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NEW YORK -- Giancarlo Stanton gave his new fans something to cheer about on Friday, snapping a 50 at-bat homerless drought with a two-run drive to right field off the Blue Jays' Marco Estrada.

Stanton's third-inning blast marked his first time clearing the fences since April 4 vs. Tampa Bay, coming one game after manager Aaron Boone relocated the reigning National League MVP Award winner to the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Stanton's homer gave the Yankees a 4-2 lead at the time.

The slugger has heard boos in the Bronx to open his pinstriped career, entering play on Friday with four hits in 38 home at-bats (.105). According to Statcast™, Stanton's homer had an exit velocity of 110 mph and traveled a projected 377 feet. When he took his position for the top of the fourth inning, Stanton received a standing ovation from the fans in right field.

It was the third two-run homer of the game, with Tyler Austin and Toronto's Teoscar Hernandez also slugging deep drives. Austin's new favorite pitcher appears to be Estrada, who has now served up all three of the Yankees' first baseman's home runs this season.

Video: TOR@NYY: Austin hammers a two-run homer to right

Austin struck against the right-hander in the second inning, lifting an opposite-field fly ball to right field that carried over Curtis Granderson's head into the seats.

On March 31 at Rogers Centre, Austin homered twice off Estrada in the Yankees' 5-3 loss. Austin now has 10 big league homers, with Estrada the only pitcher that he has taken deep more than once. Nine of Austin's homers have either tied the game or given the Yankees a lead.

Austin is continuing to play while his five-game suspension is appealed. Austin and Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly were disciplined for their involvement in a benches-clearing incident on April 11 at Fenway Park.

CHICAGO -- The Astros continued to break out offensively Friday night against the White Sox.

After erupting for 16 runs in consecutive wins over the Mariners on Wednesday and Thursday, the Astros had White Sox starter James Shields on the ropes in the second inning Friday before breaking through with a five-run fourth inning.

The Astros sent eight to the plate in the frame and six of them reached, including RBI singles by Alex Bregman and Brian McCann. George Springer broke things open when he shot a two-run double to left field to make it 4-0 and wound up scoring on the play when the ensuing throw to the plate hit off Marwin Gonzalez and rolled into foul territory.

The five-run inning was the second-largest by the Astros this year, trailing only the six-run seventh inning they had Wednesday in Seattle.

ATLANTA -- Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki displayed his athleticism as he made a diving tag to prevent the Mets from adding to their lead during the sixth inning of Friday night's game at SunTrust Park.

Wilmer Flores recorded a two-out single, then took off running when Jay Bruce blooped a pitch to shallow left. Preston Tucker fielded Bruce's hit near the foul line and delivered a throw that Suzuki secured near the back of the right-handed batter's box.

Suzuki lunged toward the front of the plate and was still slightly airborne as he applied the tag just before Flores touched the plate. A replay review confirmed the call made by first-base umpire Jeremie Rehak, who raced toward the play when home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna had to cover third.

Suzuki proceeded to tie the game at 3 with a sacrifice fly against Noah Syndergaard in the bottom half of the inning.

Video: Suzuki's sac fly evens the score

LOS ANGELES -- Manager Dave Roberts wasn't ready to name Walker Buehler, Brock Stewart or anybody else to replace Rich Hill as Monday night's starting pitcher for the Dodgers against the Marlins at Dodger Stadium.

"We'll know soon enough," said Roberts before Friday's series opener agianst the Nationals. "We've got a couple of ideas. I can't say."

Hill, placed on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday with a split fingernail on his left middle finger, said he played catch on Friday and his finger was healed.

"I could have pitched tonight," said Hill. "No issues."

Of course, with the left-hander's history of finger blisters and wounds, it's understandable that management would err on the side of caution with Hill, who must snap his patented curveball with such torque that his fingertip skin is always at risk.

Reliever Ross Stripling could get the start, or the Dodgers could recall Buehler or Stewart from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Buehler is listed as Sunday's starter for OKC, having last pitched on Monday. Stewart last pitched on Wednesday and Monday would be his regular day to start.

