Category: Major League Baseball (MLB)

The Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics expect to be greeted by something unusual for each team — a big crowd — when the clubs continue their four-game series on Tuesday night in Oakland amid what A’s fans are calling a “reverse boycott.”

With just 4,848 fans on hand Monday night, the A’s rode the strong pitching of James Kaprielian and Ken Waldichuk, a three-run double by Shea Langeliers and the momentum of a strong road trip to a sixth straight triumph, taking their homestand opener 4-3.

The win was just the 18th of the season for the A’s, who have struggled with one of baseball’s lowest payrolls as team management explores a possible move to Las Vegas.

The “reverse boycott” is designed to fill the Oakland Coliseum and demonstrate to team owner John Fisher that he — not the site nor the fan base — is the reason the club has slumped to the bottom of the standings and the attendance chart this season.

Event organizers hope the game attracts the Athletics’ biggest home crowd of the season, topping the 26,805 that showed up to see Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day.

The A’s are averaging 8,555 — the fewest in the majors by more than 3,000 a game.

Tampa Bay, which has the best record in baseball but also plays in an antiquated stadium, ranks just 27th in home attendance at 17,186.

Losingest team or not, A’s manager Mark Kotsay sees his guys forming an identity.

“Who knows if we can keep it going? But right now we’re going to ride the wave,” he said after Monday’s win. “The road trip was great. When we play good, clean, fundamental baseball and execute offensively, then good things can happen. We’re seeing the results in the last six games. We’re gaining confidence.”

Left-hander Hogan Harris (1-0, 6.46 ERA) will go for his second consecutive win when he gets the call for the A’s on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old rookie has pitched exactly five innings in each of his past three outings, allowing no more than three runs in any of those contests. He finally was rewarded with his first big-league win when he limited the Pittsburgh Pirates to three runs in five innings during a 9-5 victory on Wednesday.

He has never faced the Rays.

Harris can expect to see Wander Franco in the Tampa Bay starting lineup after the slugging shortstop was given a partial rest on Monday.

Franco played all seven Rays games last week, recording two hits twice, including Sunday against the Texas Rangers, which allowed him to push his batting average to .296. He came off the bench on Monday and went 0-for-2.

“A big part of our success is that he’s been on the field a lot this year,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in explaining the decision to leave Franco out of the starting lineup. “We’re going to do everything to keep it that way.”

Franco hit two homers and had a hit in all three games when the Rays swept the A’s 9-5, 11-0 and 11-0 in an early-April series at St. Petersburg, Fla. He now has eight homers for the season.

Tampa Bay, which has won eight of its past 10 games, is expected to use left-hander Jalen Beeks as its opener on Tuesday. Beeks (2-3, 6.12) is 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA in three appearances this month, all in relief. In his career against Oakland, he has no decisions and a 2.25 ERA in three relief outings. He did not face the A’s during the teams’ April series.

–Field Level Media

The Arizona Diamondbacks will arrive at the ballpark on Tuesday as owners of the best record in the National League.

Arizona will be seeking its seventh straight win and 13th in 15 games when it battles the Philadelphia Phillies in the second contest of a four-game set in Phoenix.

The Diamondbacks, who finished 58 games below .500 in 2021, are 16 games above the break-even mark after prevailing 9-8 in a wild and testy affair between the two teams on Monday.

Arizona’s Evan Longoria homered and had four RBIs and rising star Corbin Carroll reached base four times on a triple, a single and two hit by pitches.

The Diamondbacks rallied from four runs down to beat the Phillies one day after rallying for five runs in the final two innings to beat the Detroit Tigers 7-5.

“Another great game, another come-from-behind victory,” Carroll said. “It seems to be a trend right now. It makes it a little more interesting.”

Carroll is 15-for-29 (.517) with four homers, three doubles, two triples, 10 RBIs and 12 runs over the past seven games.

The 22-year-old is so hot that Arizona manager Torey Lovullo exploded from the dugout when Carroll was hit by a pitch for the second time in three innings by Phillies left-hander Matt Strahm.

Lovullo got into heated exchanges with plate umpire Vic Carapazza and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto before being ejected. Both benches cleared, but no punches were thrown.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for J.T. Realmuto,” Lovullo said. “He is a tremendous catcher. He is a tremendous player in this league. I know what it looked like. This was me protecting our player and him protecting his pitcher, and it was just a disagreement. I don’t want to talk about what was said.”

However, Phillies manager Rob Thomson has a major problem with Lovullo.

