McNeil homered and drove in three runs while making his first career start in right field, helping the New York Mets (cheap New York Mets championship rings) beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Friday.

"I think that this guy is playing the type of baseball that you want everybody to play," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.

Michael Conforto also connected as the slumping Mets won for just the fourth time in their last 11 games. Brooks Pounders (1-0) got his first victory since he was acquired in a deal with Cleveland last week, and Edwin Diaz worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 16th save.

McNeil's two-run shot off Yu Darvish gave New York a 3-2 lead in the third. With two outs and Adeiny Hechavarria on second in the seventh, Cubs manager Joe Maddon brought in left-hander Mike Montgomery to face McNeil, and he pulled an RBI single into right field to break a 4-all tie.

"Kind of swung at a borderline pitch, but got enough barrel on it and found a hole," McNeil said.

McNeil also played right as part of an unusual defensive lineup by Callaway, who was looking for more offense after New York lost 7-4 on Thursday night in the opener of the four-game series. He got his first major league action in right when he played two innings at the position May 21 against Washington.

McNeil moved to left before the Cubs (custom Chicago Cubs championship rings) batted in the eighth and made a key defensive play on Willson Contreras' bloop hit. McNeil picked up the ball, noticed Anthony Rizzo had taken a wide turn around second and ran at the big first baseman to begin an inning-ending rundown.

"I think that's just my baseball instincts kind of taking over," he said.

The Cubs also had Albert Almora Jr. picked off first for the final out of the sixth.

"We made too many mistakes," Maddon said, "on the bases we made mistakes."

Addison Russell hit a two-run homer for Chicago (championship rings for sale), which dropped to 2-2 on a 10-game homestand. Brad Brach (3-2) got the loss after surrendering Hechavarria's leadoff single in the seventh.

Darvish allowed four runs and four hits in six innings in his 10th consecutive no-decision, extending a franchise record. He became the first traditional starting pitcher with 10 straight no-decisions since Philadelphia's Randy Lerch in 1977.

"I want to compete," Darvish said. "Not only frustrating, like weird. I'm not losing. I'm not winning. It's just weird. I want to win."

While Darvish was just OK on the mound, he had quite a day at the plate.

He slapped a two-out RBI single through the right side to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead in the second. He led off the fifth with another single against Jason Vargas, and Russell followed with a drive into the bleachers in left for his fifth homer .

The 32-year-old Darvish entered with one hit this season and six for his career.

Russell's first homer since May 28 made it 4-3, but the Mets (mlb world series championship rings) tied it in the sixth. Darvish struck out Pete Alonso and Robinson Cano before Conforto went deep for his 15th of the season .

"I know I give up a lot of runs after we score," Darvish said. "I really focused on Conforto on that pitch, but just, he hit it."

WORTH WATCHING

If Craig Kimbrel sails through his second appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Friday night, he could pitch for the minor league club again on Saturday. The 31-year-old Kimbrel is ramping up after finalizing a three-year contract with Chicago on June 7 that guarantees the closer $43 million.

MULLING IT OVER

The Cubs are contemplating various options for their rotation after Adbert Alzolay's successful major league debut Thursday night. Alzolay pitched in relief of Tyler Chatwood, but the right-handers could switch places next time the spot comes up. The team also could go with a six-man rotation to provide some rest for its starters before the All-Star break.

Jimenez hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning in his first game against his first major league organization, helping the Chicago White Sox (cheap Chicago White Sox championship rings) beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old Jimenez was a top prospect for the Cubs before he headlined a rare trade with the White Sox for veteran left-hander Jose Quintana in July 2017. The Jimenez deal will live on in sports bars all over Chicago for many years to come, and the rookie added another wrinkle with one big swing in his first game at Wrigley Field.

"It was a dream come true," he said. "I wanted to hit one at Wrigley, but now with the White Sox it feels really good."

James McCann hit a leadoff single before Jimenez drove a 1-0 pitch from Pedro Strop (1-3) over the wall in left for his 12th homer . Considered one of baseball's top young sluggers, Jimenez has gone deep six times in his last nine games.

"We were hoping he could get a pitch he could handle and obviously he did," White Sox (custom championship rings) manager Rick Renteria said. "It was a big blow."

Adding another layer to the accomplishment, Jimenez cracked his bat on the swing. He smiled as he proudly displayed the broken lumber after the victory.

"It was an amazing moment," he said.

