Jose Fermin’s two-run double with one out in the ninth inning capped a four-run rally as the St. Louis Cardinals overcame a near-shutout and beat the host Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Monday.

St. Louis, which had lost four straight and five of six, was hitless through 6 2/3 innings and scoreless through 8 1/3 before breaking through against Dennis Santana, who came into the contest with two saves and a 0.69 ERA with only one earned run allowed in 13 appearances.

Those numbers took a hit right away as Pedro Pages, St. Louis’ backup catcher, and rookie JJ Wetherholt hit back-to-back home runs off Santana (2-2) to even the game.

It was Pages’ third home run of the season, and second in his last two games, while Wetherholt went deep for the third straight game and sixth time this season.

Ryan O’Hearn and Jake Mangum drove in runs for Pittsburgh, which dropped its second straight game.

Yankees 4, Rangers 2

Max Fried pitched six scoreless innings and was backed by three homers as New York prevailed in Arlington, Texas.

Ben Rice, Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered as the Yankees won for the ninth time in 10 games. Fried (4-1) allowed four hits and produced his fourth scoreless start this season. David Bednar gave up a run in the ninth but got his eighth save.

Rangers starter Jack Leiter (1-2) yielded four runs on eight hits in six innings. Joc Pederson delivered a solo homer.

Rays 3, Guardians 2

Ryan Vilade singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Steven Matz worked a season-high seven innings to lead visiting Tampa Bay over Cleveland.

Vilade had two RBI singles in a three-inning span as the Rays scored three unanswered runs to erase a 2-0 deficit. Vilade went 3-for-4 and Jonathan Aranda added a home run for the Rays. Matz (4-1) gave up two runs on four hits.

Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on Daniel Schneemann’s two-run homer to left off Matz. Chase DeLauter went 2-for-4 with a double. Parker Messick tied his career high with nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on three hits.

Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0

Ranger Suarez pitched eight innings of one-hit ball as visiting Boston blanked Toronto.

Suarez (2-2) struck out 10 one in the opener of a three-game series. Carlos Narvaez hit a solo homer for the Red Sox and Marcelo Mayer and Wilyer Abreu each had two hits, a walk and an RBI.

Dylan Cease (1-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Toronto had only a walk before Jesus Sanchez led off the home sixth with a double past third base, breaking up a no-hit bid. Dalton Varsho had the Jays’ other hit, a double in the ninth inning.

Twins 11, Mariners 4

Kody Clemens went 2-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs, and Minnesota cruised to a win over Seattle in Minneapolis.

Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer and Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Minnesota, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer for Seattle, whose four-game winning streak ended.

–Field Level Media

A week after Lawrence Taylor was first hospitalized, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is still being treated for “a stomach-related issue,” his attorney said Monday.

The announcement was the first official news about the condition of Taylor, 67, since he reportedly arrived at the emergency room on April 20 before being admitted.

Attorney Mark Eiglarsh said of Taylor, “At this time, the condition does not appear to be life-threatening. He remains under medical observation and is showing signs of improvement.”

A potential discharge date remains unknown.

Eiglarsh added, “Lawrence asks that I convey his sincere gratitude to everyone who has been thinking of him and keeping him in their prayers during this challenging time.”

Considered one of the top defensive players in NFL history, Taylor was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowl selection during his 13-year career with the New York Giants.

In 1986, Taylor recorded 20.5 sacks en route to being named the NFL MVP.

Taylor, a key part of two Super Bowl championship runs for New York, was selected by the Giants with the second overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft out of North Carolina.

After leaving the NFL, Taylor publicly battled substance abuse issues.

–Field Level Media

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points and eight assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder finished off a four-game first-round playoff sweep with a 131-122 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Chet Holmgren added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Ajay Mitchell had 22 points and six assists as the top-seeded Thunder swept their opening Western Conference series for the third straight season.

Isaiah Hartenstein produced 18 points and 12 rebounds and Alex Caruso added 14 points off the bench for Oklahoma City. Mitchell and Caruso each made four 3-pointers for the Thunder, who will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in the second round.

Devin Booker scored 24 points and Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green added 23 apiece for the Suns, who were swept in the first round for the second straight playoff appearance, the other occurring in 2024. Phoenix has lost 10 consecutive playoff games dating back to 2023.

Collin Gillespie made six 3-pointers while scoring 20 points for the Suns.

The Thunder again played without Jalen Williams (hamstring), who was hurt in Game 2.

Oklahoma City shot 53.7% from the field, including 17 of 34 from 3-point range.

The Suns made 53.3% of their attempts and were 14 of 39 (35.9%) from behind the arc. Grayson Allen has 12 points for Phoenix.

Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander each buried treys in the final 35 seconds of the first half, and the Thunder held a 75-67 lead at the break.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 in the half for Oklahoma City, which made 61.4% of its shots in the opening two quarters. Gillespie made five 3-pointers and all six of his field-goal attempts while scoring 17 in the half. The Suns shot 59.5% over the first 24 minutes.

Oklahoma City’s biggest lead in the opening half was 11. The Thunder matched that in the third quarter on Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-point play with 7:26 remaining in the period.

Just over two minutes later, Holmgren drilled a 3-pointer to make it 95-80.

The Suns soon answered with eight straight points — five from Booker, three from Brooks — to move within 99-92 with 2:55 to go in the period.

The Thunder led 106-98 entering the fourth quarter, and Hartenstein converted a three-point play to start the final frame. Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup made it 122-106 with 5:23 left as Oklahoma City finished off the sweep.

–Field Level Media