Category: Major League Baseball (MLB)

Maybe a few good innings can revive the Baltimore Orioles.

After a stagnant stretch, the Orioles will start a homestand with a little extra jump when they oppose the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

The Orioles are coming off a 6-3 victory at Milwaukee on Thursday that snapped a two-game skid, as they scored all of their runs in the last three innings to erase a 3-0 deficit. They are returning from a 3-3 road trip that also included a visit to San Francisco.

“Going 3-3 on the road feels a lot better than going 2-4,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Especially the way we came back.”

The comeback win against the Brewers might be the lift the Orioles need. They didn’t lead until Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The 366-foot blast was the seventh homer of the season for the 21-year-old infielder.

“It just shows you the power he has,” Hyde said. “He doesn’t need to try to pull the ball, doesn’t need to try to do too much.”

For Henderson, it was a thrill, and perhaps more important, a boost for the Orioles.

“We knew it was only a matter of time,” he said. “We’re going to fight no matter what the score is.”

As for Friday’s game, given that there have been a few postponements this week on the East Coast because of concerns about air quality stemming from Canadian wildfires, Orioles officials said they would monitor the situation in conjunction with Major League Baseball.

The Royals have lost three in a row and six of their past seven games. During that stretch, they scored more than two runs only twice. The misery perhaps heightened when they managed just one run in each of the last two games during a three-game series at Miami that ended on Wednesday.

“Is it frustrating that we haven’t scored? Yeah,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, whose team posted a total of eight hits in those two games. “The process is good, and they compete.”

The Orioles will send right-hander Tyler Wells (4-2, 3.29 ERA) to the mound on Friday. Wells has logged at least five innings in all 12 starts this season. He had a career-high nine strikeouts on Sunday in a victory at San Francisco, when he gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Wells has faced the Royals six times and is 3-0 with a 3.54 ERA in those games. He has more wins against Kansas City than against any other team.

Left-hander Daniel Lynch (0-1, 4.35 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Royals.

Lynch, who will be in his third game of the season after coming off the injured list, has worked at least five innings in both of his starts. In his latest outing, he gave up five runs (three earned) in the first inning against Colorado on Saturday, but they he blanked the Rockies over the next four innings.

“To stay in it mentally there when you get down five speaks volume to what he’s capable of doing,” Quatraro said. “His stuff looked good, and he trusted it and he got back in the zone.”

Lynch took losses in both career outings against the Orioles, giving up six runs (five earned) in nine innings in two games last year.

The Royals, who had Thursday off, were outscored 21-8 in the three games at Miami.

Kansas City second baseman Michael Massey went 0-for-6 against the Marlins, leaving him 1-for-13 in five June games.

Baltimore won two of three games in early May at Kansas City, averaging 12 runs in the two victories and getting shut out in the loss.

–Field Level Media

While Aaron Judge began the healing process in his right big toe, the New York Yankees settled for partial success in their first full day without their star slugger.

After splitting a doubleheader in less-than-ideal sky conditions on Thursday, the host Yankees will attempt to capitalize on some recent struggles by the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series between the longtime rivals on Friday night.

New York is 7-4 over its past 11 contests after the twin bill against the Chicago White Sox. In the first game, Yankees reliever Michael King allowed a two-run homer in the seventh inning in a 6-5 loss, but three New York pitchers combined on a two-hitter in a 3-0 victory in the nightcap.

Billy McKinney, who was promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Judge landed on the injured list with a sprained and bruised right big toe, tripled and scored in his season debut in the first game on Thursday. He hit a solo home run in the second game.

“Good to see him come up, and like some of the other guys that have gotten opportunities, he came up and contributed,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

McKinney, who was hitting .274 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, will be part out of an outfield rotation that includes Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Calhoun, who batted leadoff in both games, homered in the opener and had three hits on the day. In the second game, he doubled before Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

McKinney said, “Just help the team win, that’s the goal, and win as many games as we can. Obviously Aaron Judge, he’s one of a kind, just do my best to help the team win, and that’s all that matters.”

