Associated Press

SEATTLE — The Baltimore Orioles already had the feel-good story of the season with the return of Trey Mancini from colon cancer surgery. For more than a month, the youngsters at the core of their rebuild have — perhaps surprisingly so — played well enough to hang around the .500 mark in the AL East.

And if they needed additional proof they have an ace on their pitching staff, John Means provided it on Wednesday. Throwing the first individual no-hitter by an Orioles pitcher in more than 50 years is plenty of affirmation.

“That’s the feeling you’re getting with John right now is, you go to the ballpark (John’s) on the mound, it’s going to be a fun night,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “That’s what you feel like when you have a number one or a top of the rotation guy on the mound is when you get to the ballpark we got a really good chance to win this game.”

Means more than just improved to 4-0 on Wednesday. He etched himself in Orioles lore throwing the first individual no-hitter by a Baltimore pitcher in 52 years in a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Early in a season that’s already been filled with several positives, this was another boost in efforts for Baltimore returning to prominence.

“I think we have a really good team and it’s about time people started to pay attention,” Means said.

Means was brilliant on the mound. His fastball was overpowering as it sat in the mid 90s and spotted on the edges. His changeup left batters flailing. He struck out 12, threw 26 first-pitch strikes and rarely found himself in a three-ball count.

Mix in a Seattle lineup that collectively was struggling at the plate, and it was a perfect recipe for a bit of history.

The Orioles had a combined no-hitter in 1991, but Means was the first individual to finish a no-no since Hall of Famer Jim Palmer in 1969. Means understood how special it is to be a pitcher in Baltimore and mentioned in the same breath as Palmer.

“I can’t put it into words. It’s just it’s such a crazy feeling. It’s such a whirlwind of an experience,” Means said.

The only blemish that stood between Means and a perfect game was a breaking pitch in the dirt that struck out Sam Haggerty swinging but skipped past catcher Pedro Severino. It happened in the third inning, but even that early in his outing, Means was showing he had the stuff capable of something special.

“He was awesome today,” Seattle’s Kyle Seager said. “He was ahead of us all day. We were behind pretty much every single count.”

Means showed two years ago he had the potential to be an emerging breakout star for the Orioles when he went 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA, was an All-Star selection and finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Last season, Means started poorly but his final four starts were a precursor to what he’s done this season. In his final four outings of 2020, Means only went 2-2, but had a 1.52 ERA and opponents hit just .146 against him.

And his start to 2021 couldn’t be much better. Means has thrown at least six innings in five of his seven starts. He’s allowed just seven earned runs in 46 innings and opponents are hitting a meager .135.

He’s an ace, whether the Orioles want to give him that official title or not.

“You don’t want to label somebody. I don’t want to raise expectations of who he is, but he is definitely pitching like one there’s no doubt about that,” Hyde said. “He has pitched like one from September on from last year, through this year.

“For me aces, not only give you a chance to win the game but they go long. They can battle throughout a game, and they give bullpens a rest, and they make big pitches in big spots late in the game, and you kind of have a longer leash because of that. John Means is at that point for me.”

CUBS 6, DODGERS 5, 11 INNINGS

CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo capped Chicago’s two-run 11th inning with an RBI single, and the Cubs beat struggling Los Angeles to complete a three-game sweep.

Chicago’s Matt Duffy tied it when he drove in Willson Contreras with a two-out single against Garrett Cleavinger (0-3). Duffy stole third and pinch-hitter Tony Wolters walked before Rizzo singled on a sharp grounder to left.

He was mobbed by teammates as he ran off the field following the Cubs’ second game-ending hit in as many days. David Bote hit a winning single in the ninth the previous day in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

Alec Mills (2-0) got the win despite giving up two runs in two innings. Jake Marisnick homered, and the Cubs swept three from the Dodgers at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2008.

The Dodgers lost for the 13th time in 17 games.

ROCKIES 6, GIANTS 5

DENVER — Jon Gray tossed six strong innings and helped himself with an RBI single in Colorado’s victory over San Francisco.

Gray (4-2) allowed two runs and four hits. The right-hander struck out eight and walked two while improving to 4-0 in five home starts. Daniel Bard worked a shaky ninth for his third save.

Brandon Crawford continued his hot hitting against the Rockies with a two-run homer in the second inning. Crawford is 10 for 23 with four homers, six walks and 10 RBIs in eight games against Colorado this season.

PADRES 4, PIRATES 2

SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and San Diego beat Pittsburgh.

Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his big league-leading 11th save in 11 chances. Craig Stammen (2-1) got the final out of the sixth for the win in relief of Yu Darvish.

Cronenworth’s go-ahead hit came a half inning after Darvish surrendered a two-run lead and was chased with the score tied at 2. Darvish didn’t factor in the decision but struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings while allowing six hits and one walk.

Duane Underwood Jr. (1-1) took the loss.

RAYS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brandon Lowe hit a three-run homer and Tampa Bay overcame five scoreless innings from Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani to beat the Angels.

Lowe went deep to center off Junior Guerra (2-1) in the seventh after Brett Phillips led off the inning with a walk and Willy Adames flared a single to left.

Ryan Yarbrough (2-3) allowed one run on five hits in four-plus innings to help the Rays win their fourth straight. The Angels have dropped four straight and 10 of their last 14.

Bucks withstand Westbrook’s triple

MILWAUKEE — Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a triple-double from Russell Westbrook to beat the Washington Wizards 135-134 on Wednesday night.

Westbrook had 29 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds for his 179th career triple-double, but the Wizards still lost for just the fourth time in their last 17 games. He’s just two shy of Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 181 career triple-doubles.

Westbrook has a league-leading 33 triple-doubles this season, including five in his last six games. The only time Westbrook missed out on a triple-double during this six-game stretch came Saturday when he had 42 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 125-124 loss to Dallas.

Bradley Beal scored 42 points and hit a 3-pointer that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 135-134 with 5.3 seconds left. Westbrook got a steal in the final second, but Garrison Mathews’ desperation shot from over 50 feet away didn’t connect.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points for the Bucks before fouling out with 1:54 left. Donte DiVincenzo had 19.

JAZZ 126, SPURS 94

SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Clarkson scored 30 points, Bojan Bogdanovic added 24 and Utah routed San Antonio.

With Atlanta’s 135-103 victory over Phoenix, the Jazz reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the NBA and Western Conference playoff race despite the All-Star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Mike Conley (hamstring) missing another game.

Luka Samanic scored 15 points to lead the Spurs for the first time this season. They have lost five straight as they fight for the final spot in the NBA play-in tournament.