Other injury updates
• Roberts said third baseman Justin Turner, already out nearly five weeks with a fractured left wrist, has begun hitting off a tee.

"The soreness is really starting to dissipate," Roberts said. "He's not ready for a rehab assignment, but he's moving in the right direction."

• Logan Forsythe, who went on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation resulting from longer throws from third base after taking over for Turner, said he might resume throwing by Saturday or Sunday. Roberts said Forsythe also has begun taking dry swings in the batting cage.

Tweet from @kengurnick: Justin Turner (left wrist fracture) still has a teammate catch for him when he throws to keep his arm in shape. Currently, the teammate is Logan Forsythe, who can���t throw yet. A perfect rehab pair.

DENVER -- Having watched way more baseball than he wanted to during a five-game suspension, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado swatted the first pitch he saw from Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks for a two-run homer Friday night.

Arenado had been suspended for charging the mound when the Padres' Luis Perdomo threw a pitch behind him on April 11. Before Friday's game, Arenado said watching the team was tough, although the Rockies managed to go 3-2 without him.

"I was probably a little more nervous, just because I was hoping they would win," Arenado said. "Being in the fight, you don't really think of anything. You just go out there and compete. But watching, you hope they win. I felt guilty, not being out there. I feel like if they lost, it was like it was personally my fault because I wasn't doing anything to help."

Video: Nolan Arenado back in Rockies' lineup

Arenado certainly helped Friday.

The Cubs took a 2-0 lead on Javier Baez's sixth homer of the year on Rockies starter Jon Gray's third pitch. But in the bottom of the first, Charlie Blackmon delivered an RBI single. Arenado came up to warm applause, then poked Hendricks' 84.5-mph slider over the out-of-town scoreboard in right for his 150th career home run.

During the suspension, Arenado found himself feeling old while taking at-bats Monday through Wednesday in extended spring training at the club's complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. Some of the players, who are awaiting assignment to Minor League clubs and may not join a team until the Rookie and Short Season teams begin play in June, are a decade younger than Arenado.

"There were a couple of guys there that were like 16 or 17," said Arenado. "That was a little weird. I felt really old, especially with my birthday, getting older.

"It was cool talking to them, cool being around young kids. It kind of gives you a little bit more energy, to be honest with you. They're younger, a little bit more bouncy and wanted to do more stuff. It was fun."

In Arenado's absence, the team hit .170 with a .241 on-base percentage. However, seven of the 27 hits were home runs, which turned out to be enough when the pitching performed well. In defense of the hitters, the Rockies played in sub-freezing wind chill two of the nights in Pittsburgh.

"Maybe swings and misses a little too much, but it's cold," Arenado said. "It's not easy to play in that weather, in those conditions. I don't know if I would have done anything, either, in those conditions, but they battled, they did the best they could and found a way to win. It was good starting pitching, our bullpen did a good job and our defense is really good. That's how you win ballgames."

But even before the suspension Arenado was subpar (.288, one home run, six RBIs) right along with his teammates. His 17 at-bats over the three days in extended spring training were designed to find the power in his swing.

"I had a couple of things I wanted to work on, probably won't share them -- just kind of personal things," he said. "But I feel good. I feel fresh. I don't like missing games but I had to do it. I'm trying to look at the positives."

Being a Major Leaguer among younger players who aren't making much meant Arenado was the one paying for the party, even though he was the guy with the birthday. It is customary during injury rehab assignments for a Major Leaguer to pay for a nice meal for the team. Arenado found himself figuring out how to treat at least three teams' worth of players.

"Extended is tough, but I got a taco truck the last day, so everyone got to eat some tacos and just hang out," he said.

Worth noting
• Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez suffered a slight right hamstring strain in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. That and the expectation of cold weather with the possibility of rain and snow Friday dictated that he would not be in the lineup. Gonzalez said he would be available off the bench.

