Pavel Bucha scored two goals to propel host FC Cincinnati to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday in the teams’ return to MLS play.

Kevin Denkey and captain Evander each recorded their team co-leading 10th goal for FC Cincinnati (6-5-5, 23 points), who improved to 5-2-1 at home.

Roman Celentano finished with three saves to help his club defeat Vancouver for the first time in four tries (1-1-2).

Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld scored two goals while playing in his first MLS match since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason. He returned to action last Wednesday when Vancouver posted a 4-1 victory over Cavalry FC in Canadian Championship play.

Homegrown midfielder Jeevan Badwal scored his first goal of the season in the 12th minute and Yohei Takaoka turned aside two shots for the Whitecaps (10-3-2, 32 points), who yielded just 12 goals in their previous 14 MLS matches.

Vancouver star Sebastian Berhalter was not spotted on the bench for the team after competing for the United States in the World Cup. His contract is up after this season, however.

Gauld deflected a shot from Oliver Larraz past Celentano to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Denkey converted a header in the 28th minute and Evander unleashed a shot from outside the box in the 36th.

Bucha, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, gave FC Cincinnati a 4-2 lead in the 56th minute after converting Evander’s chip-pass from the 6-yard box. The Whitecaps didn’t help themselves by failing to clear the ball on multiple occasions.

Gauld halved the deficit in the 58th minute with a sizzling blast from just outside of the box.

The Whitecaps pressed for the equalizer, to no avail.

–Field Level Media

Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs and Trevor Larnach added a leadoff blast to go with three RBIs as the Minnesota Twins snapped their four-game losing streak with a 10-6 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

Lee’s three-run shot occurred in the fourth inning, when Minnesota scored four times to seize a 7-3 lead against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (4-7). Alex Jackson singled in Alan Roden with the go-ahead run, then came home with Luke Keaschall on the homer.

Seven-time All-Star Jose Ramirez had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once in his return from a broken left hamate bone for Cleveland. He had been on the injured list since fracturing his wrist on June 13 against the Detroit Tigers.

Travis Adams (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. The Twins had been outscored 34-9 in their previous four games, all on the road, before erupting for their highest-scoring performance since an 11-4 win July 4 at the New York Yankees.

Larnach’s two-run single off Matt Festa and Josh Bell’s RBI hit off Will Dion in the eighth pushed Minnesota’s lead out to 10-4. Kyle Manzardo had a solo homer and an RBI single in the final two frames for Cleveland.

The Guardians built a 3-1 advantage over the first two innings on RBI singles by Brayan Rocchio, Patrick Bailey and Ramirez. Minnesota erased it with a pair in the third on Lee’s RBI single and Bell’s RBI grounder.

All four Minnesota runs in the fourth were unearned thanks to a throwing error by Rocchio. Cecconi pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out five with three walks.

Bailey Ober worked a season-low-tying four innings for the Twins, allowing four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk. First baseman Victor Caratini exited the game in the fifth after fouling a ball off his right knee.

–Field Level Media

A pair of starting pitchers trending in the right direction will meet under unusual circumstance on Thursday afternoon when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a standalone game.

Previously an off day for both clubs, the meeting on Thursday will serve as a make-up for a game that was postponed due to weather on June 25. Arizona and St. Louis also met last week in Phoenix, with the Diamondbacks taking two of three games from the Cardinals.

Arizona will begin its road trip a day early before it departs for a three-city stretch in Washington, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Diamondbacks are coming off a home series win against the Athletics, clinching the three-game set with a 15-5 victory on Wednesday.

On the mound, right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (4-1, 4.58 ERA) will be in search of his fifth win in as many starts and his second against St. Louis in less than a week. Last time out, Pfaadt continued his impressive return to the starting rotation, throwing 5 1/3 innings of two-run, six-hit ball, striking out three in a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday.

After an uninspiring first three outings of the year led to a demotion to the bullpen, Pfaadt is 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA in four starts since rejoining the starters on June 30.

“Just being aggressive, going out there and pitching to my strengths,” Pfaadt said of his recent improvement. “Commanding the ball, pounding the zone. I think that’s paid off for me.”

Pfaadt is 2-0 with a 3.99 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals.

Former St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, now in his first season with the Diamondbacks, is glad to see Pfaadt’s turnaround — and even happier that he no longer has to face the 27-year-old.

“He’s been phenomenal. Just a totally different pitcher,” Arenado said of Pfaadt. “The times I used to face him, it was never a comfortable at bat because he’s got so many pitches and he throws all of them to everybody. It’s just great to see him be competitive out there.”

The Cardinals mustered just four total runs in their most recent series, salvaging the three-game road set with the Los Angeles Angels with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

St. Louis on Thursday will turn to right-hander Michael McGreevy (4-7, 2.92 ERA), who enters the game nearly as hot as his counterpart.

McGreevy has posted a 1.46 ERA in his past four starts, and has completed six innings in each of those outings. He faced Arizona on Friday, allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits across 6 1/3 frames, striking out five batters and walking one in a no-decision. The Cardinals won 5-4.

“It was good to see; (McGreevy) did a really nice job,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “He made good pitches when he needed to. He consistently made the pitches and he’s done a good job for us.”

Making the 39th start of his major league career, the 26-year-old McGreevy will face the Diamondbacks for the second time.

–Field Level Media