Category: Baseball

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered and had two hits each, Brandon Dixon, Trent Grisham and Gary Sanchez also went deep, and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6 on Friday night in Denver.

Jake Cronenworth had three hits, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts had two hits apiece for San Diego, which has won two games in a row for the first time since May 25-26.

Padres starter Yu Darvish (5-4) allowed four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 14th save.

Mike Moustakas homered among his two hits and Randal Grichuk and Ryan McMahon also had two hits each for Colorado. The Rockies have lost five straight.

The Padres jumped on Rockies starter Austin Gomber (4-5) in the first. Soto reached on a one-out single and Machado lined a ball into the Colorado bullpen, his sixth homer, to make it 2-0.

After Sanchez grounded out, Xander Bogaerts doubled and scored on Cronenworth’s single.

San Diego added on in the second. Grisham led off with his sixth home run of the season, Tatis walked, and two outs later Sanchez homered to left, his fifth of the season, to put the Padres ahead 6-0.

The Rockies got a run back in the third. Nolan Jones led off with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ezequiel Tovar’s single.

San Diego struck again in the fifth when Bogaerts, Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim began the inning with singles to bring home another run and chase Gomber.

Peter Lambert came on and got out of the frame with no more damage.

Gomber allowed seven runs on 11 hits in four-plus innings.

Tatis led off the sixth with his 12th homer of the season, but the Rockies answered in the bottom of the inning against Darvish. McMahon and Moustakas singled, and Grichuk doubled to drive in a run.

Tom Cosgrove replaced Darvish and gave up a two-out, two-run single to Elehuris Montero.

Dixon hit a two-out solo homer in the seventh, his second. Moustakas hit a two-run shot in the eighth, his third of the season.

–Field Level Media

Luis Robert Jr. delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning for the Chicago White Sox, who continued surging with a 2-1 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Friday.

The White Sox earned their sixth win in seven games. The Marlins saw their season-high, six-game winning streak end.

Elvis Andrus led off the bottom of the ninth by singling against Dylan Floro (3-4). Andrus advanced to second on a wild pitch while Floro was facing Tim Anderson, who struck out on a full-count pitch.

Andrew Benintendi was intentionally walked before Robert laced an 0-1 pitch past diving third baseman Jean Segura. Andrus trotted home without a throw for the White Sox, who have earned six walk-off wins this season, the top total in the majors.

Liam Hendriks (2-0), making his fifth appearance since returning from cancer treatment, recorded the win by tossing a perfect top of the ninth. Four White Sox pitchers combined to retire the final 11 Marlins batters in a row.

Yasmani Grandal homered in the second inning and finished with three hits for the White Sox. Andrus and Anderson had two hits apiece, and Anderson added a stolen base.

Joey Wendle hit the game-tying homer in the fifth for the Marlins, who were limited to four hits. Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 with a leadoff single in the first as his average dipped to .400.

White Sox starter Dylan Cease allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings.

Marlins starter Eury Perez, a 20-year-old right-hander making his sixth major league appearance, gave up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings. The homer by Grandal ended an 11-inning scoreless streak for Perez, who has surrendered one run over 15 innings in his past three starts.

–Field Level Media

Jordan Montgomery threw six scoreless innings to earn his first victory since April 8 as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Friday.

The Cardinals had lost the previous 10 games started by Montgomery (3-7). He stopped that streak by striking out six and allowing just three hits and one walk.

Giovanny Gallegos got the final four outs to earn his eighth save.

Nolan Arenado, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman hit two-run homers as the Cardinals won their second straight game.

Reds starting pitcher Ben Lively (3-4) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight.

Stuart Fairchild had two hits and two RBIs for the Reds, who lost their second straight game.

The Cardinals moved ahead 2-0 in the first inning when Brendan Donovan hit a leadoff single and Arenado hit his homer two outs later.

St. Louis doubled its lead to 4-0 in the second when Paul DeJong hit a single and Walker launched his two-run homer.

The Cardinals pushed their lead to 5-0 with two outs in the fourth inning. Walker hit a single, Dylan Carlson walked and Donovan hit an RBI single.

The Reds broke through in the seventh inning off Jordan Hicks. Spencer Steer led off with a single, Tyler Stephenson walked and Fairchild hit an RBI single.

