ARLINGTON, Texas - Kyle Gibson returned from the injured list to pitch 5 1/3 scoreless innings, and the Texas Rangers ended a nine-game losing streak when they held on for a 5-4 win over the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in their return to the site of last season's World Series.
Joey Gallo hit in his 10th homer and Charlie Culberson drove in a run with a squeeze bunt for the Rangers, who were back home after the nine losses in a row for the longest winless road trip in team history. They hadn't won since wrapping up a three-game sweep over Houston on May 23 in their last home series.
Brandon Lowe homered late for the Rays (36-23), who have the most wins in the majors this season and lost for only the fourth time in 21 games. Their only previous visit to Globe Life Field had been last October in the neutral site World Series they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Gibson (4-0) struck out five without a walk in his first start since May 21 before going on the IL with a right groin strain. The right-hander threw 73 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.06, third-best in the AL, before coming out of his 11th start after consecutive one-out singles in the sixth.
The Rays managed only five singles off Gibson, and the hits in the sixth were the only time they had multiple runners on against him - reliever John King came on and got a strikeout and a flyout. Gibson picked off Joey Wendle at first base after a hit in the fourth.
Ian Kennedy, the third Texas reliever, worked the ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances despite giving up a two-run single to No. 9 hitter Brett Phillips after the Rays loaded the bases with a single and two walks. He struck out Lowe, who hit a two-run homer in the eighth, to end the game.
Tampa Bay left-hander Josh Fleming (5-4), who had won his last four decisions, allowed 10 hits and five runs over a career-high seven innings. He threw 72 of 100 pitches for strikes, with two strikeouts and no walks.
Texas went ahead to stay on rookie Adolis Garcia's grounder in the third for his 42nd RBI. The Rangers opened the fourth with three consecutive singles, including a run-scoring hit by Nate Lowe, before Culberson's bunt that scored Nick Solak. Willie Calhoun followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0. Gallo's towering 438-foot homer to straightaway center came in the fifth.
ASTROS 13, BLUE JAYS 1
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Zack Greinke pitched his first complete game since 2017, Carlos Correa homered twice and Martin Maldonado hit a grand slam, leading Houston over Toronto.
Maldonado drove in five runs and Aledmys Daz also homered as Houston handed the Blue Jays their first loss in three games at their temporary home in Buffalo.
Greinke (6-2) gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three, throwing 102 pitches as the Astros won for the fifth time in six games.
Randal Grichuk homered for Toronto, while starter Hyun Jin Ryu (5-3) allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
RED SOX 5, YANKEES 2
NEW YORK - Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Michael King, Marwin Gonzlez added a two-run double and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-2 Friday night in the first of the rivals' 19 meetings this season.
Former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi (7-2) won his third straight start, and the Red Sox stopped their 11-game losing streak in the Bronx, winning at Yankee Stadium for the first time since June 2, 2019.
New York lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Yankees hitters struck out 15 times.
Matt Barnes picked up his 13th save in 14 chances.
Aaron Judge hit his 14th homer in the sixth.
King (0-3), replacing injured Corey Kluber in New York's rotation, gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
ORIOLES 3, INDIANS 1
BALTIMORE - Ryan Mountcastle hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning that was upheld by video review and Baltimore kept up its June winning streak, defeating Cleveland.
The Orioles have won their first three games this month after dropping 14 in a row to end May. Baltimore's winning string matches its longest of the season.
Cleveland had won three of four and fell to 20-2 when leading after six innings.
Baltimore had one hit in 6 1/3 innings against four Indians pitchers before Mountcastle stepped in with a runner on base against Bryan Shaw (1-1). Baltimore added an insurance run on Anthony Santander's sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Cole Sulser (2-0) worked the seventh, and Paul Fry handled the ninth for his second save.
NATIONALS 2, PHILLIES 1
PHILADELPHIA - Max Scherzer outpitched Zack Wheeler, Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking solo homer and Washington beat Philadelphia.
Scherzer (5-4) struck out nine in 7 2/3 dominant innings, allowing one run on five hits. The three-time Cy Young Award winner lowered his ERA to 2.22 with his seventh straight start yielding two runs or less.
Wheeler (4-3) gave up two runs and five hits, striking out eight in 7 1/3 innings.
Rhys Hoskins led off the bottom of the ninth off Daniel Hudson with a double. Travis Jankowski ran for Hoskins but got picked off after a 2-2 pitch in the dirt to J.T. Realmuto. Hudson then struck out Realmuto swinging and Brad Hand came in to get Brad Miller on a shallow fly for his 10th save in 12 chances.
PIRATES 9, MARLINS 2
PITTSBURGH - Rookie Ke'Bryan Hayes homered for the second game in a row since being activated from the injured list and drove in three runs to lead Pittsburgh over Miami.
Hayes hit a two-run home run in the first and an RBI single during a five-run sixth. NL hits leader Adam Frazier had two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored for Pittsburgh. Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Erik Gonzalez also had two hits each.
Rookie Jose Devers hit two doubles for Miami and Sandy Leon had two hits. Miami rookie Cody Poteet (2-2) was removed with two outs in the third inning with a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Duane Underwood Jr. (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings in relief.