Evan Marshall (3-0) got two outs for the win and Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 15th save. Four White Sox relievers combined for four scoreless innings after Ivan Nova turned in one of his best starts of the season.

The slumping Cubs (custom Chicago Cubs championship rings) kicked off a 10-game homestand with their fourth loss in five games. Kyle Schwarber connected for his 16th homer and Cole Hamels pitched seven effective innings, but that was it for the North Siders.

"We just have to do a better job offensively," manager Joe Maddon said.

Hamels became the 10th left-hander with 2,500 career strikeouts when he threw a called third strike past Nova for the first out of the third . The crowd of 41,192 responded with a big cheer when his accomplishment was displayed on the videoboard, and Hamels tipped his cap in appreciation.

"To do it in front of fans that really understand and get it, that's a very special moment," Hamels said.

Jimenez had a chance to get the White Sox off to a fast start when he batted with the bases loaded in the first. But Hamels got him to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

Schwarber then lined Nova's first pitch of the game into the bleachers in left for his fourth career leadoff homer . He also started Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Dodgers with a home run on Clayton Kershaw's first pitch.

The White Sox tied it in the sixth. Leury Garcia led off with a double and Tim Anderson followed with a hard grounder into the hole at shortstop. Javier Baez made a sliding stop, but he threw wild to first and Garcia hustled home on the error.

IN ACTION

Craig Kimbrel took another step toward joining the Cubs (mlb championship rings) when he worked a perfect inning in his first appearance with Triple-A Iowa. The 31-year-old Kimbrel is ramping up after finalizing a three-year contract with Chicago on June 7. The closer could pitch in another minor league game Thursday or Friday.

Albers allowed just one inherited runner to score in a key spot, and Eric Thames and Jesus Aguilar homered to help the Milwaukee Brewers avoid a three-game sweep with a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants (cheap San Francisco Giants championship rings). Christian Yelich had two doubles, extending his season-high hitting streak to 13 games. The reigning NL MVP is batting .472 (25 for 53) with five homers over that stretch. Albers (3-2) pitched the fifth for the win, working in relief of starter Chase Anderson, who gave up three runs in four-plus innings.

"Matt came in in a big spot, was able to limit the damage to just one run," Yelich said. "With the bases loaded no outs you take that any time, consider that a victory. "That was really the game right there. It was a big spot." Albers struck out Posey before giving up Brandon Belt's sacrifice fly, which closed the Giants to within 4-3. He got Brandon Crawford to hit a pop up for the last out after walking Evan Longoria. Albers, Junior Guerra, Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader combined for five shutout innings of two-hit ball in relief for the Brewers. Hader pitched a perfect two final innings, striking out three to get his 17th save in 18 chances. "Our bullpen had a great game today," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "Really good stuff. That was the game, the bullpen today was the game for sure, and they did a nice job."

Thames' homer, his 10th of the season, off Giants (custom championship rings) starter Jeff Samardzija (3-6) in the fifth gave the Brewers a 4-2 lead. Samardzija gave up four runs on nine hits and two walks in five innings. The 34-year-old threw 114 pitches. Aguilar hit a pinch-hit homer off Giants reliever Derek Holland leading off the sixth to make it 5-3. The Brewers took an early lead on RBI singles from Yasmani Grandal in the first and Ben Gamel in the second. The Giants tied it in the second, when Evan Longoria's leadoff triple started a two-run inning. Yelich's double made it 3-2 in the fourth. The Brewers had lost four of their previous five after winning straight.

The Giants (mlb world series championship rings) had their season-high four-game winning streak snapped as they concluded their homestand at 5-3. "We didn't cash in enough," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "There was a lot of traffic out there and we couldn't get the big hit." With two outs and Ben Gamel aboard in the top of the second, Yelich hit a drive to right that slipped through a small gap between the fencing doors in right field. The fluky play cost the Brewers a run with Gamel, who would have easily scored if the ball remained in play, held at third on the ground-rule double. "It went through the wall, we obviously wish it didn't go through the wall," Yelich said. "Just one of those freak baseball plays."

