He has homered in five consecutive games. Gio Urshela homered, doubled and drove in three runs for the Angels.

Yankees 3, Padres 2 (10 innings)

Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a game-winning single with one out in the 10th inning to lift New York past visiting San Diego.

Kiner-Falefa hit a 2-0 pitch down the left-field line just past the glove of third baseman Rougned Odor to score Greg Allen, who ran for automatic runner Anthony Rizzo.

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the second straight game to account for San Diego’s lone hit off starting pitcher Luis Severino, who allowed two runs (one earned) and one hit in 6 2/3 innings in his home debut after returning Sunday in Cincinnati from a strained right lat.

Twins 9, Blue Jays 7

Willi Castro belted two home runs and had three RBIs as Minnesota held on to defeat visiting Toronto.

Matt Wallner added a solo homer and three RBIs to highlight his first career four-hit game and help the Twins gain a split of the first two contests of the three-game series. Edouard Julien contributed a solo homer and two doubles for Minnesota. Pablo Lopez (3-3) picked up the win after allowing four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Bo Bichette hit a solo homer and recorded four RBIs for Toronto. Daulton Varsho had a two-run shot and Cavan Biggio added a solo homer for the Blue Jays. Right-hander Chris Bassitt (5-4) took the loss after permitting seven runs, nine hits and two walks with five strikeouts in four-plus innings.

Astros 6, Athletics 3

Jeremy Pena homered on the game’s third pitch, Alex Bregman broke open a tight contest with a three-run double in the eighth, and visiting Houston closed in on a second consecutive sweep of Oakland.

The Houston win spoiled a brilliant second major league appearance by A’s left-hander Hogan Harris. Thanks in large part to five shutout innings by Harris in relief of right-hander Austin Pruitt (1-2), Houston led just 2-1 entering the eighth before getting its high-powered offense rolling.

Following a 5-2 win in the series opener Friday, the Astros needed just two batters to go up 2-0 in the rematch as Jose Altuve singled on opener Pruitt’s second pitch, and Pena belted the third over the fence in left-center field.

Dodgers 6, Rays 5

With Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow on the mound, a pitchers’ duel was expected. But the hitting took over, and Freddie Freeman provided a key RBI double and Miguel Vargas belted a home run that rallied Los Angeles to a win over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Freeman, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games, put the Dodgers ahead to stay in the seventh inning. Vargas provided an insurance run with a homer in the eighth. Yency Almonte (3-0) picked up the win in relief, and Colin Poche (3-1) took the loss.

In the ninth inning, the Rays rallied off Caleb Ferguson, who held on for his second save. Taylor Walls doubled with one out, and with two outs, Yandy Diaz walked and Wander Franco floated an RBI single to center. With runners on the corners, Harold Ramirez grounded into a force out, and the Dodgers evened the weekend series at a win apiece.

Tigers 7, White Sox 3

Zach McKinstry and Zack Short homered and drove in two runs apiece as host Detroit downed Chicago.

Spencer Torkelson doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh for the Tigers. Detroit starter Michael Lorenzen set down the first 17 batters he faced. He was charged with two unearned runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Gavin Sheets had a three-run double for the White Sox. Starter Jesse Scholtens gave up two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Phillies 2, Braves 1

Right-hander Zack Wheeler continued his dominance over Atlanta, throwing eight scoreless innings to lead visiting Philadelphia to a win.

The Phillies have won the last two games in the four-game series between the National League East rivals after the Braves won the series opener. Wheeler (4-4) pitched a season-high eight innings and allowed three hits, one walk, one hit batsman and a season-high 12 strikeouts. Craig Kimbrell allowed one run in the ninth inning, but he still earned his seventh save with two strikeouts.

Atlanta starter Charlie Morton (5-5) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, a season-high four walks and nine strikeouts. Four Atlanta relievers combined for four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning six.

Mariners 5, Pirates 0

Luis Castillo allowed one hit over six scoreless innings as Seattle defeated visiting Pittsburgh.

Leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double and scored twice as the Mariners won for the fifth time in their past six games. Castillo (4-2) struck out a season-high 10, issued two bases on balls and hit one batter with a pitch.

