MLB roundup: Blue Jays crush Red Sox for series sweep as do Rangers against Marlins
Brandon Belt, George Springer, Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier each had two hits for the Blue Jays, who scored four runs in the third, two in the fourth, five in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Triston Casas hit his 17th home run of the season for Boston, which has lost four games in a row and seven of its last eight.
Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt (11-6) surrendered one run on seven hits in seven innings to earn the win. He struck out six and walked three. Chris Murphy (1-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Rangers 6, Marlins 0
Andrew Heaney logged 5 2/3 scoreless innings as Texas blanked Miami to complete a three-game sweep in Arlington, Texas.
Heaney (9-6) allowed just four hits while walking two and striking out four to win his fourth consecutive decision. His last loss was on July 8. Nathaniel Lowe smacked a two-run homer and Marcus Semien, Ezequiel Duran and Adolis Garcia each added solo shots for the Rangers, who are riding a six-game win streak.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (4-10) took the loss after surrendering five runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Yuli Gurriel doubled and singled for the Marlins, who were shut out for the eighth time this season.
White Sox 5, Guardians 3
Elvis Andrus had a tiebreaking two-run single in the ninth inning as Chicago rallied past host Cleveland in the deciding game of a three-game series.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase (1-6) tried to protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth, but the first two batters, Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Vaughn, singled. After a pair of strikeouts put the Guardians an out from the win, third baseman Brayan Rocchio made back-to-back throwing errors to first, allowing the tying run to score.
Andrus then rolled a single up the middle to score two more runs for a 5-3 lead. Andrus had three hits for Chicago, which had lost five of six.
Astros 9, Yankees 7
Jake Meyers hit a mammoth tiebreaking homer with one out in the sixth inning for his second three-run shot of the game as visiting Houston hung on for a victory over New York.
Meyers hit a three-run homer off Yankees starter Carlos Rodon in the second and then snapped a 5-5 tie in the sixth with a 423-foot drive to left field against Wandy Peralta (3-2). Yordan Alvarez added a two-run shot in the third off Rodon, who exited later in the inning with left hamstring tightness.
Gleyber Torres homered and hit an RBI double for the Yankees, who play 19 of their next 25 games on the road.
Twins 5, Diamondbacks 3
Matt Wallner hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to rally Minnesota over Arizona in Minneapolis.
With the score tied, Wallner drove an 0-1 fastball by Arizona reliever Paul Sewald (3-2) over the wall in right-center to drive in Jorge Polanco, who had walked. The Twins, who won their fourth straight, trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the ninth but tied it when Max Kepler hit a first-pitch homer - his 18th.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 3-for-5 with an RBI double and Corbin Carroll added two hits, two walks, a steal and a run for Arizona, which dropped its sixth straight game. The Diamondbacks lost for the 14th time in their last 17 games despite setting a single-game franchise record with eight stolen bases.
Orioles 2, Mets 0
Kyle Bradish and four relievers combined on a four-hitter as Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of visiting New York.
The Orioles, who have won seven of their last eight games, compiled their second series sweep since the All-Star break. They won Sunday's game without a run-producing hit. Cionel Perez (4-1) was the winning pitcher with 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Mets starter Jose Quintana was a hard-luck loser, permitting two runs and six hits in six-plus innings. Quintana (0-3) struck out six and walked two. Mark Vientos led off the ninth with a double, but he didn't advance as Felix Bautista induced a pair of flyouts before striking out Daniel Vogelbach to end the game.
Nationals 6, Reds 3
Lane Thomas capped a big series with a home run and three RBIs as Washington swept a three-game set against host Cincinnati.
CJ Abrams and Thomas hit the first two pitches of the game, and first two of right-hander Lyon Richardson's career, for a pair of 400-foot homers en route to a four-run first inning. Abrams finished with four of Washington's 10 hits, stole two bases and scored twice.
Cincinnati got solo home runs from Joey Votto and TJ Friedl along with an RBI hit by Stuart Fairchild. Richardson (0-1), pressed into duty Sunday with an injury to Reds starter Ben Lively, allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out two.