“Yes, I do. Because I wouldn’t do that,” Thomson said. “I wouldn’t yell at another team’s player.”

Realmuto was a thorn with his bat as he drove in three runs while becoming the first Philadelphia player since David Bell in 2004 to hit for the cycle. He also is the first catcher to do it since George Kottaras accomplished the feat for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.

Realmuto said, “It kind of sucks honesty, obviously doing it is a cool accomplishment, but it’s tough because we lost.”

The Phillies have won seven of nine games despite the Monday loss. They also dropped to 4-13 in Phoenix since the start of the 2017 season.

Philadelphia right-hander Zack Wheeler (4-4, 3.91 ERA) will start on Tuesday. He had a no-hit bid for 7 1/3 innings in his latest start before it was broken up by the Tigers’ Tyler Nevin on Thursday. He departed at that point and an unearned run crossed later in the inning to leave him with a no-decision. Wheeler struck out eight and walked one.

Wheeler, 33, lost to the visiting Diamondbacks on May 22 when he gave up four runs (three earned) and eight hits over six innings. He is 5-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 career starts against Arizona.

Wheeler has struggled with Christian Walker (6-for-14, one homer), Ketel Marte (4-for-10, one homer) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (3-for-7, one homer).

Right-hander Zach Davies (1-1, 4.68 ERA) is making his sixth start of the season for the Diamondbacks. He beat the Washington Nationals in his most recent outing when he gave up two runs, five hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings while striking out a season-high eight on Wednesday.

Davies, 30, is 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA in four career starts against the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber has belted four homers off Davies despite being just 6-for-32 (.188) against him. Josh Harrison is 8-for-18 (.444) vs. Davies.

–Field Level Media

It’s not quite summer in Seattle, but it felt like it on Monday.

The temperature was 76 degrees when the Mariners and the visiting Miami Marlins opened their three-game interleague series. And as is their custom, the Mariners’ bats started to heat up with the weather.

Ty France, Eugenio Suarez and Tom Murphy hit home runs as the Mariners defeated Miami 8-1. The teams are scheduled to continue their series on Tuesday.

“You can’t beat a Seattle summer,” said France, the Mariners first baseman. “It’s incredible here, and the balls do travel a little bit better.”

Count France among those who consider the marine layer that envelops Seattle in April and May to be a hindrance to hitters.

“You get a cold, wet night and the ball just doesn’t travel as well,” he said. “So, yeah, I think it’s a real thing.”

The Mariners could use all the help they can get after going 2-6 on their just-completed trip to drop 10 games back in the American League West. Their win on Monday cut the deficit to nine games.

France’s three-run blast off Jesus Luzardo in the second inning gave the Mariners a 6-0 lead.

“The road trip was tough, but what can you do about it now?” France said. “Just got to keep moving forward and got just under 100 games left, so gotta make the most of them.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais was appreciative of the early offensive output after his team often fell behind on the road.

“Getting the runs early certainly helps. I’d love to see it here on a consistent basis,” Servais said. “We’re capable of doing it. We’ve seen us do it before, but it takes a really disciplined approach every night.”

Mariners rookie Bryce Miller and two relievers combined on a one-hitter — Nick Fortes’ solo homer to left field with two outs in the fifth inning.

Miami’s Luis Arraez went 0-for-4, snapping his eight-game hitting streak. Arraez’s major-league-leading batting average dropped from .397 to .391 as he went hitless for just the second time in the past 17 games and the 11th time in 62 games this season.

It was only the Marlins’ fourth loss in their past 16 games.

On Tuesday, Miami’s Edward Cabrera (5-4, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to match up against fellow right-hander George Kirby (5-5, 3.50). Both pitchers will be facing the opponent for the first time.

Cabrera has won his past two starts, allowing one run on six hits over 11 innings, with three walks and 14 strikeouts.

“With a young staff, I think that some people made adjustments on us,” Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings said, “and I think our guys have done a really good job of adjusting to those adjustments and are throwing the ball really well. …

“Guys are bouncing back. We always thought this was going to be the strength of our team, and it’s nice to see those guys (produce). They work really hard, so it’s nice to see those guys getting the results.”

After pitching eight scoreless innings against the New York Yankees on May 31, Kirby gave up five runs on 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings on Wednesday vs. the San Diego Padres in his shortest start of the season.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers provided plenty of drama in their series opener on Monday in Arlington, Texas. Angels star Shohei Ohtani emerged as the star of the 12-inning showdown, belting two home runs, including a go-ahead shot in the 12th.

