Cleveland beats slumping Baltimore for their seventh straight win
Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan, right, is safe after stealing second base in front of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, left, during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
BALTIMORE (AP) — José Ramírez hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, and the Cleveland Guardians slugged their way to a seventh consecutive victory, beating the slumping Baltimore Orioles 10-8 on Tuesday night.
Gunnar Henderson, James McCann, Colton Cowser and Anthony Santander hit home runs for Baltimore, but that wasn’t enough to prevent a fifth straight loss for the defending AL East champions. Pitching injuries have caught up to the Orioles, who haven’t had a skid this long since dropping six in a row from May 13-18, 2022, days before catcher Adley Rutschman made his big league debut.
Ramírez has gone deep in each of the first two games of this series, and with 237 homers he’s now in sole possession of third place on the franchise’s career list. His drive to center capped a five-run fourth that put the Guardians up 8-4 on a night when neither starting pitcher lasted past the fourth.
Pedro Avila (2-1) worked two hitless innings of relief for the win. The AL Central-leading Guardians used five pitchers in relief of Logan Allen, who was removed with nobody out in the fourth.
Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances.
TIGERS 4, PHILLIES 1
DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out seven batters in seven scoreless innings as Detroit beat Philadelphia.
Skubal (9-3) allowed three hits and a walk while hitting one batter.
Andy Ibáñez had two hits, including a two-run single in Detroit’s four-run fifth inning, as the Tigers ended a seven-game losing streak to the Phillies.
Bryce Harper homered off Tigers closer Jason Foley in the ninth.
The game was expected to be a pitcher’s duel between probable All-Stars — Skubal and Ranger Suárez.
Suárez (10-2) held Detroit scoreless for four innings but gave up four runs in the fifth.
RAYS 11, MARINERS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ben Rortvedt hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBIs, and Tampa Bay beat Seattle for their seventh win in nine games.
The Rays, at 40-40, returned to the .500 mark for the first time since June 7.
Seattle got homers from Ty France and Mitch Garver. The AL West-leading Mariners dropped to 2-6 on a nine-game trip.
In a span of six pitches from reliever Mike Baumann, the Rays scored four times in the sixth inning to take a, 6-2 lead. After Luis Castillo walked his last two batters, Taylor Walls tripled in a pair of runs on Baumann’s first pitch, and Rortvedt followed with a two-run drive.
Castillo (6-9) allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1/3 inning.
Garrett Cleavinger (5-1) struck out two in a perfect sixth and earned the win.
PIRATES 9, REDS 5
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bryan Reynolds extended the longest active hitting streak in the major leagues to 22 games with a two-run home run in the first inning and Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati.
Reynolds’ streak is the longest by a Pirate since 2003 when Kenny Lofton hit safely in 26 straight games. Jason Kendall and Aramis Ramirez had 23- and 22-game streaks respectively.
It was a rough start for the Reds’ Hunter Greene who was evaluated by training staff after throwing up on the mound in the first inning after issuing a six-pitch walk to leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen.
Reynolds followed with his home run on a 3-2 pitch to put the Pirates ahead 2-0.
Greene (5-3) worked through a three-run, 32-pitch first inning and managed to last four innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Pirates hit five straight singles to begin a three-run third inning, increasing their lead to 6-0.
BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 4
BOSTON (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero hit pair of two-run doubles, George Springer added a two-run homer and Toronto snapped a seven-game skid with a win over Boston.
The Blue Jays tagged Boston starter Brayan Bello for seven runs in the third inning, including Guerrero’s drive to the triangle in center that scored two runs before Springer homered into Boston’s bullpen.
Toronto had its highest scoring game since a 14-11 loss at Detroit on May 26. The Blue Jays hadn’t won since beating Cleveland 7-6 on June 15, the day before the Red Sox began a three-game sweep at Toronto that started the Jays’ longest losing streak since September 2019.
Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill homered for the Red Sox, who had won three straight and eight of nine. Jarren Duran, who had hit in 14 straight games before Tuesday, did not reach base. Duran was 0 for 4 and had one more chance in the ninth, but struck out swinging to end the game.
