OAKLAND, California: Oakland’s Jesse Chavez matched a career high with nine strikeouts to steer the majors-leading Athletics to a 5-0 win over San Francisco in Friday’s opening game of the grudge series between the Bay Area rivals.

The win kept the A’s 3-1/2 games clear of the Los Angeles Angels for the best record in the majors. The Angels maintained that gap by beating Toronto despite losing ace pitcher Jered Weaver to injury.

Among other games, Baltimore emphatically broke open a tight game in the 11th inning to win at nearby Washington, and St. Louis scored in the bottom of the ninth to end a scoreless stalemate and edge Pittsburgh.

Oakland’s Alberto Callaspo hit a two-run double, and three others drove in a run to power the A’s to their fifth-straight win in front of a sellout crowd at The Coliseum.

Chavez (7-5) pitched six scoreless innings, giving up only two walks. He and the bullpen restricted the Giants to only five hits for the game.

Los Angeles’ Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar each had run-scoring hits in the fifth inning to power the Angels to a 5-2 win over Toronto.

L.A. extended its home winning streak to 11 games, one shy of the franchise record set in 1967.

Weaver departed after two perfect innings and 24 pitches because of tightness in his lower back.

Baltimore’s Chris Davis snapped a lengthy slump with a tiebreaking homer in the 11th inning, part of a six-run outbreak that carried the Orioles past Washington 8-2.

Nelson Cruz hit his 28th home run to help the AL East-leading Orioles earn their seventh win in eight games.

Cruz also got the O’s started in the 11th, leading off the inning with a broken-bat single off Craig Stammen (0-4), Davis worked the count full before launching a drive into the center-field seats. J.J. Hardy followed with a solo shot, Nick Markakis chased Stammen with an RBI double and Manny Machado added a two-run drive for a career-best fifth hit of the game.

St. Louis’ Matt Adams hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to finally get the scoreboard ticking, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh in the opener of their four-game series.

With one out and one on, Adams connected off Justin Wilson (2-1) for his first career game-winning homer. It was the Cardinals’ first game-winning homer since 2011.

The Pirates stranded 12 runners on base.

Philadelphia’s Chase Utley hit a two-run homer to help the Phillies edge slumping Milwaukee 3-2.

Utley staked the Phillies to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a shot off Marco Estrada (7-6) whose 27 homers conceded this season is the most in the majors.

Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels (3-5) allowed one earned run with seven strikeouts over 6 2-3 innings for his first victory in a month.

It was the sixth loss in seven games for the Brewers, whose once-comfortable lead in the NL Central is now down to four games.

New York’s Ruben Tejada singled home the winning run with two outs in the 11th inning to give the Mets a 4-3 win over Atlanta.

Juan Lagares doubled off Anthony Varvaro (3-2) with one out in the 11th, and Lucas Duda was intentionally walked before Lagares went to third on a fly ball. Tejada lined the next pitch up the middle for the winner.

Curtis Granderson had hit a tying homer in the eighth for the Mets.

Their crosstown rivals, the Yankees, also won, with Shane Greene notching his first major-league win to steer the visitors to a 5-3 win at Cleveland.

Greene (1-0) didn’t allow a hit until the fifth and gave up two runs in six innings. He was called up from the minors after scheduled starter Vidal Nuno was traded to Arizona on Sunday.

Brett Gardner, Brian McCann and Ichiro Suzuki had three hits apiece for New York.

Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma struck out a season-high 10 in seven scoreless innings to guide the Mariners to a 2-0 victory over Minnesota.

Kansas City’s James Shields sparkled in his return to Tropicana Field, notching 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to steer the Royals to a 6-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce played first base for the first time since high school and committed an error that let in a run, but later homered to help the Reds rally for a 9-3 win over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a five-game series.

Chicago’s Scott Carroll pitched 6 2-3 scoreless innings as the White Sox defeated Boston 4-0.

Arizona’s David Peralta drove in three runs and Miguel Montero knocked in two, helping the Diamondbacks run over Miami 9-1.

San Diego’s Ian Kennedy pitched seven sharp innings to help the Padres win 6-1 at Colorado in a game that included a 56-minute weather delay.

Houston ended a seven-game losing skid with a 12-7 win over state rival Texas, with Jon Singleton getting a homer among three hits and driving in four runs.