It will be hard for the teams to match Los Angeles’ 9-6 victory on Tuesday in the second game of a four-game series. There is no doubt, though, that the Angels are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won seven of their past eight games. The Rangers, meanwhile, have lost four of five.

Los Angeles will look to keep the momentum going behind right-hander Jaime Barria (2-2, 1.85 ERA). Barria, who opened the season as a reliever, will be making his fourth start. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his three previous starts.

In his most recent outing, against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, Barria allowed two runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five innings.

Barria has faced the Rangers once this season, coming out of the bullpen and allowing one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts over four innings in the Angels’ 5-4, 10-inning victory on May 5.

In his career vs. Texas, Barria is 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA in 17 games (10 starts).

As for the Angels’ offense, Ohtani continues to shine. He has five home runs in his last seven games. Monday marked his 14th career multi-home run game.

“The first game of a four-game series, big series, we had to win this game,” Ohtani told Bally Sports West through a translator. “We really wanted to win. The defense came through, the relievers came through at the end, and I’m just glad we got the victory.”

The Rangers had not yet determined a starter for Tuesday as of late Monday night. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that scheduled right-hander Jon Gray was scratched due to a blister. The Rangers view the setback as a precautionary move for Gray, who is in the midst of a career year. He is 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA over his past six starts.

“We want to stay on top of it,” Bochy said of having Gray skip a start. “We think it’s the right thing to do for Jon, plus, we don’t want to lose him for more than three or four days.”

One option to start for the Rangers on Tuesday is rookie left-hander Cody Bradford, who was with the team in Arlington on Monday.

Bradford has made two spot starts this season, going 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. His latest major league outing was at Baltimore on May 28, when he allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts over five innings.

In his major league debut vs. the Atlanta Braves on May 15, Bradford gave up six runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts over five innings.

In 10 starts at Triple-A Round Rock, Bradford went 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA. Bradford grew up in Aledo, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, and joined the Rangers as a sixth-round pick out of Baylor in the 2019 draft.

Josh Jung is performing well as of late for Texas. He had two hits and three runs on Monday and is batting .336 (39-for-116) with five homers, 15 RBIs and 24 runs over his past 29 games.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds keep finding ways to win, even if it comes with a little drama along the way.

The Reds aim for their fourth straight victory on Tuesday when they continue their three-game series against the host Kansas City Royals.

Cincinnati has gone 25-20 since opening the season with a 7-15 mark, while Kansas City has been outscored 46-18 during its seven-game losing streak.

The Reds recorded their National League-high 21st comeback victory on Monday, prevailing 5-4 in 10 innings. Cincinnati rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and led 4-3 before Kansas City’s Salvador Perez hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth.

Cincinnati used five relievers but stayed away from closer Alexis Diaz, who was unavailable after pitching the previous two days. After the Reds pushed a run across in the top of the 10th, Ricky Karcher recorded the final three outs for the save in his major league debut.

“That was a grind-out win, and that’s kind of what this team is about,” Cincinnati outfielder TJ Friedl said. “Grinding out games to the very last out. They came back in the bottom of the ninth, and then we come back in the top of the 10th. This is kind of our MO; it’s what we do. It’s awesome.”

Stuart Fairchild homered and Jonathan India had two hits and two RBIs for the Reds, who won for the sixth time in their past eight games.

“Even though it was a little bit more difficult than you would ever want, it felt like it was meant to finish that way,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “So many guys made plays. … It’s just a great team win.”

While Cincinnati is trending upward, Kansas City is looking for answers after going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position on Monday.

“I don’t think there’s one reason we didn’t drive guys in, but the end result is we didn’t,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The combination of it has been frustrating to not be able to open a game up.”

Tuesday’s pitching matchup features a pair of starters seeking their first victory of the season.

Cincinnati left-hander Brandon Williamson (0-0, 5.40 ERA) is set to make his sixth career start.

He gave up six runs in the first three innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Williamson, 25, settled down enough to go 5 2/3 innings before retiring 10 of the last 11 batters faced. Cincinnati went on to win the game 8-6 on a ninth-inning, walk-off homer from Will Benson.

Kansas City right-hander Jordan Lyles (0-10, 6.84 ERA) will be making his 14th start of the season. He yielded five runs over seven-plus innings in a 6-1 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

“He’s had several starts like that this year where he’s gone real deep in the games,” Quatraro said, “and that’s something he’s always done. He’s durable and bounces back well.”