Will Benson drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Kevin Newman greeted reliever Andre Pallante with a sacrifice fly to cut the gap to 5-2, but Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras ended the rally by nailing Benson trying to steal second base.

The Cardinals restored their five-run lead in the bottom of the inning on Donovan’s bunt single and Gorman’s two-run blast.

Cincinnati cut its deficit to 7-4 in the eighth inning. Chris Stratton walked Matt McClain, allowed Elly De La Cruz’s infield single and walked Steer to load the bases.

Stephenson hit a sacrifice fly and Fairchild hit an RBI double. Gallegos then relieved Stratton and retired TJ Hopkins on a groundout to end the rally.

–Field Level Media

Ramon Laureano rapped a two-run triple for one of his two hits to lead the Oakland Athletics to a series-opening, 5-2 win against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

The major-league-worst A’s earned a third consecutive for the first time this season.

The Athletics jumped on Brewers starter Adrian Houser right away, scoring three runs in the first inning. Laureano’s triple drove in the first two, with the Brewers losing a challenge on the safe call at the plate on the second run. After Houser got a strikeout for the second out, Jonah Bride singled home the third run.

Oakland went up 4-0 in the second inning on an RBI single from Esteury Ruiz, who played briefly for the Brewers last season.

In the bottom of the inning, Milwaukee cut the lead in half. Blake Perkins and Luis Urias hit RBI doubles, with Urias missing a home run by centimeters as the ball caromed off the top of the wall. He was 0-for-14 on the season prior to that hit, having missed two months due to a hamstring injury before returning to action on Monday.

Oakland chased Houser (2-2) in the fifth after he gave up a walk and a single to the first two batters. Trevor Megill walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but the Athletics managed just one run on Bride’s sacrifice fly to make it 5-2.

The Athletics used Sam Moll as an opener, and he gave up a leadoff single to Owen Miller but then struck out the next three batters.

Luis Medina (1-5) then pitched five innings, surrendering two runs on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Lucas Erceg and Trevor May finished the final three innings unscathed. May struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.

This is the first time these teams have faced off since the 2019 season and the Athletics’ first visit to Milwaukee since 2016.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias will not come off the injured list for his scheduled start on Sunday after feeling discomfort in his strained left hamstring, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Urias suffered the setback during a bullpen session Thursday and will miss at least another week or two, Roberts said. Urias had been slated to start Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies after being out since May 18.

“He’s going to keep throwing,” Roberts said. “But I think when he tries to ramp up the intensity is when he sort of feels the tightness in the hamstring.”

The 26-year-old is 5-4 this season with a 4.39 ERA in 55 1/3 innings over 10 starts. His recovery likely will include a rehab stint in the minor leagues.

“He wasn’t overly confident in where that hamstring was at, to take on a start,” Roberts said. “So we all decided to put a pin in it, go back to tempering back a little bit and not put a date on when he’s going to return.”

Urias, expected to be the Dodgers’ ace this season, led the National League in ERA (2.16) last season while been honored as All-MLB second team and finishing third in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

The Dodgers have faced a slew of injuries to the pitching staff and expect to use the bullpen to get through Sunday without Urias. Roberts said that with the team having four days off in June, the starting rotation could get by with four until Urias returns.

“Given the off days, I think we potentially could manage it,” Roberts said. “I think where we stand, we’ll be OK.”

–Field Level Media

Orlando Arcia provided the dramatics for the second straight night, this time driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to complete a two-run rally and give the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Friday.

The victory extended Atlanta’s winning streak to six games with the Braves coming from behind to win the last four. Washington has lost five in a row.

Arcia, who hit the game-tying solo homer on Thursday in the ninth inning of a 13-10, 10-inning win over the New York Mets, singled off the glove of shortstop CJ Abrams to score Eddie Rosario with the go-ahead run.

The rally started when Sean Murphy led off by singling off the right calf of reliever Kyle Finnegan (3-3). Rosario singled to right and took second on a fielding error by Lane Thomas, which allowed pinch runner Sam Hilliard to advance to third. Hilliard scored the tying run on Marcell Ozuna’s infield grounder.

