BALTIMORE — Rick Porcello won his fifth straight start, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in a duel between AL division leaders that included a benches-clearing confrontation.
After Ian Kinsler’s two-run homer in the eighth made it 4-1, Orioles starter Bud Norris hit Torii Hunter in the ribcage with a pitch. Hunter yelled at Norris, and as he made his way toward first base, the Tigers outfielder moved slightly in the direction of the mound.
That caused both dugouts to empty, and relievers from both bullpens charged toward the infield. Order was quickly restored before anyone blatantly shoved each other, and no punches were thrown.
Norris (2-3) was ultimately ejected by plate umpire James Hoye. As the right-hander made his way toward the Baltimore dugout, he shouted once more at Hunter, who yelled back.
Joe Nathan got his eighth save, preserving the win for Porcello (6-1).
BLUE JAYS 7, ANGELS 3
TORONTO — Mark Buehrle became the first seven-game winner in the majors, Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie homered and Toronto beat Los Angeles on Monday night to avoid a four-game sweep.
Buehrle (7-1) allowed two runs and six hits in six-plus innings. He walked a season-high five and struck out two. The left-hander came in with an AL-leading 1.91 ERA, but saw that rise to 2.04, the same as Detroit’s Max Scherzer.
Bautista hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Lawrie, who returned to the lineup after missing six games with a sore right hamstring, added a two-run shot in the sixth as the Blue Jays avoided what would have been their first four-game sweep to the Angels.
Both homers came off Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson (4-3), who allowed five runs and six hits in six innings.
RANGERS 4, ASTROS 0
HOUSTON — Colby Lewis threw 5 2-3 shutout innings, and Adrian Beltre and Rougned Odor each homered to lead Texas over Houston.
Lewis (3-2) struck out a season-high eight and allowed seven hits to improve to 4-0 in his career at Minute Maid Park. The right-hander bounced back from a poor outing against Colorado on Wednesday where he allowed seven runs in less than four innings.
Beltre had two hits, including a two-run home run to left in the third. Odor had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the fourth and his first career home run in the sixth — a solo shot into the upper deck in right field — to make it 4-0. Prince Fielder also had two hits.
Brad Peacock (0-4) struck out a career-high 11 but allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings.
ATHLETICS 5, WHITE SOX 4
OAKLAND, Calif. — Jesse Chavez struck out seven and came up an inning short of his first career complete game and Oakland held on to beat Chicago for its season-high fifth straight win.
Chavez (3-1) gave up five hits and walked two. He allowed only solo home runs to Dayan Viciedo and Jose Abreu, whose major-league leading 14th long ball in the ninth chased the right-hander.
Josh Donaldson hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth for Oakland, and Josh Reddick hit a tying triple in the second off John Danks (3-3). Jed Lowrie added a two-run double in the seventh that proved pivotal after the White Sox scored three runs in the ninth.
Left-hander Sean Doolittle recorded the final three outs for his second save.
MARINERS 12, RAYS 5
SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez got plenty of run support and Seattle topped Tampa Bay after hitting two early drives off the top of the wall, requiring video reviews on consecutive batters.
James Jones doubled, singled and scored in each of the first three innings as the Mariners took a 9-0 lead. Robinson Cano drove in two runs and Hernandez (4-1) cruised to the win.
The rare back-to-back replays came in the first inning as Cano and then Corey Hart both barely missed home runs on flys that hit the yellow line atop the fence and bounced back. Umpires ruled both balls in play, and their calls were confirmed.
Cano wound up with a double on his drive to left field, Hart was thrown out trying for a double on his shot to right.
METS 9, YANKEES 7
NEW YORK — Chris Young hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, Jenrry Mejia provided a jolt after his reluctant move to the bullpen and the previously punchless Mets went deep four times to rally past the Yankees in the Subway Series opener.
Curtis Granderson connected in his return to Yankee Stadium, and the Mets also got long balls from Eric Young Jr. and Travis d’Arnaud while overcoming a pair of three-run deficits. Lumbering first baseman Lucas Duda turned in two spectacular defensive plays, starting a game-ending double play with runners at the corners by making a diving stop of Brian McCann’s sharp grounder.
Taking full advantage of the hitter-friendly confines across town, rather than the vast dimensions back home at Citi Field, the Mets hit four home runs in a game for the first time since May 3, 2013, in Atlanta, according to STATS.
CUBS 17, CARDINALS 5
ST. LOUIS — Junior Lake homered, doubled twice and drove in six runs as Chicago broke loose, routing St. Louis and forcing the Cardinals to finish with infielder Daniel Descalso as a relief pitcher.
After the Cubs totaled just four runs while getting swept in a three-game series at Atlanta over the weekend, Emilio Bonifacio scored five times himself in this romp over the Cardinals.
Chicago had lost seven of eight overall and has the worst record in the league at 13-24, but is 4-3 against the defending NL champions.
The Cubs hit for the cycle in the first five batters — Bonifacio doubled, Anthony Rizzo singled, Starlin Castro tripled and Mike Olt’s two-run homer capped a four-run first inning.
Cardinals reliever Randy Choate gave up six runs in the ninth and left with two outs. Descalso made his first pro pitching appearance and retired the only batter he faced, getting Olt on a fly ball.
Travis Wood (3-4) beat St. Louis for the second time in three starts despite giving up five runs in six innings.
Tyler Lyons (0-3) surrendered nine runs in four innings in his fourth start in place of injured Joe Kelly.
DODGERS 6, MARLINS 5
LOS ANGELES — Yasiel Puig extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games with his third home run in four days, a go-ahead three-run shot, and drew a bases-loaded walk in Los Angeles victory over Florida.
Dan Haren (5-1) overcame a shaky start following his 3-2 loss at Washington last Wednesday, allowing three runs and seven hits over seven innings without walking a batter after losing his previous four decisions against the Marlins.
Brian Wilson inherited a 6-3 lead from Haren and promptly gave up a leadoff walk to Christian Yelich and a home run by pinch-hitter and former Dodger Reed Johnson on the next pitch. But Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
Yelich helped stake Tom Koehler (3-3) to a 3-1 lead with a solo homer in the third, but the Marlins’ right-hander never made it through the fourth.
GIANTS 4, BRAVES 2
SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Lincecum struck out 11 in his best start of the year for San Francisco and Tyler Colvin backed him with a home run and a go-ahead, two-run triple in the seventh inning.
Lincecum (3-2) left to a roaring standing ovation after pitching a season-high 7 2-3 innings in his first start of eight getting past the sixth.
B.J. Upton hit a tying solo homer in the fifth, then was caught stealing on replay review as the potential go-ahead run in the top of the seventh.
Upton hit a one-out double and was ruled to have stolen third on a slide below a reaching Pablo Sandoval. Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call by third base umpire Dana DeMuth, and it was overturned in 2 minutes, 7 seconds.
NATIONALS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 5
PHOENIX — Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen and Danny Espinosa each hit solo homers in the ninth inning, helping Washington rally past Arizona in Matt Williams’ return to the desert.
Williams was a fixture in Arizona before becoming Washington’s manager this offseason.
His new team scored four runs early, shut down for four innings, and tied it when Espinosa hit the second pitch of the ninth by Addison Reed (1-3) just over the wall in right.
Frandsen put the Nationals up by lining his second career pinch-hit homer to left and Rafael Soriano stranded a runner at second in the ninth for his eighth save.
Tyler Clippard (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning, Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer and Tyler Moore added a solo shot for Washington.
A.J. Pollock hit a two-run homer and Aaron Hill had three hits for Arizona.