Leonard and the Toronto Raptors (championship rings) captured the country's first major title in 26 years with their most remarkable road win yet in the franchise's NBA Finals debut, outlasting the battered and depleted two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors 114-110 on Thursday night in a Game 6 for the ages. "I wanted to make history here. That's what I did," a soaking wet Leonard said, ski goggles perched on his forehead and sporting a fresh black champions hat. Stephen Curry missed a contested 3-pointer in the waning moments before Golden State called a timeout it didn't have, giving Leonard a technical free throw with 0.9 seconds left to seal it. Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP for a second time, then got behind Andre Iguodala for a layup as the buzzer sounded, but it went to review and the basket was called off before Leonard's two free throws. That only delayed the celebration for a moment.

When it actually ended, the typically stoic Leonard could let it all out. A Canadian team -- and we're not talking hockey here -- stood on top of one of the traditional major sports leagues for the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series. Serge Ibaka pulled his head up through the hoop by the Golden State bench as the crowd chanted "Warriors! Warriors!" after a sensational send-off at Oracle Arena. Curry walked away slowly, hands on his head on a night Splash Brother Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and departed with 30 points. Fred VanVleet rescued the Raptors down the stretch with his dazzling shooting from deep to score 22 points with five 3s off the bench, while Leonard wound up with 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored the game's first eight points and finished with 26 in all to go with 10 assists and seven rebounds. Fans poured into the streets in Toronto, screaming and honking horns after the Raptors pulled off a third straight win on Golden State's home floor that said goodbye to NBA basketball after 47 seasons. And the Raptors did it with the very kind of depth that helped define Golden State's transformation into a dynasty the past five seasons.

Golden State (cheap Golden State Warriors championship rings) already was down two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who had surgery Wednesday for a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Then, the Warriors lost Thompson -- and they couldn't overcome just one more heartbreaking injury. "A lot of bad breaks in the finals, to be honest," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "Like us, they kept on playing. We just had to keep on playing no matter who was out there. And I think they were super intense high-level games and both teams desperately trying to win." This thrilling back-and-forth game featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and neither team going ahead by more than nine points. Curry scored 21 points but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on 3s. Iguodala added 22 for his biggest game this postseason as the Warriors did everything until the very last moment to leave a lasting legacy at Oracle.

Thompson provided his own dramatic memory. He injured his knee when fouled by Danny Green on a drive at the 2:22 mark of the third, was helped off the court and walked partially down a tunnel toward the locker room, then -- shockingly -- re-emerged to shoot his free throws before going out again at 2:19. He didn't return and left the arena on crutches, and the Warriors announced that an MRI had confirmed the torn ACL.

"More than the what-ifs is just feeling bad for the players involved. Injuries are always part of the NBA (custom nba championship rings) season -- any professional sport, injuries play a huge role," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It's just the nature of these injuries, the severity of these injuries. And we'll know more about Klay. But we can sit here and say, well, if this hadn't happened or that hadn't happened, that doesn't matter. What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear and Klay suffered a knee injury." In their best Bay Area version of Jurassic Park -- Toronto's jam-packed gathering spot to cheer the Raptors -- hundreds of red-clad fans stayed long after the game ended to watch the Larry O'Brien trophy ceremony. They waved the Maple Leaf and sang "O Canada" just as they did here after winning previously this series.

Lowry's hot start was almost fitting. It was the Toronto guard who got shoved on the sideline in Game 3 by Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens, now banned by the league and team for a year. The Raptors, in their 24th season of existence, rallied from two games down to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals then took down the mighty Warriors on their home floor to deny Golden State a three-peat. The Raptors went 8 for 32 on 3s in a 106-105 Game 5 defeat as the Warriors staved off elimination Monday in Toronto. They started 5 of 6 from long range in this one and finished 13 of 33 and converted 23 of 29 free throws. Curry and these Warriors never, ever count themselves out. Yet down 3-1 in their fifth straight NBA Finals, they didn't have the health it took to win the past two titles and three of the past four against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fiers pitched six effective innings, Matt Olson and Khris Davis hit consecutive homers, and the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Buccaneers championship rings for sale) 4-3 on Tuesday night. Oakland, at 34-34, is three games behind Texas for the second AL wild card. "Obviously the record right now doesn't show how good we really are," Fiers said. "It's a long season. You can't look too far ahead or how far ahead some of the teams are ahead of us. We've got to come play every day and just battle every day." Fiers (6-3) allowed two runs and three hits, and is 4-0 in seven starts beginning with his no-hitter against Cincinnati on May 7. Liam Hendriks, Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, who gave up Willy Adames' RBI single in the ninth en route to his 15th save, combined to strike out six and complete the four-hitter. 