The winning pitcher was Kirby Yates (2-0), who struck out two in a scoreless eighth. Raisel Iglesias struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth for his ninth save.

Atlanta rookie AJ Smith-Shawver made a successful debut as a starting pitcher. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, on three hits, two walks and two strikeouts. The 20-year-old right-hander became the youngest pitcher to start a game for the Braves since Julio Teheran in 2011.

Washington starter Josiah Gray pitched five innings and allowed one run on two hits, four walks and six strikeouts. Gray lowered his road ERA to 2.36.

The Nationals scored a run in the first inning when Thomas singled, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Murphy’s throwing error. He scored when Luis Garcia lined a single to right field.

The Braves tied it 1-1 in the second. Ozzie Albies walked, went all the way to third on a pair of Gray’s wild pitches and scored on Arcia’s grounder to shortstop.

Washington scored in the sixth when Thomas reached on shortstop Arcia’s fielding error. He advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and scored when Joey Meneses doubled off reliever Collin McHugh.

–Field Level Media

Will Brennan hit a walk-off double in the 14th inning after Tyler Freeman doubled in the tying run and the Cleveland Guardians outlasted the visiting Houston Astros 10-9 on Friday.

Houston moved ahead on Kyle Tucker’s RBI single off Xzavion Curry (3-0) in the top of the 14th inning before Cleveland took its only lead of the game in the bottom half. The Guardians trailed five different times in a game they ended up winning.

Freeman hit a leadoff double off Seth Martinez (1-2) to score automatic runner Josh Naylor, and Brennan’s one-out double to deep left field gave the Guardians their third straight win and fifth in their last six games.

Jose Abreu hit a three-run homer and Jeremy Pena had four hits for the Astros, who lost their fourth straight and went 6-for-28 with runners in scoring position, leaving 14 men on base.

Cleveland trailed 5-1 before battling back and tying the game on Jose Ramirez’s leadoff homer in the seventh inning. Ramirez finished with three hits and three walks, one day after recording the first 3-home run game of his career in a 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Yainer Diaz delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning before Cleveland forced extra innings on Naylor’s two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. The teams went scoreless for the next two frames and exchanged runs in the 12th and 13th innings.

Houston jumped to an early lead in the first inning on Abreu’s three-run homer off Logan Allen. Abreu’s 377-foot shot to right field was his second of the season.

The Astros, who placed outfielder Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with right oblique discomfort prior to the game, tacked on a run in the second inning when Pena scored from third on Mauricio Dubon’s groundout.

Cleveland had two runners on with one out in the third, but Cristian Javier struck out Josh Bell to escape the jam after Amed Rosario scored on Naylor’s groundout.

Houston extended its lead to 5-1 in the fifth against Allen on consecutive doubles by Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Allen was later lifted after giving up five runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four.

The Guardians rallied with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against Javier, who had won his previous five starts. After Myles Straw began the rally with a leadoff double, Steven Kwan and Rosario followed with run-scoring doubles. Rosario later scored on Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly.

Javier allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts over five innings.

–Field Level Media

Michael A. Taylor hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to go with his two-run homer in the fifth and the visiting Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Friday night.

Royce Lewis added a career-best four hits for the Twins, who ended their five-game losing streak. The Blue Jays had their three-game win streak stopped, although they have still won seven of their last nine.

Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray allowed one run, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings.

Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi also lasted five innings, allowing two runs and four hits with one walk while striking out four.

Kikuchi overcame a leadoff double and a two-out walk in the first inning before retiring Kyle Farmer on a groundout.

Gray pitched around Matt Chapman’s one-out double in the bottom of the fourth, getting the final two outs to keep the game scoreless.

After allowing a one-out single in the second to Lewis, Kikuchi retired eight batters in a row until Lewis led off the fifth with an infield single to second. With one out, Taylor hit a drive to left-center for his ninth home run of the season and Minnesota led 2-0.

Toronto scored once in the home fifth. Santiago Espinal led off with a walk, Tyler Heineman blooped a one-out single and Bo Bichette hit an RBI single.

The Blue Jays tied the game in the sixth as Espinal singled with two outs against Jovani Moran and scored on a double by pinch-hitter George Springer against Brock Stewart.

