Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera tied his career high with four RBIs on a pair of two-out singles and Tyler Wells won his season debut for the Baltimore Orioles, who beat San Diego 6-2 on Tuesday night to keep the scuffling Padres from gaining on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jeremiah Johnson homered for the second consecutive night and drove in two runs for the Orioles. Baltimore, last in the AL East, has won two straight against the Padres and will go for a series sweep on Wednesday.

San Diego, which has lost three in a row and seven of nine, remained 2 1/2 games behind Los Angeles, which lost 9-7 at Pittsburgh. The Padres are a game ahead of the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards.

Wells (1-0) pitched five innings in his first start since April 12, 2024. He had right elbow UCL surgery a month later. Wells allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and walked none.

Rivera hit a two-run single off Yu Darvish (3-5) over the head of shortstop Mason McCoy with two outs in the third to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser were aboard on consecutive one-out singles.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth, Rivera greeted David Morgan with a single to center field that brought in Gunnar Henderson and Mountcastle to make it 5-2.

Jackson homered to left with one out in the first, his fourth. Jackson, who made his big league debut on Aug. 1, also homered in a 4-3 win Monday.

Wells' only big mistake was allowing Luis Arraez's two-run homer with two outs in the third, his seventh. Freddy Fermin was aboard on a double.

Baltimore reliever Rico Garcia came on with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and got two outs.

Arraez went 144 plate appearances and 32 games between home runs.

Baltimore's Cade Povich (2-7, 5.04 ERA) and San Diego's Nestor Cortes (1-2, 3.75) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells works against a San Diego Padres batter during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. watches his flyout during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez exhales as he watches a ball go foul while batting during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish wipes his face as meets on the mound with catcher Freddy Fermin, left, and first baseman Luis Arraez during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Baltimore Orioles' Emmanuel Rivera watches his two-RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote Thursday on social media, “Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

A social media post from U.S. Southern Command on the capture said that Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to make the capture while Noem’s post noted that, like in previous raids, a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team conducted the boarding and seizure.

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products, and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

Noem, in her social media post, said that the raid was carried out with “close coordination with our colleagues” in the military as well as the State and Justice departments.

“Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law,” Noem added.

As with prior posts, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Last week, Trump met with executives from oil companies to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)