BALTIMORE >> Ryan Mountcastle and Jorge Mateo each homered and drove in two runs to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a series-deciding 7-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Ryan McKenna also connected and Jordan Westburg’s two-run triple helped the Orioles complete a four-run fifth to chase Yankees starter Carlos Rodón (2-2) and secure a third win of the four-game set, the first this season between likely AL East contenders. The Orioles moved one game ahead of the Yankees in the division.

Righty Kyle Bradish allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings in his first start after beginning the season on the 15-day injured list with a UCL strain. Keegan Akin (1-0) retired four batters while allowing a run in middle relief.

“That might’ve been our best pitched series, honestly,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde, whose staff allowed six runs in the four games. “From the starts we got to how the bullpen pitched against a really good offense.”

Gleyber Torres hit his first home run but also made the Yankees’ third error of the series to help extend the game’s decisive inning.

“He’s got to secure the ball,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Torres, who dropped the ball trying to barehand shortstop Anthony Volpe’s feed on a potential double play. “He’s made that play a lot. Didn’t in that spot.”

Rodón yielded all seven Baltimore runs — six earned — on eight hits in his shortest outing of 2024.

He escaped his bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second before Mountcastle’s solo shot in the third, and Mateo’s and McKenna’s in the fourth.

“Just being aggressive,” McKenna said of the Orioles’ adjustments. “I think guys started taking pitchers’ pitches against him, started barreling up some more.”

After Mountcastle singled in another run in the fifth, Anthony Santander grounded the potential double-play ball that Torres’ gaffe turned into a two-on, none-out situation.

A visit from pitching coach Matt Blake followed, but Westburg drove Rodón’s 2-1 slider down the middle to the base of the wall in left-center to plate both runners, then came home on Mateo’s sacrifice fly off newly entered reliever Ron Marinaccio.

“I thought we had (Adley) Rutschman struck out, and then we don’t turn the double play there,” Boone said of the inning.

Bradish threw 51 of 84 pitches for strikes in his return from a rehab assignment that ended more quickly than some expected.

Mets 7, Cubs 6 (11 innings) >> Francisco Lindor delivered a pair of two-run doubles off the bench, rallying New York past Chicago in 11 innings for a split of their four-game series.

Right fielder Starling Marte made two rocket throws in extra innings, cutting down Cubs runners at the plate to end the 10th and 11th. Brandon Nimmo had two RBIs for the Mets, who overcame a 4-0 deficit to salvage a 3-4 homestand.

Daniel Palencia (0-1) drilled Harrison Bader with a pitch to begin the bottom of the 11th. Lindor then lashed a sharp grounder inside third base and down the left-field line to score automatic runner Brett Baty and Bader.

Marlins 5, Rockies 4 (1o innings) >> Jesús Sánchez hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning and Miami beat Colorado and swept their three-game series.

The Marlins got two of their three victories in the series in 10 innings. They earned a 7-6 win in the opener on Monday.

Rangers 6, Nationals 0 >> Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings before leaving with groin tightness and Ezequiel Duran’s two-out double was the first of three consecutive RBI hits in the second inning and Texas beat Washington.

Astros 8, Guardians 2 >> Jon Singleton homered and had three RBIs and Jose Altuve added three hits to lead Houston to a win over Cleveland.

The victory gives the Astros, who are last in the AL West at 11-20, consecutive series wins for the first time this season.