Bryant, Cubs Cruise Past Pirates
(Chicago, IL) — Kris Bryant went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a triple and four RBI as the Cubs picked off the Pirates 6-1 at Wrigley Field. Anthony Rizzo also homered for Chicago, which has traded wins and losses in its last six games. Carl Edwards Jr. threw an inning-and-two-thirds of hitless relief to get credit for the win. Trevor Williams started and lost for Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 and scored a run for Pittsburgh, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Josh Bell singled in the only run for the Bucs in the seventh inning.
Astros Spring Over Blue Jays
(Toronto, Ontario) — George Springer homered twice and matched his career best with five RBIs as the Astros whipped the Blue Jays 12-2 in the Rogers Centre. Evan Gattis and Carlos Correa also homered for Houston. Charlie Morton earned the win with six innings of one-run ball. The Astros won for the seventh time in nine games and have the best record in the majors. Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez retired only five batters, while allowing eight runs on seven hits and four walks in his first start after coming off the disabled list. Troy Tulowitzki and Ezequiel Carrera homered in defeat. The loss snapped the Blue Jays’ three-game winning streak.
Hedges, Padres Nip Phillies
(Philadelphia, PA) — Austin Hedges homered twice and drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning as the Padres nipped the Phillies, 4-3, in Philadelphia. Hedges had solo shots in the third and fifth innings before putting San Diego up for good with a sac-fly in the ninth. Jose Pirela also went deep for the Padres, and Clayton Richard tossed six innings of one-run ball. Brad Hand earned the win. The Padres have won four-of-five. Tommy Joseph went deep for the Phillies. Hector Neris was charged with the loss. The Phils have lost four straight games.
Nationals Stun Braves In 10 Innings
(Washington, DC) — Daniel Murphy belted the walk-off single in the 10th inning as the Nationals stunned the Braves, 5-4, in DC. Murphy also singled in a run to kick off a three-run ninth for the Nats to send the game into extras. Max Scherzer struck out 10 over seven-and-two-thirds innings and Matt Albers earned the win in relief. The Nats have won four of their past five games. R.A. Dickey carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and tossed seven frames of one-run ball for Atlanta. Ian Krol was charged with the loss. Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three for the Braves.
Mets Clip Cardinals
(St. Louis, MO) — T.J. Rivera’s seventh-inning RBI double proved to be the difference as the Mets held off the Cardinals 6-5 in St. Louis. Jacob deGrom tossed seven frames of four run ball to improve to 9-and-3. Jay Bruce and Jose Reyes went deep in the winning effort. New York snapped a three-game slide. Randal Grichuk and Paul DeJong [[ dee-YONG ]] hit back-to-back homers in the third for the Cards. Dexter Fowler and Jedd Gyorko repeated the feat in the fourth. Carlos Martinez took the loss.
Rangers Shut Down Angels
(Arlington, TX) — Cole Hamels allowed three singles over seven and two-third innings as the Rangers blanked the Angels 10-0 in Arlington. Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer. Nomar Mazara homered and drove in three runs, while Rougned Odor contributed three hits, including a homer and two RBI. Angels right-hander Ricky Nolasco retired only five of the 14 batters he faced, permitting eight runs in the loss. Albert Pujols had two of the three LA hits. The Halos have dropped four-of-five.
Indians Clobber Tigers
(Cleveland, OH) — Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 over seven innings of two-run ball to help lead the Indians past the Tigers 11-2 in Cleveland. Michael Brantley keyed the Tribe’s offense with two hits and four RBI. Francisco Lindor added three hits and drove in three runs of his own. Lonnie Chisenhall and Bradley Zimmer went deep in the winning effort. Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez collected his 2,000th career hit. Jordan Zimmermann was chased in the fourth inning and gave up five runs in the loss. Detroit has dropped four-of-six.
Twins Rally Past Orioles
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Twins dug themselves out of a six-run hole and rallied past the Orioles, 9-6, at Target Field. The Twins took the lead for good with a five-run fifth inning. Chris Gimenez broke the six-all tie in the fifth with a one-run single. Minnesota starter Felix Jorge was chased in the third inning, and Trevor Hildenberger earned his first big league win. Brandon Kintzler secured his 24th save for the Twins. Manny Machado homered twice for the O’s, driving in four runs. Seth Smith also went deep. Kevin Gausman gave up nine hits and six runs in four-plus innings, and reliever Miguel Castro was tagged with the loss. Baltimore is on a five-game skid.
