Ryan Mountcastle, left, celebrates his two-run homer with Ryan McKenna during Baltimore’s 5-4 win Thursday against the Houston Astros. Julio Cortez/Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle homered, Félix Bautista worked through another shaky ninth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles extended their streak to 76 series without being swept, edging the Houston Astros 5-4 on Thursday.
It was 5-3 when Bautista, who lost Tuesday’s game when he allowed a grand slam to Kyle Tucker, came on to pitch the ninth. Jose Altuve’s one-out double and Alex Bregman’s walk allowed the go-ahead run to come up, but catcher James McCann caught Yordan Alvarez’s foul pop, holding onto the ball as he lost his balance and fell.
Tucker drew a walk to load the bases, and Yainer Diaz followed with a line drive to the left side. Third baseman Ramón Urías made a dive for it and couldn’t catch it, but he did prevent it from going through, and only one run came home.
Bautista then retired Jon Singleton on a popup for his 31st save in 37 chances.
After dropping the first two games of this series, the Orioles set the tone early in the finale. Urías made a diving stop on Altuve’s grounder leading off the game, and Rutschman put Baltimore ahead with a drive to left leading off the bottom of the first.
Left fielder Ryan O’Hearn and second baseman Adam Frazier made terrific defensive plays for the Orioles in the fifth, and Mountcastle’s two-run shot in the seventh made it 5-2.
Orioles starter Dean Kremer (11-4) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings.
GUARDIANS 4, BLUE JAYS 3: Noah Syndergaard won for the first time since April 30, rookies Brayan Rocchio and José Tena sparked Cleveland’s offense, and the Guardians defeated visiting Toronto.
Syndergaard (2-5), making his third start with Cleveland since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowed one run in 52/3 innings.
Rocchio hit RBI doubles in the second and fifth. Tena had an RBI single in the second for his first major league hit, and a double in the fifth.
TIGERS 3, TWINS 0: Riley Greene broke up a pitcher’s duel with a sixth-inning homer and Detroit won at home.
The Twins managed just two singles, the last in the fifth inning. Reese Olson (2-5) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out eight.
INTERLEAGUE
CARDINALS 5, RAYS 2: Matthew Liberatore didn’t allow a run in a career-best eight innings, Andrew Knizner and Tommy Edman homered, and St. Louis won in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In his second start since being called up from Triple-A Memphis, Liberatore gave up two hits and had a career-high seven strikeouts.
The Rays dropped three game behind AL East-leading Baltimore.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PIRATES 7, BRAVES 5: Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in three runs for the third straight game, Liover Peguero knocked in two, and host Pittsburgh overcame an early four-run deficit .
Thomas Hatch, claimed off waivers from Toronto on Sunday, worked four scoreless innings in relief of Bailey Falter to earn his first victory in nearly three years. Colin Holderman worked around an RBI single by Ronald Acuña Jr. in the ninth to earn the second save of his career.
Matt Olson hit his 40th home run of the season for Atlanta to move into a tie with Shohei Ohtani for the major-league lead but struck out looking as the tying run in the ninth to end it.
PHILLIES 6, NATIONALS 2: Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto hit two-run homers, leading Philadelphia to a win at home.
The only sour note for the Phillies was slugger Bryce Harper leaving the game in the top of the fifth inning with what the club called mid-back spasms. He was undergoing evaluation, the team said.
NOTES
PHILLIES: Michael Lorenzen will get some extra rest after pushing himself beyond his usual limits while throwing a no-hitter.
The 31-year-old right-hander threw a career-high 124 pitches Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. He was making his first home start for Philadelphia, which acquired the All-Star in a trade with Detroit.
Lorenzen won’t pitch again until Aug. 18 at Washington. Philadelphia has been going with a six-man rotation to reduce the workload for its starting pitchers, and the club has two days off next week.
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