Orioles defeat the Yankees to take a one game lead in the AL East

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dean Kremer pitched seven innings of two-run ball, Adley Rutschman extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the New York Yankees 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Baltimore won the first two games of a four-game series between the AL East’s top teams and opened a one-game AL East lead, the largest this season for the defending division champion.

Juan Soto hit a 447-foot homer and Austin Wells also had a solo drive for the Yankees, which has lost four of six and scored just two runs in the series.

Kremer (2-2) matched his longest outing this season, allowing four hits and striking out four. While he surrendered Wells’ leadoff homer in the third and Soto’s sixth-inning drive onto Eutaw Street beyond the right-field wall, he also induced three double-play grounders.

Jacob Webb recorded four outs — including striking out Aaron Judge to end the eighth — for his first bug league save.

CARDINALS 2, TIGERS 1, 1ST GAME

TIGERS 11, CARDINALS 6, 2ND GAME

DETROIT (AP) — Wenceel Pérez hit homers from both sides of the plate, including a tiebreaking blast in the fifth inning, to help Detroit beat St. Louis 11-6 Tuesday to split a doubleheader.

In the opener, Jack Flaherty tied an American League record with seven straight strikeouts to start a game and struck out a career-high 14 before St. Louis rallied against a usually strong bullpen with a two-run ninth inning to beat Detroit 2-1.

The Tigers went ahead again in the second game and pulled away with a four-run seventh.

Perez hit a right-handed, opposite-field solo shot in the second inning off Steven Matz and a left-handed, two-run homer against Ryan Fernandez to put Detroit ahead 7-5.

The 24-year-old Dominican became the first rookie to clear the fences for the franchise hitting right and left handed in the same game since Raúl Casanova in 1996, and the first Tiger with any level of experience to do it since Victor Martinez in 2018.

Perez hit a homer for the first time in the majors on Sunday in his 16th game.

Tyler Holton (2-0) allowed a run in one inning in relief of Matt Manning. Kyle Leahy (0-1) took the loss after giving up two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.

ROYALS 4, BLUE JAYS 1

TORONTO (AP) — Michael Massey hit a two-run home run, Cole Ragans struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings, and Kansas City beat Toronto to snap a three-game losing streak.

Bobby Witt Jr. reached base three times and drove in a run as the Royals improved to 17-11 in April. It’s the most victories Kansas City has had in a month since going 17-9 in June 2017.

Ragans (2-2) allowed one run and four hits. The left-hander left because of cramping in his left calf after walking consecutive batters. John Schreiber came on and retired Cavan Biggio to end the inning.

Schreiber got four outs and right-hander James McArthur finished for his seventh save in eight chances.

Toronto’s Davis Schneider hit a one-out single in the second but Royals right fielder Hunter Renfroe threw Schneider out at second base as he tried to extend his hit. Renfroe leads the major leagues with 67 outfield assists since 2017.

RED SOX 4, GIANTS 0

BOSTON (AP) — Rookie Wilyer Abreu had a single, double and his first career triple, Cooper Criswell pitched five scoreless innings and Boston beat San Francisco for their major league-leading sixth shutout.

Abreu, who finished a homer shy of hitting for the cycle, helped Boston win its third straight. Jarren Duran singled in his first three at-bats and drove in a run and Rob Refsnyder had a pair of RBI singles as the Red Sox quickly ended to Giants ace Logan Webb’s streak of 19 straight scoreless innings.

San Francisco finished with just four hits to match a season low and was shut out for the second time this year.

MARLINS 7, ROCKIES 6, 10 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) — Dane Myers hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning as Miami overcame a five-run deficit and beat Colorado, making the Rockies the first team since 1900 to trail in each of its first 29 games.

Miami (7-24) bounced back from a 5-0 first-inning deficit by scoring five times in the ninth, then rallied from down 6-5 in the 10th and ended a seven-game losing streak.

The Rockies (7-22) had lost Sunday and joined the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only teams to trail in each of their first 28 games.

Colorado never was behind until after the final pitch.

Backed by a 5-0 first-inning lead, Adam Feltner entered the ninth trying for his first professional complete game but allowed Vidal Bruján’s leadoff single, hit Christian Bethancourt with a pitch, then gave up Luis Arraez’s RBI double.

Justin Lawrence relieved and walked Bryan De La Cruz, gave up Dane Myers’ two-run single, forced in a run when he hit Jesús Sánchez with a pitch with the bases loaded and allowed Emmanuel Rivera’s sacrifice fly.

Ryan McMahon’s RBI double against Tanner Scott (1-4) put the Rockies ahead 6-5 in the 10th, but De La Cruz had a run-scoring double off Jalen Beeks (2-2) in the bottom half and scored when Myers’ grounded an opposite-field single to right. Hunter Goodman made a one-hop throw to the plate but the ball bounced out of Elias Díaz’s mitt as De La Cruz slid into the catcher.

METS 4, CUBS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — DJ Stewart hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning Tuesday night, lifting the New York Mets to a win over the Chicago Cubs.

Stewart, whose roster spot could have been in jeopardy with the activation of J.D. Martinez last week and the return Tuesday of Starling Marte from the bereavement list, had just three hits in his previous 23 at-bats before homering into the second deck in right field against Adbert Alzolay (1-3) to give New York a 4-1 lead.

Stewart gazed toward the home dugout before flipping his bat like a baton upon beginning his trot.

Sean Reid-Foley (1-0) tossed a hitless sixth. Jorge López earned his second save after giving up a run in the ninth, when Mike Tauchman doubled and scored on a groundout by pinch-hitter Matt Mervis.

Pete Alonso had a sacrifice fly in the first for the Mets before Miguel Amaya tied the score with a sacrifice fly in the second.

RANGERS 7, NATIONALS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jon Gray retired 22 of the last 23 batters he faced while limiting Washington to three singles over eight innings and Texas won to end the Nationals’ four-game winning streak.

Josh Smith and Leody Taveras homered for the defending World Series champion Rangers (16-14), who have won back-to-back games for only the second time since April 6.

Coming off a four-game sweep of Miami on the road, the Nationals (14-15) missed a chance to get over .500 for the first time since July 1, 2021.