Rea welcomes Yankees in opener at Petco

Colin Rea will take the ball for the Padres on Friday at 7:40 p.m. PT in the opener of a three-game Interleague set against the Yankees, as he looks to bounce back from his last start against the Reds.

The 25-year-old right-hander has been excellent at times for San Diego this season, but his last start in Cincinnati saw him last just five innings, allow four runs and walk four batters -- which tied a season high. Rea did strike out a career-best seven batters during that game, so he'll look to build on that with just two starts remaining ahead of the All-Star break, when the Padres will begin to start limiting his innings.

"The thought process would be to push him to the back of the rotation coming off the All-Star break so he gets a longer period of time off … just to control his innings," Padres manager Andy Green said.

The most innings Rea has thrown in his professional career came in 2014, when he logged 139 for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore.

Opposing Rea will be Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-5, 5.19 ERA), who has allowed at least five runs in four of his past five starts. He took his third straight loss on Sunday, allowing five runs over six innings to the Twins.

Things to know about this game

• Carlos Beltran -- the Yankees' hottest hitter in June -- has played 23 games in Petco Park throughout his career, where he has hit .253/.341/.342. Beltran, however, is battling right hamstring tightness and is no lock to play on Friday.

• Will Myers has faced the Yankees more than any team except the Blue Jays and Rockies in his career, and has hit .304/.345/.559 in 102 at-bats against them, registering seven home runs.

• Eovaldi has fared well against Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. In 20 career at-bats, Upton has mustered just four hits and one RBI.

Norris to make Dodgers debut vs. Rockies

Jorge De La Rosa will pitch for the Rockies against Bud Norris, who will make his Dodgers debut, stepping in for the injured Clayton Kershaw, in the series opener on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Norris was acquired in a five-player trade with Atlanta on Thursday.

De La Rosa has faced the Dodgers 25 times in his career, opposing only the Padres, Giants and D-backs more. He has historically struggled against Los Angeles, holding a 5.22 ERA over 120 2/3 innings. However, he has a 3.90 ERA at Dodger Stadium and has a 2.87 ERA in his last five starts against the Dodgers, spanning back to August 2014.

De La Rosa seems to be finding his groove after being reinstated to the rotation on June 14. He has won all three of his starts -- posting a 2.11 ERA -- but he has not pitched past the sixth inning.

Norris is 0-2 with a 3.10 ERA in six games (five starts) at Dodger Stadium. He is 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 10 games (five starts) against the Rockies in his career, but 13 of the 21 earned runs came at Coors Field.

Three things to know about this game

• The Dodgers who have seen De La Rosa the most have had great success. Adrian Gonzalez is 17-for-48 (.354), Chase Utley is 7-for-21 (.333) and Howie Kendrick is 5-for-14 (.357). However, Justin Turner is 0-for-9 against him.

• Charlie Blackmon's 17 leadoff home runs since the start of 2013, his rookie season, are tied with Curtis Granderson for the most over that span. He hit his most recent one on Saturday.

• The Dodgers will likely face a disabled-list decision with outfielder Joc Pederson, who bruised his right (non-throwing) A/C joint slamming into the wall in Milwaukee on Tuesday night and hasn't been available since.

LeBlanc, Gausman set to match up at Safeco

The Mariners and Orioles will face off Friday in the second game of a four-game series in Seattle, the last series between the two teams this regular season.

Wade LeBlanc will get his second start with the Mariners. Seattle acquired the 31-year-old southpaw from Toronto on June 22 to help bolster a heavily injured starting rotation, and he made his Mariners debut on June 24. Manager Scott Servias, who knew LeBlanc from their overlapping time with the Angels, was pleased enough with the lefty's six-inning shutout performance to keep him in the starting rotation when Wade Miley and Taijuan Walker returned from injuries.

"[General manager] Jerry [Dipoto] and I had some history with him, so [we] kind of knew what to expect," Servais said. "Didn't think we'd get six shutout innings, but we'll gladly take them."