Boston heads to New York for the first time since getting swept in a four-game series last September.

This year, the Red Sox were 26-20 after earning a 4-2 win in San Diego on May 20. Since then, they are 5-12.

Boston slipped back under .500 for the first time since April 28 after losing two of three to the host Cleveland Guardians this week.

After winning the opener 5-4 on Tuesday, the Red Sox lost 5-2 on Wednesday. The rubber game brought an ugly 10-3 defeat on Thursday when Boston starter Matt Dermody allowed two homers to Jose Ramirez, and Corey Kluber allowed the star third baseman to hit another one in the sixth.

The Red Sox also sat Alex Verdugo for not hustling on the bases in the seventh inning on Wednesday. Verdugo is expected to return to the lineup on Friday.

“We just felt like on that play his reaction wasn’t a great one, not hustling his behind to second,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “I don’t know if he was out or safe, but I didn’t like it. I felt like it wasn’t acceptable, and he knows it.”

Gerrit Cole (7-0, 2.82 ERA) gets the start on Friday for the Yankees after exiting his last outing early due to cramping. In a 6-3 win over the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, Cole allowed one run on four hits in six innings while throwing 80 pitches.

Cole is 7-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 15 career starts against the Red Sox.

Boston’s Garrett Whitlock (2-2, 5.61 ERA) will make his sixth start and third since returning from an injured right elbow. After allowing one run in five innings on May 27 at Arizona, Whitlock surrendered four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. The Red Sox rallied for an 8-5 victory in that game.

Whitlock, an 18th-round pick by the Yankees in 2017, is 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 12 career appearances — all in relief — against New York since Boston picked him up as a Rule 5 pick following the 2020 season.

–Field Level Media

Ozzie Albies hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 13-10 win over the visiting New York Mets on Thursday and a sweep of the three-game series.

Albies hit the second pitch he saw from Tommy Hunter (0-1) into the right field seats to extend Atlanta’s winning streak to five games and hand New York its sixth consecutive loss.

Atlanta had 19 hits and five homers. Austin Riley went 4-for-6, including a home run. Marcell Ozuna went deep and Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning that closed the deficit to one run. Orlando Arcia forced extra innings when he stroked a solo homer with one out in the ninth against reliever David Robertson, who was trying to complete a five-out save.

New York amassed 14 hits. Brandon Nimmo hit a grand slam and Francisco Alvarez added a pair of home runs.

Phillies 3, Tigers 2

Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, yet it took a game-ending single from Kody Clemens in the ninth to give Philadelphia a victory over visiting Detroit. The Phillies extended their winning streak to five games.

Wheeler (5-4) had eight strikeouts while giving up one hit and just three base runners in 7 1/3 innings. After the Phillies coughed up the late lead to trail 2-1 in the ninth, they tied it on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Marsh before Clemens’ RBI hit off Alex Lange (3-2).

Zack Short and Nick Maton drove in runs for the Tigers, who were no-hit into the fifth inning in all three games of the series.

Guardians 10, Red Sox 3

Jose Ramirez belted three homers in a game for the first time in his career to propel host Cleveland over Boston.

Ramirez drove in five runs and Will Brennan belted a solo homer in the eighth to pace the Guardians to their seventh win in 11 games. Andres Gimenez had a two-run double and came around to score on Myles Straw’s triple in the sixth to help Cleveland hand the Red Sox their fifth loss in six games.

Boston’s Triston Casas launched a solo homer, Enrique Hernandez ripped an RBI double and Jarren Duran had an RBI single among his two hits.

Blue Jays 3, Astros 2

Brandon Belt hit the go-ahead single in a three-run fifth inning as Toronto defeated visiting Houston.

Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (6-4) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. Toronto won the final three games of the four-game series and took the season series with the Astros 4-3. The three-game losing streak matches Houston’s longest of the season.

