Mets top Nationals as Walker cruises

WASHINGTON — Taijuan Walker pitched seven scoreless innings and the New York Mets remained unbeaten in 10 series this season, cruising past the sloppy Washington Nationals 4-1 on Thursday.

Mark Canha went 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBIS for the NL East-leading Mets, who took two of three from the last-place Nationals. New York has won nine series and split one, and hasn’t lost two straight games in a month.

Walker (1-0) allowed three hits, walked one and threw 85 pitches in the longest of his four starts this season, which was interrupted by a stint on the injured list with right shoulder bursitis.

Walker benefited from a bizarre double play that kept Washington from scoring. Seth Lugo struck out two in the eighth and Edwin Diaz allowed Juan Soto’s two-out homer in the ninth before retiring Josh Bell to complete the four-hitter.

The Mets only managed five hits, but they went ahead 2-0 in the first inning on Canha’s bases-loaded single and Washington never seriously threatened. New York took advantage of wild Nationals starter Joan Adon (1-6), who walked five of the first 10 batters he faced.

Athletics 5, Tigers 3: Seth Brown hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and Oakland won at Detroit. Michael Fulmer (1-2) got the first two outs of the eighth, but Jed Lowrie drew a walk and Brown homered to right. The Tigers have lost nine of 10.

Oakland came to Comerica Park this week with a nine-game losing streak, but won four times in an unusual five-game series.

A.J. Puk (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his first win since topping Kansas City on Sept. 17, 2019. He missed the 2020 season with shoulder issues and was limited to 13 1/3 innings in 2021.

Miguel Cabera made it 3-all in the Detroit sixth with his 601st career double, tying Barry Bonds for 17th all-time.

Orioles 3, Cardinals 2: 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 Baltimore won at St. Louis.

Bannon a 26-year-old third baseman, was recalled from Class AAA Norfolk before the game and singled on a changeup from Steven Matz (3-3) with two outs in the second inning, one batter after Mateo homered to put the Orioles ahead.

Matz lost his second straight start, allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.