MLB roundup: Julio Rodriguez strikes again as Mariners defeat Astros
After following a 4-for-6 performance on Wednesday with the first five-hit game of his career against the Kansas City Royals, Rodriguez finished 4-for-5 including his 21st home run, a 414-foot blast to left field leading off the third inning on Friday.
Rodriguez and the stellar pitching of Miller (8-4) were enough to carry the Mariners to their sixth victory in eight games against the Astros this season. Seattle improved to 4-1 in Houston despite going 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position on the night.
Astros rookie right-hander J.P. France (9-4) had his string of seven consecutive winning decisions snapped despite posting his 12th quality start. In six innings, he allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.
Brewers 9, Rangers 8
Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer to help Milwaukee earn a win against Texas in the opener of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
William Contreras had three hits and three RBIs and Willy Adames and Brice Turang contributed three hits each for Milwaukee, which had lost three in a row. Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff allowed four runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking two.
Rangers starter Andrew Heaney had his second straight short outing, lasting just 3 2/3 innings. Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver homered for Texas, who have lost two in a row after winning 12 of 14.
Royals 4, Cubs 3
Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning, and visiting Kansas City took advantage of some shoddy defence for a one-run win.
With two hits Friday, Witt is batting .420 (34-for-81) with eight homers and 27 RBIs in his last 19 games for the Royals, who snapped a three-game skid with just their ninth win in the last 39 road contests.
Nico Hoerner and Jeimer Candelario each had an RBI single for the Cubs, who stranded 10 men and fanned 13 times while losing for the fifth time in nine games amid their chase for a post-season berth.
Red Sox 8, Yankees 3
Rookie Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer four batters in, Brayan Bello pitched six effective innings and Boston extended host the Yankees' skid to six games.
The Red Sox beat the Yankees for the sixth time in seven meetings. Justin Turner hit singles in each of his first three at-bats, with two of the hits driving in runs. Rafael Devers also had two RBIs, one of which was a single to start Boston's three-run second. Bello (9-7) allowed one run and six hits. He struck out four, walked one and beat the Yankees for the second time this season.
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the eighth, after the Yankees got on the board for the first time in three games on DJ LeMahieu's RBI groundout in the third. Jhony Brito (4-6) allowed seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Tigers 4, Guardians 2 (Game 1)
Detroit scored early and got six solid innings from left-hander Tarik Skubal and held off host Cleveland in the makeup of the game that was rained out on Thursday.
The Tigers sent seven men to the plate in the first inning, bringing across three runs against Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams. Akil Baddoo homered on Williams' second pitch of the game -- a four-seam fastball in the middle of the zone - driving it 412 feet into over the wall in right-centre field.
Skubal (3-2) worked six innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out seven. Williams (1-4) allowed three runs and six hits over five innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Guardians 4, Tigers 1 (Game 2)
After being blanked for seven innings, Cleveland erupted for four runs in the eighth to take the second game against visiting Detroit.
The Tigers held a 1-0 lead until the eighth courtesy of a run in the top of the fourth due to some luck and the elements. Riley Greene reached on an infield single that caromed off the plate out of the reach of Guardians starting pitcher Xzavion Curry. He scored when Andy Ibanez's fly ball was lost in the twilight sky and fell for a double.
In the eighth, Brayan Rocchio singled home the tying run, Will Brennan doubled in two more and Gabriel Arias brought home the fourth run with a single. Jose Cisnero (2-4) took the loss, while Enyel De Los Santos (5-2) got the win and Emmanuel Clase got his 33rd save, the 100th of his career.
Reds 1, Blue Jays 0
Christian Encarnacion-Strand drilled a hanging slider from Jordan Hicks into the upper deck in left with one out in the ninth to give Cincinnati a walk-off win over visiting Toronto.
Alexis Diaz (5-4) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win, the Reds' third in four games. Brett Kennedy gave Cincinnati five shutout innings as a spot starter, pitching out of trouble in the first three innings. Kennedy allowed just three hits, struck out two and walked one in his second spot start of the season.