Alex Bregman hit a solo home run for Houston. Framber Valdez (6-5) allowed three runs on four hits in five innings.

Orioles 6, Brewers 3

A three-run eighth inning helped Baltimore rally past host Milwaukee and avoid a series sweep.

A homer by Ramon Urias got the Orioles on the board in the seventh, and Gunnar Henderson’s two-run bomb in the eighth gave them the lead for good. Ramon Urias added a two-out home run. Keegan Akin (2-1) gave up a hit in 1 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win.

Peter Strzelecki (3-5) took the loss for Milwaukee, which scored all of its runs in the first inning, which included RBI singles by Owen Miller and Jon Singleton.

Angels 3, Cubs 1

Jo Adell homered in his first game of the season and Reid Detmers pitched 5 2/3 strong innings to lead Los Angeles to a victory over Chicago in Anaheim, Calif., completing a three-game sweep.

Adell was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday. His homer had an exit velocity of 117.2 mph, the sixth-hardest-hit ball in the majors this season. Detmers (1-5) gave up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Cubs starter Drew Smyly (5-4) gave up three runs, two earned, in six innings. Chicago’s Trey Mancini hit an RBI double.

Giants 6, Rockies 4

Michael Conforto homered for one of his two hits, Thairo Estrada also went deep and San Francisco rallied to beat Colorado in Denver, its 11th straight win over the Rockies.

Scott Alexander (5-0) pitched the eighth to get the win, and Camilo Doval got the final three outs for his 16th save. The Giants improved to 16-3 in their last 19 games at Coors Field, where they have won eight straight.

Nolan Jones had three hits and two RBIs, and Jurickson Profar added two hits for Colorado.

Dodgers 6, Reds 0

Clayton Kershaw struck out nine batters over seven innings and David Peralta had four hits and drove in two runs as visiting Los Angeles breezed to a win over Cincinnati.

Kershaw (8-4) allowed just five hits and posted his second straight seven-inning outing while matching his season high in strikeouts. Chris Taylor had two hits, including a solo homer in a three-run fourth inning, to help the Dodgers end their four-game skid.

Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz, two rookies at the heart of the Reds’ comebacks earlier in the series, couldn’t do it for a third game. McLain went 2-for-4 with a double while De La Cruz had a single and a steal but struck out three times, twice against Kershaw.

White Sox 6, Yankees 5 (Game 1)

Eloy Jimenez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning and Chicago extended its season-high winning streak to five games by beating host New York in the first game of a doubleheader.

Jake Burger hit a two-run homer and Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada hit solo home runs for the White Sox. After Robert reached to open the seventh, Jimenez blasted the next pitch off Michael King (1-2) for his sixth homer. Gregory Santos (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

Willie Calhoun drove in three runs out of the leadoff spot by hitting an RBI single and a tying homer for the Yankees. Billy McKinney was added to the roster to replace the injured Aaron Judge (toe) and tripled in his first at-bat before scoring on a double by Kyle Higashioka.

Yankees 3, White Sox 0 (Game 2)

Randy Vasquez allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings for his first career win as host New York beat Chicago to gain a split of their doubleheader.

Called up to start in place of injured left-hander Nestor Cortes, Vasquez (1-1) allowed singles to Eloy Jimenez in the first and Gavin Sheets in the fifth. He struck out three and walked one in his second career start.

Mike Clevinger (3-4) allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the White Sox.

Rays 4, Twins 2

Harold Ramirez hit a two-run homer to highlight a three-run fourth inning as Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Luke Raley added an RBI triple and Josh Lowe had two hits for Tampa Bay, which extended its winning streak to six games. Yonny Chirinos (3-1), recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day, allowed one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Carlos Correa homered and had two hits, Michael A. Taylor hit a home run and Alex Kirilloff also had two hits for the Twins, who dropped their fifth straight game. The American League Central leaders fell below the .500 mark (31-32) for the first time this season.

–Field Level Media

A couple of teams looking for wins meet this weekend when the New York Mets visit the Pittsburgh Pirates.