Kevin Gausman is scheduled take the mound for the Orioles. The right-hander will be looking for his second win this season. He is 1-5 in 13 starts and has a 3.93 ERA. He earned his first win in his most recent start, on June 25. Gausman only allowed four hits in 7 2/3 innings en route to a 5-0 Orioles win over the Rays.

Things to know about this game

• This will be Gausman's third career start against the Mariners, all of which have been in Seattle. He is 0-1 at Safeco Field with a 2.63 ERA.

• Before his start last week, LeBlanc had not pitched in a Major League game since 2014. He spent 2015 playing in Japan and then signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays. He started this season in Triple-A Buffalo, where he had a 1.71 ERA .

• Mariners catcher Mike Zunino could make his first Major League start since last season. Seattle recalled the 25-year-old from Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday to replace Steve Clevenger, whom the Mariners placed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right hand. Zunino hit .174 for the Mariners last year, but had a .282 batting average in Triple-A this season. Starting catcher Chris Iannetta is due for a day of rest; he has played in the Mariners' past five games.

Locke, Gray set to square off as Bucs hit Oakland

The Pirates and Athletics are both looking to improve their spots in the standings in what have been inconsistent seasons to date. They'll get a chance to do so when they play each other in an Interleague matchup over the weekend in Oakland, and Friday's opener provides an intriguing pitching matchup, with Pittsburgh left-hander Jeff Locke going up against A's righty Sonny Gray.

For the visiting Pirates, success might be tied to the performance of Locke, who has been excellent of late. Locke's last start was a 6-1 win over the Dodgers in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. He went seven innings in that effort, giving up one run on five hits. In his previous outing, Locke beat the Giants and ace Madison Bumgarner by pitching 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He did not walk a batter in either game.

Meanwhile, Gray has been rounding into form since coming back from the disabled list. The A's ace has turned in quality starts his last two games, pitching six innings of two-run (one earned) ball against the Brewers on June 21 and following it up with six innings of two-run ball against the Angels in Anaheim on June 26.

Things to know about this game

• Locke is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in one career start vs. the A's. It came on July 8, 2013, at PNC Park in a 2-1 loss.

• There's a good chance Gregory Polanco could be back in the outfield for the Pirates. He started both games at designated hitter in the two-game series vs. the Mariners in Seattle on Tuesday and Wednesday.

• Gray has only faced the Pirates once, and it was in his Major League debut. It came on July 10, 2013, in Oakland, and the 23-year-old Gray pitched two innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit and striking out three batters.

Cueto looks to rebound in opener vs. D-backs

The Giants and D-backs will meet for a ninth time this season when they begin a three-game divisional series at Arizona's Chase Field on Friday.

The Giants completed a four-game sweep of the D-backs the last time they were in Arizona in mid-May. The teams are 4-4 against each other in 2016, as the D-backs swept the Giants in a four-game set at AT&T Park in April.

Since the Giants' sweep of the D-backs in May, though, the teams have gone in opposite directions. The Giants own the best winning percentage (33-11) in the Majors since May 11. And it's been hard for the D-backs to keep pace, as they head into the series losers of five straight and 14 games back of the division lead.

Johnny Cueto will take the mound for the Giants. The right-hander continues to excel as the All-Star break nears, posting a 2.42 ERA with 11 wins on the season. But, his last outing was one of his worst of 2016, as Cueto surrendered six earned runs to the Phillies on Sunday.

The D-backs counter with right-hander Shelby Miller, who is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in his two starts since returning from the disabled list. He's allowed four earned runs in 7 2/3 innings against the Giants this year.

Things to know about this game

• D-Backs third baseman Jake Lamb has batted .404 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 13 games. He finished June with nine home runs, the most by a D-backs player in a month since Paul Goldschmidt hit 10 in May 2015.

• The Giants' injury list continues to get crowded, as infielders Joe Panik and Ramiro Pena experienced setbacks this week. Panik was put on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion, while Pena will be sidelined due to a sprained ankle. Pena will not go on the DL, however.

