Victor Mesa Jr., Cedric Mullins and Nick Fortes socked solo home runs Monday night and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1.

Junior Caminero was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs in the opener of a four-game series to support Nick Martinez, who pitched six effective innings.

Martinez (9-2) allowed one run, six hits and one walk with no strikeouts to help Tampa Bay go to 6-1 against Toronto this season.

Helped by three Toronto errors, the Rays snapped a five-game losing streak and are 1-4 on their eight-game road trip. Toronto is 1-3 on a six-game homestand and fell 11 1/2 games behind the first-place Rays in the American League East.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead against Dylan Cease (6-5) with one out in the second when Mesa Jr. homered for the third straight game, belting a 2-2 sinker to center.

Tampa Bay scored again in the third. Taylor Walls led off the third with a double to right and moved to third on Cease’s errant pickoff throw. Jonathan Aranda grounded a single to right past a drawn-in second baseman Ernie Clement.

Toronto cut the lead to 2-1 when George Springer singled, stole second and scored on Alejandro Kirk’s two-out single to right.

The Rays scored two unearned runs in the fifth. Fortes reached first base on third baseman Kazuma Okamoto’s throwing error, took second on Walls’ sacrifice bunt and scored when shortstop Andres Gimenez committed an error on Yandy Diaz’s grounder. Diaz stole second and sprinted home on Caminero’s single to left.

Mullins led off the sixth with a homer to center on a first-pitch knuckle curve.

Cease allowed five runs (three earned), seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.

Braydon Fisher replaced Cease in the seventh and allowed a run on an infield hit by Diaz and a two-out RBI double by Caminero to center.

Cam Booser replaced Martinez and pitched a perfect seventh.

Fortes homered to left-center on a 2-1 slider to lead off the ninth against Brendon Little.

Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker worked around a walk and a single in the bottom of the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies hit solo home runs and Bryce Elder pitched six strong innings to help the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting San Diego Padres 3-2 on Monday in the opener of their four-game series.

It was Atlanta’s first win in four tries against the San Diego. The Braves are 3-1 and the Padres are 1-3 since the All-Star break.

Harris went deep in the fifth to tie the game and Albies homered in the sixth, although their streak of nine consecutive home games with at least five runs came to an end.

Elder (6-6) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk, striking out four. Victor Mederos pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and earned his first career save.

San Diego’s Ty France extended his hitting streak to a season-high eight games with a single in the fourth and homered to start the seventh. It was his 15th of the year, the fifth during his hitting streak, and forced Elder to leave the game.

San Diego starter JP Sears (2-3) pitched five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with three strikeouts. Sears retired the first 10 batters he faced until Albies lined a one-handed single into left with one out in the fourth.

Manny Machado, who caught the Braves off-balance with a bunt single in the first inning, went back to the power game in the fourth when he smacked a hanging breaking ball for a home run and a 1-0 Padres lead. Machado’s 20th homer sailed 402 feet and just cleared the yellow line on the fence in left-center field.

The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Harris hit his 18th home run, a 341-foot solo shot that just made it over the top of the brick wall in right field. Mauricio Dubon then reached on catcher’s interference and scored when Joey Bart lined a double into the left field corner.

Atlanta struck again in the sixth off reliever Wandy Peralta when Albies hit a solo homer, his 15th and first since July 3, for what would be the winning run.

–Field Level Media

For the third time in 2026, the Chicago Cubs placed right-handed reliever Phil Maton on the 15-day injured list on Monday due to continuing struggles with right knee tendinitis.

Manager Craig Counsell told reporters before the series opener vs. Detroit that Maton, 33, underwent an MRI and the results were not encouraging.

“We were all optimistic,” Counsell said of Maton’s return to action against Minnesota on Sunday. “He thought, we thought, we were in a pretty good place. … We’re looking at a little bit more extended absence here.”

Maton threw 23 pitches in the eighth inning of the 10-1 victory over the Twins. He hit the strike zone 19 times, but did allow one run, two hits and a walk.

But the 10-year veteran felt a flare-up of the right knee symptoms, according to Counsell.

Maton had last pitched on June 25 and was activated from the 15-day IL on July 11.

He made five appearances in March and April before hitting the injured list for the first time after an April 7 outing in Tampa Bay.

Maton, who pitched to a 2.79 ERA with the Cardinals and Rangers in 2025, signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract this winter to serve in a high-leverage capacity for the Cubs.

In 31 games this season, he is 0-1 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.81 WHIP, fanning 31 batters and walking 16 walks in 27 2/3 innings.

The Cubs added Aaron Civale (5-7, 5.42 ERA) to the roster on Monday after acquiring him on Athletics on Saturday.

In addition, Chicago activated Jameson Taillon (hamstring) from the injured list and he made the start against the Tigers on Monday. Taillon pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on five hits, walking two and fanning six.

To make room for Taillon, the Cubs designated left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz for assignment.

–Field Level Media