New York has lost a season-high six games in a row after being swept at Atlanta, including a 13-10, 10-inning defeat on Thursday.

New York was up 9-2 Thursday, including Brandon Nimmo’s first career grand slam, but could not hold on. According to SNY, it’s the first time in club history that the Mets have dropped three games in a row after leading by at least three in each.

“There’s a lot of opportunities to fold the tent, and these guys aren’t going to do that,” New York manager Buck Showalter said.

Pittsburgh seemed to have recaptured the swagger and winning ways it had in April over the final couple days of May and the first few days of June.

Then came a series against the worst team in baseball, Oakland. The Pirates had to scramble Monday to win the series opener 5-4 for their sixth straight win.

The bottom fell out as the Athletics won the final two games, 11-2 and 9-5.

“We continue to play hard,” Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro said. “And (disappointing results are) part of baseball. We go out there every day and do our best. Oakland played some good baseball.”

It’s unclear whether the Mets will have slugger Pete Alonso. He left Wednesday’s game after getting hit by a pitch on his left wrist; he did not play Thursday.

While Showalter said initial X-rays showed no break, the team sent Alonso back to New York for an MRI and further tests.

In the series opener Friday, New York right-hander Tylor Megill (5-3, 4.40 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Pittsburgh left-hander Rich Hill (5-5, 4.41).

On Saturday, Megill gave up one run and five hits over 5 1/3 innings against Toronto and did not get a decision because of a lack of run support in a 2-1 loss.

“He had a lot of counts that got away from him a little and made him get his pitch count up,” Showalter said, but he added that Megill was “outstanding.”

That was at home, where Megill has been sharp. On the road, he is 2-2 with a 6.08 ERA in six starts. Against Pittsburgh, Megill is 0-0 with an 0.93 ERA in two career starts.

Hill is coming off his best game as a Pirate. He gave up one run in a season-high 6 2/3 innings Sunday and got the win in a 2-1 game against St. Louis.

“He went out and executed pitches,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “He kept them off balance the entire day.”

Against the Mets, Hill is 2-2 with a 6.69 ERA in nine career games, seven starts. He has not faced them since 2019, when he was with the Dodgers.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers take a red-hot offense into a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but their leaky bullpen has been an issue.

The Phillies will be up for the challenge, taking a five-game winning streak into the series after a wild 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

While half a dozen runs in the first four innings of a game usually lead to a successful outcome, the Dodgers did just that in all three games of their just-completed road series against the Cincinnati Reds, but they won just once.

In Tuesday’s series opener, the Dodgers had an 8-3 lead in the fourth inning before falling 9-8 when the bullpen gave up five runs. On Wednesday, Los Angeles had a 6-2 lead in the third inning before Cincinnati rallied for the victory.

In the series finale Thursday, the Dodgers made the formula work, scoring their six runs by the fourth inning and finishing with a 6-0 victory behind Clayton Kershaw’s seven dominating innings, including nine strikeouts. The outing helped the bullpen to reset itself.

David Peralta had his first four-hit game with the Dodgers and added two RBIs. He is 13-for-27 (.481) over his last nine games.

“I know we didn’t start (the series) the way we wanted, but the important thing is to turn the page,” Peralta said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “… It’s not just me, it’s been everyone with a good approach. It’s been a great job by the hitting coaches to give us the best report they can to be ready at the plate.”

The Dodgers will send rookie right-hander Michael Grove (0-2, 8.14 ERA) to the mound Friday. Grove returned to the rotation Saturday against the New York Yankees, after not pitching since April because of a groin strain. He gave up four runs over five innings while taking the loss.

Grove faced the Phillies in his major league debut May 15 of last season and surrendered four runs on four hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings of a no-decision.

The Phillies will send left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-2, 5.47) to the mound Friday. Phillies starters have set a high standard of late, with Aaron Nola taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning Monday against the Detroit Tigers and Zack Wheeler taking one into the eighth on Thursday.