The Blue Jays had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings but went hitless in six chances. They lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Nationals 8, Phillies 7
CJ Abrams hit a three-run home run as host Washington matched Philadelphia with a big inning in the narrow win that opened a three-game series.
Both teams posted six runs in the fourth inning. Jake Alu had a pair of run-scoring singles for the Nationals, who have won six of their last seven games. Blake Rutherford had a two-run single. Jose Ferrer (3-0) was the winning pitcher with an inning of shutout relief, and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth and notched his 20th save.
Kyle Schwarber homered twice for the Phillies, losers of four of their last five games. Philadelphia's Jake Cave went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Schwarber's solo homer to lead off the ninth marked his 32nd long ball of the season. Michael Lorenzen (7-8) gave up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Braves 4, Giants 0
Spencer Strider allowed one hit and struck out 10 batters over seven scoreless innings and Michael Harris II had four hits to fuel host Atlanta to a victory over San Francisco.
Strider (14-4), who became the first 14-game winner in the majors, retired the first nine batters he faced. Harris scored on a double by Austin Riley in the second inning and collected his fourth hit with an RBI single in the sixth. Harris fell a homer shy of the cycle as the Braves recorded their third straight shutout and majors-best 14th of the season.
Giants bench coach Kai Correa ran the team while manager Gabe Kapler served a one-game suspension.
Twins 5, Pirates 1
Pablo Lopez threw six shutout innings en route to his fourth consecutive win and Michael A. Taylor homered to lead Minnesota past Pittsburgh in Minneapolis.
Lopez (9-6) allowed six hits and two walks and struck out seven while extending his scoreless innings streak to 19. Donovan Solano had two hits and an RBI for the Twins, who earned their fourth win in five games.
Bryan Reynolds went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Endy Rodriguez doubled among his three hits and Ji Hwan Bae also had two hits for Pittsburgh, who finished 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Mets 7, Cardinals 1
Jeff McNeil hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to power the Mets past host St. Louis for their fifth win in six games.
Brandon Nimmo went 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs for the Mets, and Joey Lucchesi (2-0), in his first big league start since May 13, blanked the Cardinals on four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Richie Palacios hit an RBI double for the Cardinals, who left 10 runners on base while losing their third straight game. Starting pitcher Zack Thompson (2-5) allowed two runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out five batters and walked one.
Rockies 14, White Sox 1
Elias Diaz homered among his three hits, Ezequiel Tovar went deep and finished with two hits, and Colorado blew out the White Sox in Denver.
Ryan McMahon hit a three-run homer and scored three runs, while Brendan Rodgers had two hits, two runs and two RBIs for Colorado.
Elvis Andrus homered and collected three of the White Sox's four hits.
Padres 4, Diamondbacks 0
Ha-Seong Kim broke up a scoreless tie with a two-strike, two-run single through a drawn-in infield with one out in the eighth, and Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a two-run home run as San Diego defeated visiting Arizona.
The Padres' winning rally came off Miguel Castro (5-6) after Diamondbacks rookie Brandon Pfaadt held the Padres hitless for 6 1/3 innings before Juan Soto hit a line-drive double. Pfaadt tossed seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
San Diego starter Seth Lugo gave up five hits and three walks in six shutout innings, logging a career-high-tying nine strikeouts. Robert Suarez (2-2) was credited with the win after pitching a perfect eighth.
Orioles 9, Athletics 4
Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson combined for six hits, three runs and three RBIs out of the top two spots in the lineup and Baltimore scored early and often in beating hosts Oakland Athletics to begin their three-game series.
Henderson hit his 20th home run and finished with three hits, two runs and three RBIs; Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a run; and Cedric Mullins and Jordan Westburg added two RBIs apiece. Starter Kyle Gibson (12-7) coasted through five innings, surrendering four runs and nine hits. He struck out six and did not walk anyone.
Brent Rooker collected two doubles and a single for the A's, who were opening a six-game homestand. He scored two of Oakland's four runs. A's opener Francisco Perez (0-1) pitched the first inning, charged with three runs on four hits. He struck out one.
