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  • MLB: Dodgers down White Sox to open homestand

    MLB: Dodgers down White Sox to open homestand


    Will Smith and David Peralta hit first-inning home runs, Tony Gonsolin went six scoreless innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 5-1 victory against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

    Gonsolin (4-1) gave up two hits with six strikeouts as the Dodgers returned from a disappointing 2-4 road trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia with the victory in the opener of a three-game series and a six-game homestand.

    White Sox starter Lance Lynn (4-7) recovered from a wobbly first inning with four scoreless before he was charged with a run in the sixth. In giving up five runs (four earned) in five-plus innings, Lynn has now given up a combined 18 runs over his last three starts following a three-start winning streak.

    Yasmani Grandal had a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for the White Sox, who dropped their third consecutive game following a 6-1 run and fell in the opener of a six-game road trip that includes a visit to Seattle. Chicago was playing in its first game at Los Angeles since 2017.

    The Dodgers’ productive opening inning started with a one-out walk to Freddie Freeman before Smith pulled a home run to left field on his bobblehead night for a 2-0 lead. It was his 10th of the season. After Jason Heyward hit a single, Peralta hit a two-out home run for a 4-0 lead.

    The Dodgers put two aboard in the sixth before Lynn was replaced by left-hander Garrett Crochet. An error by White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada loaded the bases before a sacrifice fly from Miguel Vargas gave Los Angeles a 5-0 lead.

    The White Sox prevented a sixth Dodgers run in the seventh inning when right fielder Clint Frazier threw out Mookie Betts at the plate following a single by rookie Jonny Deluca, whose hit came in his first home at-bat.

    The Dodgers improved to a National League-best 21-10 at home, while ending a two-game losing streak in their own park.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: A’s stun Rays again on reverse boycott night

    MLB: A’s stun Rays again on reverse boycott night


    Ramon Laureano ran his way into the difference-making score in the eighth inning, rookie Hogan Harris limited the Tampa Bay Rays to one run in seven innings, and the Oakland Athletics thrilled their largest home crowd of the season on a “reverse boycott” night with a 2-1 victory and a seventh straight win Tuesday.

    With 27,759 mostly green-and-gold-clad fans — many donning “SELL” T-shirts as a message to owner John Fisher, who plans on moving the team to Las Vegas — creating a postseason-type ruckus, the A’s rallied from a 1-0 hole with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to stun the team with the best record in baseball for the second consecutive night.

    The crowd surpassed the A’s previous high this season of 26,805, which attended Opening Day against the Los Angeles Angels.

    Laureano singled to open the eighth against Colin Poche (4-2) and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Jonah Bride. Laureano then stole third and scored when pinch-hitter Carlos Perez’s grounder bounced off the glove of third baseman Isaac Paredes.

    With the infield in, shortstop Wander Franco fielded the carom but had a play on only Perez at first base as Laureano sprinted home.

    The A’s were held scoreless on four hits by three Rays pitchers, including opener Jalen Beeks, before Jace Pederson led off the seventh with a walk from Robert Stevenson.

    Three batters later, Brent Rooker’s double into the left-field corner tied the game.

    Harris (2-0) replaced opener Shintaro Fujinami after the latter’s scoreless first inning and allowed just four hits in seven innings, striking out two without walking a batter.

    The only Tampa Bay run scored in the fourth when Jose Siri doubled, took third on a fly ball by Taylor Walls and jogged home on a single to left field by Manuel Margot.

    Protecting the 2-1 lead, Trevor May walked two batters in the ninth. But catcher Shea Langeliers eliminated the first — Randy Arozarena — on a steal attempt, before May stranded the other — pinch runner Josh Lowe — by striking out Siri to wrap up his third save of the season.

    Yonny Chirinos did a majority of the pitching for the Rays, taking over after Beeks recorded the first five outs. Chirinos carried the shutout into the sixth inning with 3 2/3 innings of two-hit ball.