Mariners 3, Angels 2 (10 innings)
Eugenio Suarez drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning as Seattle completed a four-game sweep of Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
J.P. Crawford and Teoscar Hernandez homered for the Mariners, who have won five in a row and 10 of their past 12 to pull within 2 1/2 games of Toronto for the American League's third and final wild-card berth. Matt Thaiss went deep for the Angels, who suffered their sixth straight loss to fall below .500.
Both starters were outstanding. The Angels' Chase Silseth threw seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits, fanning a career-high 12 batters. Mariners rookie right-hander Bryce Miller went five innings and matched a career high with 10 strikeouts. Miller allowed one run on five hits and didn't walk a batter.
Rays 10, Tigers 6
Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe each hit home runs as visiting Tampa Bay slugged past Detroit.
That trio - the top three batters in the Rays' order - combined for seven hits, seven runs and five RBIs. Josh Lowe produced from lower in the order, driving in two runs.
Kerry Carpenter had three hits, including a two-run homer, and scored three times for the Tigers.
Phillies 8, Royals 4
Philadelphia smashed three home runs and right-hander Taijuan Walker overcame a shaky beginning to notch his 13th victory as the Phillies rallied to beat visiting Kansas City.
Walker (13-4) threw 95 pitches over seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out just two, but with his 13th victory, he now has the most wins in the major leagues along with the Chicago Cubs' Justin Steele.
Bryson Stott, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos went deep for Philadelphia, while MJ Melendez homered for the Royals. Kansas City starter Zack Greinke (1-12) lasted just four innings, giving up seven hits and five runs.
Pirates 4, Brewers 1
Johan Oviedo pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout ball and Connor Joe, Endy Rodriguez and Bryan Reynolds each homered to power Pittsburgh to a split in its four-game road series against Milwaukee.
Oviedo (6-11) was dominant, only allowing hits to William Contreras, who had a single in the first and a double in the sixth.
Four of Pittsburgh's six hits came off Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff (1-1), who struck out nine in five innings but took the loss.
Cubs 6, Braves 4
Justin Steele whiffed seven over 5 1/3 innings and Chicago used a three-run fifth inning to earn a victory over visiting Atlanta.
The Cubs entered the home half of the fifth down 3-2, but Ian Happ and Jeimer Candelario hit RBI singles with Cody Bellinger chipping in an RBI double. Steele (13-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits with four walks to tie for the MLB lead with his 13th win.
Ozzie Albies led the charge for the Braves with three hits. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson had two hits apiece and totaled nine RBIs across the series, with Olson driving in six of them.
Rockies 1, Cardinals 0
Austin Gomber and three relievers combined on a shutout as visiting Colorado edged St. Louis.
Gomber (9-8) allowed six hits and three walks in his six innings against his former team. Tyler Kinley, Brent Suter, Justin Lawrence combined to get the last nine outs for the Rockies, who took two of three games in the series. Lawrence earned his ninth save.
The Cardinals left 15 men on base and went 0-for-9 hitting with runners in scoring position. They lost for the seventh time in their last 10 games. Reliever Zack Thompson (2-4) was the Cardinals' opener in a bullpen start while Miles Mikolas completed his suspension. Thompson struck out eight batters in four innings and allowed one run.
Athletics 8, Giants 6
Nick Allen belted two homers and Shea Langeliers hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the sixth inning to lift host Oakland to a win over San Francisco.
Allen, who had homered just once this season, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs. Kirby Snead (1-0) picked up the win by striking out the side in the sixth.
LaMonte Wade Jr. went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run, while Patrick Bailey went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run for the Giants, who have dropped two straight games after winning seven of the previous nine. Luke Jackson (1-1) took the loss.
Dodgers 8, Padres 2
Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer in the first and Freddie Freeman capped a four-run second with a three-run blast as visiting Los Angeles defeated San Diego.
Lance Lynn (8-9) improved to 2-0 as a Dodger, holding the Padres to a solo home run by Gary Sanchez over six innings. Mookie Betts added his 30th homer of the season while Enrique Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run.
Rich Hill (7-11), making his debut in San Diego after the Padres acquired him from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline along with first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi, gave up six runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in three innings in his shortest outing of 2023. Jake Cronenworth added a solo shot.