NEW YORK - Manuel Margot hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, Tyler Glasnow overcame cramps and poor control to pitch five innings of one-run ball and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees 6-3 Saturday and dropped New York to an AL-worst 5-9.
New York lost its seventh straight series to the Rays is last this late in the season for the first time since 1991, per Elias Sports. Fans in the Bronx again booed the Bombers, but they were more restrained a day after some hurled baseballs and other items on the field late in an 8-2 loss to the Rays.
Francisco Meja hit a solo shot in the second off Jordan Montgomery (1-1), and Margot made it 3-1 with his homer off the left-hander in the fourth. Joey Wendle added a two-run shot against Jonathan Loaisiga in the seventh, and Meja had an RBI double in the ninth.
Glasnow (2-0) walked four but also struck out seven and limited New York to two hits as the Rays (7-8) won their second straight in the series.
Mets 4, Rockies 3,
1st Game
DENVER - New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom struck out nine straight batters against Colorado, falling one shy of matching Tom Seaver's major league record, and finished with 14 strikeouts to win the doubleheader opener.
Coming off a 14-strikeout performance in a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia, deGrom became just the ninth pitcher to strike out as many as nine in a row.
The streak ended in the fifth inning, when the Rockies took a 3-1 lead with three unearned runs, but the Mets rallied to win a series opener delayed a day by snow when pinch-hitter Jonathan Villar hit a tying double off Daniel Bard (0-1) in the seventh inning and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly.
Pete Alonso had homered in the sixth to pull the Mets within a run.
DeGrom (1-0) allowed three unearned runs and three hits in six innings and walked one, lowering his ERA to 0.45. Edwin Daz struck out the side for his first save this season.
Cubs 13, Braves 4
CHICAGO - Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras each homered twice, and Chicago won on an afternoon when Atlanta returned Sean Kazmar Jr. to the major leagues for the first time in 13 years.
Javier Bez and David Bote also homered for the Cubs. who stopped a three-game losing streak. Trevor Williams (2-1) allowed one run and four hits in five innings.
Atlanta selected the contract of Kazmar, a 36-year-old infielder, from its alternate training site before the game. He pinch hit in the fifth inning grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Kazmar had not played in the major leagues since Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres.
The gap between big league appearances was the greatest since that of right-hander Ralph Winegarner, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Winegarner played on June 23, 1936, for the Cleveland Indians and did not return to the majors until July 7, 1949, with the St. Louis Browns - a span of 13 years and 14 days.
Hector Ynoa (0-1) gave up six runs and seven hits - including three homers - in four innings.
Nationals 6,
Diamondbacks 2
WASHINGTON - Yan Gomes homered off Luke Weaver (1-1), drove in two runs and became the first major league catcher to throw out Tim Locastro on a steal attempt after 29 consecutive swipes to start his career, and Washington strung together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Locastro was thrown out making a dive into second base in the third inning and left the game with a dislocated left pinkie finger.
Erick Fedde (1-1) tied his career high with nine strikeouts in five innings for Washington, which is 5-7. He gave up one run and five hits.
Blue Jays 5, Royals
1, 1st Game
Royals 3, Blue Jays 2,
2nd Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Steven Matz (3-0) held Kansas City without a hit into the sixth inning, and Jonathan Davis and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered off Mike Minor (1-1) for Toronto in the seven-inning doubleheader opener.
Matz allowed only a pair of walks before Nicky Lopez's blooper to left with one out in the sixth. Matz gave up Andrew Benintendi's two-out double later in the inning and wound up pitching six innings with five strikeouts.
In the nightcap, the Royals followed spot-starter Ervin Santana with four relief pitchers before Salvador Perez's two-out, walk-off homer in a 3-2 win over Toronto.
Greg Holland (2-1) was the last of the relievers in Game 2 for Kansas City, working around an error in the seventh inning to keep the game tied at 2. Joel Payamps (0-1) then retired Whit Merrifield and Benintendi in the bottom half before Perez sent a pitch splashing into the left-field fountains to earn the doubleheader split.
Cardinals 9, Phillies 4
PHILADELPHIA - Yadier Molina hit two home runs, doubled and drove in four runs, and Nolan Arenado and Paul DeJong also homered for St. Louis.
Ryan Helsley (1-0) allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory. St. Louis won for just the second time in its last seven games, breaking the game open with six runs in the third off Matt Moore (0-1). Moore recorded consecutive outs to start the frame before a two-out barrage.
Rhys Hoskins had three hits and Alec Bohm drove in two runs for the Phillies, who played without Bryce Harper. The Phillies star outfielder sat out after waking up Saturday with tightness in his lower back.
Red Sox 7, White Sox 4
BOSTON - Wearing their new blue-and-yellow uniforms, Boston beat Chicago when Marwin Gonzalez homered to key a four-run rally in the eighth inning.
The uniforms - lacking any red - honor the Boston Marathon with the colors that stretch across the finish line of the famous race. They featured yellow tops with powder-blue lettering across the front, numbers on the back and caps, with white pants. Boston was the first of seven big league teams that will don a new City Series look this season.
Gonzalez homered into Boston's bullpen off Cody Heuer (1-1). J.D. Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk off reliever José Ruiz before Xander Bogaerts' ground-rule hit dropped in down the right-field line before bouncing into the stands.
Adam Ottavino (2-1) struck out all three batters he faced for the victory.
Athletics 7, Tigers 0
OAKLAND, Calif. - Matt Olson, Arams Garca and Mark Canha each homered and Oakland shut out Detroit for a second straight game while winning its seventh win in a row.
After Oakland's 3-0 victory Friday, Cole Irvin (1-2) struck out six, didn't walk a batter and allowed four hits over six innings to earn his first victory since joining the A's. The last time the A's blanked the Tigers on back-to-back days was in June 1973 when Ken Holtzman and Catfish Hunter did it on Oakland's way to the second of three straight World Series championships.
Casey Mize (1-1) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.
Reds 3, Indians 2,
10 Innings
CINCINNATI - Josh Naylor lined into a triple play in the eighth inning, then let a routine grounder roll through his legs at first base with two outs in the ninth that led to Cincinnati's tying run before pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson's single off Oliver Perez (0-1) in the 10th won it.
Tucker Barnhart homered in the second for the Reds. Sean Doolittle (2-0) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win. Sonny Gray made his first appearance of the season for the Reds after being sidelined with a muscle strain in his back. He gave up two runs and six hits, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings.
Eddie Rosario hit an RBI triple for the Indians in the third. Andres Giménez homered in the fourth.