Orioles rout Yankees 17-5 to win three-game series
Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander gestures as he reaches home plate after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer to spark a six-run second inning, Gunnar Henderson reached base four times and the Baltimore Orioles knocked out rookie pitcher Luis Gil early in a 17-5 rout of the New York Yankees on Thursday.
On a 90-degree day, the Orioles improved to 5-2 against the Yankees and set a major league record by winning their 22nd straight series against an AL East opponent. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles surpassed the mark set by the Atlanta Braves (1998-2000), Milwaukee Brewers (1991-92) and Cincinnati Reds (1975, 1969-1970).
Henderson doubled twice among his three hits to extend the majors’ longest active on-base streak to 27 games and his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. He also added an RBI groundout in the sixth.
Ryan Mountcastle had a bases-clearing double and an RBI single in the ninth off New York catcher Jose Trevino. Anthony Santander hit a three-run homer for his MLB-best 10th homer this month as the Orioles moved to within a half-game of first-place New York.
Ryan O’Hearn added an RBI double and drove in four runs, while Austin Hays hit a two-run homer in the seventh as the Orioles collected 19 hits and scored their most runs since an 18-5 win at Cleveland on June 6, 2021.
Gleyber Torres hit a solo homer before exiting with a groin injury and Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 27th homer by lining a two-run shot in the third off Baltimore starter Cole Irvin. Judge also had an RBI single in his return from a one-game absence after getting hit on the left hand in New York’s 4-2 win on Tuesday.
GUARDIANS 6, MARINERS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) — Andrés Giménez hit a two-run homer and Will Brennan had a pair of solo shots, lifting American League Central-leading Cleveland to a victory over Seattle.
Gimenez’s blast to right-center off Luis Castillo (6-8) provided the go-ahead run in the fifth inning, when Cleveland scored three times to take a 5-3 lead. Josh Naylor added an RBI double as the Guardians took two of three in the series.
Brennan went deep against Castillo in the second and Trent Thornton in the eighth for his first multi-homer game. He has eight on the season.
Logan Allen (8-3) pitched six innings, giving up three runs, in winning his second straight start. Emmanuel Clase earned his 22nd save for Cleveland, which has the second-best home record in the majors at 23-9.
Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer in the first and Ryan Bliss had an RBI double in the fourth for AL West leader Seattle. The Mariners lost for just the sixth time in 19 games since May 31.
Castillo allowed a season-high tying five runs in five innings, falling to 1-5 in his career against Cleveland.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryne Nelson pitched seven efficient innings, Christian Walker hit his team-high 17th home run in the eighth inning, and Arizona beat Washington.
Randal Grichuk drove in two runs for the Diamondbacks, who took two of three at Washington and have won seven of 10 overall.
Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker homered for Washington, which was denied its second chance in three days to get back to .500 for the first time since it was 20-20 after the first game of a doubleheader May 14. The Nationals are 36-38.
Nelson (5-5) needed only 70 pitches to breeze through seven innings of three-hit ball, and he allowed two runs without walking a batter. The right-hander struck out two and retired 13 of his last 14 batters to win consecutive starts for the first time this season.
Nelson is 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA in his last six outings. He’s dropped his ERA from 7.06 to 5.18 in that span.
Ryan Thompson worked the eighth, and Paul Sewald handled the ninth for his eighth save. Sewald has pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings in 13 outings since May 9.
RAYS 7, TWINS 6, 10 INNINGS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jonny DeLuca’s line-drive single to center field in the 10th inning and a mammoth throw from center fielder Jose Siri allowed Tampa Bay to overcome a blown four-run lead in a victory at Minnesota.
Ninth-inning home runs by Jose Miranda and Carlos Santana had erased a 6-2 deficit before DeLuca connected on reliever Griffin Jax’s sinker to score the automatic runner and give the Rays the lead for good. Tampa Bay (36-39) improved to a Major League-best 26-11 in games decided by two runs or fewer.
In the bottom of the extra inning, Siri caught pinch hitter Carlos Correa’s fly-out to center field and then gunned down Royce Lewis at third for a double play. Closer Pete Fairbanks coaxed another center-field fly out from Santana to end the game.
The Rays and Twins had spent most of a rainy afternoon deadlocked before Richie Palacios pinch-ran for Isaac Paredes, who had reached on a single. Palacios then stole second before coming home on pinch hitter Amed Rosario’s left-field double to break a 2-2 tie.
Siri and Yandy Díaz added insurance home runs in the ninth inning off Jay Jackson to give Tampa Bay a seemingly commanding advantage.
ASTROS 5, WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Yordan Alvarez homered in the first inning and drove in a run during a four-run seventh as Houston rallied past Chicago.
Alvarez made it 1-0 with a 439-foot drive to right against Chris Flexen for his 15th homer, and his single in the seventh tied the game at 3-all. The two-time All-Star finished with three hits after missing the previous two games for a family matter.
Alex Bregman added three hits and scored a run for the Astros, who won their second straight after dropping the opener of a three-game series against the team with the worst record in the majors.
Flexen worked six innings, allowing one run and five hits. The White Sox fell to 20-56 with their 26th loss in 32 games.
Chicago chased Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti in a three-run fifth.
DODGERS 5, ROCKIES 3
DENVER (AP) — Shohei Ohtani led off the game with his 21st homer of the season, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, and Los Angeles beat Colorado.
Ohtani’s homer was his fourth in five games, and Smith and Freeman each hit their 11th for a 5-0 lead off Ty Blach (3-5) to help the Dodgers take three of four from the Rockies.
Ohtani is 8 for 18 with two homers, three doubles and six RBIs in four games as the leadoff hitter, moving up a spot in the order after Mookie Betts broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch Sunday.
Jake Cave had a two-run single when Colorado closed within 5-2 in the sixth inning, and Ryan McMahon hit a 462-foot homer off Alex Vesia to lead off the eighth.
Evan Phillips pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save in as many chances. The Rockies have lost four of five.
ROYALS 3, ATHLETICS 2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Freddy Fermin homered twice and Bobby Witt Jr. hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning as Kansas City beat Oakland to avoid a three-game sweep.
Fermin also singled for his first three-hit game of the season.
Witt homered off Oakland reliever Vinny Nittoli (0-1) to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth, his 12th longball of the year.
Zack Gelof homered for the third straight game, but Oakland failed to sweep Kansas City for the first time since 2016.
The Royals haven’t been swept this year.
Fermin took A’s rookie Mitch Spence deep to left in the second inning and victimized Spence again in the fourth for his second career multi-homer game. He doubled his home run total this season.
CARDINALS 6, GIANTS 5
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Brendan Donovan hit a two-run homer and a double and St. Louis defeated San Francisco in the Negro Leagues tribute game at Rickwood Field on Thursday night.
The 114-year-old Rickwood Field is the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. and former home to baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
The first MLB game played at the ballpark was meant to honor Mays and many other Negro Leaguers, and it took on a more sentimental meaning when Mays, the electrifying center fielder who left an enduring mark on baseball, died Tuesday.
Tributes to Mays continued throughout the week in Birmingham, including a ceremony before Thursday’s game.
Plenty of other Negro Leagues greats were honored, including former Black Barons player Bill Greason, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The game also featured the first all-Black umpire crew in AL/NL history.