Guerrero hits first HR of season as Blue Jays beat the Braves

TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run of the season and drove in a pair, Chris Bassitt pitched five shutout innings and the Toronto Blue Jays spoiled Spencer Strider’s return from elbow surgery by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Wednesday.

Chris Bassitt (2-0) struck out a season-high 10 and allowed three hits, all singles. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.77 through four starts.

The Blue Jays set a single-game, nine-inning record with 19 strikeouts.

Jeff Hoffman gave up Drake Baldwin’s first career home run in the ninth inning, but finished for his fourth save in four opportunities.

TWINS 4, METS 3, 10 INNINGS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ty France singled in the 10th inning to give the Minnesota a victory over New York, who had rallied with a three-run eighth

With the speedy Byron Buxton conveniently on second as the automatic runner, France smacked a 1-1 pitch from Reed Garrett (0-1) with none out that bounced in center field with no chance for Tyrone Taylor to get his glove down.

Buxton, Harrison Bader and Willi Castro had RBI singles for the Twins (7-12), who won just their second series in six sets this season after Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth and Cole Sands (2-1) did the same in the 10th.

First base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt had to leave in the sixth after being hit in the head by a foul ball by Taylor.

Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker hit RBI doubles to end a 12-inning scoreless streak for the Mets (11-7) in the eighth against Griffin Jax, and Luisangel Acuña tied it with a two-out single.

BREWERS 5, TIGERS 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich, Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick all hit home runs Wednesday and Milwaukee defeated Detroit.

The Brewers pushed across a run in the second off Keider Montero (0-1) when Garrett Mitchell tripled with one out and scored on Oliver Dunn’s sacrifice bunt. Dunn became the first Brewers player to use a “torpedo” bat during the plate appearance.

Yelich connected for a solo home run with one out in the third. Hoskins hit a two-run blast later in the inning to push Milwaukee’s lead to 4-0.

José Quintana (2-0), making his second start of the season after pitching seven shoutout innings in his Brewers debut on Friday, held the Tigers to one run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings.

CARDINALS 4, ASTROS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lars Nootbaar hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and Steven Matz pitched five strong innings in his first start of the season to help St. Louis beat Houston.

Matz (1-0) retired the last 15 batters he faced, striking out five, after allowing a run on a pair of singles to lead off the game.

Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy and Phil Maton each pitched a scoreless inning of relief before Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Ronel Blanco (1-2) allowed three runs and five hits and three walks in five innings for Houston, which has not won consecutive games this season.

PADRES 4, CUBS 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each drove in two runs and Nick Pivetta pitched six strong innings for San Diego, who beat Chicago to take two of three in a series between National League division leaders.

Tatis and Machado each hit an RBI single in the third off Matthew Boyd. Machado hit an RBI double in the seventh off Daniel Palencia, and Tatis drew a bases-loaded walk against Luke Little with two outs in the eighth.

Pivetta (3-1) allowed one run and four hits in a sharp performance. He struck out six and walked one.

Boyd (1-2) was charged with two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Robert Suarez pitched a perfect ninth for his big league-leading eighth save.

The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs in the third on two singles and a walk, but it managed just one run. Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly before Seiya Suzuki grounded into a double play.

PIRATES 6, NATIONALS 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit his first career grand slam to help Bailey Falter and Pittsburgh beat Washington.

Henry Davis also connected for Pittsburgh, which had dropped four of five. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two hits and scored run.

Falter (1-2) allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings. It was the 10th time this season that a Pirates starter went six innings or more — tops in the majors.

Washington wasted a sharp performance by Mitchell Parker (2-1), who tossed six innings of one-run ball. The Nationals scored their only run on Alex Call’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.

ORIOLES 9, GUARDIANS 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jackson Holliday hit a second-inning grand slam, Dean Kremer turned in his best start of the young season and Baltimore routed Cleveland.

Holliday snapped an 0-for-17 drought with a drive that carried into the Baltimore bullpen in center field off Gavin Williams (1-1) with one out in the second.

Kremer (2-2) entered the game with an ERA of 8.16 but allowed just one run — a homer by Gabriel Arias in the third — in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits.

Ramón Laureano hit a solo homer for the Orioles in the seventh, and Ryan O’Hearn added one in Baltimore’s four-run eighth.

Cleveland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but failed to score.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, MARLINS 2

MIAMI (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer and Arizona went deep four times to beat Miami for their fourth straight victory.

Josh Naylor, Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa added solo shots for the Diamondbacks, who have won six of seven following a three-game skid.

Brandon Pfaadt (3-1) allowed one run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six.

Corbin Carroll had a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth to stretch his on-base streak to a career-high 24 games dating to Sept. 23, 2024, tied for the longest active run in the majors.

Miami reliever Tyler Phillips gave up Gurriel’s third homer of the season, a two-out drive to left field in the eighth that made it 6-1.

Otto Lopez doubled home a run for the Marlins in the eighth. Xavier Edwards and Jesús Sánchez each had two hits.

MARINERS 5, REDS 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit two more homers and Bryce Miller pitched five sharp innings, helping Seattle beat Cincinnati.

Raleigh hit a solo drive from each side of the plate. The catcher has five homers in his last five games, giving him 100 for his career.

Dylan Moore had two hits and scored two runs for the Mariners in their fifth win in six games. Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford each had two hits and drove in a run.

