Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin scored power-play goals 2:28 apart early in a five-goal third period, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied to beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 in Game 3 of their first-round series in Denver on Friday night.

Colorado took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinal series, with Game 4 in Denver on Sunday afternoon.

Devon Toews and MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist, Ross Colton, Zach Parise and Artturi Lehkonen also scored, Casey Mittelstadt had three assists, Mikko Rantanen registered two assists and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 22 shots for the Avalanche.

Josh Morrissey and Tyler Toffoli scored and Connor Hellebuyck had 34 saves for the Jets.

Rangers 3, Capitals 1

Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist as New York beat host Washington to close in on a berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow added goals, Mika Zibanejad had two assists and Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves for the Rangers, who lead the best-of-seven first-round series 3-0.

John Carlson scored for the Capitals and Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves. Washington played with five defensemen for 2 1/2 periods after Trevor van Riemsdyk was injured at 12:08 of the first on a hit from New York forward Matt Rempe.

Oilers 6, Kings 1

Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid scored in the first period and visiting Edmonton finished with the three power-play goals in a victory over Los Angeles in Game 3 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Hyman and Draisaitl each finished with two goals, and Draisaitl also had an assist as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series while rebounding from a 5-4 defeat at home in Game 2. McDavid wound up with three points, Evander Kane contributed a goal and an assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins notched three assists and Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for Edmonton. Edmonton now has seven power-play goals in the series.

Drew Doughty scored a goal for the Kings, while Cam Talbot made 34 saves. The Kings get a chance to even the series in Game 4 at home on Sunday.

Canucks 2, Predators 1

Casey DeSmith made 29 saves for his first career playoff win as visiting Vancouver beat Nashville.

The Canucks grabbed a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. Game 4 of the best-of-seven set is set for Sunday in Nashville.

Luke Evangelista scored with 3:12 remaining in the third period to pull the Predators within a goal, but the hosts could not manage an equalizer.

–Field Level Media

Tyrese Haliburton converted a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a 121-118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Indianapolis.

Haliburton gained separation after using a nifty crossover on Patrick Beverley before sinking a shot from the foul line. He added a free throw to complete his 18-point, 16-assist, 10-rebound performance and overcome a scintillating 42-point effort by Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton.

Myles Turner collected 29 points and nine rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 17 points and nine rebounds to help the sixth-seeded Pacers seize a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis.

Damian Lillard, slowed by an ailing Achilles tendon, overcame an apparent left leg injury late in the first quarter to finish with 28 points, eight assists and three steals. Bobby Portis collected 17 points and 18 rebounds for the third-seeded Bucks, who played their sixth straight game without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain).

Mavericks 101, Clippers 90

Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to help Dallas beat visiting Los Angeles in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 14 minutes for the Mavericks, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is set for Sunday in Dallas.

Norman Powell and James Harden each had 21 points for the Clippers, who committed 19 turnovers. Ivica Zubac added 19 points and eight rebounds.

Timberwolves 126, Suns 109

Anthony Edwards recorded 36 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota beat host Phoenix to take a 3-0 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history.

The Timberwolves will aim for a sweep in Game 4 of the best-of-seven, first-round Western Conference series on Sunday night at Phoenix. Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 14 rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 13 boards for third-seeded Minnesota.

Bradley Beal scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 and Devin Booker registered 23 points and eight assists for the sixth-seeded Suns.

–Field Level Media

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off three-run homer, Kyle Harrison pitched six shutout innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Friday.

The game was scoreless until the ninth, when Michael Conforto walked and Matt Chapman singled to begin the inning off reliever David Bednar (1-2). Bailey then drilled a homer to right field, his second-career walk-off home run. The Giants catcher, off to a hot start this season, said he was looking for a fastball on the pitch and feels as if his swing is in a much better spot compared to this time last year.

“One thing this year I tried to build was just my confidence at the plate,” Bailey said. “I felt like I proved to myself last year that I could do it at this level, even with the struggles at the end. So that was my biggest thing this year was just going up confident every time — no matter what.”

And how does he maintain that confidence?

“Keep hitting,” Bailey responded.

Both starters, Harrison and Pittsburgh’s Quinn Priester, pitched six innings. Harrison struck out seven and gave up five hits. He pitched in and out of jams all night, noting that he gets a little more juice walking off the mound escaping a potential run-scoring situation.

“Compete mode, as we call it,” Harrison said.