    Rooker and Ryan Noda had two hits apiece for the A’s, whose longest winning streak of the season had been two games before the current seven-game run.

    Margot and Harold Ramirez had two hits each for the Rays.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Phillies use 20-hit barrage to club D-backs

    MLB: Phillies use 20-hit barrage to club D-backs


    Bryson Stott went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs and Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a tape-measure blast to help the Philadelphia Phillies roll to a 15-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night in Phoenix.

    Nick Castellanos doubled twice and drove in three runs and Alex Bohm and Bryce Harper knocked in two runs apiece as Philadelphia won for the eighth time in 10 games. The Phillies racked up 20 hits, including eight for extra bases.

    Zack Wheeler (5-4) gave up one run and four hits over six innings for Philadelphia. Wheeler struck out seven and walked one.

    Corbin Carroll homered and Christian Walker went 4-for-4 for the Diamondbacks, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. It was just Arizona’s third loss in its last 15 games.

    The Diamondbacks entered the contest with the best record in the National League but didn’t play like it Tuesday. Emmanuel Rivera’s throwing error led to two unearned runs in the first inning and Carroll gave away a run in the third with a mental mistake.

    Carroll lost track of the outs as he caught a fly ball to left field by Kody Clemens for the second out. Carroll turned around to retrieve his hat off the ground and J.T. Realmuto noticed the lapse in judgement and ran home from third to make it 6-0.

    Stott homered in the fifth — his sixth blast of the season — to make it 7-0. The Diamondbacks finally got on the board on Walker’s RBI double with two outs in the sixth.

    Stott added an RBI single in the seventh to make it 8-1. In the eighth, Castellanos’ two-run double and Realmuto’s RBI double boosted the lead to 11-2.

    Carroll hit his 14th homer of the season in the eighth for the Diamondbacks.

    Arizona’s Zach Davies (1-2) allowed six runs (four earned) and six hits in three innings.

    Philadelphia struck for four runs in the first, starting with Schwarber leading off the game with a 450-foot blast to right, his 18th homer of the season. Castellanos had an RBI double later in the inning.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: George Kirby, Mike Ford lead Mariners past Marlins

    MLB: George Kirby, Mike Ford lead Mariners past Marlins


    George Kirby pitched six strong innings and Mike Ford hit two home runs as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Miami Marlins 9-3 on Tuesday night.

    Cal Raleigh also went deep for Seattle, which has won the first two games of the interleague series. The Nos. 7-9 batters in Seattle’s order — Raleigh, Ford and Jose Caballero — went a combined 6-for-10 with a triple, three homers and nine RBIs.

    Kirby (6-5) allowed one unearned run on three hits. The right-hander didn’t walk a batter and had a career-high 10 strikeouts.

    The Marlins’ Garrett Cooper hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning off Chris Flexen.

    Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera (5-5) gave up five runs on four hits in four innings, with three walks and four strikeouts.

    Kirby retired the first 13 batters he faced before Yuli Gurriel hit a soft liner to left field with one out in the fifth. Outfielder Jarred Kelenic charged the ball in an attempt to preserve Kirby’s gem, but the ball landed just in front of him.

    The Marlins finally touched Kirby for an unearned run in the sixth. With one out, Garrett Hampson lined a single to right and took second on a passed ball. After Luis Arraez lined out to short, Jorge Soler grounded a run-scoring single to center.

    Arraez went hitless for a second straight game as his major-league-leading average dropped to .382.

    Raleigh snapped an 0-for-21 slump with a three-run shot in the second inning. Raleigh hit a 1-0 curveball deep into the lower deck in right field.

    In the bottom of the fourth, Kelenic walked, stole second and took third on catcher Jacob Stallings’ throwing error on the play. With two outs, Ford hit a towering blast to right center on a 2-1 changeup from Cabrera to make it 5-0.

    The Mariners pulled away on Caballero’s three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth off Archie Bradley, recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in the day.

