Orioles off to best start

NEW YORK — Manny Machado went 4-for-4, including his third home run of the season, and the Baltimore Orioles are off to their best start in nearly 50 years with a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday. The Orioles took both games against their American League East rivals after Saturday’s game was postponed because of rain. Baltimore improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1970. Phillies 5, Mets 2: Jeremy Hellickson threw 5-2/3 solid innings and Odubel Herrera hit a two-run homer as Philadelphia won its second straight game with a victory over New York. The Phillies took two of three from the Mets for their first series win at Citi Field since May 9-11, 2014. Prior to Saturday, Philadelphia had dropped 14 of its last 17 at Citi Field. Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 0: Right-hander Marco Estrada pitched seven scoreless innings, Josh Donaldson homered and Toronto ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Boston. The Blue Jays avoided being swept in the three-game series by the Red Sox. Estrada (1-0) allowed five hits and two walks while striking out eight in seven innings. Nationals 4, Marlins 2: Jayson Werth had a bloop single with the bases loaded to drive in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as Washington beat Miami to split the two-game series. It was the first hit of the season in 14 at-bats for Werth, whose one-out hit came against former teammate Edwin Jackson. Reds 2, Pirates 1: Jay Bruce’s triple in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Brandon Phillips from first base to lift Cincinnati over Pittsburgh in the finale of a three-game series. Phillips led off the ninth with a single. Two batters later, Bruce ripped a pitch from Arquimedes Caminero (0-1) to right and Phillips raced home with the winning run. Ross Ohlendorf (2-0) earned the victory for Cincinnati. Royals 4, Twins 3 (10 innings): Terrance Gore scored an unearned run on a wild pitch with two outs in the 10th inning to give Kansas City the win. Gore, running for Christian Colon, who led off the inning with a walk, took third on reliever Trevor May’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt. May’s wild pitch got Gore home with a head-first slide. The Royals did not have a hit in the inning. Cardinals 12, Braves 7: The Cardinals scored twice after two outs in the eighth inning to take the lead and added five runs in the ninth to complete their first three-game sweep in Atlanta since 1988. Brandon Moss and Matt Carpenter each had three-run homers for the Cardinals, and the Braves fell to 0-5 for their worst start since losing the first 10 games of the 1988 season. Brewers 3, Astros 2: Jimmy Nelson struck out nine and Aaron Hill drove in a pair of runs as the Brewers won their first series of the season. Nelson (1-1) worked six-plus innings and scattered three hits while walking four. Jose Altuve crushed Nelson’s first offering of the game for a home run to left and George Springer followed with a base hit on pitch No. 2. Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 3: Jake Arrieta hit a two-run home run in his 13th consecutive regular-season victory, and Jorge Soler added a homer and two RBIs in Chicago’s victory over Arizona at Chase Field. Elsewhere it was: Giants 9, Dodgers 6; A’s 2, Mariners 1 (10 innings); Rockies 6, Padres 3; Angels 3, Rangers 1. The games between Indians and White Sox and Yankees vs. Tigers were postponed due to weather conditions. — Agencies