He added that “it makes you want to come out there and get a clean next inning.” Manager Bob Melvin thought Harrison improved as the game went along, his fastball velocity climbing to 94 mph after dipping earlier in the outing.

“They were getting some decent swings on him in the first couple of innings, and then after that not at all,” Melvin said.

Priester, making his second start of the season after being called up last week to fill the spot of the injured Marco Gonzales, allowed three hits and struck out six in the best start so far of his young career. He struggled in his season debut last Friday in an 8-1 loss at Boston.

Pittsburgh had the bases loaded in both the seventh and ninth innings, but could not score. Brian Reynolds hit into a double play against Giants closer Camilo Doval (2-0) with the bases full and one out in the ninth.

The Pirates, beginning a six-game Bay Area trip against both the Giants and Oakland Athletics, started the season 11-5 but have lost nine of their 11 games to dip below .500 for the first time.

Joey Bart returned to San Francisco for the first time since the Giants traded him to the Pirates earlier this month. The Giants’ former top prospect, who is off to a hot start with Pittsburgh, said he is enjoying his new club so far and was looking forward to catching up with his former teammates.

Bart entered the game in the ninth as a defensive replacement.

“I’m enjoying it,” Bart said before the game, of his new team. “It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously transitions, it’s good but it’s hard to get caught up. So that’s what I’ve been doing, just trying to get caught up with everybody.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Shortstop Oneil Cruz tweaked his ankle chasing a fly ball in the outfield and then sliding into third in the ninth inning. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said they will monitor Cruz, who is “banged up a little bit.”

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb (hip/elbow/shoulder) who has yet to pitch this season after undergoing hip surgery last fall, has been held back from throwing with soreness in his right shoulder. … Second baseman Thairo Estrada (left hamstring) was not in the lineup, but took ground balls and could start on Saturday, according to manager Bob Melvin.

UP NEXT

RHP Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.61 ERA) was set to pitch for the Giants in the second game of the series against LHP Martín Pérez (1-1, 3.45 ERA) .

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Bailey Ober learned Friday that the best medicine is not to allow a hit for as long as possible.

Ober took a no-hitter into the sixth inning while fighting through a stomach bug, Carlos Santana homered and the Minnesota Twins extended their winning streak to five games, beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-3.

Santana drove in two runs, while Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers and Willi Castro each had an RBI to help the Twins win the opener of a three-game series and a six-game trip.

Ober (2-1) was charged with two runs on three hits over 7 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts to continue his recent domination after he gave up eight runs on nine hits over 1 1/3 innings of his season debut against Kansas City. In his four starts since, Ober has a 1.47 ERA over 24 1/3 innings, while allowing a combined 11 hits.

“I think you kind of relax a little bit,” Ober said about having an illness that forced him to sharpen his focus. “I feel like you take pressure off yourself to perform just because you know you’re not feeling great out there and you’re not thinking about too much. You’re trying to execute pitches and that’s about it.”

Left-hander Caleb Thielbar got the final out for his first save of the season and the second of his career.

Patrick Sandoval (1-4) gave up four runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings for the Angels, who lost for the seventh time in their last eight games. Nolan Schanuel drove in a pair of runs for Los Angeles and Zach Neto had an RBI.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Santana’s home run to center field, his second. Buxton made it 2-0 with his RBI single in the third.

With Ober in control, the Twins added a third run in the fifth inning on a Jeffers single and made it 4-0 in the sixth when Santana drove in his second run of the game on a single.

The Angels finally got their first hit when Luis Rengifo hit a blooper to shallow center field just out of the reach of Castro at shortstop. After a double from Neto put two runners aboard, Schanuel ended the shutout bid with his RBI grounder to shortstop.

“Despite all that, we still had ourselves in position to win that game,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We just have to get our offense going earlier. It’s the second game in a row we went into the sixth with a no-hitter. But from the sixth to the ninth, we fought.”

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been impressed with how Ober has not only turned things around after a clunker in his opener, but continues to pitch at a high level, even with an illness.

“When a guy’s sick, you don’t know if he’s fine, he’s going to keel over, or something in between. You just don’t know,” Baldelli said. “We kept a close eye on him but man he was direct. He was grabbing the ball, throwing strikes and he had the cutter working pretty good. He looked great. He didn’t look sick, that’s for sure. He pitched about as well as you can pitch.