The Tigers tied Thursday’s game 1-1 in the eighth and went up 2-1 in the ninth, before the Phillies scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to win it. Brandon Marsh tied it 2-2 on a sacrifice fly and Kody Clemens ended it with an RBI single.

Phillies pitching gave up just five runs in the three-game sweep and held the Tigers scoreless for an 18-inning stretch at one point.

“We’ve talked about it,” Wheeler said about the starters, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We need to get going. We’re sort of what carries this team. … I feel like that’s what we’ve done a lot this season, is let guys score on us early, so it kind of puts a damper on the game. So getting out there early, putting up zeroes, that always helps us.”

Now comes a visit from the Dodgers, just over a month after the Phillies were outscored 36-11 in a three-game sweep at Los Angeles.

Suarez is 3-2 with a 4.08 ERA in six appearances (three starts) against the Dodgers.

–Field Level Media

The streaking Arizona Diamondbacks got an unscheduled break on Thursday.

They’ll get back into action when they visit Detroit for a three-game weekend series, which begins Friday night.

Poor air quality forced the postponement of their game at Washington, D.C. Arizona took the first two games of what was supposed to be a three-game series. Overall, the Diamondbacks have won eight of their last 10 games.

In their latest contest, Arizona scored three first-inning runs and cruised to a 6-2 victory. The top three hitters in the lineup — Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Emmanuel Rivera — combined for 10 hits, all six runs and four RBIs.

Marte set the table in the first inning with a double.

“I think we made a statement early,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Our guys were ready to counterpunch anything and Ketel, with that double into right-center field [to lead off the game], really made a statement that we’re ready to go.”

The team’s table setter has scored 38 runs in 58 games. He also has supplied 24 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs.

“He is such an impact player,” Lovullo said. “When he’s drawing walks – which he’s been doing for the past month – and slugging the baseball, he can just redirect the game in one swing. You have to take notice as to where he’s at when you’re game-planning against him.”

Merrill Kelly (7-3, 2.80 ERA), who was scheduled to pitch Thursday, will now open the series against the Tigers. The veteran right-hander has won six of his last seven starts, with a no-decision in the other outing.

Kelly has been racking up strikeouts along the way, fanning 47 in his last six starts. He gave up two solo homers to Atlanta last Friday, but those were the only runs he surrendered in seven innings.

“Having Merrill on the mound with his stuff, his mindset, his mentality — that dog mentality — it’s easy to feed off,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “When your guy is out there, putting himself on the line and coming through in big moments, you have to get him runs.”

Kelly is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in one start against Detroit.

Detroit starter Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 3.21 ERA) has posted five quality starts in his last six outings. He held the Chicago White Sox to one run and two hits in seven innings on Saturday. He is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA in eight games (all in relief) vs. Arizona.

The injury-riddled Tigers have lost six straight, all on the road. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Thursday night. Tyler Nevin broke it up with a one-out single.

Detroit rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the ninth, only to blow it in the bottom of the frame in a 3-2 loss.

“We played well at the end,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “They played better at the end, and they got the last crack at it.”

The Tigers have scored just eight runs during the slide.

“It’s tough love when it comes to that. It’s not going to change,” Hinch said of the losing streak. “We’ve got to get ourselves together and create a little bit more momentum on our side. We’re a little beat up mentally and physically, but it’s the big leagues. We need to find a way.”

–Field Level Media

Jo Adell homered in his first game of the season and Reid Detmers pitched 5 2/3 strong innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif., completing a three-game sweep.

It was Adell’s first home run of the season and Detmers’ first victory of the season. The last homer for Adell and the last victory for Detmers both came last Sept. 30 against Texas.

Until Wednesday, Adell was at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit 18 home runs for the Bees. He replaced Hunter Renfroe (paternity leave) on the Angels’ roster.

