Hunter Feduccia hits 1st MLB home run and Rays sweep Orioles with a 5-3 win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Richie Palacios hit a go-ahead single, Hunter Feduccia homered and the Tampa Bay Rays used a four-run eighth inning to complete a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 5-3 win on Wednesday.

Jonathan Aranda tied the game 3-3 in the eighth inning with a two-run double to centerfield that scored two runners. Palacios followed up with his single to take the lead before stealing second, which allowed Ryan Vilade to steal home and cap the scoring.

Feduccia had the game's first run on a 421-foot shot to centerfield in the second inning. It was his first career homer in 182 plate appearances.

Jesse Scholtens (5-2) pitched four innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four for the win.

The Orioles tied the game in the third on a Pete Alonso RBI single. Alonso then added his ninth home run of the year in the sixth, and Samuel Basallo followed with a homer of his own to put Baltimore ahead 3-1.

Anthony Nunez (2-1) took his first loss of the year after blowing his second save. He pitched 2/3 innings and surrendered four runs on three hits.

Ian Seymour got his second save of the season.

Tampa Bay moved to 9-0 against AL East opponents at home this season. Baltimore has played seven road games against AL East foes this season and is 0-7.

Baltimore: RHP Chris Bassitt (3-3, 5.44 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound against the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Tampa Bay: RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.41) is slotted for the start against the New York Yankees on Friday.

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

Baltimore Orioles' Taylor Ward (3) scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Hunter Feduccia on an RBI single by Pete Alonso during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jesse Scholtens pitches to Baltimore Orioles' Pete Alonso during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays fans take part in the "tarp off" during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) and shortstop Taylor Walls celebrate after the team defeated the Baltimore Orioles during a baseball game Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market bounced back Wednesday after pressure eased on Wall Street from the bond market and oil prices gave back some of their big gains.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.1% for its first rise in four days and pulled closer to its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 645 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.5%.

Stocks got a lift from easing yields in the bond market, which offered relief following rapid climbs that had rattled stock markets worldwide recently. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.57% from 4.67% late Tuesday, which is a significant move for a market that measures things in hundredths of a percentage point.

The 10-year Treasury yield had been rising from less than 4% before the war with Iran began, along with other yields around the world, because of worries that the fighting will keep oil prices high, among other factors. The inflation concerns not only seemed to eliminate the chances for a cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve this year, they also heightened the risk that central banks may have to raise rates in 2026.

High yields slow economies and weigh on prices for stocks, cryptocurrencies and all kinds of other investments. Besides driving up rates for mortgages, they could also curtail companies’ borrowing to build the artificial-intelligence data centers that have been supporting the U.S. economy’s growth recently.

Yields eased Wednesday as oil prices pulled back some more. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 5.6% to settle at $105.02, though it remains well above its roughly $70 level from before the war. Prices have been yo-yoing on rising and falling hopes that the United States and Iran can reach an agreement to allow oil deliveries to fully resume from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

A report showing less bad inflation in the United Kingdom than economists expected also helped calm yields worldwide.

With the easing of yields, technology stocks helped lead Wall Street higher.

Nvidia rose 1.3% ahead of its latest profit report, which is scheduled to arrive after trading ended for the day, and was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500. Other tech stocks leading the market included Advanced Micro Devices, up 8.1%, and Intel, up 7.4%.

Smaller companies can feel even bigger relief from lower yields than their bigger rivals because many need to borrow to grow. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks jumped 2.6%, more than double the gain of the S&P 500, which measures the biggest U.S. stocks.

Also helping to drive the market was the company behind TJ Maxx, Marshalls and other stores, which climbed 5.7% after delivering stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. TJX’s CEO, Ernie Herrman, said the current quarter is off to a good start, and the off-price retailer raised its forecasts for revenue and profit this year.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers jumped 18.2%, and Cava Group rose 3.1% following their own better-than-expected profit reports. Such results raise hopes that households can keep spending and supporting the economy, even though they’re contending with high gasoline prices and widespread discouragement about economic conditions.

Most big U.S. companies have likewise reported better profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected, which has helped stocks run to records. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Target, which fell 3.9% even though the retailer reported better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. A new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, is trying to turn around the company and boost its revenue.

Expectations were high for the company’s performance after Target’s stock came into the day with a gain of more than 30% for the year so far, quadruple the S&P 500’s gain.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 79.36 points to 7,432.97. The Dow Jones Industrial Averae jumped 645.47 to 50,009.35, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 399.65 to 26,270.36.

In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed in Europe following weaker finishes across Asia.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2% as the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond slipped but remained near its highest level since 1997.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Options trader Chris Dattolo works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Michael Pistillo. Left, and trader Fred's Demarco work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, May 18, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), right, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader talks on the phone near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)