Schanuel added an RBI single in the eighth inning before Castro got the run back for the Twins on an RBI double in the ninth. Neto drove in a run for the Angels in the ninth inning.

“We just couldn’t find a way to get on base,” Washington said. “We finally cashed in with Rengifo’s hit and then things started to fall in our favor. But we need to get our offense going earlier.”

Former Twins infielder Miguel Sano started at third base for the Angels and went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts. Before going unsigned and not playing last season, Sano was in Minnesota for eight seasons and hit 162 home runs.

TRAINERS’ ROOM

Twins: RHP Jhoan Duran (oblique) had his second rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul moved back a day because of a rain out. … RHP Justin Topa (knee) will make his second rehab appearance at St. Paul on Sunday after he had three strikeouts in an inning of work Thursday.

Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon said he has a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring, with the update coming five days after he was placed on the injured list with a “strain.” It is expected to be a lengthy recovery for Rendon, who has yet to play more than 58 games in any of his previous four seasons with the club, although one of those was the shortened 2020 pandemic season. … RHP Chase Silseth (elbow) took part in a light throwing session.

UP NEXT

Twins RHP Chris Paddack (1-1, 5.57 ERA) returns to the mound after a 10-strikeout performance against the White Sox on Monday, his most since June of 2021. Angels RHP Jose Soriano (0-3, 3.43 ERA) will make his fourth career start after not giving up an earned run over six innings Sunday against the Reds.

___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered on Joe Musgrove’s fourth pitch and Bryce Harper also had one of the Philadelphia Phillies’ five home runs in a 9-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Musgrove (3-3) allowed a career-high four homers and didn’t get out of the fourth.

Aaron Nola (4-1) was brilliant in pitching eight innings for the second straight start. He struck out 10 for the first time this season and 31st time in his career, while holding San Diego to three runs and seven hits, with one walk. His only big mistake was allowing rookie Graham Pauley’s two-run homer in the seventh, his second.

There was a scary moment in the second when Harper and Jurickson Profar were shaken up after a tag play at first. Nola hopped off the mound, barehanded Profar’s dribbler and threw to Harper, who tagged Profar. Harper spun around from the impact and Profar fell to the ground. Harper tweaked his wrist, and he jogged around on the grass holding it against his lower back. Both players were checked by trainers and stayed in the game.

Schwarber’s shot was his 100th in a Phillies uniform and he became the second-fastest to do so, in 342 games. Ryan Howard did it in 325 games.

His homer of the season went 379 feet, much shorter than his previous three home runs at Petco Park. He hit a jaw-dropping, 488-foot drive into the second deck in right field in Game 1 of the 2022 NL Championship Series, which the Phillies won in five games. Last season he hit homers of 465 and 440 feet in a series in early September.

After being staked to a 2-0 lead in the first, Nola needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the bottom of the inning.

“We have a really good offense and everybody knows that,” Nola said. “Not just average-wise; obviously, the power guys, too. I think the big thing that makes our offense hard to pitch to is they take really good at-bats. They fight to the end and that makes it tough on a pitcher.”

The Phillies took a 6-0 lead after Harper, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos homered in the third.

Harper hit a 396-foot moonshot to right, his sixth, leading off. Marsh drove a two-run homer onto the porch atop the right field wall, with J.T. Realmuto aboard on a double. Castellanos followed with a homer to left-center that just the cleared the fence above center fielder Oscar Azocar’s outstretched glove. It was Marsh’s sixth and Castellanos’ first.

Realmuto hit a two-run homer off Tom Cosgrove in the seventh, his fourth.

Marsh also hit an RBI double in the first.

Marsh said the power surge against Musgrove came from “just being stubborn with the approach. Not coming out of it, trying to not hit the pitches that he wants us to hit and hit the pitches he doesn’t want us to hit. We just did a good job of that tonight.”

Marsh, the left fielder, robbed Jake Cronenworth of an opposite-field homer in the sixth.

Musgrove was coming off a strong seven-inning performance in a win against Toronto but was done after just 3 2/3 innings Friday night. Besides the career-high four homers, his six earned runs tied the most he’s allowed in a start at Petco Park. He joined his hometown team in a trade with Pittsburgh before the 2021 season. He threw the Padres’ first no-hitter in his second start, at Texas.

Musgrove allowed eight hits, with four strikeouts and two walks.

