Jack Suwinski hit two homers and drove in three runs to power the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Colorado Rockies 5-3 in Denver on Tuesday.

The Pirates won a second straight game for the first time since April 7, breaking a string of 11 games in which they had alternated wins and losses. They have won 10 of their past 15 games.

The Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Kris Bryant hit his second homer in as many days, lining a first-pitch fastball from Vince Velasquez into the left-center-field bleachers. C.J. Cron had an infield single and Ryan McMahon doubled before catcher Elias Diaz drove both in with a two-out double on a 3-2 pitch.

The Pirates got one back in the second inning, on Suwinski’s opposite-field homer to left off Rockies right-hander Jose Urena (0-3), who gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Urena struck out two and walked two.

In the top of the fourth, Pittsburgh put four on the scoreboard. Back-to-back doubles by Connor Joe and Carlos Santana preceded Suwinski’s second homer of the game, a 434-foot shot to right-center. Tucupita Marcano capped the scoring in the inning when he tripled to center and scored on Urena’s wild pitch for a 5-3 lead.

Suwinski now has four homers for the Pirates. He hit one Monday off Colorado infielder Alan Trejo, who was pitching in Pittsburgh’s 14-3 blowout win in the series opener.

On Tuesday, Velasquez (2-2) walked three and struck out seven in six innings. He was charged with three runs on five hits. It was the eighth straight time a Pittsburgh starting pitcher lasted six innings.

Pirates relievers Duane Underwood Jr. and Robert Stephenson each gave up a pair of hits in scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, pitching out of trouble to hold onto the lead before handing things over to closer David Bednar.

Bednar, facing the top of the Colorado order, took a line drive off the thigh while retiring Rockies leadoff man Jurickson Profar. Bednar got Bryant to ground out to second, then gave up a double to Charlie Blackmon before striking out Cron for his fifth save.

–Field Level Media

Chris Bassitt carried a shutout into the seventh inning while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Matt Chapman bashed home runs as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 4-2 Tuesday.

While Bassitt (2-2) continued his incremental progress following a ragged start to his season, Chapman added two more extra-base hits to his robust start. After entering Tuesday tied for the major league lead with 12 extra-base hits, Chapman went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run and ninth double.

Chapman homered two batters after Guerrero gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead with his one-out shot the opposite way to right field in the top of the fourth inning. Guerrero smacked his third home run of the season against Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy (1-1), who fell into a two-run deficit when Chapman cranked a 373-foot blast to right-center with two outs in the frame.

Urquidy faced one batter over the minimum through three innings, benefitting from a dazzling throw from catcher Martin Maldonado that erased Bo Bichette as he attempted to swipe second base with two outs in the first. Urquidy later induced an inning-ending double play from George Springer in the third, but following his woes in the fourth, Urquidy found more trouble in the fifth.

Brandon Belt, Whit Merrifield and Santiago Espinal reached in succession to open the fifth, with Espinal plating Belt with his RBI single. Bichette chased Urquidy with an opposite-field single to right that scored Merrifield and extended the Toronto lead to 4-0.

The Astros fashioned a rally in the eighth behind four singles, including RBI hits from Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. But Toronto closer Jordan Romano snuffed that rally and returned for the ninth, earning his league-leading seventh save by working around a one-out baserunner.

Bassitt surrendered nine runs in his Toronto debut on April 2. Over his subsequent three starts, he has allowed four runs in 18 1/3 innings. He retired the first 11 Astros he faced and worked around a pair of baserunners by getting Tucker to ground out to close the fourth. Bassitt appeared set to complete seven innings but a one-out Espinal fielding error ended his night.

Bassitt allowed three hits and walked one batter while notching five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

After missing a game on Tuesday while on the paternity list, Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts might return to action on Wednesday in a new spot: shortstop.

The Dodgers are thin at shortstop, prompting manager Dave Roberts to ponder the move for Betts, at least part time. Betts played almost exclusively in the outfield from 2015-22, making six All-Star appearances and winning six Gold Gloves, before making a handful of appearances at second base this year.

Los Angeles shortstop Gavin Lux underwent surgery on March 7 to repair two torn ligaments in his right knee, likely ruling him out for the season. Chris Taylor has been the primary option at shortstop in Lux’s absence, but he sustained a left side injury on Monday, leaving him day-to-day.

The Dodgers’ other available shortstop is Miguel Rojas, who is batting .129 (4-for-31) with no RBIs.

Asked on Tuesday about putting Betts at shortstop, Roberts said, “We’ll see.”

The manager added that Betts has been practicing at shortstop.

“He looks extremely natural (there),” Roberts said. “The guy can play anywhere on a baseball field. So I think there was some reservations about him playing second base last year and he quickly put those to bed.”

Roberts admitted that moving Betts to shortstop wouldn’t have been a discussion had Taylor not been hurt.

“I think when you’re talking about a third string at any position, there’s some things that have to happen that you just kind of have to get through,” Roberts said. “Hopefully CT’s thing is minimal and we don’t have that conversation, but I just don’t know. But to have Mookie as your third string at anything — I think teams can be doing a lot worse.”

Betts missed the Dodgers’ Tuesday night game against the visiting New York Mets but is expected to return for the series finale on Wednesday afternoon. He is hitting .266 (17-for-64) with two homers and six RBIs through 17 games this year.

–Field Level Media

Gabriel Moreno hit a three-run homer and scored twice as the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks held off the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 on Tuesday.