Jhoan Duran (2-2) hit Espinal with a pitch to start the home ninth. Espinal took third on Springer’s double. But Duran worked out of the jam, allowing only an intentional walk and ending the frame by inducing Brandon Belt to line out to second.

Lewis opened the 10th with an infield hit against Adam Cimber (0-1), moving automatic runner Ryan Jeffers to third. Taylor then hit a sacrifice fly with one out before Tim Mayza replaced Cimber to get the final out.

Duran allowed only a walk in the bottom of the 10th.

Toronto center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (wrist) was used only as a pinch-runner. Earlier in the day, the Jays reinstated right-hander Mitch White from the 60-day injured list (right elbow inflammation) and designated right-hander Anthony Bass for assignment.

Minnesota second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) did not start, and the Twins put left-hander Caleb Thielbar (oblique) on injured reserve — recalling right-hander Josh Winder from Triple-A St. Paul.

–Field Level Media

Austin Hays homered and doubled and starting pitcher Tyler Wells worked into the seventh inning as the Baltimore Orioles edged the visiting Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Gunnar Henderson rapped three singles and scored a run for the Orioles, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since May 24-25.

Wells (5-2) mostly cruised until retiring the first two batters in the seventh and later leaving with the bases loaded. Felix Bautista, who was Baltimore’s third reliever used, pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his 17th save.

The Royals have lost four games in a row and seven of their last eight.

Hays hit the first pitch from Royals starter Daniel Lynch for his seventh homer of the season.

Lynch (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four.

The Orioles made it 2-0 in the second. Henderson, who was the hero with a go-ahead home run in Thursday’s comeback win at Milwaukee, singled and stole second before scoring on Jorge Mateo’s single.

Kansas City responded in the third with Nicky Lopez smacking a one-out triple and coming home on Nick Pratto’s sacrifice fly.

Hays and Anthony Santander doubled in the fifth to produce the third Baltimore run.

Kansas City began a seventh-inning rally with two-out singles by Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey. Then Wells issued his lone walk to Drew Waters and was pulled.

The Royals got a run on reliever Mike Baumann’s wild pitch before he struck out Lopez to halt the threat.

Wells finished with four strikeouts, giving up two runs and five hits in his 6 2/3 innings.

Kansas City finished with seven hits, but no Royal had more than one.

–Field Level Media

Rafael Devers hit another home run off Gerrit Cole, Kenley Jansen worked out of a jam in the ninth inning and the visiting Boston Red Sox hung on for a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees Friday night in the first meeting of the season between the longtime rivals.

Triston Casas had two hits and an RBI and Enrique Hernandez homered as the Red Sox ended a six-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium and won for the sixth time in their past 18 games overall.

Josh Donaldson homered for the Yankees, who lost for the third time in four games and dropped to 1-19 when scoring two runs or fewer this season.

Devers hit his seventh homer in 33 career at-bats against Cole (7-1). The third baseman also ended a 16-game homerless drought by going deep for the first time since hitting two May 19 at San Diego.

Jansen, who entered with a 7.88 ERA over his past nine outings, got two quick outs before encountering trouble. Billy McKinney and Gleyber Torres singled to give the Yankees runners on first and second for rookie Anthony Volpe.

Volpe hit a foul ball down the left field line that missed a game-ending three-run homer by a few feet. Jansen then got the rookie on a pop-up to secure his 14th save in 17 chances.

Garrett Whitlock (3-2), a former 18th-round pick by New York in 2017, allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. In his first start against his former organization after 12 relief appearances versus them, Whitlock struck out six and walked one.

Cole allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings for his first loss since his final regular-season start of last season. Cole struck out six and walked one.

Devers hit a one-out double in the fourth and scored two batters later on Casas’ single. In his next at-bat, Devers reached for a first-pitch changeup and lifted it into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center field fence for his 14th homer and a 2-0 Boston lead in the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Donaldson hit the second pitch of the inning into the netting above Monument Park in center field to make it 2-1, but Hernandez homered to left off Albert Abreu in the seventh.

The Yankees made it 3-2 when Isiah Kiner-Falefa scored on a wild pitch, which chased Whitlock. Nick Pivetta finished the seventh and Chris Martin worked a 1-2-3 eighth before Jansen escaped.

–Field Level Media