• The D-backs are 13-28 at home in 2016 and just 15-18 against opponents in the NL West.

• The Giants haven't lost a series to a team in the NL West since being swept by the D-backs at home on April 21.

Brewers trying to reverse course vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals have not lost a series to the Brewers in more than two years, but Milwaukee will look to change that when it kicks off a three-game series with the Redbirds at Busch Stadium on Friday.

Since Milwaukee took two out of three on the road in April 2014, 25 of the past 38 games played between the National League Central opponents have gone St. Louis' way. In recent history, the Cardinals have taken two out of three games in both series played between the two teams this season. St. Louis is outscoring the Brewers, 38-13, across the six games.

The Cards could also regain the services of two key bats in the lineup. Stephen Piscotty bruised his left ankle on Wednesday sliding after a ball in right field and wasn't in the starting lineup on Thursday. Rookie Aledmys Diaz could return to his starting shortstop spot on Friday after fouling a ball off his right eye on Monday.

Matt Garza will take the mound for his fourth start of the season for the Brewers. The right-hander displayed good command in each of his first two starts, but he surrendered three walks, 10 baserunners and four runs over six innings while picking up the win in his last start.

Jaime Garcia is scheduled to start for the Cardinals. The left-hander gave up five runs over 5 2/3 innings in his last start and posted a 5.40 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP with a .347 batting average against over five starts in June. Garcia made his best start of the season, however, against the Brewers on April 14, when he threw a one-hit shutout.

Things to know about this game

• Garza's season-high pitch count in a game is 87 (June 14), but look for the Brewers to be willing to stretch out that total on Friday. Garza missed the first two months of the season with a right lat strain, and he said after his last start that he felt strong enough to go deeper in a game.

• Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is batting .365 with a 1.081 OPS and a 181 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers this season, but Garcia has had the six-time All-Star's number in his career. Braun is 13-for-57 (.228) with five extra-base hits, two walks and nine strikeouts against Garcia.

• Look for Jhonny Peralta to be in the St. Louis lineup Friday. In his career against Garza, he is 17-for-37 (.459) with two homers and five RBIs. In 15 at-bats against Garza, Matt Adams has a 1.429 OPS.

Perez eyes 7th straight win as Rangers face Twins

Left-hander Martin Perez puts his six-game winning streak on the line when the Rangers open up a three-game series against the Twins on Friday night at Target Field. Veteran right-hander Ervin Santana pitches for the Twins.

Perez is 6-0 with a 3.40 ERA in his last seven starts, matching the longest winning streak of his career. He is 6-2 with a 3.10 ERA in his last 11 starts.

"Just keep going and continue to do my job," Perez said. "I don't want to stop. I just want to win and help the team."

This will be Perez's first start against the Twins in almost four years. The only other time Perez faced the Twins was on July 6, 2012, in Arlington when he allowed four runs in six innings in a 5-1 loss.

The Rangers are much more familiar with Santana. He has made 30 career starts against the Rangers, fifth most among active pitchers and tied for 17th all time. The former Angels hurler is 13-11 against Texas with a 5.67 ERA, which is the fifth highest among opponents with at least 25 starts vs. the Rangers.

Santana's last two starts have been against the Yankees. He allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings in a 7-4 victory on June 19, snapping a five-game losing streak. In his last start, he allowed one run in five innings Saturday in a game the Twins ended up losing, 2-1. The Twins are scoring 3.71 runs per nine innings for Santana, the fourth-lowest run-support average in the American League.

What to watch for
• Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre has five home runs in his career off Santana, tied for the second most against him by any opponent.

• Twins first baseman Byung Ho Park is hitting .197 at Target Field, the second-lowest home batting average in the AL. But he does have eight home runs in 117 at-bats there. He has been bothered by a sore right wrist and did not start on Thursday against the White Sox.

• Joe Mauer has a career batting average of .234 against the Rangers. That's his second lowest against any AL opponent. He has a .232 average against the Astros. He also did not start on Thursday.