San Diego’s Manny Machado was activated from the paternity list and played third base for the Padres for the first time since Aug. 31. Bothered by tennis elbow, he finished the season as DH and then had surgery. He opened this season as DH.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: Rookie CF Jackson Merrill was out of the lineup a second straight game with right groin tightness.

UP NEXT

Phillies LHP Ranger Ranger Suárez (4-0, 1.36 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday night against Padres RHP Dylan Cease (3-1, 1.82).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

(Reuters) – Rafa Nadal said it would be exciting to partner fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics this year and the 22-times singles Grand Slam champion hoped they can enter some doubles tournaments in the build-up to the Games.

Singles world number three Alcaraz said previously he would like to play at the Olympics alongside his 37-year-old idol, who expects to bring the curtains down on his glittering but injury-plagued career this year.

At the Madrid Open where the duo are competing this week, the 20-year-old admitted to being somewhat nervous about initiating the discussion but Nadal put him at ease.

“Carlos doesn’t have to ask me anything, all things being well, we’ll play,” Nadal said during the IGUALES podcast. “It’s also hugely exciting for me. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve heard it is for him too.

“So it would be great to play the odd tournament before the Olympics to prepare ourselves and to get some rapport on court.”

While twice Grand Slam champion Alcaraz is set to make his Olympic debut in the July 26-Aug. 11 Games, Nadal will be eyeing his third gold medal after triumphing in singles in the 2008 Beijing Games and doubles eight years later in Rio.

But Nadal has had a torrid time with injury in recent years, missing nearly all of 2023 with a hip issue that needed surgery.

He returned to competition in Brisbane in January but was out for another stretch due to a thigh issue, only coming back in Barcelona last week before casting doubts over his French Open participation next month.

The tennis competition at the Paris Games will take place on clay at Roland Garros, where Nadal has won 14 major titles.

“I think if we’re both fit enough, why not? We could have the chance to form a great team and aspire to great things,” Nadal said of the partnership.

“It would be good for both of us. It would also be good for the Spanish team, so we’ll see how things progress.”

Nadal, a five-times champion in Madrid, faces Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur later on Saturday.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

SEATTLE (AP) — Mitch Haniger hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, two batters after Arizona ace Zac Gallen left because of tightness in his right hamstring, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Diamondbacks 6-1 on Friday night.

Gallen (3-2) walked Josh Rojas to lead off the sixth, then was pulled in the middle of Julio Rodríguez’s subsequent at-bat.

“Just a right hamstring spasm and I think we really dodged a bullet,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Credit him, it’s hard to pull back in those situations and understand what you body is feeling and call out your catcher. I think he’s hopefully going to be fine.”

Rodríguez went on to single off Scott McGough, and Cal Raleigh walked to load the bases for Haniger, who hammered a 389-foot shot to left-center on a full-count fastball.

“Honestly, just trying to get a ball in the air in the outfield, ” Haniger said. “Trying to hit a sac fly really, but obviously put a good swing on it and hit it hard as you can. 3-2, selling out for a fastball with nowhere to put me.”

Josh Rojas and Mitch Garver also homered for Seattle, and Emerson Hancock (3-2) threw six strong innings. Rojas homered on Gallen’s first pitch of the game, and Garver made it a 2-0 in the second.

Arizona’s Kevin Newman homered in the sixth, one of two hits allowed by Hancock. Trent Thornton and Cody Bolton combined for three scoreless innings in relief.

“Another outstanding starting pitching performance tonight,” manager Scott Servais said. “We are on a roll with our starters, really our whole pitching staff. They’ve just been outstanding here over the past couple of weeks.”

Mariners starters have gone 14 consecutive starts without allowing two or more earned runs, a franchise record.

“It’s special, I think everyone knows that,” Hancock said. “But I think for us, … we’re always trying to get better. We really are. We’re trying to work, we want to just keep pushing, and each guy that goes out there, I feel like we have confidence he gives the team a good chance to win.”

Gallen allowed three hits and three earned runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: P Paul Sewald (oblique) was set to throw a bullpen Saturday and will most likely make another minor-league rehab appearance before making his return from the Injured List.

Mariners: Bryan Woo (elbow) will make his second rehab start Saturday at Triple-A Tacoma and will likely make one more before returning to the active roster … RHP Matt Brash (elbow) is throwing at 100% and was being examined Friday in Seattle to determine if he’ll go on a rehab assignment soon.