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"We really haven't hit our stride yet," Oakland (custom Oakland Athletics championship rings) manager Bob Melvin said. "It's been a little of a fight and battle for us to this point but I think at some point we'll get past it." Tommy Pham homered for the Rays, who are 16 games over .500 despite an 18-15 record at home. "Kind of quiet at the plate," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "We didn't do many things wrong, we were just pitched really, really tough." The Rays are tied for first in the AL East with the New York Yankees, who split a day-night doubleheader with the Mets. After Matt Chapman reached on shortstop Adames' throwing error in the sixth, Olson hit a two-run homer and Davis then went deep two pitches later off Emilio Pagan (1-1) as Oakland took a 4-2 lead. 

 

Pagan, acquired by Tampa Bay (championship sports rings) from the Athletics in a three-team trade in December, had allowed just one run over 19 innings in his previous 18 appearances. "No one likes doing bad," Pagan said. "Doesn't make me any more upset than it would anybody else." Pham put the Rays up 1-0 on a first-inning homer. He had been 1 for 17 in five games since returning June 6 from lower right leg injury. Adames walked with two outs in the fourth, went to third on Kevin Kiermaier's single and scored to make it 2-0 on a double steal. 

Oakland (mlb championship rings for sale) got to 2-1 on Chad Pinder's RBI single in the fifth. 
Athletics: SS Marcus Semien played in his 150th consecutive game, dating to last June 28. "He's as durable a player as I've ever had, so at this point in time I don't see a day off for him," Melvin said. Semien extended his hitting streak to nine games (16 for 39) after leading off the game with a double. 
Rays: DH Austin Meadows finished his at-bat in the eighth after fouling a ball off his lower right leg. Soreness in the leg will likely keep him out of Wednesday's lineup. ... INF Joey Wendle (fractured right wrist) could be back Thursday.

Bryce Harper was about 45 feet down the line and had Phillies fans on their feet as he took off for a straight steal of home . With the Phillies ahead by a run and slugger Rhys Hoskins at the plate, Harper thought the gamble was worth the payoff. Harper dashed on right-hander Sonny Gray's fastball and slid into home , out in a puff of dirt on the tag by Curt Casali.

Harper's hustle in third inning had backfired -- and the Phillies' lead soon disappeared in a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds (cheap Cincinnati Reds championship rings) on Sunday. "I had a good read, good jump," Harper said. "I think if I just slid headfirst, got my hand in there a little bit, it probably would have been better. I probably should know if my guy has a take sign or not just in case he swings and puts one right in my face." Joey Votto tied the game for Cincinnati with a two-out single in the seventh inning and Eugenio Suarez followed with the go-ahead hit to rally the Reds and avoid a three-game sweep. "Just a lot of good things happened today to be able to win that game," Reds manager David Bell said . Harper got tangled up in a pair of plays at the plate, scoring from second on a misplayed popup but getting thrown out on an attempted steal of home.

Trailing 1-0, the Phillies (cheap Philadelphia Phillies championship rings) loaded the bases with two outs in the third against Grey. Hoskins hit a routine popup to first base that Votto appeared to lose in the sun. The ball plopped untouched on the field, and Maikel Franco scored from third and Harper from second. Harper initially was called out by plate umpire, but Harper got his right leg to the plate between the legs of catcher Casali's legs and was ruled safe after a video review. Jean Segura's sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 3-1. With two outs and Hoskins up, Harper broke for the plate and was tagged out by Casali. When Harper was a rookie with Washington in 2012, Harper stole home on Cole Hamels after the Phillies lefty drilled him in the game.

The Phillies (championship rings for sale) weren't pleased with this attempt, either. "He has been very aggressive on the bases and he's won some games for us with his aggressive baserunning," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "He and I spoke about it and he understands that was a little overaggressive." Harper has won over the fans and helped put the Phillies in first place in the NL East with his hard-charging style, and won't change his attitude toward taking the extra base just because of one miscue. "I just like to run bases. I like to run, even when I was younger. I like to try to make plays on the bags, play the game hard," he said. "I've said it in the past, my teammates expect that out of me, these fans, this city as well. I expect it out of myself. Try to play hard each day." Raisel Iglesias allowed the potential tying run to reach on first base in the ninth but tossed a scoreless inning for his 13th save in 14 chances. Zach Duke (3-1) pitched one-third of an inning, helping stop Philadelphia's four-game winning streak. Harper had a chance to tie the game in the eighth but he struck out against Amir Garrett.