Fiers, white-hot Astros host White Sox

The Astros, winners of 10 of their last 11 games and 25 of their last 36, return home Friday night to face the White Sox and open a 10-game homestand that will take them to the All-Star break. The Astros will send right-hander Mike Fiers to the mound against White Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez in Friday's series opener.

Fiers (5-3, 4.41 ERA) had won two consecutive decisions, allowing two runs in 12 2/3 innings, before allowing three runs and nine hits in only 4 1/3 innings Saturday in Kansas City. The Astros have won four of his last five starts.

Gonzalez (1-3, 5.17 ERA) has appeared in 11 games for the White Sox, making 10 starts. Since beating the Nationals on June 9, he's 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in three starts, allowing 22 hits and nine walks in 15 1/3 innings.

Things to know about this game

• Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has reached base in 32 consecutive games, which is the longest such streak by an Astros player since Lance Berkman reached in 37 games in a row in 2004. Altuve's also riding an 11-game hitting streak.

• Entering Wednesday, the White Sox had made 1,198 quality starts since 2003, second-most in the Majors behind the Mets (1,211) in that span.

• The Astros are 18-8 this month, their best June record since they were 18-10 in 1989. This year, they went 7-17 in April and 17-12 in May.

Rolling Teheran starts vs. Marlins

Julio Teheran is on a roll. The Braves' right-hander, who is drawing considerable trade interest, carries a string of 23 consecutive scoreless innings into Friday night's game against the Marlins at Turner Field.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are in the market for starting pitching, and they're looking to gain momentum in the congested playoff picture. Miami is countering with left-hander Justin Nicolino, who rejoins the rotation after a brief two-start demotion to Triple-A New Orleans.

Even in the Minors, Nicolino had stayed lined up with Miami's fifth starter spot. With New Orleans, he shed throwing his cutter and had success in two starts -- giving up three runs in 13 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks. In his previous seven starts with the Marlins before being optioned, Nicolino was 0-4 with a 6.44 ERA.

Teheran is enjoying one of his finest seasons, with 99 strikeouts to 24 walks in 106 innings. In his last 13 starts, he has a 1.72 ERA.

Things you need to know about this game

• Newly acquired reliever Fernando Rodney is expected to be in uniform and ready to pitch on Friday, a day after Miami acquired him from the Padres for prospect Chris Paddack. Manager Don Mattingly hasn't said what role in the back end of the bullpen Rodney will have, but he's available for the seventh inning and beyond.

• Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is just 4-for-27 (.148) in his career against Teheran, but two of his hits have been home runs. Marcell Ozuna, meanwhile, is 11-for-30 (.367) with a homer and four RBIs.

• The Braves don't have much history against Nicolino. Nick Markakis is 2-for-5 off the Miami lefty.

Red Sox, Angels to renew acquaintances at Fenway

Fenway Park spectators will get their annual look at superstar Mike Trout, as the Angels visit the Red Sox for a three-game series that starts on Friday night.

In 13 career games in Boston, Trout has never homered, but has a .373 average, six doubles and a .930 OPS.

Trout will be playing against the two outfielders he might be starting alongside at the July 12 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard in Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. When the latest round of balloting was announced earlier this week, Trout, Bradley and Betts ranked 1-2-3 in outfield voting.

Knuckleballer Steven Wright, who leads the American League with a 2.18 ERA, also could earn a trip to the Midsummer Classic in San Diego. The right-hander draws the assignment for the Red Sox in the series opener as he tries to bounce back from a rare subpar start. The Angels counter with righty Jhoulys Chacin.

Three things to know about this game

• Daniel Nava, who was an important player for the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox, returns to Fenway with the Angels. In five seasons with the Red Sox, Nava batted .267 with a .744 OPS in 424 games. He is a .277 hitter at Fenway with a .777 OPS.

• Hanley Ramirez has the most at-bats of any active Boston player against Chacin, going 4-for-15 with a homer. Albert Pujols has a double and a homer in five career at-bats against Wright.