Video: COL@PIT: CarGo dives to make a five-star catch

• Gerardo Parra started in right field in Gonzalez's stead. Parra is facing a four-game suspension, but he said Friday there was no word on his appeal.

• Fresh off a solid injury rehab start, righty Jeff Hoffman was recalled, then optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. On Thursday, Hoffman threw 73 pitches and gave up one run on two hits with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Hoffman retired the last 11 batters he faced.

BALTIMORE -- Red-hot Manny Machado extended his team lead in homers to six, going deep for the third time in two games with a solo blast in the bottom of the fourth inning on Friday vs. the Indians.

Machado's blast, which came on a 3-0 pitch from Tribe starter Trevor Bauer, tied the game at 1. For Machado -- who homered twice in Thursday's game in Detroit -- it kept up his recent dominance against Cleveland. In 29 career games against the Indians, he has eight homers, 10 doubles and 19 RBIs.

The shortstop, who has an eight-game hit streak, leads the Orioles with 15 RBIs and is the only starter with double-digit RBIs. 

NEW YORK -- First game, first big league hit for Blue Jays prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Gurriel hit a two-run single during the fourth inning of Friday night's game against the Yankees. The timely knock came just a few hours after Gurriel was promoted from Double-A New Hampshire. At the time, it gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead. 

The 24-year-old Gurriel got the start at second base and will occasionally play there whenever Devon Travis needs a day off. Travis' status on Friday night was uncertain after he fouled a ball off his left foot during Thursday's loss to the Yankees.

Gurriel hit a sharp line drive to center during his first at-bat in the third inning off New York starter Sonny Gray. Gurriel made his first putout at second in the bottom of the first when he recorded an out at second base on a ground ball from Didi Gregorius.

ATLANTA -- Once again proving he's quite capable of playing the role of David in a battle against Goliath, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies had no trouble sending Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard's 99.6-mph fastball into the right-center-field seats during the first inning of Friday's game at SunTrust Park.

The 5-foot-8 Albies certainly wasn't intimidated as he turned on the first-pitch heater thrown by the 6-foot-6 Syndergaard. His 412-foot solo shot marked his sixth homer and Major League-leading 16th extra-base hit of the young season. He also paces the National League with 20 runs.

Chipper Jones (1998), Dale Murphy ('85) and Justin Upton (2013) share the Braves' record for most extra-base hits (17) before the end of April. Albies has the remainder of Friday's contest and nine more games to surpass that mark.

Syndergaard's 99.6-mph fastball was the fastest pitch he has thrown this season per Statcast™. Dating back to 2015, no Braves player had homered off a pitch that matched or exceeded this velocity. Before Albies conquered Syndergaard's heater, the hardest pitch hit for a homer this year was the solo shot the Nationals' Matt Adams knocked off Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino (98.6 mph) on April 11.

Since making his Major League debut last August, Albies has steadily legitimized the comparisons he has drawn to the Astros' Jose Altuve, who has already proven being vertically challenged is not necessarily a detriment.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Designated hitter Logan Morrison was Friday night's homecoming king, picking a perfect spot to hit his first home run for the Twins. He launched a solo shot into the right-field bleachers at Tropicana Field, where he played for the Rays during the 2016-17 seasons.

Morrison, who had 38 homers and 85 RBIs last season for the Rays, received a friendly ovation from the fans when he was introduced.

Actually, any place (or any time) would have been the perfect situation for Morrison to break out, since he entered Friday night's game with an .068 batting average, the lowest in the Major Leagues among qualified players.

"He has been working at it," manager Paul Molitor said before the game. "I think he's getting close. Anybody who gets off to a slow start has to deal with the mental as well as the physical. He keeps grinding."

Morrison has been known for slow starts. He has a career .215 batting average in April, and he batted just .100 in 19 April games with Tampa Bay.

"When I first got here [with the Rays], it wasn't good, but I got through that," Morrison said before the game. "You just keep going. You don't give up, and good things can happen."