Hoskins drove in two runs for the Phillies (mlb championship rings) on the misplayed popup. Aaron Nola tossed four-hit ball over 6 2/3 innings as he tried to follow teammate Nick Pivetta with a second straight complete game for the Phillies. Pivetta struck out six in his first career complete game on Saturday. Nola led 3-1 when he was chased after 6 2/3 innings with two on. Jose Alvarez (0-2) gave up a single that loaded the bases, and Votto lined a two-run that tied the game at 3-all. Suarez followed with a single off Vince Velasquez came in and gave up the go-ahead single to Suarez to make it 4-3.

A rare off night by the offense left the New York Yankees (New York Yankees championship rings) back-to-back losers for the first time in more than a month. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run home run, Randal Grichuk added a solo shot and the Toronto Blue Jays held off New York 4-3 Tuesday night to end a season-worst six-game slide. "We needed that one," Galvis said

Clint Frazier and Aaron Hicks homered for the AL East-leading Yankees, whose last consecutive defeats came April 30 and May 1 at Arizona. The Yankees (mlb championship rings for sale) lost 8-5 to Boston on Sunday. New York failed to score at least four runs for the first time in 15 games, a streak that began May 19. The Yankees went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. "We weren't able to score enough," manager Aaron Boone said. Toronto closer Ken Giles struck out Gleyber Torres with two on in the ninth to wrap his 11th save, and Eric Sogard had three hits as the Blue Jays won for the first time since beating San Diego on May 26. Toronto went winless on a six-game trip to Tampa Bay and Colorado. "It's a lot better when we win," Blue Jays pitcher Clayton Richard said. "It's a lot more fun. We can listen to music and have a good time together."

The Blue Jays (championship rings for sale) scored just three total runs in their final two losses in Colorado, but they topped that with a four-run fifth against right-hander Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka (3-5) lost his second straight start, allowing four runs and six hits in six innings. "The home run ball hurt him on a couple of hanging sliders," Boone said. "That was kind of the difference tonight." Daniel Hudson (4-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings and Giles got the final four outs. Frazier opened the scoring with a two-run drive off left-hander Clayton Richard in the fourth, his 11th. Earlier in the day, Frazier expressed a mix of defiance and remorse in his first public comments since three defensive mistakes in the last innings of a loss to Boston last weekend.

Frazier said his homer "felt good," and was "much-needed," but denied using the discussion around him as fuel. "I don't need motivation through articles that are written," he said. Grichuk halved the deficit with a leadoff drive in the fifth, his 10th. Cavan Biggio followed with a walk and was initially ruled out on an attempted steal of second, but the call was overturned following a video review. One batter later, Galvis gave the Blue Jays the lead with his ninth home run. He is blast snapped an 0-for-16 slump. Sogard hit a two-out double and made it 4-2 when he scored on a base hit by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

"Any time you beat teams like that, they're big wins," Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays championship rings for sale) manager Charlie Montoyo said. "You have to play your A-game and we did tonight." Hicks homered off Joe Biagini in the eighth, his second.

Yolmer Sanchez hit a tying single, then entertained his White Sox (cheap Chicago White Sox championship rings) teammates with a dugout show during a long rain delay before Chicago's game against the Kansas City Royals was suspended in the fifth inning with the score 1-all Monday. The teams will pick up Tuesday where they left off, with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on second. Play is set to begin at 5:40 p.m. EDT, before the regularly scheduled night game. The clubs waited through a 2-hour, 55-minute delay with the White Sox batting in fifth. The game resumed for only five minutes, long enough for Sanchez to hit an RBI single, before play was halted again. The suspension was announced an hour later.

"We thought there was a window there to be able to continue the game," White Sox (championship sports rings) manager Rick Renteria said. "Obviously, we started it and it started coming down pretty soon after we did. It is what it is. You can't control Mother Nature. She did what she did, and this is where we stand." During the break, Sanchez kept the White Sox amused by doing jumping jacks on the bench. Then the 26-year-old second baseman poured a beverage bucket over his head as he stood in the rain. He also made mud angels at third base after play was stopped a second time. Royals manager Ned Yost praised the umpires, saying they were "absolutely fantastic in trying to get this game in." "They did a phenomenal job of giving us every opportunity," he said. "The weather just wouldn't cooperate. (Crew chief Bill Miller) tried his best to get this game in for both teams but it just didn't work out. The field's a mess right now."