The Pirates’ Vince Velasquez (4-4), making his first appearance since May 4 after a stint on the injured list with elbow inflammation, lasted just two innings due to his elbow acting up. Velasquez gave up four runs on seven hits, with one walk and three strikeouts.

Rockies 10, Mets 7

Ryan McMahon homered among his two hits, Jurickson Profar tripled to extend his on-base streak to 34 games and Colorado beat New York in Denver.

Nolan Jones, Elias Diaz, Harold Castro and Randal Grichuk also had two hits, Justin Lawrence (2-2) got the win in relief and Pierce Johnson earned his 11th save for the Rockies.

Pete Alonso and Francisco Alvarez homered and had two hits each, and Jeff McNeil and Mark Vientos also had two hits for New York.

Nationals 4, Royals 2

CJ Abrams’ two-run double rallied Washington to a win over host Kansas City.

One day after scoring eight runs in the sixth inning in a come-from-behind victory, the Nationals again rebounded from a sixth-inning deficit, scoring four as Abrams’ bases-loaded double broke a 2-2 tie. Mason Thompson (3-2), the first of four Nationals relievers, earned the win with two scoreless innings.

The Royals opened the scoring on a two-out wild pitch in the first inning, and Salvador Perez made it 2-0 in the third with a solo shot to left, his 12th home run of the season and ninth in May. Josh Taylor (1-3) took the loss.

Rangers 5, Orioles 3

Andrew Heaney gave up one run and four hits over seven innings to help Texas beat host Baltimore for its fourth straight win.

In his longest start of the season, Heaney (4-3) walked one and struck out three. Jonah Heim, Marcus Semien and Leody Taveras had two hits apiece for the Rangers, who won Friday’s series opener, 12-2. Semien had two RBIs.

Austin Hays homered for the Orioles. Dean Kremer pitched 6 1/3 innings, but allowed five hits and a pair of walks, leading to three earned runs. Kremer (5-2) entered the contest with a 3-0 record and 1.96 ERA in the month of May.

Reds 8, Cubs 5

Jonathan India had three hits and matched his career highs of two home runs and five RBIs as visiting Cincinnati beat Chicago.

Buck Farmer (1-3) tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory. The Cubs brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning before Alexis Diaz struck out Ian Happ for his 11th save. TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Tyler Stephenson had two hits apiece for the Reds.

Dansby Swanson and Happ each drove in two runs for Chicago, which has lost three straight. The Cubs took an early lead on Happ’s run-scoring double in the first inning against Brandon Williamson, who was making his third career start.

Cardinals 2, Guardians 1 (10 innings)

Brendan Donovan scored on a passed ball by Cleveland catcher David Fry in the top of the 10th inning as visiting St. Louis prevailed.

Donovan, the automatic runner, stole third base and with one out, Guardians reliever Nick Sandlin’s breaking ball handcuffed Fry and rolled away far enough for Donovan to race home. Donovan also supplied the Cardinals’ first run with a home run in the second inning.

Ryan Helsley (3-3) was credited with the victory after pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while Sandlin (2-2) took the loss. Giovanny Gallegos pitched a perfect bottom of the 10th for St. Louis to record his sixth save.

Red Sox 2, Diamondbacks 1

Garrett Whitlock tossed five strong innings in his return from a near-five-week absence due to an elbow injury, lifting Boston to a victory over Arizona in Phoenix.

Whitlock (2-2) picked up the win after allowing one run on three hits while striking out four without walking a batter. He retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Zach Davies (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Boston’s Enrique Hernandez had an RBI single and Reese McGuire drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt during the fourth inning. Arizona’s Ketel Marte belted a solo homer in the first inning to extend his career-best on-base streak to 26 games.

Giants 3, Brewers 1

Mitch Haniger hit a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to help San Francisco knock off host Milwaukee.

After the Brewers tied the game in the seventh inning, J.D. Davis singled and Haniger launched a shot to straightaway center field off the batter’s eye. It was the first home run allowed by Milwaukee setup man Peter Strzelecki (2-4) this season.