Aguilar, Brewers Slam Yankees
(Bronx, NY) — Jesus Aguilar broke a four-all tie with a grand slam in the seventh inning as the Brewers slammed the Yankees, 9-4, in New York. Aguilar belted a two-run shot in the fourth and tied Milwaukee’s team record with seven RBI. Josh Hader tossed three innings of relief for the win. The Brewers have won five straight games. Aaron Judge’s fifth inning home run gave him 30 on the year, breaking the Yankees’ team record for homers in a season by a rookie. Ji-Man Choi homered in his second straight game for New York. Tyler Clippard took the loss in relief, falling to 1-and-5.
Mariners Pull Away Late, Top Athletics
(Seattle, WA) — Nelson Cruz tallied three hits, including his 300th career homer and five RBI to help power the Mariners past the Athletics 7-2 in Seattle. Cruz had a pair of early RBI singles and broke the game open with a three-run bomb in the eighth. Kyle Seager added a pair of sacrifice flies as the M’s snapped a four-game slide. James Paxton tossed seven frames of two-hit, two-run ball to pick up the win. Sean Manaea surrendered three runs over seven innings to take the loss. Marcus Semien smacked a two-run double for Oakland. The A’s had their three-game win streak snapped.
Red Sox Topple Rays
(St. Petersburg, FL) — Drew Pomeranz allowed two runs on six hits and five walks over six innings as the Red Sox beat the Rays 8-3 at Tropicana Field. Dustin Pedroia and Jackie Bradley Jr. each homered and drove in a pair of Boston runs Hanley Ramirez had three hits, including a ninth inning solo shot. The Red Sox are 9-and-3 in the past dozen games. Rays starter Jake Odorizzi did not make it through five innings, surrendering seven runs on eight hits to fall to 5-and-4. Steven Souza Jr. launched his 17th home run in the seventh. Tampa has alternated wins and losses for the past six games.
Dodgers Dump Royals
(Los Angeles, CA) — Kenta Maeda put together a solid start as the Dodgers dumped the Royals, 4-1, in Los Angeles. Maeda struck out five over five innings of one-run ball to improve to 7-and-4. Yasiel Puig belted a solo shot, and Chase Utley doubled in a run. The Dodgers are riding a four-game win streak. Jason Hammel gave up three runs over six innings to take the loss for Kansas City. Alcides Escobar singled in the lone for the Royals. KC’s four-game win streak is over.
Rockies Clobber White Sox
(Denver, CO) — Nolan Arenado collected three hits and five RBI to help lead the Rockies past the White Sox 12-4 in Denver. Arenado homered and fell a triple short of the cycle in the winning effort. DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon also went deep for the Rockies. German Marquez tossed seven innings of three-run ball to pick up the victory. Chicago stater Derek Holland surrendered seven runs over four innings of work to take the loss. The White Sox have dropped three straight games.
Diamondbacks Down Reds
(Phoenix, AZ) — Zack Greinke tossed seven shutout innings as the Diamondbacks downed the Reds, 6-3, in Phoenix. Greinke struck out seven and allowed four hits to improve to 11-and-4. He also singled in a run. Paul Goldschmidt went deep and Fernando Rodney recorded his 22nd save. Arizona ended a three-game skid. Tim Adleman was charged with the loss for Cincinnati, his sixth. Joey Votto and Scott Schebler went deep in the ninth inning to make things interesting. The Reds are 37-and-49.
Marlins Rip Giants
(San Francisco, CA) — The Marlins reeled off four first inning runs as they ripped the Giants, 6-1, in San Francisco. Giancarlo Stanton drilled a two-run homer in the frame J.T. Riddle tagged on a two-run single. Dan Straily tossed eight-and-a-third innings of one-run ball to improve to 7-and-4. J.T. Realmuto added a solo shot. The Fish have won three-of-four games. Matt Moore allowed 12 hits and five runs over three-and-a-third innings to fall to 3-and-9 for San Francisco. Denard Span went deep in the ninth inning to prevent the shutout. The Giants fell to 34-and-54.