Lyles, 32, is 0-5 with a 5.23 ERA at home, where he has allowed 11 of his 18 homers. He owns a 5-2 mark and a 4.24 ERA in 17 career games (10 starts) against Cincinnati.

One bright spot for the Royals has been the performance of reliever Taylor Clarke, who has recorded a career-high 16 scoreless innings over his past 15 appearances. Opponents are batting .200 (11-for-55) with four extra-base hits during that stretch.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox received strong outings from three of their young starting pitchers against the New York Yankees over the weekend, and they will look for that trend to continue when they send 27-year-old Kutter Crawford to the mound on Tuesday for the second game of a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

Colorado took the rain-delayed series opener 4-3 in 10 innings on Monday.

Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello limited the Yankees to six runs (five earned) in 19 1/3 innings to help the Red Sox win two of their three games against New York. Whitlock, the oldest of the three, turned 27 Sunday. All three pitchers went at least six innings against the Yankees and allowed no more than two runs.

“To come here with those three kids and pitch the way they did, hopefully we can build off of this,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following Boston’s 3-2 victory over New York on Sunday night. “That was really good by Whit, by Tanner and by Bello. That was impressive.

“Obviously we need to pitch to get back (into contention). The offense is going to be OK. It’s just a matter of time to get good at-bats and get people healthy.”

The growth of Boston’s young starters took on added importance after the Red Sox moved veteran left-hander Chris Sale to the 60-day injured list on Friday. Sale sustained a stress reaction in his left shoulder blade while pitching against the Cincinnati Reds on June 1.

Crawford (1-3, 3.68 ERA) took Sale’s spot in the rotation on Wednesday, when he threw three-plus innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Tuesday’s game will be the first time Crawford has pitched against Colorado during his career.

Right-hander Chase Anderson (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies. Colorado claimed Anderson off waivers after Tampa Bay designated him for assignment on May 10.

Anderson has made six career appearances (five starts) against Boston and is 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA. He will be facing a Red Sox team that has failed to put more than three runs in nine of its past 10 games. Boston has a 3-7 record in that span.

The Red Sox made two errors in the Monday night loss, each of which allowed the Rockies to score a run.

“Not a good game, we made two errors and the (10th-inning, bases-loaded) walk,” Cora said. “Frustrating. We don’t make plays and they score runs.”

Colorado will be seeking its third straight victory. The Rockies ended a six-game losing streak by beating the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Sunday, then scored the tying run in the eighth inning on Monday against the Red Sox before prevailing in the 10th.

Rockies reliever Daniel Bard earned the win in his first game back at Boston since he pitched for the Red Sox from 2009-13.

“There were a lot more good memories than negative, so that’s where my mind is at — just enjoying it,” Bard said, according to MLB.com.

Tuesday’s contest will be the second game of a 10-game road trip for the Rockies. Boston opened a six-game homestand on Monday.

–Field Level Media

Spencer Torkelson blasted a two-run home run in the ninth, then delivered a walk-off RBI single in the 10th as the host Detroit Tigers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

Andy Ibanez had three hits, including a homer, and scored the winning run. Zack Short had two hits and drove in two runs. Alex Lange (4-2) tossed an inning of scoreless relief to pick up the victory.

Ronald Acuna Jr. drove in three runs for the Braves. Michael Harris II had three hits, including a solo homer. Charlie Morton tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out eight.

Detroit staged a three-run rally in the ninth to force extras. Jake Rogers sacrificed Detroit’s automatic runner, Ibanez, to third in the 10th, but Rogers reached on Austin Riley’s fielding error. Jonathan Schoop lined out before Torkelson ripped a long single to center off Joe Jimenez (0-2).

Diamondbacks 9, Phillies 8

Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs as Arizona recorded a wild win over Philadelphia in Phoenix to post its sixth consecutive victory.

Ketel Marte had three hits and three runs as Arizona recovered from a four-run deficit to win for the 12th time in 14 games. J.T. Realmuto became the first Philadelphia player to hit for the cycle since David Bell in 2004, and he drove in three runs.

Bryson Stott singled home Realmuto to make it a one-run game in the ninth. Pinch hitter Kody Clemens then narrowly missed a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right field line before striking out on the next pitch as Arizona’s Miguel Castro got his seventh save. Arizona trailed 5-1 before scoring eight consecutive runs.

Athletics 4, Rays 3

Shea Langeliers highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a three-run double as Oakland stunned visiting Tampa Bay in the opener of a four-game series for its sixth straight win.