BALTIMORE -- Orioles left fielder Trey Mancini exited Friday night's game against the Indians in the top of the eighth inning after slamming his right knee into the base of the left-field wall during an unsuccessful attempt at a diving catch of a Yonder Alonso foul pop.

With the O's up, 3-1, and Richard Bleier pitching, Mancini chased down Alonso's pop, but the ball landed in the stands as Mancini's upper body slammed into the padded wall, his right knee hitting the unpadded base. After manager Buck Showalter and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel came out to check on Mancini, who tried to jog in the outfield, the left fielder walked off the field gingerly.

Craig Gentry replaced Mancini.

PHILADELPHIA -- Rhys Hoskins hopped onto MLB Network late Thursday night to talk about the Phillies, but unexpectedly found himself watching the monitor in front of him as Jim Thome dissected his swing.

Thome is a big Hoskins fan.

"That was one of the cooler moments of my career, I think," Hoskins said before Friday night's game against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. "Just having him tell me that he really likes my swing. I mean, that guy was pretty good. Not only is he a Hall of Famer, but he did it here, too. It was really, really cool. I was pretty starstruck."

Thome broke down Hoskins' leg kick and his stride toward home plate.

"The thing is, when he comes off of the leg kick and he strides, it's not an up and down pound," Thome said. "It's a glide out, which I think keeps his bat, he keeps his eyes, everything where he needs to be for a big guy."

"One-hundred percent," Hoskins said, agreeing with the Hall of Famer's analysis. "Jim talked about the glide and a soft front foot. If I can ride my front hip out, I think it allows my barrel to stay in the zone as long as possible, and I think that's kind of what we're looking for as hitters."

"Fella," Thome said. "It's why he's a monster."

Hoskins is putting up monster numbers since he joined the Phillies last August. He entered Friday with a 1.037 OPS in 286 plate appearances. It ranks fourth in baseball in that span (minimum 250 plate appearances) behind only Boston's J.D. Martinez (1.116), New York's Aaron Judge (1.087) and Chicago's Kris Bryant (1.052).

Hoskins has 53 walks and 64 strikeouts in that stretch. The only other player in baseball with as many walks and as few strikeouts is Cincinnati's Joey Votto. He has 54 walks and 36 strikeouts.

Video: PHI@ATL: Arano throws only three pitches in the 8th

Arano keeps putting up zeros
Phillies rookie Victor Arano has retired the first 25 batters he has faced this season. He has retired 32 consecutive batters, dating to last season.

"I think he had some success early and all of a sudden he's feeling really good about himself," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "There's a lot of confidence when he comes in from the bullpen. And then very directly, he's executing his pitches."

Arano is getting a ton of swings and misses. His 41.51 whiff-per-swing percentage is 10th out of 314 pitchers in baseball (minimum 50 pitches). Thirteen have come on his slider. Nine have come on his fastball.

"The sliders are landing for strikes consistently and it's a pretty good slider," Kapler said. "And it's a fastball that plays pretty good here at this level."

Elias Sports Bureau said Rick Wise in 1971 is the last Phillies pitcher to retire 32 consecutive batters. Tampa Bay's Steve Geltz in June 2015 is the last pitcher in baseball to do it. Arano joins Scott Eyre as the only other Phillies pitcher since at least 1908 to open the season with seven consecutive perfect appearances. Eyre did it in 2009. If Arano has one more perfect appearance he would tie Scott Aldred for the Major League record. Aldred did it with Tampa Bay in 1999.

Hunter rehab continues
Phillies right-hander Tommy Hunter (right hamstring strain) pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance Friday night with Double-A Reading. He struck out two. It is possible he could still make another rehab appearance before rejoining the team.

ST. LOUIS -- Yadier Molina took over the all-time RBI lead at Busch Stadium with a two-run double off Cincinnati lefty Brandon Finnegan in the first inning of Friday's game against the Reds.

Molina has driven in 357 runs in the stadium, which opened in 2006. He passed Albert Pujols, who had driven in 356.

Molina also tops the stadium list with 811 hits and 817 games played.