OAKLAND, Calif. — Nate Freiman singled home the winning run in the 18th inning against Mariano Rivera, lifting the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday for a three-game sweep.
As a day game after a night game turned into a night game after a day game, John Jaso singled off Preston Claiborne (0-1) to start the decisive rally and went to third on Seth Smith’s soft single to shallow left field against Rivera.
Baseball’s career saves leader issued only the 39th intentional walk of his 19-year career to Jed Lowrie before Freiman ended the 5-hour, 35-minute game.
The AL West-leading A’s (41-27) won their 11th in a row at home.
Winning pitcher Jesse Chavez (1-0) struck out seven in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
CARDINALS 2, METS 1
NEW YORK — Adam Wainwright became the first 10-game winner in the majors by throwing seven scoreless innings and sent Matt Harvey to his first loss of the season.
Wainwright (10-3) retired his first 11 batters before David Wright’s single and allowed four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He matched his career best by winning his fifth straight start, dropped his ERA to 2.18 and got his 1,000th career strikeout.
Edward Mujica allowed a long home run to Marlon Byrd in the ninth before remaining perfect in 19 save chances. Mujica got defensive help from second baseman Matt Carpenter, who made a sliding stop on his backhand to prevent the tying run.
Harvey (5-1) had been unbeaten in 14 starts since Sept. 12 and he pitched well enough to win, giving up one run and five hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts and a walk.
St. Louis scored its only run off him in the third on Carpenter’s RBI triple. Allen Craig added a run-scoring single in the eighth.
ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 4 (13)
BALTIMORE — Chris Davis singled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the 13th inning, giving the Orioles an exhausting victory over the Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series between AL East contenders.
Danny Valencia homered for the Orioles, who moved into second place and within 2½ games of Boston. Baltimore won despite leaving 16 on base and going 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
With two outs in the 13th, Nick Markakis drew a walk from Alex Wilson (1-1). Adam Jones singled, and Davis followed with an opposite-field pop that landed in front of left fielder Daniel Nava.
T.J. McFarland (1-0) pitched the 13th to earn his first major league win.
CUBS 6, REDS 5 (14)
CHICAGO — Pinch-hitter Julio Borbon singled home the winning run with two outs in the 14th inning and Chicago ended Cincinnati’s record 12-game winning streak at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs hadn’t beaten Cincinnati at home since last Aug. 9. With the win, Chicago avoided a four-game sweep and improved to 3-10 against the Reds this season.
Hector Rondon (1-0) pitched two innings for the win, and Chicago’s bullpen finished with 13 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in a game that lasted 5 hours, 7 minutes.
David DeJesus homered, and Nate Schierholtz tripled twice for the Cubs, who had lost eight of 10 to fall a season-worst 13 games below .500.
Jonathan Broxton (2-2) took the loss in the longest game for both teams this season.
ROYALS 10, RAYS 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Elliot Johnson had a three three-run homer for his second hit of an eight-run sixth inning, leading the surging Kansas City Royals to a 10-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Johnson, who was traded to Kansas City by the Rays in February, led off the big inning with a single and chased Jeremy Hellickson (4-3) with his second homer of the season, both coming against Tampa Bay.
Johnson got his third hit of the game in the eighth inning and is 6-for-11 with four RBIs against his former team while batting .202 with three RBIs against every other team.
Ervin Santana (5-5) gave up five hits and an unearned run in 7 2-3 innings.
The Royals have won eight of nine.
NATIONALS 5, ROCKIES 4
DENVER — Ryan Zimmerman homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Ian Desmond got four hits, and Washington beat the depleted Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies lost four players and a coach, as well as the rubber match of the three-game series.
Colorado outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler were hurt early, and star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left with a rib injury in the eighth.
While the Rockies said X-rays on Gonzalez and Fowler were negative and listed both players as day to day, Tulowitzki’s injury could be more serious.
Rockies reliever Wilton Lopez and pitching coach Jim Wright were ejected in the seventh.
Craig Stammen (4-2) threw two scoreless innings. Rafael Soriano got his 17th save after giving up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Todd Helton with two outs.
Zimmerman’s RBI double off reliever Matt Belisle (4-3) in the eighth broke a tie, and he later scored on Desmond’s infield single to make it 5-3.
Gonzalez was hit near the ankle by a foul ball while on deck in the first inning and exited with a bruised left foot. Fowler was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Ross Detwiler after squaring to bunt in the third.
GIANTS 10, PIRATES 0
PITTSBURGH — Matt Cain allowed two hits over 6 2/3 innings, and San Francisco routed Pittsburgh.
A year to the day after throwing a perfect game against Houston, Cain (5-3) was nearly flawless again. He struck out three and walked two, giving up a single to Garrett Jones in the fifth and a double to Andrew McCutchen in the seventh.
Hunter Pence hit his 11th homer, while Buster Posey, Gregor Blanco and Joaquin Arias had three hits apiece for the Giants, who avoided a sweep by spoiling Charlie Morton’s return from Tommy John surgery.
Morton (0-1) gave up four runs — two earned — and seven hits in five innings.
BLUE JAYS 3, RANGERS 1
ARLINGTON, Texas — Edwin Encarnacion hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and the Blue Jays handed the Rangers their third straight loss.
The slumping Rangers wasted another solid outing by Yu Darvish, who has made five consecutive starts without a victory.
Neal Cotts (2-1) replaced Darvish to start the eighth, when Emilio Bonifacio reached on a throwing error by Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre. Munenori Kawasaki had a sacrifice bunt before Tanner Scheppers, the second reliever, walked Jose Bautista before the double by Encarnacion.
Esmil Rogers (2-2) allowed one run over seven innings, the same as Darvish, who struck out nine.
Interleague
PHILLIES 3, TWINS 2
MINNEAPOLIS — Cliff Lee allowed two runs in seven strong innings, Ben Revere had four hits and scored the go-ahead run, and the Phillies rallied to beat the Twins and snap a five-game losing streak.
The speedy Revere slid home with nobody out in the eighth, scoring from third base on Jimmy Rollins’ chopper. First baseman Justin Morneau was playing in, but his throw was too late to catch Revere — formerly of the Twins.
Lee (8-2) gave up only one hit and faced the minimum number of batters through 6 1/3 innings before Joe Mauer walked.
Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen opened the eighth with a double against reliever Jared Burton (0-4) and scored the tying run on Michael Young’s single.
