Pittsburgh Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Chicago Cubs pitcher Jordan Wicks during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run home run to cap a five-run first inning on Tuesday night and the Pittsburgh Pirates routed the skidding Cubs 12-1 to extend Chicago’s losing streak to 10 games.

The rookie became the seventh player in Pirates’ history to hit two home runs within the first four games of his major league career and the first since Austin Meadows in 2018.

The Cubs are just the second team in major league history to have two 10-game winning streaks and one 10-game losing streak in the same season, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

It is also the Cubs’ longest losing streak since 2022.

Braxton Ashcraft (4-3) allowed one run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out five and walking one. He is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts in May.

Valdez’s homer gave the Pirates a 5-0 lead after Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run double earlier in the first off Jordan Wicks (0-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday to bolster an injury-depleted rotation. Wicks was rocked for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Spencer Horwitz also homered for the Pirates, who won their third consecutive game. Oneil Cruz had three hits and Brandon Lowe, Reynolds, Nick Gonzales and Horwitz added two each. Valdez drove in three runs.

Konnor Griffin, a 20-year-old rookie shortstop, became the youngest leadoff hitter for the Pirates since 1952. He was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

The Cubs’ Alex Bregman and Carson Kelly had two hits each. Chicago went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.

REDS 7, METS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Chase Burns tossed 5 1/3 strong innings and won his fourth straight start for Cincinnati, who beat the Mets, dropping New York 11 games under .500 — tying a season-high.

The Mets, who ended April at 10-21, have lost five straight to fall to 22-33. They have scored just six runs and collected 25 hits during the losing streak — their second-longest of the season behind a 12-game skid from April 8-21.

Eugenio Suárez and Elly De La Cruz each had two-run doubles off David Peterson (3-5), who also gave up a pair of RBI hits to Tyler Stephenson. Sal Stewart added a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Burns (7-1) allowed two runs and walked two with eight strikeouts. He carried a one-hit shutout into the sixth, when Juan Soto, back after a two-game absence due to illness, delivered a two-run homer.

Burns has a 1.54 ERA over his last four starts to lower his seasonal ERA to 1.96. He hasn’t lost in his last eight starts dating back to April 18.

BLUE JAYS 2, MARLINS 1

TORONTO (AP) — Kazuma Okamoto hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday.

Jeff Hoffman (3-3) got four outs for the win as the Blue Jays won for the eighth time in 12 games. Tyler Rogers finished for his second save in four chances.

Otto Lopez went 4 for 4 with an RBI, but the Marlins lost their second straight after winning the previous four.

Miami put runners at first and second with nobody out against Louis Varland in the eighth but couldn’t score. Jakob Marsee grounded into a fielder’s choice, then got caught stealing second as Connor Norby struck out.

Okamoto connected off left-hander Andrew Nardi (3-3), his 11th homer of the season. He hadn’t gone deep since May 5 at Tampa Bay.

The home run came in Okamoto’s first plate appearance after being hit by a 97 mph pitch from Miami’s Eury Pérez.

After Pérez hit Okamoto, he appeared to stare into Toronto’s dugout. Blue Jays manager John Schneider yelled at Pérez, but the situation did not escalate.

Pérez set a season-high by striking out nine in four shutout innings but exited after his right hamstring spasmed while he was stretching in the dugout.

Pérez allowed three hits, all singles, and walked none.

Michael Petersen replaced Pérez but couldn’t hold a 1-0 lead. Tyler Heineman drew a two-out walk and scored on Nathan Lukes’ double.

Toronto’s Kevin Gausman allowed one run and six hits in five innings.

Lopez hit an RBI single in the first, but the Marlins didn’t score again.

ORIOLES 6, RAYS 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — Shane Baz struck out a season-high nine and Samuel Basallo hit a three-run homer as Baltimore beat Tampa Bay.

Baz (2-5), who joined the Orioles in a trade from Tampa Bay in December, pitched seven innings of one-run ball. The 26-year-old right-hander allowed seven hits and walked two.

Jackson Holliday reached on a single in the fifth and advanced to second after Gunnar Henderson beat out a throw to first base. Holliday was originally ruled out at second, but that call was overturned when the Orioles challenged. Basallo followed with his eighth homer of the season, a 405-foot shot to right-center field.