After taking a strike on the first pitch he saw from Cubs starter Drew Smyly (5-4) in the second inning, Adell unloaded on the next pitch, hitting it 451 feet into the left-field seats. With an exit velocity of 117.2 mph, it was the sixth-hardest-hit ball in the majors this season.

Detmers (1-5) won his final start last year but was winless in 10 starts this season. He left the game with two on and two outs in the sixth inning, the Angels clinging to a 2-1 lead.

Reliever Chris Devenski entered and retired Miguel Amaya on a grounder to third to end the inning and keep Detmers in line for the victory. Devenski retired the side in order in the seventh, and Jose Soriano followed suit in the eighth, handing the ball to Carlos Estevez for the ninth. Estevez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save in 16 chances.

Detmers gave up one run on five hits and two walks, striking out eight.

The Cubs took the lead against Detmers in the second inning. With two outs, Amaya singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Trey Mancini.

The Angels responded in the bottom of the inning against Smyly, when Adell led off with his home run to tie the game at 1-1. Los Angeles added a second run in the inning when Luis Rengifo singled, went to third on a single by Chad Wallach and scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Ward.

The score remained 2-1 until the sixth inning when the Angels added an unearned run.

With two outs, Zach Neto singled and Ward walked. With Shohei Ohtani at the plate, the baserunners attempted a double steal, and catcher Yan Gomes opted to try to get Ward at second. However, his throw was in the dirt, and shortstop Dansby Swanson was unable to scoop it. The ball bounced away for an error on Gomes, allowing Neto to score from third, giving the Angels a 3-1 lead.

Smyly gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three.

–Field Level Media

After completing a series sweep of the top team in the American League Central, the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., in a matchup of the two teams with the best records in baseball.

Tampa Bay, in first place in the AL East, brings a major league-best 46-19 record into the contest and has won six in a row. The Rays completed their seventh series sweep of the season with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon to improve their home record to a major league-best 29-6.

Texas, which leads the majors with 386 runs scored and a plus-154 run differential, is the only other team in the majors to hit the 40-win mark (40-21). The Rangers had a five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 1-0.

“They’re good, no denying,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said of the Rangers. “You can see the runs they’re putting out. The pitching has been really good. They made some good offseason moves — obviously (manager) Bruce Bochy, that’s a pretty good one. … A very, very dangerous team, but it should be a fun series.”

“It’s another series,” Rays first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley said. “That’s how we take it. It doesn’t matter who’s here and where we go, we’re going to go out and play our game.

“They’re obviously playing great ball over there. They score a lot of runs. I think it’s going to be a really good series.”

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 3.72 ERA) will make his third start of the season after missing two months with a left oblique injury suffered early in spring training. Glasnow is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career starts against Texas but both of those occurred before he underwent Tommy John surgery in November of 2021.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney (4-3, 4.03) will start for Texas. Heaney is 0-3 with a 3.67 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay, including 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts at Tropicana Field, the last of which came in 2019 while he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Texas, which is 19-12 on the road, swept three games from the Seattle Mariners and then took two of three from St. Louis during a 5-1 homestand that ended with the 1-0 loss to the Cardinals. Jon Gray threw the second complete game of his nine-year career in the loss and struck out a season-high 12 batters but yielded an eighth-inning solo homer to Alec Burleson, one of just four hits for St. Louis.

Gray (6-2), who didn’t walk a batter, joined some elusive company with his performance. He became just the third pitcher in history to pitch nine innings and allow just one run and no walks with 12 or more strikeouts and still lose a game. The others were James Shields (Oct. 2, 2012) and a fellow named Cy Young (Sept. 10, 1904).

Second baseman Marcus Semien went 0-for-4 in the loss to have his 25-game hitting streak, tied for the longest in team history, come to an end. Still, Bochy was upbeat afterward.

“Hey, great homestand,” Bochy said. “Really good homestand. We can probably use a day off and head to Tampa. We’re playing a tough team. We played well but we just couldn’t get a big hit.”

–Field Level Media