Winning pitcher Logan Webb (4-5) went seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts. Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 14th save.

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers look to avoid a four-game series sweep when they face the visiting San Francisco Giants for the final time this season on Sunday afternoon.

The Giants have taken the first three games of this set by notably limiting the Brewers to just two total runs in 5-0, 15-1 and 3-1 victories.

On Saturday afternoon, it was Logan Webb shutting down the Brewers, going seven strong innings while allowing just one run and striking out 11. A Mitch Haniger two-run home run in the eighth gave San Francisco all it needed to win.

“We’re facing some adversity, not collectively swinging the bats well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after the loss on Saturday. “It’s frustrating for the offense understandably, and it puts more pressure on our pitching. We just need to keep having good at-bats and keep working, the runs will come.”

Conversely, the Giants are playing their best baseball. San Francisco is 16-9 in May, above .500 for the first time all season and most notably, has won 10 of its previous 12 games.

“When you have a guy like Haniger start to really drive the baseball consistently, it makes our lineup really deep,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “It’s really encouraging that we can do damage up and down the lineup.”

The Brewers’ struggling offense doesn’t get any favors on Sunday against Giants starter Alex Cobb, who is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA, fourth best in all of baseball.

Cobb has started 10 games, totaling 58 innings and striking out 52 while walking just 14. He started against Milwaukee on May 6 and dominated, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing five hits and striking out five to pick up the victory. He’s 2-1 with an 0.64 ERA in four starts against the Brewers.

Cobb will oppose against Brewers starter Colin Rea, who is 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA, but picked up his first win as a starter since 2016 in his last outing against Houston.

The right-hander entered the rotation when Brandon Woodruff went down with injury in April and will make his eighth start and ninth appearance. His last start was arguably his best, pitching 5 1/3 shutout innings against the reigning World Series champions while striking out four.

The Giants have had the Brewers’ number this season, currently 5-1 against the NL Central leaders after winning two of three in the first week of May in San Francisco.

Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, who was struck in the head by a foul ball in Friday’s game, was resting at home after being discharged from the hospital on Saturday morning.

Adames was placed on the 7-day concussion IL and was replaced on the roster by infielder Andruw Monasterio.

–Field Level Media

Left-hander Cody Bradford will look to redeem himself while filling in for one of the Rangers’ most consistent arms when Texas faces the host Baltimore Orioles on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.

Bradford (0-1, 10.80 ERA) was not expected to be Sunday’s starter, but the Rangers placed right-hander Dane Dunning on the paternity list on Saturday afternoon and called up the 25-year-old from Triple-A Round Rock.

Dunning was on a roll in the month of May, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. Bradford will look to fill that void when he toes the rubber in his second career major league start.

Bradford is looking to improve upon his debut, when he gave up six runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings against the Atlanta Braves on May 15. He has seen plenty of success in Round Rock, though, where he is 6-1 with a 0.99 ERA in eight starts this season.

“It’s tough debuting against this ball club,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said after Bradford pitched against Atlanta. “But he battled, gave us five innings. It’s always good to get your first start. He’ll learn from this.”

Orioles starter Kyle Bradish (2-1, 4.34) will also be looking for redemption on Sunday. Though he has made significant strides after a 2022 campaign that saw him post a 4.90 ERA in 23 starts, Bradish struggled in his outing against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings.”

“Obviously, didn’t have great command,” Bradish said. “Wasn’t throwing my slider for strikes. But I got through five (innings) and kept us in the ballgame. It’s a tough loss because we jumped out to an early lead. It was definitely a grind.”

Despite that recent lapse, Bradish has been strong this season, allowing three runs or fewer in six of his eight starts.

That said, going against “a dangerous offensive team,” as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde described Texas, could present a challenge for Bradish.

“They’ve got some good veteran players,” Hyde said. “(We’ve) seen Corey Seager a lot in (Los Angeles) and we’ve seen (Marcus) Semien a ton. I like some of their young players too. It’s a good starting pitching staff and they score a bunch of runs.”