Basallo scored in the second inning on a fielding error by Rays second baseman Richie Palacios. Holliday added an RBI single, and Taylor Ward knocked in another run with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Chandler Simpson scored on Jonathan Aranda’s RBI single in the first inning for Tampa Bay.

ANGELS 10, TIGERS 6

DETROIT (AP) — Vaughn Grissom hit a grand slam and drove in six runs as Los Angeles beat Detroit.

Detroit led 6-4 going into the eighth, and Will Vest (1-4) got the first two outs with a runner on second. Logan O’Hoppe’s double made it a one-run game, Zach Neto singled and Mike Trout walked to load the bases.

Facing his ninth batter of the game — matching a career high — Vest fell behind 2-0 before Grissom homered to right-centerfield to give Los Angeles the 9-6 lead.

Jo Adell and Jose Siri also homered for Los Angeles, which has won four straight. Neto had three hits and a walk, scoring twice.

Wenceel Pérez homered for the Tigers, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games. Kevin McGonigle reached base four times, including a two-run triple.

BRAVES 7, RED SOX 6

BOSTON (AP) — Michael Harris II had four hits, including a two-run home run, Matt Olson added another two-run homer and Atlanta held on to beat Boston.

The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Braves, who have beaten the Red Sox in three of their four meetings this season. It was the ninth career four-hit game for Harris and his second of the season.

Atlanta took a 7-4 lead into the ninth when things got a little dicey

Boston led off the inning with a single by Mickey Gasper and double by Nick Sogard off Raisel Iglesias.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa closed the gap to a run with a two-run single, followed by a single by Jarren Duran. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a groundball into a force at third for the second out of the inning.

Wilyer Abreu then hit a tapper back to Iglesias to end the game.

TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 3, 11 INNINGS

CHICAGO (AP) — Brooks Lee hit a bases-loaded double in the 11th inning and Minnesota beat Chicago.

The Twins improved to 4-1 on their 10-game road trip and have won seven of nine overall. They had lost seven straight against the White Sox, last winning on Aug. 22, 2025.

Luke Keaschall singled in the 11th and Byron Buxton drew a walk with an ABS challenge to load the bases for Lee. He cleared them on the third pitch he saw and gave Minnesota a 5-2 lead.

The Twins had nearly taken the lead in the 10th inning on Orlando Arcia’s two-out single, but Kody Klemens was thrown out at home by Rikuu Nishida to end the inning.

Sean Burke allowed two runs in seven innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking two. Tyler Davis (2-2) took the loss in relief.

YANKEES 15, ROYALS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Yankees clubbed six home runs and every starter in the lineup had at least two hits for the first time in franchise history, sending New York to a rout of Kansas and its 12th consecutive win over the Royals.

Amed Rosario homered twice and Cody Bellinger, Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep for the Yankees, who have hit a league-leading 82 home runs this season. Kansas City, by comparison, has hit just 51.

The Yankees finished with 24 hits against Kansas City, their most since a game against Baltimore on July 30, 2011.

Cam Schlittler (7-2) allowed his third homer of the year, a solo shot by Bobby Witt Jr., but little else over six innings. It was the seventh time in his last eight starts that Schlittler allowed one earned run or fewer, and he struck out six without issuing a walk.

BREWERS 6, CARDINALS 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Garrett Mitchell hit a three-run homer and Kyle Harrison tossed six innings of four-hit ball to lead Milwaukee to a victory over St. Louis Cardinals.

Harrison (6-1) allowed two singles to open the third and two singles in the sixth, but did not allow a runner past second. He struck out two and walked none, lowering his ERA from 1.77 to 1.57. Harrison improved to 4-0 in five starts in May, allowing three runs in 28 innings.

Grant Anderson, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill followed with a scoreless inning apiece.

Milwaukee has won 14 of its last 18 games and moved 3 ½ games ahead of second-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

Mitchell’s blast capped a five-fun fifth that put Milwaukee up 6-0.

RANGERS 10, ASTROS 7

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer to cap an eight-run first inning in Texas’ win over the Astros, a day after three Houston pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Rangers.

The first Texas hit was a single by No. 3 hitter Brandon Nimmo, while Jake Burger had a two-run single and Evan Carter drove in two more with a bouncing triple past first baseman Christian Walker into the right-field corner.

Pederson, who struck out against Jason Alexander (1-1) to start the bottom of the first, drove a 1-2 fastball from the right-hander about a dozen rows into the seats in right field for his fourth homer.