• The Red Sox hope to activate left fielder Brock Holt (concussion) and catcher Ryan Hanigan (neck strain) for this series. For the Angels, third baseman Yunel Escobar should return to action over the course of the three-game set, manager Mike Scioscia said. Escobar hasn't played since Thursday against Oakland while dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee. Jefry Marte and Gregorio Petit have each started at third base in Escobar's absence.

After eight days off, Fulmer takes on Rays

Rays starter Drew Smyly will face his old team and prolific Tigers rookie Michael Fulmer will pitch for the first time in eight days when the Rays host the Tigers on Friday at Tropicana Field.

Smyly, who spent the first two and a half seasons of his big league career with the Tigers, has already pitched twice against his former team, including once this year. He's coming off a Sunday start in Baltimore where he allowed eight runs in five innings.

And like the Orioles, the Tigers are one of Major League Baseball's best home-run-hitting teams. They have 104 on the season, and five players with 12 or more. Smyly will need to find a way to keep the ball in the park to get back on track.

"Between the Orioles, the Red Sox and now these guys coming in, there are some deep lineups," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "They've got guys that are capable of hitting the ball out of the ballpark, guys that are proven Major League hitters."

Fulmer faced the Rays once this season and allowed just one run over seven innings -- a game he faced off against Smyly. Earlier this season, Fulmer had a 33 1/3-inning scoreless streak earlier this season. Due to his early success, a chance at making the All-Star Game isn't out of the question, even if he only has 11 big league starts under his belt.

It's been eight days since his last start, since the Tigers are trying to limit his innings during his first big league season.

"I'd be a dream come true if it did," Fulmer said of pitching in the All-Star Game. "I couldn't tell you that I'm worried about it or thinking about it at all. I'm just trying to go out and do my job, and if something like that achievement comes up, it'd be a dream come true."

Three things to know about this game

• Miguel Cabrera hit his 426th career home run on Sunday. He is now one shy of Mike Piazza for 47th on the all-time home run list.

• Smyly is 0-4 over his last seven starts, and he hasn't won since May 16. It's the longest losing streak of his career.

• Rays catcher Hank Conger is batting .444 with three homers and six RBIs on Saturdays. The other six days of the week he's batting below .200 and has only four RBIs.

NLCS rematch continues with Hammel, deGrom

The Mets and Cubs will continue their National League Championship Series rematch at Citi Field on Friday, with right-handers Jacob deGrom and Jason Hammel taking the hill.

deGrom will look to build off his most recent outing, on Saturday, in which he tossed eight shutout innings -- tying a career high -- en route to a no-decision against the Braves. The last time he faced the Cubs, in Game 3 of the NLCS, he earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings while striking out seven.

Hammel will be making his first appearance at Citi Field since April 11, 2011, and hopes the Mets treat him better than they did in Game 4 of the NLCS, as he took the loss after allowing five runs in 1 1/3 innings at Wrigley Field. He has not fared much better against the Mets in the regular season, as he is 0-3 against them with a 4.91 ERA in five career starts. New York is one of two NL teams that he has yet to defeat, the other being the Giants.

Three things to know about this game

• First baseman James Loney was one of the Mets' best hitters in June, hitting .283 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. He'll try to carry that over into July against Hammel, whom he's hit pretty well in his career. In 41 at-bats against Hammel, Loney has 13 hits, three of them home runs.

• The Mets have the Major Leagues' worst batting average with runners in scoring position, at .204. This season, Hammel has held batters to a .147 average in those situations.

• New York has not scored a run in deGrom's last three starts. On average, deGrom has received just 2.87 runs of support through 13 starts.

Hellickson, Phils looking to stay hot vs. champs

The Phillies are coming off their first series sweep since late April after taking three from the D-backs. Philadelphia's rotation leads the Major Leagues in shutouts with nine, but all eyes now are on outfielder Peter Bourjos, who has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball during the last few weeks. In his last 17 games, Bourjos is hitting .471 (24-for-51) with eight RBIs.