Arozarena has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games, including five doubles and 10 RBIs.

Miller (1-2) allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked two. Andrés Muñoz handled the ninth for his seventh save.

YANKEES 4, ROYALS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the seventh inning that ended a 10-game drought, and New York defeated Kansas City to complete a three-game sweep

With a runner at second base in the ninth, Cody Bellinger made a diving catch in right field on MJ Melendez’s sinking liner to preserve Fernando Cruz’s first career save.

Judge had three hits for the third time this season. He reached base four times and his batting average climbed 27 points to a major league-best .409.

Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt had some dominant moments and pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball in his season debut.

Anthony Volpe hit a two-run double in the third and Bellinger had an RBI double in the fourth to give the Yankees a 3-1 led.

Schmidt retired 11 straight before Drew Waters opened the fifth with a single and scored on Kyle Isbel’s triple. Isbel scored the tying run on a groundout by Jonathan India.

GIANTS 11, PHILLIES 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jung Hoo Lee singled, doubled and drove in two runs to help San Francisco beat Philadelphia.

San Francisco improved to 13-5 with its third win in four games. Mike Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores and Patrick Bailey also drove in a pair of runs for the Giants.

Bryce Harper homered for Philadelphia.

San Francisco had 13 hits and nine walks, with much of the damage coming off struggling Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola (0-4). The right-hander gave up six earned runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

RED SOX 1, RAYS 0

TAMPA (AP) — David Hamilton hit a third-inning home run, four pitchers combined to strike out 13 and Boston beat Tampa Bay.

Hamilton lined a 3-2 fastball just inside the right-field foul pole off Rays starter Zack Littell (0-4) to lead off the third and give Boston all it needed in the three-game series finale. The Red Sox rebounded from Monday’s 16-1 loss to win the final two games.

Playing without Alex Bregman, on paternity leave after a career-high five hits with two homers in Tuesday’s win, the Boston bullpen limited the Rays to one hit over the final 4 1/3 innings.

Relievers Greg Weissert (1-0), Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten combined to retire 13 of the final 14 Tampa Bay hitters with no walks and nine strikeouts.

ATHLETICS 3, WHITE SOX 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Gio Urshela snapped a sixth-inning tie with a two-run triple that sent the Athletics past struggling Chicago.

JJ Bleday had three hits, including a double and an RBI single, to help the Athletics win their second straight on a cold night

Osvaldo Bido (2-1) tossed 5 2/3 innings for the win, allowing one run and five hits with one walk. Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save in five chances.

Brooks Baldwin’s homer in the third put the White Sox ahead 1-0, but Chicago has lost three in a row and 11 of 13.

White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and walking two while striking out four. He was replaced after 88 pitches by Tyler Gilbert (1-1), who took the loss.

RANGERS 3, ANGELS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager and Jake Burger each had three hits, and Texas beat Los Angeles

Seager also drove in two runs in Texas’ seventh consecutive home win. It was Burger’s first multihit game with the Rangers.

Patrick Corbin (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his first win with his new team. He struck out six and walked one.

Luke Jackson worked a perfect ninth — on six pitches — for his sixth save of the season.

Angels right-hander José Soriano (2-2) was tagged for 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. But he limited the Rangers to three runs — all in the second.

DODGERS 8, ROCKIES 7

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered in the Dodgers’ seven-run first inning, and Los Angeles held on for a victory over Colorado.

Andy Pages drove in three runs and Austin Barnes had a two-run double for the Dodgers, who blew most of an early 7-1 lead before their bullpen secured the series sweep with six innings of three-hit ball.

Michael Toglia hit a grand slam and Mickey Moniak also homered in the third inning for the Rockies, who have lost 33 of 43 to Los Angeles.

Ohtani delivered a 448-foot leadoff homer to the back row of the right-field bleachers on the fourth pitch by Germán Márquez (0-3), and the reigning NL MVP added an RBI single that chased Márquez while the Dodgers batted around in the first.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr (27) hits a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves in sixth inning interleague baseball action in Toronto on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans, according to two people familiar with the matter Thursday, marking the first major staff shake-up of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.

Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.

Waltz, who served in the House representing Florida for three terms before his elevation to the White House, is the most prominent senior administration official to depart since Trump returned to the White House. In his second term, the Republican president had been looking to avoid the tumult of his first four years in office, during which he cycled through four national security advisers, four White House chiefs of staff and two secretaries of state.

The Signal chain also showed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop. Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.

Trump and the White House — which insisted that no classified information was shared on the text chain — have stood by Waltz publicly throughout the episode. But the embattled national security adviser was also under siege from personalities such as Loomer, who had been complaining to administration officials that she had been excluded from the vetting process for National Security Council aides. In her view, Waltz relied too much on “neocons” — referring to hawkish neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as others who Loomer argued were “not-MAGA-enough” types.

Waltz was on television as late as Thursday morning, promoting the administration’s agreement with Kyiv that would allow the U.S. to access Ukraine’s critical minerals and other natural resources. As reports began to circulate that Waltz could be leaving the administration, Loomer appeared to take credit in a post on the social media site X, writing: “SCALP.”

“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer wrote in another post.

Loomer had taken a similar victory lap when several other NSC officials were dismissed last month one day after she met with Trump. Those firings included Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security, as well as other lower-ranking aides.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz listens as President Donald Trump meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)