Jesse Winker (3) in congratulated after hitting a walk-off home run Wedneday against the Baltimore Orioles. Noah K. Murray/Associated Press

NEW YORK — Pinch-hitter Jesse Winker led off the ninth inning with his first home run for the New York Mets, giving them another rousing 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

Mets starter Sean Manaea retired his first 17 batters, and Mark Vientos put New York ahead 3-2 with a solo homer in the seventh.

Francisco Lindor also went deep and J.D. Martinez drove in a run with a grounder to help the Mets take two of three in the series. New York began the day 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final National League playoff berth.

Following a 5-4 homestand, the Mets begin a pivotal 10-game trip Thursday night with the first of four at San Diego.

Edwin Díaz (5-1) struck out two in a perfect inning for his second win of the series. The first came Monday night, when Francisco Alvarez’s solo homer in the ninth gave the Mets a 4-3 victory.

Seranthony Domínguez (3-4) gave up both game-ending longballs.

Acquired from Washington in a July 28 trade, Winker fought back from 0-2 and drove a 98 mph full-count fastball the other way to left-center for his second walk-off homer in the majors.

Manaea was one strike from finishing six perfect innings when he drilled Jackson Holliday behind the shoulder with a 2-2 fastball. Austin Slater drove the next pitch the other way to right field for a two-run homer that tied it 2-all.

Baltimore began the day with a half-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees.

RANGERS 1, PIRATES 0: Wyatt Langford’s single scored pinch-runner Ezequiel Duran with two out in the ninth inning, giving Texas a win at home.

Jonah Heim and Adolis García singled off David Bednar (3-6) to open the bottom of the ninth. Duran, running for Heim, advanced to third on a flyout to deep right field by Nathaniel Lowe. Bednar struck out Josh Jung on a 3-2 fastball after García stole second base, but Langford laced an RBI single to center field.

The winning run ended a streak of 22 scoreless innings for the Rangers, who claimed two of three games against the Pirates and ended a string of seven consecutive lost series.

Kirby Yates (5-2) pitched a perfect ninth inning for Texas.

WHITE SOX 6, GIANTS 2: Korey Lee hit a tiebreaking two-run single that highlighted a four-run ninth inning as visiting Chicago snapped a four-game skid.

Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi drew consecutive walks off Erik Miller (3-4) with one out in the ninth. After Andrew Vaughn reached on an infield single, Miller struck out Gavin Sheets, but Lee singled on a 2-2 fastball from Spencer Bivens, giving the White Sox a 4-2 lead. Lenyn Sosa followed with another two-run single.

NOTES

YANKEES: Starting pitcher Luis Gil was placed on the 15-day injured list because of a strained lower back, one day after exiting a start against the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning.

Manager Aaron Boone said he expects the rookie to return soon.

“It’s minor, it’s just lower back soreness,” Boone said before the Yankees continued a three-game series with Cleveland. “I think he feels better even already today, and the hope is he’ll be able to stay pretty active through this stint and hopefully be back pitching right around that time.

Gil is 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA in 25 starts but has issued a major-league high 66 walks. He has thrown 124 2/3 innings after missing most of the previous two seasons because of Tommy John surgery.

VOTTO RETIRES: Former NL MVP and six-time All-Star Joey Votto announced his retirement from baseball in a short video posted to social media Wednesday.

The Toronto-born Votto signed a minor league contract with his hometown team in March and, following a lengthy layoff because of an ankle injury, had been playing at Triple-A Buffalo.

The 40-year-old first baseman became a free agent last fall following the end of a $251.5 million, 12-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, his only team over 17 major league seasons. Cincinnati declined Votto’s $20 million option for 2024.

The 2010 NL MVP and a Gold Glove winner in 2011, Votto hit .294 with 356 home runs and 1,144 RBI in 2,056 games.