Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr, right, slides into second base ahead of a tag by Tampa Bay second baseman Isaac Paredes for a two-run double in the third inning Friday in Toronto. Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via the Associated Press

TORONTO — José Berríos stopped his three-start winless streak, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in three runs, and the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 Friday.

Playing at home on Canada’s national holiday for the first time since 2019, and dressed in special red jerseys and caps, the Blue Jays delighted a crowd of 44,445 by winning for the fourth time in five games.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 3 for 3 with a solo home run and also walked. Cavan Biggio was 2 for 2 with two doubles and two walks, and also scored twice.

Seven of Toronto’s 11 hits were for extra bases.

Rays outfielder Brett Phillips pitched the eighth inning for Tampa Bay. Throwing pitches around 65 mph, Phillips retired Guerrero on a ground ball to strand Biggio’ at third following a leadoff double.

After allowing 14 earned runs over his previous two starts, Berríos was better against the Rays. The right-hander gave up two runs and eight hits in five innings to earn his first victory since June 10 at Kansas City.

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Berríos (6-4) is 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA in seven home starts but 2-4 with a 7.92 ERA in nine road starts.

ROYALS 3, TIGERS 1: Vinnie Pasquatino hit his first major league home run and Hunter Dozier followed with a drive into the bullpen, leading Brad Keller and Kansas City to a win in Detroit.

Brad Keller (3-9) allowed five hits and two walks in six-plus scoreless innings. He’s won two of his last three starts.

Keller exited after hitting rookie Spencer Torkelson in the helmet with an 88 mph changeup in the seventh. Torkelson stayed on his feet and walked off the field under his own power.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PHILLIES 5, CARDINALS 3: Darick Hall’s tiebreaking homer was his third straight shot since being called up, and Rhys Hoskins went deep to add an insurance run, leading Philadelphia to a win at home.

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Hall broke a 3-all tie in the sixth when he led off by driving a 79-mph changeup from Miles Mikolas (5-6) into the seats in right. All three of Hall’s hits have been home runs since his arriving from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Hall went deep twice in Philadelphia’s 14-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.

MARLINS 6, NATIONALS 3: Brian Anderson homered, and visiting Miami beat Washington for its ninth win in 10 games against the Nationals this season.

Miami, fourth in the NL East, is 26-39 against teams other the last-place Nationals, who dropped to 29-50. Washington lost its 50th game by the earliest date since the 2009 Nats were 22-50 after games of June 26.

Jon Berti stole two bases to increase his major-league leading total to 24.

Keibert Ruiz homered for Washington, which fell to 6-25 against the the NL East.

BRAVES 9, REDS 1: Max Fried won his eighth straight decision, Austin Riley put Atlanta ahead to stay in the first inning with his team-high 19th home run and Atlanta won in Cincinnati.

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Dansby Swanson added a three-run homer in the seventh for the defending World Series champion Braves, who are 22-6 since the start of June to close within 3 1/2 games of the NL East-leading New York Mets.

Fried (8-2) is 8-0 in 14 starts since losing his first two outings this season. He allowed one run and five hits in seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks.

NOTES

YANKEES: New York reinstated reliever Aroldis Chapman from the injured list after the left-hander missed more than a month with tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon.

Chapman hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 22. He made two minor league rehab appearances at Double-A Somerset and one with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

The 34-year-old Chapman was 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and nine saves in 17 games before he was placed on the IL on May 24.

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YANKEES-GUARDIANS POSTPONED: The series opener between New York and Cleveland was postponed by rain , the latest weather issue for the Guardians, who have already played five doubleheaders at home.

They’ll play their sixth at Progressive Field on Saturday as the teams will have a split doubleheader, starting at 12:10 p.m. The second game will begin at 6:10 p.m.

METS: Max Scherzer is scheduled to return to New York’s rotation Tuesday in Cincinnati after missing over a month with a strained left oblique muscle.

Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, has been sidelined since straining his oblique while pitching against St. Louis on May 18.

Scherzer made a pair of rehab starts for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and threw 80 pitches Wednesday against the Hartford Yard Goats. The right-hander allowed three runs – two earned – and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one.

MARLINS: Derek Jeter’s first significant hire when he was leading Miami is no longer with the club.

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The Marlins said they parted ways with Gary Denbo, who had been the team’s vice president of player development and scouting. The move happened earlier this week.

OFFENSE: The major league batting average was .242 in June, down from .245 in May, and home runs are down 9% from last season at this point, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The season batting average began Friday at .242.

Batting average was an especially low .231 through April. Last year, it rose steadily from .232 through April and .239 through June to finish the season at .244. the lowest since 1972.

Runs per team per game have averaged 4.34, down from 4.44 per game through June 30 last year.

Home runs averaged 1.07 per team per game, down from 1.18 at this point last season. Long balls in June averaged 1.19, down from 1.28 in June 2022.

Strikeouts have dropped to 8.33 per team each game through June from 8.89 at a similar point last season, and walks declined from 3.32 to 3.12.


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