    Ford homered to right center off JT Chargois leading off the eighth.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Padres jump on Guardians early, cruise to victory

    MLB: Padres jump on Guardians early, cruise to victory


    Gary Sanchez capped a four-run first inning with a three-run homer and Fernando Tatis Jr. added a solo shot an inning later as the San Diego Padres defeated the visiting Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

    Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove held the Guardians to three runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts over six innings to earn the win and improve to 4-2. Josh Hader picked up his 16th save with a scoreless ninth.

    Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (2-2) immediately put himself in trouble by walking the first two hitters he faced — Tatis and Juan Soto. Tatis moved to third on Manny Machado’s flyout to right and scored on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly.

    After Jake Cronenworth singled, Sanchez lined the first pitch he saw from Bibee 396 feet to left-center for his sixth homer in 13 games as a Padre to make it 4-0.

    Cleveland scored single runs in the second and fifth. The Padres countered with a run in the bottom of each inning.

    Josh Bell, who spent the end of last season with the Padres, homered off Musgrove to lead off the second. His 346-foot drive to right came on an 0-2 slider. It was Bell’s sixth homer of the season.

    Tatis’ 13th homer of the year came in the bottom of the second on an 0-1 curveball from Bibee and traveled 405 feet to center.

    Will Brennan singled off first baseman Cronenworth’s glove to open the fifth, moved to third when Cam Gallagher lined a double past Machado and scored on Steven Kwan’s one-out groundout to second.

    Machado opened the Padres fifth with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Bogaerts double that ended the night for Bibee, who gave up six runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. He walked two and struck out three.

    Jose Ramirez singled to open the Cleveland sixth, advanced to third on a single by Josh Naylor and a forceout and scored on Tyler Freeman’s sacrifice fly to left.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Ian Happ, Cubs clobber Pirates

    MLB: Ian Happ, Cubs clobber Pirates


    Ian Happ hit a three-run drive for his first homer in over a month and had four RBIs, while Jameson Taillon lasted a season-high six innings for his first home victory as the host Chicago Cubs rolled over the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-3 on a rainy Tuesday night.

    Happ erased a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead in the first inning with a shot into the right field seats off Luis L. Ortiz (1-3). It was the first homer since May 5 for Happ, who earned another RBI after being hit by a pitch from Yohan Ramirez with the bases loaded during Chicago’s four-run seventh.

    Happ, however, appeared to injure his leg and left after the seventh inning.

    Meanwhile, Taillon (2-4), who entered 0-2 with an 8.27 ERA in four home starts, yielded a pair of solo homers to Jack Suwinski, plus one other run and six total hits during his longest outing of the season. The Cubs also got an eighth-inning, three-run homer from Christopher Morel as they won for the third time in four games.

    Ortiz was charged with four runs and also allowed six hits over 5 1/3 innings for the Pirates, who lead the National League Central but are 2-4 since winning six straight.

    Suwinski, a Chicago native, got the Pirates on the board in the first with a two-out homer into the right-center-field bleachers. It was his 14th homer of the season and his fourth in four games.

    However, the Cubs got that run back, and then some, in the bottom of the frame. Ortiz issued an inning-opening walk to Mike Tauchman (two hits) and an infield single to Nico Hoerner before Happ’s homer.

    Pittsburgh cut that deficit to one in the second when Josh Palacios blooped a double into left field and scored on Ji Hwan Bae’s two-out single. The Pirates tied it on Suwinski’s towering drive just inside the right field foul pole in the sixth.

    Chicago’s Matt Mervis delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, and the Cubs broke things open in the seventh, highlighted by Yan Gomes’ two-run single.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Braves, Tigers set for doubleheader after rainout

    MLB: Braves, Tigers set for doubleheader after rainout


    Following a long delay that proved fruitless, the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers will play two games on Wednesday afternoon.