Nick Ahmed hit a two-run double for the Diamondbacks, who have won three straight games and eight of their last 11.

Arizona starter Drey Jameson allowed two runs on three hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. Kyle Nelson (3-0), the first of six relievers, earned the victory and Miguel Castro earned his first save.

Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (2-2) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in four innings.

Willson Contreras hit two homers and drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who lost for the fourth time in their last six games.

Paul Goldschmidt’s first-inning homer put the Cardinals up 1-0.

Tyler O’Neill hit a double and Dylan Carlson and Taylor Motter drew walks in the second inning. With two outs, Lars Nootbaar reached on an infield single to put the Cardinals up 2-0.

Arizona cut its deficit in half in the third inning as Moreno hit a double and scored on a single by Josh Rojas.

The Diamondbacks surged ahead 7-2 in the fourth inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off with a single, Christian Walker hit an RBI double and Evan Longoria hit a single to put runners at the corners.

Jake McCarthy reached on a fielder’s choice grounder as the Cardinals caught Walker off third base, but they botched the rundown as Walker retreated to the bag.

Ahmed doubled to drive in two runs, then Moreno hit his three-run homer.

The Cardinals cut their deficit to 7-3 in the sixth inning, when O’Neill hit a single and scored on Carlson’s double.

The Diamondbacks answered in the seventh inning with singles by Rojas, Gurriel and Longoria to make it 8-3. Contreras’ solo homer in the bottom of the inning cut that deficit to 8-4.

St. Louis got within a run in the ninth inning. Nootbaar walked, Goldschmidt hit a double, Alec Burleson hit an RBI groundout and Contreras smacked a two-run homer.

–Field Level Media

Lucas Giolito and three relievers combined on a one-hit shutout and Jake Burger hit a three-run home run to help the host Chicago White Sox defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Tuesday to earn a doubleheader split.

Rebounding from a 7-4 loss in the opener, Chicago prevailed in a pitchers’ duel that lasted 2 hours, 9 minutes. Phillies pitching limited the White Sox to three hits.

Giolito started the game with six strong innings before yielding to Kendall Graveman, Aaron Bummer and Reynaldo Lopez.

Bummer allowed Philadelphia’s lone hit of the night, Brandon Marsh’s double leading off the eighth. Lopez recorded the final four outs, including three by strikeout, to notch his third save. He started the outing by fanning pinch hitter J.T. Realmuto to end the eighth, stranding Marsh at third base.

Giolito (1-1) allowed one baserunner through the first five innings, walking Kyle Schwarber with two outs in the first. Despite his effectiveness, the right-hander still struggled with efficiency, needing 86 pitches to complete five innings.

Giolito hit Garrett Stubbs with a pitch to open the sixth but recovered to finish the inning without surrendering a hit. Giolito scattered one walk and seven strikeouts while throwing 102 pitches.

Burger, the White Sox third baseman, drilled a three-run home run with one out in the first inning to provide all the offense the White Sox needed. Burger has smacked four of his team-high-tying five home runs on Chicago’s current seven-game homestand. He returned to form after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 1 of the twin bill.

Phillies left-hander Bailey Falter (0-3) recovered to retire 16 of the next 17 men he faced after allowing Burger’s home run. Philadelphia erased Chicago’s only runner during that span on the basepaths, picking off Elvis Andrus following a walk to lead off the second inning.

Falter, who hadn’t worked more than 5 1/3 innings in three previous starts this season, pitched a career-best seven innings. He scattered three runs and three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott went 0-for-4, ending his season-opening 17-game hitting streak that set a new modern-era franchise record.

–Field Level Media

Marcus Semien’s three-run homer headlined a five-run sixth inning, which powered the visiting Texas Rangers to a 12-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Semien’s home run — his fourth of the season and third in as many games — capped the scoring in the decisive inning. Robbie Grossman opened the sixth with the first of seven consecutive Rangers hits before Kansas City recorded an out, cutting down Travis Jankowski at the plate after Nathaniel Lowe ripped a single to center.

Sandy Leon drove in Grossman and Ezequiel Duran to start the outburst, the fourth of four straight Texas singles off Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez was pulled after giving up the subsequent Semien blast, finishing his night with five runs on five hits and no outs recorded.

Semien scored again in the eighth inning, when Texas added another four runs — three coming from Adolis Garcia’s home run. Leon scored earlier in the inning thanks to Lowe’s sacrifice fly.

Semien finished the night 2-for-3 and drew a pair of walks. Duran went 2-for-5, and Jankowski went 2-for-4 to improve his batting average to .333.

Josh Jung extended his hitting streak to seven games, going 1-for-4 with a walk. He scored in the fourth inning when Duran drove him in after he had stolen second. The swipe was Jung’s first of the season.

The additional run support from the sixth inning ensured Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (2-2) the win. Eovaldi went six innings, striking out five and giving up seven hits and two runs.

Kansas City got on the board in the first inning thanks to Bobby Witt Jr.’s leadoff triple and MJ Melendez’s sacrifice fly.

The Royals tried to keep pace after starter Brad Keller (2-2) allowed three runs on three hits and five walks. Michael Massey hit a single in the fourth and scored on Kyle Isbel’s fielder’s choice, but the resulting 3-2 deficit was as close as Kansas City got.

The loss marks the Royals’ eighth in their last nine games.

–Field Level Media