The Phils are back home after nine games on the road, and they face a Royals team that was 14-25 on the road entering Thursday's game against the Cardinals. Kansas City has its own sizzling hitter -- Kendrys Morales. Entering Thursday's game, Morales was 13 for his last 20 (.650), and 25 for his last 53 (.472.)

After Thursday's off-day, the Philllies will send Jeremy Hellickson, who gave up just one earned run in six innings at AT&T Park in his last start, to the mound against Ian Kennedy and the Royals on Friday in the opener of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

Kennedy struck out 11 while giving up three hits, one walk and one run against the Astros in his last outing.

Things to know about this game
• Hellickson is 1-2 with a 5.45 ERA in six starts -- a span of 33 innings -- against the Royals in his career. He's struck out 25 and walked nine.

• Hellickson needs to beware of Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, who over his career is 8-for-16 vs. Hellickson.

Kennedy is 3-3 with a 3.25 ERA over his career against the Phils in eight starts. That includes a three-hit shutout in 2011.

Kennedy has had terrific success against this crop of Phillies, including Ryan Howard, who is 3-for-19, all singles.

Roark aims to extend Nats' streak to 6 games

Two right-handed starting pitchers trending upward of late will meet when the Nationals and Reds continue their series Friday evening. Tanner Roark will start for Washington against Cincinnati's Anthony DeSclafani.

In his last four starts, Roark owns a 2.30 ERA and has averaged nearly seven innings per start. His shortest outing of the year came against the Reds in Cincinnati on June 5, when he was pulled after three innings as the Reds scored five runs on seven hits. Washington still emerged with a 10-9 victory.

DeSclafani pitched eight scoreless innings in his last start on Sunday vs. the Padres. He gave up five hits, no walks, one hit batsman and struck out five. It was the third time this season a Reds starter pitched at least seven innings in back-to-back starts. The 26-year-old has a 1.52 ERA in four starts since returning from a strained left oblique that he injured in March.

Things to know about this game

• Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper and center fielder Ben Revere each were given a day off from the lineup on Thursday. Both are expected to play on Friday.

• Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who was hit on the left side of his face by a fly ball on Wednesday, took concussion protocol tests on and off the field Thursday and was cleared just before the series opener. Hamilton never suffered a concussion and was diagnosed with a facial contusion, but he had sustained a head injury earlier in the month.

• Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment Friday at Double-A Harrisburg.

Walker, Mariners top O's, who set June HR mark

 Taijuan Walker bounced back from a troublesome foot injury to throw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball as the Mariners topped the Orioles, 5-3, on Thursday at Safeco Field to snap Baltimore's seven-game win streak.

Hyun Soo Kim went deep off Walker leading off the seventh to give the Orioles a Major League-record 56 home runs in June, but that was the only damage done against the 23-year-old Mariners right-hander. Walker, making his first start in 11 days, allowed four hits with five strikeouts and is now 4-6 with a 3.29 ERA.

"That's the guy," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "That's the guy we saw earlier in the year, we just haven't seen him in a while."

Chris Tillman saw his string of seven straight wins over the Mariners snapped as he gave up six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings, falling to 10-2 with a 3.71 ERA.

"There were a lot of deep counts tonight," Tillman said. "I think I made some good pitches, but the pitches in between weren't very competitive. Just wasn't able to command my offspeed like I have been. That makes their job easier, when you are not commanding the offspeed stuff."

The Orioles finished June with a 19-9 record and a five-game lead over Boston in the American League East at 47-31. Seattle went 10-18 in the month and is 40-39, 10 1/2 games back of Texas in the AL West.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Martin covers deep territory: Mariners center fielder Leonys Martin turned in a pair of defensive gems to help Walker out. In the fourth inning, Manny Machado hit a line drive off the wall in right-center field and rounded first. Martin played the ball off the wall, turned and threw a dart to second. Machado, caught between first and second after hesitating around the bag, headed back. But shortstop Ketel Marte tossed it to first baseman Dae-Ho Lee for the tag to get the final out of the inning. Walker had retired the previous 11 batters in order, with the help of another impressive defensive play in the second, when Martin leaped to grabMark Trumbo's line drive a few steps before the fence.

