Judge hits slam for MLB-leading 30th HR, Yanks rout Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a grand slam for his major league-leading 30th home run and the New York Yankees routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-0 on Wednesday night to split their two-game interleague series.
Luis Severino pitched six dominant innings and Aaron Hicks also had a grand slam as New York scored 11 runs in the eighth and ninth and halted a two-game skid.
Judge became the first Yankees player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break twice in his career when he turned on a pitch from Pittsburgh reliever Manny Banuelos in the eighth for his third career slam.
Hicks cleared the bases in the ninth when he went deep against Pirates utility infielder Josh VanMeter.
Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo and Kyle Higashioka also homered for New York to boost the Yankees’ season total to 139 homers, easily tops in the majors.
Severino (5-3) allowed four hits while striking out three without issuing a walk to pick up his first victory in more than a month.
Mitch Keller (2-6) worked in and out of trouble over six innings, allowing four runs on a season-high 10 hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
DODGERS 2, ROCKIES 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger scored the winning run on Mookie Betts’ infield single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of Colorado.
Dodgers starter Mitch White and three relievers combined to allow only one hit — a single by Brendan Rodgers in the sixth.
Bellinger, who had three hits, and Gavin Lux opened the ninth with back-to-back singles. Lux hit a bleeder to the open left side of the infield with the shift on that allowed Bellinger to reach third.
The Rockies then went to a five-man infield, bringing in center fielder Garrett Hampson and leaving only Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon to patrol the outfield. Pinch-hitter Will Smith drew a walk to load the bases for Betts with nobody out.
Betts hit a bouncer over the head of reliever Daniel Bard (3-3). The speedy Bellinger dashed home safely, and the Dodgers improved to 5-8 in one-run games this season.
Los Angeles closer Craig Kimbrel (2-4) returned after taking a line drive off his back last week and retired the side in the ninth for the win.
GIANTS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 5
PHOENIX (AP) — Austin Slater hit a tiebreaking bases-loaded double in the ninth inning and San Francisco rallied from an early four-run deficit, beating Arizona and snapping a six-game skid.
Darin Ruf hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer off Joe Mantiply (1-2) in the eighth inning, tying the game at 4. Slater, also pinch-hitting, led off the inning with a bunt single.
In the ninth, Mantiply hit Mike Yastrzemski with a pitch and Sean Poppen came on for Arizona. Pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores singled and, after a forceout, Tommy La Stella walked to load the bases. Slater then drilled a line drive past first base, scoring the go-ahead runs. Austin Wynns followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to three runs.
John Brebbia (4-1) retired Arizona in order in the eighth and picked up the victory. Sam Long earned his first save.
The Diamondbacks raced to a 4-0 lead against Giants starter Alex Cobb. David Peralta had an RBI single in the first inning, and Arizona added three more in the second.
Merrill Kelly allowed just two hits and two runs, struck out six and walked three in 6 1/3 innings for Arizona.
CUBS 2, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — P.J. Higgins hit a tiebreaking two-out double off Josh Hader in the ninth inning, and Chicago rallied to beat Milwaukee.
After Brewers starter Corbin Burnes threw seven shutout innings, the Cubs broke through against Milwaukee’s bullpen by scoring in each of the last two frames. The Cubs took two of three at Milwaukee and have followed a 10-game losing streak by winning four straight series.
Patrick Wisdom led off the ninth with a walk for Chicago and stole second one out later. Higgins brought home Wisdom by sending a 1-1 slider from Hader (0-2) just inside the right-field line.
David Robertson retired the side in order for his 12th save in 16 opportunities.
Keston Hiura homered for the Brewers. Mychal Givens (5-0) worked the eighth for Chicago.
ANGELS 5, MARLINS 2
MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani allowed one unearned run in seven dominant innings and had the go-ahead hit as Los Angeles snapped Miami’s six-game winning streak.
The reigning AL MVP won his fifth consecutive start, limiting the Marlins to two hits. Ohtani (8-4) walked three and struck out 10 before 18,741, the fourth largest crowd at loanDepot Park this season.
Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout was hitless in four at-bats and had an RBI. Max Stassi doubled and reached base three times to help the Angels snap a four-game skid.
Ohtani’s two-RBI single with the bases loaded chased Miami starter Trevor Rogers (4-7) and capped a three-run fifth that put Los Angeles ahead 3-1. Run-scoring singles from Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo in the seventh padded the Angels’ lead.
Rogers allowed three runs, four hits, walked two, struck out five and hit two batters in 4 2/3 innings.
METS 8, REDS 3, 10 INNINGS
CINCINNATI (AP) — Brandon Nimmo’s three-run homer capped a five-run 10th inning and New York rallied to beat Cincinnati.
Starling Marte grounded an RBI double over third base off Hunter Strickland with one out in the ninth, scoring Nimmo from first to tie the game at 3.
Dominic Smith’s double off Dauri Moreta (0-2) drove home pinch-runner Ender Inciarte from second base with the go-ahead run in the 10th. James McCann delivered an RBI single before Nimmo’s shot sent the NL East leaders to their 20th series win this season.
Pete Alonso went 4 for 5 with a double. Nimmo had three hits and scored three times from the leadoff spot as New York remained 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place Atlanta.