BREWERS 3, RANGERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Ortiz hit a tiebreaking homer in the fifth inning to put Milwaukee ahead for good and Bryse Wilson threw six shutout innings in the Brewers’ 3-1 victory over Texas.
Wilson (5-3) entered the game to start the third after Hoby Milner — normally a reliever — worked the first two innings. Milner became the 13th different pitcher to start a game for the Brewers this season, matching the Miami Marlins for the most of any team.
The six-inning stint matched Wilson’s longest of the season. He struck out four and allowed three hits and no walks.
Ortiz led off the fifth by sending a 2-2 pitch from Andrew Heaney over the left-field wall for the rookie’s seventh homer and a 2-1 lead.
Texas scored in the first inning against Milner, who was making his first career start. The left-hander allowed back-to-back hits against left-handed batters, as Corey Seager doubled and came home on Josh Smith’s single.
METS 9, YANKEES 7
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos hit a pair of solo homers and the New York Mets held off a furious rally by the AL East-leading New York Yankees for a win in the first Subway Series game of the season and their 11th victory in 14 games.
Vientos led off the second and fourth innings with home runs off Gerrit Cole (0-1) for the first multi-homer game of his career and became the 12th Mets player with at least two long balls in a Subway Series game.
Vientos had a chance to match Francisco Lindor’s three-homer game against the Yankees on Sept. 12, 2021, but hit into a fielder’s choice in the fifth and struck out in the seventh.
Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo also homered off Cole on fastballs clocked at 91 and 93 mph, respectively.
Cole lasted four innings in his second start of the season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was sidelined by right elbow inflammation in spring training. He gave up at least four homers and recorded no strikeouts for just the second time in 302 career starts.
The four homers by the Mets were one shy of their single-game record against the Yankees, set at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 13, 2018.
MARLINS 2, ROYALS 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nick Gordon’s infield hit highlighted Miami's late two-out rally for a win over Kansas City.
After collecting just two singles in six scoreless innings against Seth Lugo, the Marlins recorded four hits in the seventh, scoring both runs with two out against relievers Carlos Hernández (0-1) and Will Smith.
Otto López doubled and scored the tying run on Gordon’s two-out hit. Gordon later scored on Jazz Chisholm’s infield hit and Smith’s throwing error.
López had two hits and has four of the Marlins’ 11 hits in the series.
Starter Yonny Chirinos and four Marlins relievers retired 15 consecutive Royals hitters before Salvador Perez’s single with one out in the ninth.
In his second start of the season, Chirinos permitted a run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in five innings.
ASTROS 5, ROCKIES 2
HOUSTON (AP) — Hunter Brown struck out seven in six scoreless innings and Chas McCormick drove in two runs as Houston used a big first inning to beat Colorado.
Brown (5-5) allowed two hits to win his fourth straight start and help the Astros tie a season-high with their sixth consecutive win.
Jake Meyers tied a season high with three hits and Jose Altuve had two hits and an RBI as the Astros moved within a game of .500 at 39-40.
Michael Toglia hit a solo home run for Colorado with one out in the ninth and pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings walked with two outs. But Josh Hader struck out Brenton Doyle to end it.
It was the fourth loss in five games for the Rockies and their 10th consecutive loss at Minute Maid Park dating to Aug. 15, 2018.
DODGERS 4, WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and a tiebreaking RBI single, helping the Los Angeles top Chicago.
Led by Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers won for the seventh time in nine games. The NL West leaders are 50-31 at the midpoint of their schedule.
Ohtani drove a hanging curveball from Chris Flexen into the visitor’s bullpen in right-center for his NL-best 24th homer. White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham tried to make a leaping grab on the play, but was unable to bring it in.
Ohtani also walked and scored on Freeman’s two-run homer in the third inning. He batted again in the fourth and gave Los Angeles a 4-3 lead with a two-out RBI single.
Ohtani has driven in at least one run in his last nine games, matching a franchise record. The two-time AL MVP is batting .306 (26 for 85) with 10 homers and 22 RBIs in 22 games this month.
Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which lost for the sixth time in seven games. Pham walked three times from the leadoff spot, and Gavin Sheets had two hits.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, TWINS 4
PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer in the first inning and drove in the go-ahead run with an infield hit in the seventh as Arizona beat Minnesota.
Marte, leading the All-Star voting as the National League’s second baseman, hit his 16th homer off Joe Ryan, then beat out a slow roller to second with two out to break a 4-4 tie.
The Diamondbacks led 4-0 after two innings, but the Twins came back against Brandon Pfaadt. Byron Buxton, who just missed catching Eugenio Suárez’s second-inning RBI triple at the wall in right center, led off the Twins’ fifth with a home run to left-center.
Ryan Jeffers tied the game and ended Pfaadt’s night with a three-run homer after a walk and an infield hit with one out in the seventh.
In the bottom half, Jorge Alcala (1-3) retired the first two hitters, but he walked No. 9 batter Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll’s single to center advanced Perdomo to third. Marte then hit one just past the mound and beat Willi Castro’s throw to first as Perdomo crossed the plate.
Kevin Ginkel (6-1) retired two batters in the seventh for Arizona. Paul Sewald gave up a two-out double to Buxton in the ninth, but retired Jeffers to get his 10th save.
GIANTS 5, CUBS 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Matt Chapman’s two-run single highlighted a three-run eighth inning and six San Francisco pitchers combined for a four-hitter as the Giants beat Chicago.
Michael Conforto added an RBI single, and David Villar and Jorge Soler had sacrifice flies to help the Giants win their second straight following a five-game skid.
Conforto’s run-scoring single gave San Francisco a lead in the second inning. Villar’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0.
Michael Busch had an RBI single in the third for the Cubs, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
San Francisco rookie reliever Randy Rodríguez made his first career start, allowing one run and one hit with five strikeouts and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Sean Hjelle followed with two scoreless innings.
Taylor Rogers, Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval protected the lead over the final 4 1/3 innings. Tyler Rogers (1-2) was credited with the win after pitching a scoreless eighth.
PADRES 9, NATIONALS 7
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jurickson Profar hit a grand slam five innings after being in the middle of a benches-clearing dustup, and Manny Machado also hit a dramatic home run as San Diego beat Washington.
Profar’s fourth career grand slam and second this season came with one out in the sixth off Derek Law and the Petco Park crowd went wild. Profar craned to watch the ball sail just inside the foul pole and into the home run porch in right field. He tossed his bat aside, patted his chest and gestured to the Padres’ dugout as he began his trot.
Profar, having a career year at 31 and on a $1 million contract, is leading the balloting for NL outfielders for the All-Star Game. It was his 11th homer this season.
With one out in the first, Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz jawed at Profar and put a hand on his shoulder just before his at-bat.
Machado, who was on deck, then put a hand Ruiz’s shoulder as he got in between them, and players and coaches from both teams swarmed onto the field.
It didn’t appear that any punches were thrown. Plate umpire Brian Walsh warned both teams, and then Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore hit Profar with a pitch but wasn’t ejected.
ANGELS 7, ATHLETICS 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mickey Moniak hit his first career grand slam, and Taylor Ward also homered in the Los Angeles victory over Oakland.
Jo Adell had an RBI double and Logan O’Hoppe added an RBI single for the Halos, who have won three of four after taking two straight from Oakland.
Moniak cleared the bases with his fourth homer of the season to cap a five-run rally in the third. The former No. 1 overall pick has struggled despite getting regular playing time during his first full season with the Angels, but Moniak has improved sharply in recent weeks with improved plate discipline.
Brent Rooker hit his 14th homer and JJ Bleday had an RBI single for the last-place A’s, who have lost four straight and 17 of 22. Oakland lost its 10th straight road game and dropped to a season-worst 24 games below .500.
Armando Alvarez got his first major league hit and his first RBI for the A’s, ending the 29-year-old’s epic quest for those achievements.
The Associated Press