UP NEXT

Mariners right-hander George Kirby (2-2, 5.33 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Saturday against Diamondbacks right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-0, 3.00 ERA).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Ortiz hit a run-scoring single in the 11th inning and finished with a homer and four RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees on Friday night.

Owen Miller, inserted as a pinch runner for former Yankee Gary Sánchez at second to start the 11th inning, advanced to third on a fly ball to right field by Brice Turang. Ortiz then singled through the legs of third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, driving in the winning run.

“I was just excited to be able to help the team win,” Ortiz said. “That’s what really matters.”

Ortiz came into the game with three hits in his last 24 at bats, including 0 for 13 in the last 12.

“Hit something hard, put the barrel on the ball,” he said. “Put the ball in play and make things happen.”

New York’s Jose Trevino, on second to start the 10th inning, scored on a double to the wall in left-center by pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Milwaukee tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Willy Adames singled to center, scoring William Contreras and tying it at 6-all.

Jared Koenig (2-0) picked up the win with two innings of relief. Michael Tonkin (1-3), claimed off waivers from the New York Mets on Thursday, took the loss.

“Baseball, in general, is tough,” Tonkin said. “Still got to go out and do your job.”

Clay Holmes pitched a perfect ninth, but Boone didn’t want his closer to come for the 10th.

“I wasn’t going two innings with my closer tonight when he’s been in essentially half our games,” Boone said. “And, especially some of the attrition we had down there in our bullpen, I’ve got to make sure we keep him in a great spot.”

New York’s Juan Soto made his 800th career hit special, sending a 0-1 cutter 103.9 mph over the left-field wall in the first inning off Colin Rea.

The Yankees went ahead 2-0 in the second when Alex Verdugo launched a solo homer.

Ortiz tied it with his first career homer, two-run blast to left in the bottom half of the inning.

The home-run ball was sitting on the top shelf of his locker.

“I guess the ball bounced back,” Ortiz said. “I had no idea because I kind of blacked out when I hit it. I guess the ball bounced back on the field and (left fielder Alex) Verdugo was able to throw it into the bullpen.”

Blake Perkins gave Milwaukee a 4-2 lead in the third with a two-run homer to right-center, his third of the season.

Trent Grisham put the Yankees ahead in the fourth with his first home run of the season, a three-run shot that traveled 404 feet to right.

Yankees starter Luis Gil was chased in the sixth inning when Sánchez hit a lead-off double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joey Ortiz.

Gil allowed five runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in his first career start against Milwaukee, a no-decision.

Rea allowed five runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: OF Jasson Domínguez (right UCL tear) continues to improve and is a few weeks away from playing in a game.

Brewers: LHP Wade Miley said he needs Tommy John surgery. The 37-year-old lefty (0-1, 6.43 ERA in two starts) was put on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on April 22, retroactive to April 19.

UP NEXT

Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (1-1, 2.70 ERA) makes his sixth start of the season and will face Brewers RHP Joe Ross (1-2, 4.05 ERA), making his fifth start this season and first against the Yankees since May 9, 2021, while pitching for Washington.

___

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien homered to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Rangers beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Friday night.

Semien pulled a 1-1 fastball from Lucas Sims (1-1) down the line in left.

Jacob Latz, José Leclerc (2-2) and Kirby Yates retired the final nine Cincinnati batters, Yates getting his fourth save in four chances. Texas’ bullpen has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings.

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi held the Reds to three singles through six innings after allowing a run in the first on three walks, three stolen bases and an error.

The Rangers, who led the American League in runs last year en route to winning the World Series, hit .226 in their previous 12 games and scored Friday on two homers. Evan Carter pulled Texas even at 1, leading off the second with a home run to right off starter Graham Ashcraft.

“We play good defense. I think that’s our identity,” Semien said. “We’ve been pitching the ball great. Evo battled. The bullpen’s been great, and we hit a couple balls out.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer drew one-out walks. De La Cruz advanced to third base on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s fly out to right. On the first pitch to Tyler Stephenson, Steer broke for second, Jonah Heim’s throw sailed into center field and De La Cruz was credited with stealing home.

De La Cruz’s steal of the plate, added to Steer’s steal of home April 6, gave the Reds two steals of home in one month for the first time since Joe Morgan and Pete Rose did it in April 1978.

The Reds, who were shut out in two of their previous four games, struck out 12 times.