Texas averages 6.41 runs per game, the most in the major leagues, and the Rangers put their offense on full display in Friday’s 12-2 victory over Baltimore. Texas followed that performance up with a 5-3 win on Saturday to improve to 33-18, their best start through 51 games in franchise history.

“That’s great,” Bochy told Bally Sports Southwest. “It’s a start though. You have to tell yourself that. We have a lot of baseball (left). These guys are playing so well right now.”

However, come Sunday, Baltimore will be doing everything it can to try and cool the Rangers off and get back on track as it continues its nine-game road trip.

“We’ve played better games than the last two, for sure,” Hyde said. “But these things are going to happen. … We’ve got to play a little bit better.”

–Field Level Media

Former Minnesota Twins right-hander Jose Berrios will try to help the visiting Toronto Blue Jays take the rubber match of a three-game series against his former team Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Berrios (4-4, 4.22 ERA) will make his fifth start against the Twins since they traded him to Toronto July 30, 2021. He is 2-1 with a 5.01 ERA against Minnesota.

After winning the series opener 3-1 Friday night despite sloppy baserunning, the Blue Jays had their comeback fall short in a 9-7 loss on Saturday.

Willi Castro hit a two-run homer and a solo shot for Minnesota and Matt Wallner had a career-best four-hit game that included a homer and a two-run single.

Toronto lost center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (back discomfort) after two innings Saturday. He appeared to be uncomfortable after making a throw in the second inning and is considered day-to-day.

“It tightened up a little on that throw,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “With Kev and how important he is to us, we wanted to be safe and make sure we didn’t make anything worse.”

Kiermaier, known for his ability to scale walls to make catches, may have been missed in the fifth inning.

Minnesota hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead, both barely clearing the wall in center. Daulton Varsho, who moved from left field to replace Kiermaier in center, nearly made leaping catches on both.

On Castro’s two-run shot, Varsho had the ball bounce out of his glove as he hit the wall and then the ball hit the top of the wall before going over.

Wallner followed with a homer to left center that went off Varsho’s glove as he reached over the wall.

“It’s just one of those things where it’s an all-or-nothing play,” Varsho said. “It was in my glove and then I hit the wall and it bounced out. Both times. It’s one of those things where you live and die by it.”

A series win would provide a needed boost for the Blue Jays, who have three wins in their past 13 games and are playing subpar fundamental baseball. The Twins need a win Sunday to complete a six-game homestand with a split.

Minnesota is scheduled to start right-hander Bailey Ober (3-1, 2.55), who is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in two previous career starts against Toronto, both in 2021.

Castro, who had his first career multi-homer game, and Wallner, who added an outfield assist to his three RBIs, are examples of Minnesota players taking advantage of opportunities created by recent injuries. So are Edouard Julien, who had two doubles and a homer, and Alex Kirilloff, who had two singles and an RBI groundout.

Other than Castro, all have spent time in Triple-A St. Paul this season.

“When you call guys up, you’re looking for them to help you win a game and then they just take over the game and do that, that’s a bonus,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “These guys, they’re good players. We know that. We knew we’re going to rely on them at some point in the year and that time is now.”

Julien, born in Quebec City, grew up following the Blue Jays.

“Felt great, and especially to do it in front of Toronto, all these fans, and to do it against Toronto,” Julien said.

-Field Level Media

The Tampa Bay Rays have reached the century mark in home runs and are within three runs scored of the major league lead.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the most wins and the most runs scored in the National League, have two of the top offensive weapons in the sport in Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

Betts and Freeman each had RBIs in the seventh inning on Saturday in the Dodgers’ 6-5 win over the Rays, evening the interleague series at 1-1 ahead of Sunday morning’s deciding game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“We just came up short there at the end,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after his team scored one run in the ninth but stranded the potential tying and winning runs at third and first.

Harold Ramirez connected on the Rays’ 100th team homer earlier in the game.

In the finale, the Dodgers will go with rookie right-hander Gavin Stone (0-0, 10.13 ERA) in his third big league start.

The Rays have yet to announce a starter and are expected to make it a bullpen game.