Adam Ottavino (3-2) struck out two in a hitless ninth for the win.
Nick Senzel hit a two-run homer for the Reds, who have the worst record in the National League.
BRAVES 3, CARDINALS 0
ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario hit back-to-back homers, Max Fried threw six strong innings and Atlanta beat slumping St. Louis.
Fried (9-2) and Miles Mikolas (5-7) each threw four scoreless innings before Ozuna led off the fifth with his 17th homer deep into the left-field seats. Rosario followed with his first homer. Austin Riley and Travis d’Arnaud added back-to-back doubles off Mikolas in the sixth, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead.
Fried gave up only five hits, including two to Albert Pujols, with one walk and four strikeouts in winning his nine consecutive decision after losses in his first two starts. Left-hander A.J. Minter pitched the ninth for his second save.
Mikolas allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, ending his streak of allowing no more than two earned runs in five consecutive starts. The Cardinals have lost a season-high four straight.
ROYALS 7, ASTROS 4
HOUSTON (AP) — Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier and Emmanuel Rivera homered as Kansas City roughed up Cristian Javier early and snapped Houston’s major-league best eight-game winning streak.
Javier (6-4) had trouble with the Royals almost immediately. Merrifield sent Javier’s third pitch into the seats for his fourth homer. Javier walked Andrew Benintendi before Dozier’s two-out shot made it 3-0. Rivera homered to left-center in the second.
Javier yielded five runs on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings for his first lost since June 6.
Brad Keller (4-9) allowed five hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings. Scott Barlow earned his 13th save.
Aledmys Díaz homered for a second straight game and Jake Meyers had two hits and two RBIs, but the Astros were unable to overcome their early deficit.
NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josiah Gray struck out a career-high 11 and shook off Kyle Schwarber’s second consecutive two-homer game, helping last-place Washington beat Philadelphia.
Luis Garcia hit a two-run double in the seventh inning off Phillies starter Aaron Nola (5-6) for a 3-2 lead.
Schwarber’s two homers off Gray (7-5) increased his NL-best total to 27. Only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has more homers with 30.
Gray walked one and allowed four hits over six innings. Tanner Rainey worked the ninth for his 12th save.
Yadiel Hernandez and Keibert Ruiz hit consecutive singles off Nola in the seventh and Garcia followed with a double to center to make it 3-2.
Nola gave up three runs, seven hits and struck out three in 7 2/3 innings.
WHITE SOX 9, TWINS 8, 10 INNINGS
CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Vaughn tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Leury Garcia hit a game-ending single in the 10th to give Chicago the win over Minnesota.
The White Sox trailed five times in the game and tied it each time before taking their first and only lead in extra innings to avoid a three-game sweep. Chicago snapped a seven-game losing streak to the AL Central-leading Twins.
Playing his first game since April 23, Eloy Jiménez made an immediate impact for the White Sox, hitting a two-run homer and an RBI single.
Jose Ruiz (1-0) walked Jose Miranda to start the 10th but got out of trouble with an inning-ending double play.
Automatic runner Adam Engel ascored on Garcia’s hit off Jovani Moran (0-1) in the 10th.
BLUE JAYS 2, ATHLETICS 1
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Bo Bichette hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning off Domingo Acevedo (1-2) and Toronto rallied past Oakland to snap a five-game skid.
The Blue Jays’ Matt Chapman homered against his former team for the second straight day.
Ramón Laureano homered for the A’s, who failed to complete their first sweep of the season.
Blue Jays starter José Berríos pitched six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Adam Cimber (8-2) followed with two perfect frames.
Jordan Romano worked the ninth for his 18th save in 21 opportunities.
RAYS 7, RED SOX 1
BOSTON (AP) — Corey Kluber worked six scoreless innings and Tampa Bay spoiled the major league debut of Brayan Bello, the top pitching prospect in Boston’s system.
With a fastball topping out at 97 mph, the 23-year-old Bello (0-1) worked four up-and-down innings, allowing four runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Randy Arozarena had a two-out, two-run double in the third against Bello, and Kevin Kiermaier had another run-scoring double to make it 4-0. Arozarena added a solo homer in the ninth off Tyler Danish.
Kluber (4-5) allowed three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
TIGERS 8, GUARDIANS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning as part of his three-RBI day and Detroit completed its first four-game sweep of Cleveland since 2013.
Michael Pineda (2-3) allowed two runs and five hits over five innings. Four Tigers relievers combined to pitch four innings of scoreless relief.
Cleveland’s Shane Bieber (4-4) gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings.
ORIOLES 2, RANGERS 1
BALTIMORE (AP) — Spenser Watkins pitched more than six innings for the first time in his career, and Baltimore beat for its first three-game sweep of the season.
Watkins (2-1) allowed one run and four hits with three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Jorge López earned his 14th save after blowing his last two chances.
The Rangers ended a major league-best streak of 11 games with a homer, one shy of the franchise record.
Glenn Otto (4-5) allowed two runs — one earned — with three hits and five strikeouts over five innings.
The Orioles swept the Rangers for the first time since 2017 and are 11-11-4 in series this season.
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