    The teams waited more than two hours before their scheduled game in Detroit on Tuesday night was postponed. They will play a straight doubleheader on Wednesday.

    The Tigers rallied to win the series opener 6-5 in 10 innings on Monday night to snap a nine-game losing streak.

    Atlanta will go with major league strikeout leader Spencer Strider in Game 1. Rookie AJ Smith-Shawver might take his regular turn in Game 2, though as of Tuesday night no starter had been named. Neither of them has faced Detroit before.

    Strider (6-2, 3.79 ERA) has racked up 121 strikeouts in 13 starts.

    The right-hander has been susceptible to giving up the long ball lately, and it cost him in his most recent outing. He surrendered a career-high eight runs and eight hits, including two homers, in four innings against the New York Mets on Thursday. He was spared a loss when the Braves rallied to win 13-10 in 10 innings.

    If Smith-Shawver (0-0, 0.00) goes, he would be making his third career appearance and second start for the Braves.

    The 20-year-old right-hander tossed 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 4, then allowed just two unearned runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals in his first start on Friday.

    “I don’t think the feeling I had out there was normal comparatively to anywhere I pitched in the minors,” he said. “I think I started settling in during the second inning.”

    While Smith-Shawver dominated during his fast track through the minors, getting out major league hitters is a tougher chore. He recorded only two strikeouts against the Nationals while throwing 86 pitches.

    “He’s going to have to be more refined, be more consistent in the zone and hit with his secondary pitches better, as many other young guys do,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s learning on the job here.”

    Smith-Shawver made seven starts this season at three different minor league levels, just two with Triple-A Gwinnett. He mainly relies on his fastball and slider, with an occasional curve and changeup mixed in.

    Detroit’s starting pitchers for the doubleheader will be veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 3.75) in the opener and then rookie right-hander Reese Olson (0-1, 2.70).

    Olson is scheduled to make his third career appearance and second start for the Tigers. Manager A.J. Hinch used an opener in the first inning of Olson’s latest outing on Thursday at Philadelphia. Olson then came in and allowed just one run, three hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three Phillies.

    Lorenzen gave up six runs in 6 2/3 innings to Arizona on Friday, but his outing was better than the stats show. He limited the Diamondbacks to two runs and three hits through the first six innings. Lorenzen retired 12 straight batters before tiring in the seventh.

    “You’d hope to get a better pitching performance out of me when (the offense) turns it on like that,” Lorenzen said after Detroit’s 11-6 loss. “Frustrated with myself for not being able to finish it off.”

    Lorenzen delivered quality outings in five of his previous six starts. He has faced the Braves nine previous times in his career, giving up three runs over nine innings.

    Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna will look to extend his nine-game hitting streak. Ozuna was hit on the right wrist by a pitch on Monday, but he could be available on Wednesday.

    “It’s just bruised and a little swollen,” Ozuna said. “We’ll see what happens the next couple of days.”

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Mets RHP Drew Smith (sticky substance) tossed upon entering game

    MLB: Mets RHP Drew Smith (sticky substance) tossed upon entering game


    New York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Drew Smith was ejected from Tuesday night’s home game against the New York Yankees as quickly as he entered after failing a sticky substance check.

    The Mets tapped Smith to take the mound in the seventh inning, with the Yankees leading 7-6. When Smith took the field, first base umpire Bill Miller performed an extensive foreign substance check of his hands, conferred with the umpire crew and tossed the pitcher.

    Smith officially went down in the box score as 0.0 innings pitched, zero pitches.

    The Mets sent John Curtiss to the mound instead, and Curtiss sat down the Yankees in order in the seventh.

    Smith now faces an automatic 10-game suspension for use of a foreign substance, something both New York clubs are plenty familiar with. The only two sticky-stuff suspensions this season were assessed to Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer and Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German.

