PAUL FRY

Rylan Bannon became just the third Baltimore player since 2000 to get a hit on the first pitch of his big league career, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Bemboom homered and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber looked good in his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching into the fifth inning to help the defending AL East champions beat Baltimore 8-0 and complete a season-opening sweep of the Orioles.

Javier Báez agreed to bring his high motor to the Motor City, while other teams around the majors raced to finish up business before Tuesday’s deadline to tender contracts and a likely roster freeze coming when baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires Wednesday.

Brett Phillips capped his first career two-homer game with a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 for a three-game sweep.

In a game delayed for several minutes while a bevy of groundskeepers tried to corral a scaredy cat in the outfield, the Baltimore Orioles hit four solo homers off Yankees newcomer Andrew Heaney to beat New York 7-1.

Baltimore Orioles' Alex Cobb pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON Anthony Santander and Renato Nez each drove in two runs and the Baltimore Orioles held off the Boston Red Sox 7-2 on Saturday to even their season-opening series. Prez (0-1) lasted just five innings in his Red Sox debut, giving up five runs on six hits and walking two. The Red Sox were just 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners on base. Red Sox: Right-hander Ryan Weber made his first opening day roster this season after beginning the last four in Triple-A.