Eovaldi matched a season high with eight strikeouts, allowing the one run on three hits plus five walks — three in the first inning — pitching six innings.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done tonight, but we will in the future,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We’ll continue to work and look for those opportunities.”

Ashcraft, who won his previous three starts, pitched a season-high 6 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on seven hits, striking out three with no walks.

Corey Seager, last year’s World Series MVP, snapped an 0-for-18 slump in the sixth inning with an infield single.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: OF Jake Fraley (illness) was available after missing the four previous games. … OF TJ Friedl (right wrist fracture) and LHP Alex Young (low back disc degeneration) were scheduled to begin rehab assignments at extended spring training. … RHP Frankie Montas (forearm contusion) should throw this weekend.

Rangers: LHP Cody Bradford, placed on the 15-day injured list April 14 with back soreness, has been diagnosed with a rib stress fracture.

UP NEXT

The Reds have lost all five starts made this season by RHP Hunter Greene (0-2, 4.55 ERA), who will start Saturday in the middle game of the series. Greene will face Rangers RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-0, 2.45), who spent his first seven big league seasons with Cincinnati.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

CHICAGO (AP) — Light-hitting Martín Maldonado hit a three-run homer, Eloy Jiménez added a two-run-shot and the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox snapped a seven-game losing streak with their fourth win of the season, a 9-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.

The nine runs were a season high for Chicago, which at 4-22 is off to the worst start in franchise history through 26 games. Baltimore started 2-24 in 1988.

Maldonado added a single. The 37-year-old catcher entered hitting .048, with two hits in 42 at-bats with no RBIs. He batted .191 with 15 homers last season for Houston.

“I’m always trying to help the team,” Maldonado said. “The way I’ve been swinging the bat, coming through like that felt good.

“This game is so negative mentally,” he added. “If you go 3 for 10, you fail seven times. It’s always good when you see results in the field.”

Chris Flexen (1-3) worked five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three. The right-hander, who entered with a 6.41 ERA, exited after walking two batters to open the sixth and was followed by five relievers.

“He pounded the strike zone,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “He had everything going. He really executed on his pitches. Other than those two walks, it was a pretty flawless start.”

Tommy Pham started in center field and had two singles in his White Sox debut after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. The 36-year-old had signed a minor league on April 16, then went to the minors for four games to ramp up.

Paul DeJong had two hits and an RBI. Danny Mendick and Nicky Lopez each doubled and had two hits.

Tampa Bay lost for the fourth time in five games. Curtis Mead had two hits and an RBI. René Pinto, Jose Siri and Amed Rosario each drove in a run.

Rays starter Zach Eflin (1-3) yielded five runs on nine hits and four walks. The 30-year-old right-hander hadn’t allowed a run in his previous two starts, both no-decisions.

“It’s gonna all click,” Eflin said. “It seems like we’re all just not playing, playing good together. Defense, offense, pitching, it’s just not all clicking at the same time.”

And on giving up nine runs to the White Sox, who entered having scored an MLB-low 56 times?

“Honestly, at the end of the day it’s a big-league team,” Eflin said. “You know, there’s not bad hitters out there.”

The White Sox also recalled outfielder Rafael Ortega from Charlotte on Friday, while optioning outfielder Dominic Fletcher. Chicago designated left-hander Bailey Horn and outfielder Kevin Pillar for assignment.

The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the third on Andrew Vaughn’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.

Chicago increased it lead to 2-0 in fourth inning on Mendick’s double and DeJong’s RBI single.

Maldonado took Eflin deep to left on a 1-0 pitch in the sixth to make it 5-0.

“It was pretty middle, middle,” Eflin said. “Really good pitch to hit.”

The Rays cut it to 5-2 in the seventh on Pinto’s RBI double, followed by three straight walks. Jiménez connected in the bottom half.

Chicago added two unearned runs in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tampa Bay: LHP Colin Poche was placed on the 15-day injured list with mid-back tightness and had a cortisone shot. RHP Manuel Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Durham to take his roster spot. … OF Josh Lowe (right oblique strain) could return as early as Saturday, manager Kevin Cash said. … 1B Yandy Díaz exited in the eighth after being hit by a pitch. … INF Jonathan Amanda (right finger fracture) was set to being a rehab stint at Durham.

UP NEXT

Tampa Bay RHP Aaron Civale (2-2, 3.90) faces Chicago rookie RHP Jonathan Cannon (0-1, 7.27) on Saturday night.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb