Suárez hits 22nd homer and drives in 4 and Diamondbacks beat Blue Jays 9-5 to avoid sweep

TORONTO (AP) — Eugenio Suárez homered and drove in four runs, Ryne Nelson pitched 5 2/3 innings for his second straight win and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Pavin Smith also homered and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks. Arizona had gone two games without homering after connecting in a season-high 10 straight.

Suárez finished 3 for 5. Ketel Marte had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run.

Suárez opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the second inning, his team-leading 22nd homer.

Smith extended the lead with a two-run blast in the fifth, his sixth.

Both homers came off Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, who lost his second consecutive outing.

Gausman (5-6) allowed a season-worst seven runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Gausman is 0-2 with a 7.65 ERA in four June starts.

Nelson (4-2) allowed one run, walked two and struck out four.

Alejandro Kirk’s solo homer in the second was the only Toronto hit off Nelson.

Kirk also connected off Anthony DeSclafani in the seventh, his fifth career multi-homer game. The homers were his sixth and seventh.

DeSclafani allowed four runs, three earned, in two innings.

Arizona’s Corbin Carroll did not play. The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year left Wednesday’s 8-1 loss after being hit on the left hand by a pitch.

Suárez hit a two-out, two-run double in the third, extending Arizona’s lead to 4-1.

Toronto’s Andrés Giménez was hit by two pitches Thursday. Giménez was hit at least once in all three games.

Diamondbacks: RHP Zac Gallen (4-8, 5.19 ERA) is scheduled to start at Colorado on Friday against Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 0.00).

Blue Jays: RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-0, 2.08 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s game against the White Sox. RHP Davis Martin (2-7, 3.79 ERA) goes for Chicago.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo catches a fly ball off the bat of Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger in first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., right, celebrates in the dugout with Alejandro Kirk (30) after Kirk's solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in second-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk hits a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in second-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Ryne Nelson throws to a Toronto Blue Jays batter in first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez, center, runs the bases after hitting a two-RBI home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in second-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)