Ken Waldichuk struck out Randy Arozarena to kill a Tampa Bay threat in the seventh inning, helping the A’s hang on. The A’s did all their scoring in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Langeliers lashed a two-strike double to left-center field, plating all three runners for a 3-0 lead against Zach Eflin (8-2). Langeliers then scored on Ryan Noda’s two-out RBI single.

A’s starter James Kaprielian (2-6) lost his shutout bid in the sixth when Jose Siri followed a bunt single by Luke Raley and a two-out walk to Josh Lowe with a three-run homer, his 12th long ball of the season.

Mariners 8, Marlins 1

Ty France hit a three-run homer and rookie Bryce Miller and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as Seattle defeated visiting Miami in the opener of a three-game series.

Eugenio Suarez and Tom Murphy also homered for Seattle. Miller (4-3) allowed one run on one hit in six innings. The right-hander gave up only a solo homer to left field by Nick Fortes with two outs in the fifth inning. Miller walked three and struck out six.

Ty Adcock, called up earlier in the day from Double-A Arkansas, pitched two hitless innings in his major league debut, and Gabe Speier worked a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the victory. Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (5-5) made his shortest start of the season, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits over four innings.

Angels 9, Rangers 6 (12 innings)

Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, including a go-ahead shot in the 12th inning, as Los Angeles rallied for a victory in Arlington, Texas.

The Angels cushioned their 12th-inning lead with another two-run home run off Cole Ragans (2-3), this one coming from Chad Wallach. The Rangers, who led 5-1 early in the game, got one run in the bottom of the 12th but fell short.

Angels reliever Sam Bachman (1-0) earned his first major league victory with two scoreless innings. Leody Taveras had three hits for Texas, while Marcus Semien finished 0-for-7.

Rockies 4, Red Sox 3 (10 innings)

Colorado scored twice in the top of the 10th inning and hung on to beat host Boston in the opener of a three-game series.

The Rockies led 3-2 after Randal Grichuk drew a bases-loaded walk against Nick Pivetta (3-4), and Colorado added to its lead when Boston first baseman Triston Casas made a fielding error on a Nolan Jones grounder that allowed Ryan McMahon to score.

There was a rain delay of nearly 1 1/2 hours following the Casas error. The Red Sox pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th when automatic runner Connor Wong scored on a fielder’s choice, but Alex Verdugo grounded into a game-ending double play. Daniel Bard (2-0) earned the win for pitching a scoreless ninth, and Matt Carasiti worked the 10th to record his first save.

Giants 4, Cardinals 3

Mitch Haniger drove in two runs as visiting San Francisco beat St. Louis for its fifth win in seven games.

Brandon Crawford hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning for the Giants. San Francisco starter Logan Webb (5-6) allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. Camilo Doval got the final four outs for his 17th save.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer and Paul DeJong hit a solo shot for the Cardinals, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games. Reliever Chris Stratton (1-1) took the loss.

Reds 5, Royals 4 (10 innings)

TJ Friedl scored on an overturned call in the 10th inning and visiting Cincinnati extended Kansas City’s losing streak to seven games.

Friedl began the inning as the automatic runner at second base, then moved to third on Matt McLain’s groundout. Friedl originally was ruled out at the plate on Jonathan India’s fielder’s-choice grounder to third before the call was overturned. Cincinnati scored the decisive run in the 10th against Carlos Hernandez (0-4).

Kansas City’s Salvador Perez forced extra innings by hitting a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth off Buck Farmer (2-3), who still emerged with the win. Stuart Fairchild homered for the Reds, who won their third straight game.

–Field Level Media

Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks recorded a wild 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Phoenix on Monday night to post their sixth consecutive victory.

Ketel Marte had three hits and three runs and Jake McCarthy also had three hits as Arizona recovered from a four-run deficit to win for the 12th time in 14 games. Emmanuel Rivera and Pavin Smith drove in two runs apiece and Corbin Carroll reached base four times on two hits and two hit by pitches.

J.T. Realmuto became the first Philadelphia player to hit for the cycle since David Bell in 2004, and he drove in three runs. Alec Bohm knocked in two runs for Philadelphia, which lost for just the second time in nine games.

With the Phillies down 9-7, Realmuto doubled off the left-center-field wall to start the ninth, completing the majors’ first cycle by a catcher since George Kottaras had one for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.

Two outs later, Bryson Stott singled home Realmuto to make it a one-run game. Pinch hitter Kody Clemens then narrowly missed a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right field line before striking out on the next pitch as Arizona’s Miguel Castro got his seventh save.

