(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw took on fellow future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night and earned the victory with help from Mookie Betts.

Betts hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning and drove in another run in the three-run seventh to help the host Dodgers to a 5-1 victory in the opener of the three-game series.

Kershaw (6-2) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings, striking out four and walking one. Shohei Ohtani had three hits and scored twice for the Dodgers, who had dropped two of three.

Scherzer (2-2) also went six innings, allowing two runs and six hits while striking out five and walking three. Daulton Varsho went 3-for-4 for the Blue Jays, who had won three in a row.

Astros 5, Yankees 3

Carlos Correa snapped a tie with a leadoff single in the 10th inning and Taylor Trammell hit a two-run homer later in the frame as Houston earned a victory at New York.

Astros closer Josh Hader (6-2) breezed through the ninth and allowed an RBI single to Anthony Volpe in the 10th. Jose Altuve staked Houston to a lead with a two-run homer in the first inning.

Ben Rice had two of New York's five hits, including an RBI single in the sixth. Aaron Judge hit a tying single later in the sixth. Devin Williams (3-5) gave up three runs, two earned, in the 10th.

Tigers 6, Angels 5

Matt Vierling delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth as host Detroit rallied for a win over Los Angeles.

Vierling's first homer of the season erased a 5-3 deficit. Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer and Javier Baez added a two-run single for the Tigers. Troy Melton (2-1) gave up one run in 3 1/3 innings of relief. Kyle Finnegan recorded two strikeouts while getting the last three outs for his 23rd save.

Gustavo Campero and Zach Neto hit back-to-back homers off Detroit ace Tarik Skubal in the fifth. Jo Adell also homered for the Angels.

Pirates 3, Reds 2

Bryan Reynolds' two-out triple in the bottom of the eighth drove in the tying and go-ahead runs and led host Pittsburgh to a comeback win over Cincinnati.

Reynolds, who also doubled and scored the Pirates' first run in the fourth, roped a ball into right field off reliever Tony Santillan (1-4), which allowed Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Tommy Pham to score and erase a 2-1 deficit.

Cincinnati dropped its third in a row and suffered another damaging loss to its fading playoff hopes. The loss denied Reds starter Chase Burns his first major league win. He struck out 10 and gave up one run over a career-high six innings.

Guardians 9, White Sox 5

Carlos Santana had four RBIs, C.J. Kayfus doubled twice and drove in three runs, and visiting Cleveland topped Chicago.

Tanner Bibee (8-9) allowed four runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings for the Guardians, who led 9-1 after four innings before securing their fourth straight win.

White Sox starter Aaron Civale (3-7) yielded a career-high nine runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Brooks Baldwin hit a solo homer, but Chicago went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and lost its fifth straight game.

Red Sox 10, Padres 2

Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida belted two-run homers and Walker Buehler tossed six scoreless innings as visiting Boston stopped San Diego.

Buehler (7-6) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four in arguably his best outing of the year. The former Los Angeles Dodger improved his career mark against San Diego to 7-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 13 starts.

Nick Pivetta (11-4) took his first home loss of the year, permitting five hits and five runs in six innings while walking three and fanning three.

Mariners 3, Rays 2

Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 43rd homer of the season as Seattle rallied to defeat visiting Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series.

Raleigh's three-run shot to right-center field with two outs in the eighth inning off Rays reliever Griffin Jax (1-6) gave the Mariners their fifth consecutive victory. Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas (4-5) threw one perfect inning, and Matt Brash struck out the side in order in the ninth for his second save.

Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero homered and Drew Rasmussen pitched six scoreless innings for the Rays, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Brewers 3, Mets 2

Brice Turang hit a two-run homer and Brandon Woodruff tossed seven effective innings as Milwaukee extended its winning streak to seven games with a comeback victory over visiting New York.

The Mets had the potential tying run cut down at the plate for the final out in the ninth. Starling Marte doubled with two outs off Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill. Jeff McNeil followed with a single to center, but Marte was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Blake Perkins. The Mets challenged, but the call was upheld on review.

By taking the opener of a three-game series, Milwaukee moved to a season-high 27 games above .500 at 71-44, the best record in the majors. The Mets have lost five straight and nine out of 10 following a seven-game winning streak.

Cardinals 5, Cubs 0

Michael McGreevy and three relievers scattered seven hits as St. Louis blanked visiting Chicago.

McGreevy (4-2) limited the Cubs to six hits in six innings. Jordan Walker went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as the Cardinals won for the third time in four games.

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd (11-5) allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings as Chicago lost for the fourth time in six games. The Cubs went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Phillies 9, Rangers 1

Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner clubbed home runs to back six strong innings from Cristopher Sanchez as Philadelphia romped past Texas in Arlington, Texas.

Sanchez (11-3) won for the sixth time in his past seven decisions as he allowed one run on six hits. Marsh had four of Philadelphia's 11 hits, adding two doubles to his round-tripper, and Turner racked up five RBIs. The Phillies have won four of their past five outings.

Merrill Kelly (9-7) remained winless in two appearances for the Rangers since being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. He went 4 1/3 innings and permitted four runs on five hits and a season-high five walks.

Twins 9, Royals 4

Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Minnesota pulled away for a win over Kansas City in Minneapolis.

Kody Clemens went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Twins, who earned their third consecutive victory. Joe Ryan (11-5) allowed one run on four hits in five innings.

Mike Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt Jr. each homered for the Royals, who lost for the third time in their past four games. Seth Lugo (8-6) surrendered seven runs on nine hits in four innings.

Marlins 5, Braves 1

Edward Cabrera struck out a season-high 11 and gave up just two hits while pitching Miami to a win at Atlanta.

Cabrera (6-5) matched his career high with eight innings and gave up one run. Heriberto Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs, and Xavier Edwards went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Atlanta starter Bryce Elder (4-9) worked six innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. Jurickson Profar hit a solo homer.

Orioles 3, Athletics 2

Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and Baltimore held on to nip the visiting Athletics despite managing just three hits.

Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (9-5) allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. Keegan Akin pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save.

Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom each had two hits for the Athletics. J.T Ginn (2-4) lasted five innings, allowing three runs on three hits.

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 1

Corbin Carroll and Blaze Alexander homered, Zac Gallen pitched six strong innings, and Arizona beat Colorado in the opener of a three-game series in Phoenix.

Gallen (9-12) gave up one run and four hits in six innings. Alexander had two hits and was hit by a pitch.

Kyle Karros drove in Colorado's run with an RBI single with one out in the second inning, his first major league plate appearance. Austin Gomber (0-6) gave up six runs and five hits in six innings.

Giants 5, Nationals 0

Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt hit home runs, Kai-Wei Teng recorded his first major league win and San Francisco blanked visiting Washington.

Opener Matt Gage combined with Teng and relievers Joey Lucchesi, Jose Butto and Tristan Beck on a four-hitter, helping the Giants snap an eight-game home losing streak. Teng (1-1) allowed just three hits over five innings.

Jake Irvin (8-7) was charged with four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings as the Nationals lost for the eighth time in their past nine games.

--Field Level Media