Smith gets insurance: Seth Smith tacked two more runs onto the Mariners' lead in the fifth with a home run over the right-field fence. His seventh dinger of the season put Seattle up, 3-0. By Statcast™'s measurements, his hit traveled a projected 389 feet with an exit velocity of 111 mph. He went yard on a 2-1 count right after fouling off a bunt.

"It's still an offensive count, so you're still trying to work aggressive," Smith said. "You're not sure what pitch is coming, but you're just working up the middle. And I got a slider kind of middle."

O's rotation woes continue: Tillman, the O's Opening Day starter, had been the guy Baltimore could depend on. But he struggled in a three-run fifth, and has been unable to record an out in the sixth inning in any of his last three starts. Tillman has surrendered 14 earned runs over his last 14 2/3 innings.

"I think it gets magnified because we weren¹t scoring any runs," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We know Chris is capable of better. A lot of deep counts. First inning, he gets a couple outs and the next thing you know, he¹s thrown 27 pitches. That kind of set the tone for the night."

Kim secures record: The left fielder, who struggled earlier this season, gave the Orioles sole possession of the Major League record for June homers. Kim's 0-1 blast marked his third homer of the season and came in the seventh inning. He also drove in a run in a two-run Orioles eighth.

"It would have been really special if we were able to win the game," Kim said through his interpreter about the record homer. "Since we didn't, we can't really be congratulating too much. But I'm really glad and happy that I'm able to participate in games we are winning. So, that comes as very special to me."

QUOTABLE
"I don¹t know. Is there some record? I don¹t know. You¹d have to ask them. Score enough runs to win a ballgame. We¹ve got three months down, three to go. We¹ve had three winning months. I¹m more proud of the fact that we were something like 13-6 in the division." -- Showalter, on the June home run record.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The Mariners lost a challenge on a forceout at third in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Lee hit a shallow fly ball to right-center field. It fell in for a base hit. Robinson Cano scored, to put Seattle up, 4-0, and right fielder Trumbo threw the ball to third for a close play on a sliding Nelson Cruz. Third-base umpire Marty Foster called Cruz out, and the call was upheld.

But the Mariners picked up a run in the seventh on a crew-chief review, as the force play at second on a 5-4-3 inning-ending double-play grounder by Lee with runners on first and third was overturned. After a review, the out call at second was reversed, as Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop didn't tag the bag under the new "area play" rule, which allowed Cruz to score from third and give Seattle a 5-1 lead.

"Outstanding job by our replay guy Chris Prieto," Servais said. "Something we talk about often is with the naked eye, you're not really locked in on that. You can't see it. And he's on it."

WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Kevin Gausman will pitch the second game of the four-game set at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday. The right-hander finally picked up his first win in his 13th start of the season, firing 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rays. He now sports a 1-5 record with a solid 3.93 ERA.

Mariners: Seattle will send Wade LeBlanc to the mound against Baltimore at 7:10 p.m. PT on Friday. The left-hander made his Mariner debut on June 24, throwing six scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over St. Louis in his first Major League appearance since 2014.

Double threat: Giants ace gets win vs. A's, starts rally

After watching the A's offense surge in the first three games of the series, the Giants took their turn Thursday at the Coliseum, using a six-run third inning to bulldoze their way to a 12-6 victory and avoid a sweep in the Bay Bridge Series.

The rally was spurred by an unlikely source: pitcher Madison Bumgarner. The Giants became the first team to forgo a designated hitter and hit with a pitcher since the White Sox in 1976, and Bumgarner didn't disappoint, rocketing a double to center field in his first at-bat to open the third inning. Six straight batters reached base to start the inning against A's starter Dillon Overton, highlighted by back-to-back homers from Buster Posey andBrandon Crawford.

"He smoked that ball," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "We needed something to ignite this offense and he did it."

Overton said Bumgarner "made him pay" on a pitch up in the zone, and pitched him just as he would a regular position player.

Despite earning the win, Bumgarner's night on the mound wasn't up to his usual standards. He allowed four earned runs for only the second time this season, tying a season high set against the Dodgers on April 15. Yonder Alonso chased Bumgarner in the seventh, hitting a two-run homer down the line in right to make it 8-4. Bumgarner allowed four runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Oakland had scored 28 runs through the first three games of the series and have scored six or more in seven straight games. It appeared to be on its way to another strong performance, as Marcus Semien hit his 16th homer of the season in the first inning, but Bumgarner retired nine of his next 11. The A's have homered in nine straight games.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bumgarner hit sparks rally: Bumgarner quickly made his presence felt at the plate. The Giants ace led off the third by ripping a double to center field and initiated a rally in which six players crossed home plate before an out was recorded. The scoring barrage was highlighted by a ground-rule double from Brandon Belt with the bases loaded, as well as back-to-back home runs from Posey and Crawford. Bumgarner would even come to the plate a second time in the inning, but popped out to second.

"I was just happy to get a hit," Bumgarner said. "A lot of people had a lot to say about what we did today, and I'm just glad it worked out for us." More >

Overt trouble: Overton took the loss in his second career start, giving up eight runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. He ran into trouble in the third partly due to some bad luck. Bumgarner's double glanced off Billy Burns' glove to open the inning, and two batters later,Angel Pagan lofted a single to left that Coco Crisp couldn't corral in a sliding catch attempt. Unlike Overton's debut Sunday, when the rookie settled down after allowing two first-inning homers to the Angels, it snowballed, and he allowed a three-run homer to Posey and a solo shot to Crawford to make it 6-1.

"Coco had to run a long way for those balls," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "And center field, hit right at you on a line, you have to be pretty perfect. Certainly on [Bumgarner's double] he [Burns] made a really good effort on, almost got to it.

Overton allowed eight runs and was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville following the game.More >

Giants give Bumgarner run support: Bumgarner, who received just two combined runs of support in his last two outings, got more than double that by the end of the top of the fourth. Thanks to big days offensively from Belt, Posey and Crawford, who combined for nine RBIs, Bumgarner pitched with a comfortable lead most of the game and recorded his first win since June 14.

"It was definitely nice to do that, when you let Bumgarner settle down and be the pitcher that he is," Belt said.

Yonder goes yard: Alonso hit a homer for the second consecutive game, roping a 92-mph Bumgarner fastball down the line in right to cut the deficit to 8-4 in the seventh. It's the first time Alonso, who has a league-low three among all qualified first basemen, has homered in back-to-back games in his career.

QUOTABLE
"He swings the bat like he's an everyday position player," Overton said. "He swings it with passion. He swings it hard. He's trying to hit a home run every time he gets up there." -- Overton on Bumgarner 

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Giants are the first Major League club since the Chicago White Sox in 1976 to choose to forgo the opportunity to use a designated hitter. The only other time it occurred was in 2009, when the Tampa Bay Rays forfeited the designated hitter due to submitting an incorrect lineup card. In June 1988, Rick Rhoden was the DH for the Yankees on a day he wasn't pitching.

WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: Johnny Cueto looks to rebound from one of his worst outings of 2016 when the Giants open their three-game series with the D-backs at Chase Field Friday at 6:40 p.m PT. Cueto, who is 11-1 with a 2.42 ERA, allowed six earned runs Sunday against the Phillies and took a no-decision. He gave up two earned runs and struck out nine in his last start against Arizona this year.

A's: Sonny Gray takes the mound against the Pirates at 7:05 p.m. PT in the first of a three-game series at the Coliseum. Gray's on a five-game losing streak and hasn't won since April 22, but he's posted a 3.23 ERA over his last five starts since coming off the disabled list June 5.