The rain was coming down hard in the fourth when Kansas City's (custom Kansas City Royals championship rings) Adalberto Mondesi doubled and scored from third on Hunter Dozier's two-out single . Chicago had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth after James McCann and Jose Rondon singled against Homer Bailey. Sanchez had a 2-1 count before the first delay hit.

Once the game resumed, Sanchez immediately hit a tying single against Brian Flynn. Rondon got caught rounding second on the play when right fielder Whit Merrifield threw behind the runner. Sanchez moved to second when Flynn bounced a pitch to Ryan Cordell. Play was stopped again. Bailey gave up three hits in 4 1/3 innings. Chicago's Ivan Nova went five innings, allowing six hits.

White Sox (mlb championship rings) : SS Tim Anderson (sore right wrist) said he's still feeling some pain when he swings, though he "felt a lot better." Anderson was out of the lineup for the third straight game after being hit by a pitch Friday at Minnesota. ... OF Jon Jay (strained right hip) appears close to going on a rehab stint. He was in Chicago being evaluated after staying in Arizona for extended spring training. "I'm dying to go out there and play some baseball, which is what I love to do," he said. "We're definitely taking the right steps." ... OF Leury Garcia (sore right shoulder) was out of the lineup for the second straight game.

Thrust into an everyday role because of injuries, Jake Marisnick is making the most of his opportunity with the Houston Astros (Houston Astros championship rings for sale). Marisnick homered early off Chris Sale, then made two dazzling defensive plays in center field to help the Astros beat the mistake-prone Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Friday night. "There's not much not to like (about him) in a game like that," manager AJ Hinch said. "When you're a bench player ... you just want an opportunity. You just want a chance to show it. And he's doing great things on the field. It's pretty impressive."

It looks like Marisnick could get more chances for consistent playing time after George Springer injured his left hamstring sliding to try and catch a foul ball in the eighth inning in his first game back after missing four games with a stiff back. Hinch said they'd know more on Saturday, but it looks as if he'll be headed to the injured list. "I'm not looking forward to the diagnosis, it doesn't look good," Hinch said. "He never pulls himself out of the game like that. He was limping from the very beginning." In a matchup of the last two World Series winners, the Red Sox committed three errors, not looking nearly as sharp as they did in their last visit to Minute Maid Park when they captured the pennant with a 4-1 win in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series in October. The Astros took two of three last weekend at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox did end Ryan Pressly's MLB (mlb championship rings for sale) -record streak of 40 straight scoreless appearances when Jackie Bradley Jr. launched the first pitch from the Houston reliever for a home run in the eighth inning. Wade Miley (5-2) yielded four hits and two runs in six innings, striking out a season-high eight to win his fourth straight decision. All of Boston's errors came in the first four innings to help the Astros build a 4-0 lead. "You've got to play clean against them," manager Alex Cora said. "They do more than hitting. They run the bases well, they're very athletic. It was a weird one. It was one of those that, if we played better defense, we'd have a chance." Xander Bogaerts hit a solo homer in the sixth and Bradley made it 4-2.

Christian Vazquez homered off Roberto Osuna with two outs in the ninth, but the Houston (championship rings for sale) closer struck out Bradley for his 13th save. It was his 25th consecutive converted save, a franchise record. Sale (1-6) gave up three hits and four runs, but only two of them were earned, in six innings. He struck out five after fanning 10 or more in each of his last four starts -- he struck out 10 against the Astros in his previous outing, getting a no-decision in a game Boston eventually won. Sale was asked about having just one win this season. "I don't really care whether I'm 6-1, 1-6 or 0-0 for the whole year, I just want to win the games that I pitch in," he said. "Obviously, you want to be on the other end of it and I'm not the biggest fan of coming in here to a quiet clubhouse. It's on me. It's on my shoulders and I've got to find a way to win."

Marisnick robbed Andrew Benintendi of a hit with a diving catch in the fifth. Marisnick got him again for the first out of the ninth when he sprinted to make a nifty, over-the-shoulder catch at the wall. "Anytime you get a chance to get in there and get consistent reps and see pitching consistently it makes it a little bit easier to make adjustments," Marisnick said. "When you're not playing every day and you're trying to make adjustments and make things work it's hard. So it's been nice to play every day." Boston's J.D. Martinez also returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games because of a back problem.