    Smith, 29, is appearing in his fifth major league season, all with the Mets. In 26 games out of the bullpen he has a 3-2 record and a 4.18 ERA.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Big second inning leads Reds over reeling Royals

    MLB: Big second inning leads Reds over reeling Royals


    The Cincinnati Reds scored big early then held on for a 5-4 win against the host Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

    The Reds sent 10 batters to the plate in a five-run second inning, highlighted by three stolen bases. Cincinnati has stolen 26 bases in 28 attempts this month.

    Elly De La Cruz sparked the rally, walking to lead off the inning, then stealing second and advancing to third on an error before scoring on Spencer Steer’s single to left field.

    Kevin Newman’s RBI double put the Reds ahead to stay. Stuart Fairchild and TJ Friedl then added RBI singles to help build a 5-1 lead.

    Jordan Lyles (0-11) threw 36 pitches in the inning, walking three. He retired the final 14 batters he faced to finish six innings, allowing five runs on five hits and striking out four. Lyles’ 11 straight losses are a career high.

    Brandon Williamson’s first-inning throwing error led to the Royals’ first run. Kansas City added a second-inning tally on Matt Duffy’s RBI double off the center field wall.

    In the third, Bobby Witt Jr.’s 11th homer, a two-run shot to left, cut the deficit to 5-4.

    Williamson (1-0) completed five innings for his first major league victory, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and striking out one.

    Four Reds relievers worked four scoreless innings, with Lucas Sims working out of a one-out, bases-load jam in the seventh by striking out Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez.

    Alexis Diaz notched his 16th save in as many chances.

    Cincinnati recorded its National League-best 22nd come-from-behind win. The Reds have won four straight and seven of nine.

    The Reds have now won five of their last six series and will go for the sweep in the series finale on Wednesday.

    The slumping Royals have dropped eight straight and 11 of 12. They have lost seven of eight series, splitting one, since last winning a series at San Diego, May 15-17.

    –Field Level Media

  • MLB: Astros use long ball to take down Nationals

    MLB: Astros use long ball to take down Nationals


    Four different players slugged solo home runs while rookie right-hander Hunter Brown recorded his second scoreless start of the season as the Houston Astros claimed a 6-1 interleague victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

    Mauricio Dubon, Kyle Tucker, Martin Maldonado and Chas McCormick each went deep for the Astros, who won for just the second time in their last seven games.

    Brown (6-3) snapped a two-start losing streak by inducing timely double-play grounders to steer clear of trouble. He faced the minimum in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings despite allowing baserunners in three of those frames.

    Lane Thomas worked a leadoff walk in the first while Jeimer Candelario reached on a wild pitch after striking out in the second before drawing a one-out walk in the fourth. Brown responded by getting Luis Garcia to roll into a double play in the first before Corey Dickerson did the same in the second. Candelario was erased by a throw from Maldonado to Dubon while attempting to swipe second base in the fourth.

    Brown stranded Dominic Smith and CJ Abrams in scoring position in the third and induced Joey Meneses to tap into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.

    Brown allowed four hits and three walks while recording four strikeouts over seven innings. He blanked the Tampa Bay Rays over seven innings on April 26 and also allowed zero earned runs in back-to-back starts against the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers earlier that same month.

    Dubon and Tucker smacked their homers off Nationals starter Patrick Corbin (4-7) in the fifth inning. Dubon clubbed his third home run of the season, while Tucker hit his ninth.

    Maldonado socked his 100th career home run leading off the seventh against Nationals reliever Chad Kuhl. Jose Abreu, who notched his 1,500th career hit by leading off the second with a double, drove home Jose Altuve with a two-out single later in the seventh. Altuve became the fourth player in franchise history to score 1,000 runs.

    McCormick greeted Washington reliever Thaddeus Ward with his sixth home run, a 392-foot shot to left center, to lead off the eighth.

    Abreu finished 2-for-3 with a walk. Altuve walked twice and added an RBI single in the eighth.

    Corbin allowed two runs on four hits in five innings. He walked five and fanned five.

    –Field Level Media