A fifth-round pick from Central Arkansas in 2020, Stone made his major league debut on May 3 against the Phillies, and the 24-year-old keeps drawing tough assignments since being promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City. He faced the Braves in his second start, making the Rays his second straight first-place opponent.

Stone went four innings in each of his first two starts, and he has given up 10 total runs (nine earned).

“This is a dream come true,” Stone said in a Dodgers’ radio interview. “Every day is a new opportunity, and I’m so thankful that the Dodgers have given me one.”

At Triple-A, Stone made eight starts, sporting a 2-2 record and 4.04 ERA in 35 2/3 innings.

As part of his preparation for Sunday, Stone has been observing the Rays during batting practice.

“The more you can see hitters, the better,” Stone said. “If I can see them in BP, it gives me a little bit of better chance out there on the field Sunday.”

Rated as the Dodgers’ fourth-best prospect by MLB.com, Stone is maintaining his between-starts routine as he transitions to the majors.

“It’s the same stuff as in the minors,” Stone said. “With my routine, you’ve got to stick with your plan and your workouts, and your progressions. Just sticking to a routine is huge. I think the Dodgers really help outlining that for us.”

Facing the high-powered Rays is a challenge for any pitcher, of course.

“I’ve always said that this team is capable of doing anything,” Rays center fielder Jose Siri said through an interpreter. “We have home runs. We can run. We play defense. We’re able to do everything.”

The Dodgers witnessed that in Friday’s 9-3 loss. Siri and Yandy Diaz each homered and the Rays stole four bases.

“Everyone’s just doing their part,” Diaz said through an interpreter. “Everyone’s just doing the little things, and then when everyone’s doing the little things, it turns into something big.”

–Field Level Media

After the series finale in Cleveland against the Guardians on Sunday afternoon, the worn-out but resurgent St. Louis Cardinals will finally head home again.

There will still be two games left in the Cardinals’ current marathon stretch of 19 games in 19 days, but at least those will be at home against the Kansas City Royals before two days off beginning May 31. They’ve only had seven games in St. Louis since that slog began after their last day off on May 11.

Hunter Gaddis (1-1, 5.26 ERA), a 25-year-old rookie, will make his third start of the season, aiming to hold onto his place in Cleveland’s rotation as the Guardians await the impending return of injured starters Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie.

Gaddis is coming off his best performance of the season, having earned the win in Cleveland’s 3-0 win Monday against the Chicago White Sox by throwing six scoreless, two-hit innings.

“Every pitch, I have a tendency to kind of go into cruise mode,” Gaddis told reporters after that game. “So I was paying attention to myself, how I was going out every pitch, and I was just reminding myself to stay focused.”

St. Louis will send left-hander Jordan Montgomery (2-6, 4.55) to oppose Gaddis.

Montgomery was 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts after arriving in St. Louis in 2022 in a trade with the New York Yankees. He remains one of the Cardinals’ most reliable starters, although he hasn’t pitched into the sixth inning over his last three starts.

Montgomery faced the Guardians twice as a member of the Yankees with mixed results. Against Cleveland, he has a 4.34 ERA over 18 2/3 career innings and struck out 25, but has surrendered nine earned runs in those outings.

And Montgomery comes in on an up-and-down stretch of recent form. He opened the season with wins in his first two starts, but is winless in his past eight appearances. He gave up four runs in just four innings in his last start, a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

“It’s tough to keep the ball in the park here,” Montgomery said after that game. “I tried to keep them on the ground. Tonight was just kind of grindy.”

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Montgomery: “His pitch count was kind of up there tonight. Not the type of finish with his pitches. Didn’t look as crisp as he has.”

At the plate, the two teams couldn’t be trending more differently.

The Cardinals, since falling to 11-24 on May 7, were averaging 6.43 runs per game, a .483 slugging percentage and an .829 OPS — all tops in the National League over the period.

The Guardians continue to struggle to score, especially at home, where they are averaging just 2.9 runs per game this season.

Cleveland beat St. Louis 4-3 on Friday in the series opener before falling 2-1 when the Cardinals scored on a passed ball in the 10th inning on Saturday.

-Field Level Media