Texas ended Houston’s four-game winning streak and stopped a four-game skid.

Yordan Alvarez homered twice, including a three-run shot that went 449 feet, to give the slugger 18 this season, and Cam Smith had his fifth on a solo shot that cut Houston’s deficit to 9-6 in the eighth.

Jacob Latz pitched 1 1/3 innings for his sixth save, getting Alvarez on a sharp grounder to end the game two batters after Jeremy Peña’s solo homer.

MARINERS 4, ATHLETICS 1

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Emerson Hancock allowed one hit in six innings, Victor Robles had three hits and Seattle beat the Athletics.

Josh Naylor and Mitch Garver each had two hits, and the Mariners had 11 as a team. They were 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and stranded eight on base.

Hancock (4-2) struck out three and walked two, picking up his seventh quality start this season. José A. Ferrer and Gabe Speier combined for two scoreless innings of relief, and Andrés Muñoz allowed Tyler Soderstrom’s homer in the ninth.

Garver appeared to have a two-run double in the second inning, but it was overturned to a ground-rule double that scored one and held Rob Refsnyder at third after the ball was lodged in the outfield wall.

Cole Young’s sacrifice fly on the next at-bat got Refsnyder across, and J.P. Crawford added his own sac fly that brought in Garver to cap off a three-run inning.

Julio Rodríguez tacked on one more run with an RBI single in the fourth inning.

PHILLIES 4, PADRES 3

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner hit home runs and Philadelphia beat San Diego.

Harper hit a solo home run in the first inning on the ninth pitch of the game to right field. Realmuto hit his to left field in the second, and Turner added another solo shot in the third inning. Harper also scored on Alec Bohm’s RBI single in the third.

Aaron Nola (3-4) threw five strikeouts, gave up three hits, and two earned runs in six innings for the Phillies. Jhoan Duran earned his 11th save of the season with two strikeouts in the ninth inning.

Gavin Sheets hit a single in the fourth inning for the first hit of the game for the Padres. Manny Machado hit a two-run homer to left field in the next at-bat. Ramón Laureano hit a solo shot in the eighth inning to bring the game within one.

Starter Randy Vásquez (5-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Padres. He gave up eight hits, three earned runs, two strikeouts and one walk.

DIAMONDBACKS 7, GIANTS 5

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, Adrian Del Castillo had a solo shot and Arizona beat San Francisco for their ninth win in 10 games.

However, the Diamondbacks lost Nolan Arenado to right groin tightness, with the third baseman exiting in the seventh inning.

Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, lowering his ERA to 2.31.

Tyler Mahle (1-7) allowed three earned runs and three hits in five innings.

Casey Schmitt got the Giants started with a solo home run in the first inning, matching the career high he set last with his 12th. Schmitt finished with two hits and two RBIs.

Arizona went ahead with a three-run second, highlighted by Del Castillo’s homer.

The Giants tried to rally as Eric Haase hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and Devers had an RBI double in the eighth. Willy Adames then had a solo homer in the ninth, but closer Paul Sewald eventually shut the door to give Arizona the win, his 14th save of the season.

DODGERS 15, ROCKIES 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts homered twice, driving in five runs, and Kiké Hernández, Andy Pages and Will Smith went deep as Los Angeles routed Colorado.

The Dodgers’ 15 runs tied a season high. They pounded out 17 hits and limited the Rockies to four until the ninth. That’s when Colorado scored five runs and had eight hits off position player Miguel Rojas, who came in to pitch.

Shohei Ohtani was left out of the offensive onslaught. The two-way superstar was 0 for 2 with a run scored. He was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in the fourth and left the game in the fifth after grounding out.

Betts got the home run derby going in the bottom of the first with a two-run, two-out shot off Freeland (1-6). The shortstop danced around second base and pumped his fist in a release of the offensive frustration he had been feeling while batting .165.

Manager Dave Roberts had dropped Betts to fourth from second in the order.

The Rockies closed to 2-1 on Hunter Goodman’s homer on Eric Lauer’s first pitch of the second. Catcher Brett Sullivan, who pitched the ninth, homered off Rojas and Kyle Karros, the son of former Dodger Eric Karros, added a three-run shot.

It was all Dodgers after that.

Lauer (2-5) got the win in his Dodgers debut.