Arizona trailed 5-1 before scoring eight consecutive runs.

Smith stroked a two-out, two-run single to end Philadelphia starter Matt Strahm’s night in the third inning. Strahm gave up three runs, four hits and one walk. He struck out one.

The Diamondbacks tied the score in the fourth with three straight two-out hits against Yunior Marte. Ketel Marte doubled, and Rivera singled in a run and scored on Carroll’s triple.

In the sixth inning, Rivera’s sacrifice fly off Dylan Covey (1-2) gave Arizona a 6-5 lead. Later in the inning, Longoria slugged a three-run blast to give the Diamondbacks a four-run lead. The homer traveled 434 feet and was Longoria’s ninth of the season.

The Phillies struck for two runs in the seventh. Bryce Harper delivered an RBI double, and two batters later, Bohm singled in Harper to bring Philadelphia within 9-7. In the eighth, Harper came up with two on and two out and struck out against Andrew Chafin.

Drey Jameson (3-1) was credited with the victory.

Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry gave up five runs and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

–Field Level Media

Shea Langeliers highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a three-run double as the Oakland Athletics stunned the visiting Tampa Bay Rays for a sixth straight win Monday night, 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series.

Ken Waldichuk struck out Randy Arozarena to kill a Tampa Bay threat in the seventh, helping the A’s hang on.

Coming off a trip that ended with two straight wins at Pittsburgh and three more at Milwaukee, the A’s did all their scoring in the fifth after they’d been shut out by Zach Eflin on two hits over four innings.

Walks to Brent Rooker and Jonah Bride opened the door for the A’s, who loaded the bases on Jace Peterson’s single.

After a forceout at the plate, Langeliers lashed a two-strike pitch to the fence in left-center field, plating all three baserunners for the first scoring of a game between teams with the best record (Rays) and worst record (A’s) in the major leagues.

Langeliers came home with the eventual difference-making run on Ryan Noda’s two-out RBI single.

A’s starter James Kaprielian (2-6) lost his shutout bid in the sixth when Jose Siri followed a bunt single by Luke Raley and a two-out walk to Josh Lowe with a three-run homer, his 12th long ball of the season.

Kaprielian turned the ball over to Waldichuk in the seventh, and the left-hander got himself in trouble via a one-out single by Vidal Brujan and a two-out hit by Harold Ramirez.

However, Waldichuk recorded the biggest out of the game by striking out Arozarena to preserve the 4-3 lead, then pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings for his first career save.

Kaprielian got the win after allowing three runs and five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out four.

Eflin (8-2) was charged with all four A’s runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.

Peterson had two hits for the A’s, who got just one extra-base hit in the game — Langeliers’ double.

Raley had a pair of singles for the Rays, who out-hit the A’s 7-6.

–Field Level Media

Ty France hit a three-run homer and rookie Bryce Miller and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Miami Marlins 8-1 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Eugenio Suarez and Tom Murphy also homered for Seattle, which returned home after a 2-6 trip that dropped it 10 games back in the American League West race. The Mariners gained a game on first-place Texas, which lost on Monday.

Miller (4-3) allowed one run on one hit in six innings to produce his sixth quality start in eight outings, but his first in the last three. The right-hander, who had given up 15 runs on 19 hits over seven innings in his previous two starts, gave up only a solo homer to left field by Nick Fortes with two outs in the fifth inning. Miller walked three and struck out six.

Ty Adcock, called up earlier in the day from Double-A Arkansas, pitched two hitless innings in his major league debut, and Gabe Speier worked a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the victory.

Miami lost for just the fourth time in its past 16 games.

Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (5-5) made his shortest start of the season, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits over four innings. He walked one and struck out three.

The Mariners took a 6-0 lead through two innings.

Leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford doubled into the right field corner in the bottom of the first. Two outs later, Teoscar Hernandez hit a run-scoring double into the left field corner. Suarez then hit a sinking liner that left fielder Bryan De La Cruz dropped, allowing the Mariners to take a 2-0 lead.

With one out in the second, Murphy hit a double down the left field line. After Jose Caballero was hit by a pitch, Crawford grounded into a fielder’s choice, leaving runners at the corners.

Julio Rodriguez muscled an inside pitch into right field for a run-scoring single, and France deposited a 1-2 pitch into the Mariners bullpen in left center to make it 6-0.

Suarez went deep to right center off Huascar Brazoban with one out in the fifth. Murphy hit a solo shot to straightaway center off Bryan Hoeing with one out in the eighth.

–Field Level Media