The defensive struggles for the Red Sox (Boston Red Sox championship rings for sale) began in the second inning. Aledmys Diaz singled with one out and reached second on a wild pitch by Sale. He scored when Josh Reddick reached on a throwing error by first baseman Steve Pearce. Marisnick hit a solo homer in the third. Houston added two runs in the fourth on a wild throw home by shortstop Bogaerts and a sacrifice fly by Springer. Miley retired the first 10 batters, striking out six. He got Martinez to ground into an inning-ending double play in the fourth with two runners on, and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by striking out Bradley and retiring Michael Chavis on a lineout.

Rafael Devers joined an exclusive club of young Red Sox (Boston Red Sox championship rings) sluggers who have homered in three straight games, Chavis hit a tiebreaking homer in the 13th inning and Boston beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Wednesday night. The teams conclude their four-game series with an afternoon finale on Thursday. It's scheduled to start exactly 13 hours after Wednesday's game ended at 11:37 p.m. No wonder Chavis was so happy about his tiebreaking homer. "Thank goodness," he said of his reaction. "I knew it was getting late and I knew we had an early bus tomorrow for this day game. I got a lot of thank yous."

Among those expressing gratitude was fellow slugger Mookie Betts. "Super happy," Betts said. "Try and get back and get some rest. Definitely good to get the win tonight." Boston improved to 10-3 in its past 13 road games. The Red Sox are 4-1 in extra innings. "This is a big win for us," Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello said. "We've got a chance to win the series tomorrow and that's what we need to do." Devers led off the eighth with a blast to left off Derek Law, his sixth. It made Devers the sixth player in Red Sox history aged 22 or younger to homer in three straight games. The others are Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Carl Yastrzemski, Rico Petrocelli, and Jim Tabor. But Marcus Walden couldn't hold a 4-3 lead for Boston in the ninth. Brandon Drury hit a one-out double and pinch-hitter Danny Jansen sent the game to extra innings with a two-out single.

Toronto (world series rings for sale) used two singles and an intentional walk to load the bases against Walden with one out in the 10th. Red Sox manager Alex Cora brought Betts in to play as a fifth infielder before Walden fanned Freddy Galvis for the second out. After Betts returned to right field, Walden escaped the jam by getting Drury to fly out. Betts put Boston back on top by connecting off Joe Biagini in the 12th, his eighth, but Rowdy Tellez tied it again with a two-out drive off Heath Hembree in the bottom half. Chavis restored Boston's lead with a homer off Jimmy Cordero (0-1), making Hembree (1-0) the winner. Chavis has 10 homers and 25 RBI in 28 games. According to the team, the last time the Red Sox hit multiple go-ahead home runs in extra innings of the same game was April 29, 1951, at Philadelphia, when Dom DiMaggio and Tom Wright did it in the 11th and 12th innings.

Cordero, who was claimed off waivers from Washington on May 15, was making his Blue Jays debut. Toronto has not won back-to-back games since a three-game sweep of Oakland from April 26-28. The Blue Jays are 6-15 since. "It was a really good game," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "I'm proud of my guys for the game we played today against one of the best teams in baseball." Mitch Moreland had two RBI, and Jackie Bradley Jr. and Betts each scored twice for the Red Sox, who have won three of four.

Toronto (Toronto Blue Jays championship rings) rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run at Rogers Centre, but that was all the Blue Jays got against Porcello, who allowed three hits in six innings. "Rick was outstanding," Cora said. Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez was forced to leave after three innings because of a blister in his previous start, May 17 against the White Sox, but said the blister didn't bother him against Boston. Sanchez, who is winless in five starts, allowed two runs and four hits in six innings. "I can't wait for this finger issue to be behind me," Sanchez said.

Red Sox (championship sports rings) slugger J.D. Martinez was held out of the lineup because of a sore back. Martinez sat out the previous two games because of illness, but had been expected to return Wednesday. The two-time All-Star is hitting .308 with nine homers and 28 RBI.

TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: Chavis remained in the game after being hit on the helmet by a pitch from Sanchez in the sixth. ... INF Brock Holt (right eye) went 1 for 3 with a walk in his second straight rehab name for Triple-A Pawtucket. 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee) went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
Blue Jays: Guerrero rolled his right ankle breaking out of the box on a bloop single in the sixth. He had the ankle taped between innings and remained in the game.