MLB ROUNDUP: DODGERS RALLY, STUN JAYS IN 10 INNINGS
James Outman doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and the host Los Angeles Dodgers came back from down four runs in the ninth to stun the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7 on Tuesday night.
Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez hit home runs for the Dodgers, who trailed 7-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth after the Blue Jays scored three in the top of the inning.
Outman, who had three hits and walked twice, socked his walk-off double off the top of the wall in right-center against Blue Jays right-hander Mitch White (0-1). The umpires reviewed the play to see if it cleared the wall for a home run but called the hit a double.
Bo Bichette had four hits, including a home run, to end an 0-for-18 drought, but the Blue Jays saw their two-game winning streak end. Closer Jordan Romano had the night off after he pitched four times in the previous five games.
Reds 4, Brewers 3
Rookie Andrew Abbott scattered seven hits over six scoreless innings to best ace Corbin Burnes as Cincinnati won at Milwaukee. The Reds had lost five straight to the Brewers.
Christian Yelich pulled Milwaukee within 4-3 with two outs in ninth with a three-run homer before Alexis Diaz came in, put two runners on base but got Andruw Monasterio on a fly to center for his 30th save.
The Reds scored twice in the fourth and got a two-run homer from Will Benson in the ninth. Abbott (6-2) struck out nine and walked one. Burnes (9-6) gave up two runs in six innings.
Diamondbacks 3, Cardinals 1
Corbin Carroll hit a two-run triple with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Arizona past St. Louis in Phoenix, ending a five-game losing streak.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo celebrated his 58th birthday with the victory. Ketel Marte ignited the three-run, eighth-inning rally with a leadoff triple against Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero (2-1). Jake McCarthy then singled up the middle to score Marte to tie the game at 1.
Kyle Nelson (5-2) earned the win in relief and Kevin Ginkel logged his third save, working around a single in the ninth inning.
Mets 9, Yankees 3
Pete Alonso homered in consecutive at-bats and drove in a season-high five runs as the visiting Mets beat the Yankees in the matchup of New York rivals.
Justin Verlander (5-5) pitched six scoreless innings of two-hit ball for his 249th career victory as he won consecutive starts for the first time as a Met.. Daniel Vogelbach also homered for the Mets, and Jeff McNeil drove in three runs.
Alonso started his big night with an RBI single in the opening inning against Domingo German (5-7), who allowed six runs, including three homers, on seven hits in six innings.
Mariners 9, Twins 7
Julio Rodriguez belted two home runs and Eugenio Suarez hit a go-ahead, two-run double to highlight a three-run ninth as Seattle rallied to win in Minneapolis and end a two-game losing streak.
Cade Marlowe hit his first major league home run to go along with a double and two runs, and Cal Raleigh added two hits for the Mariners. Matt Brash (5-3) picked up the win with one inning of scoreless relief, and Paul Sewald garnered his 20th save.
Matt Wallner and Michael A. Taylor homered and Edouard Julien and Willi Castro each had an RBI triple for the Twins, whose four-game winning streak ended. Oliver Ortega (0-1) gave up all three runs in the ninth.
Guardians 5, Royals 1
Bo Naylor homered twice to help Cleveland defeat visiting Kansas City in the second game of a three-game series.
Cleveland starter Aaron Civale (4-2) allowed one run and five hits in eight innings. Emmanuel Clase retired the side in order in the ninth, wrapping up the victory in 1 hour, 59 minutes.
Royals starter Zack Greinke (1-11) allowed four runs and four hits in five innings. Nicky Lopez had two hits and an RBI for Kansas City, which has dropped six of seven.
Angels 7, Tigers 6 (10 innings)
Mickey Moniak had a run-scoring double in the top of the 10th and Los Angeles, which blew a four-run lead in the ninth, edged host Detroit.
Moniak doubled to right off Alex Lange (5-3) with one out in the 10th to drive in automatic runner Mike Moustakas. Aaron Loup then picked up two strikeouts in the bottom of the 10th for his first save. Moustakas and Taylor Ward drove in two runs apiece for the Angels.
Carlos Estevez (4-1) gave up four unearned runs in the ninth but got the victory for the Angels. Spencer Torkelson had a game-tying, two-run double for the Tigers, while Jake Rogers hit a solo homer and drove in two runs.
Giants 2, Athletics 1
Mike Yastrzemski lashed a tiebreaking, two-out double in the eighth inning to lift host San Francisco past Oakland, ending a six-game losing streak.
After the A’s tied the score in the top of the eighth on a JJ Bleday RBI single, the Giants got a one-out single from LaMonte Wade Jr. and a two-out walk from J.D. Davis before Oakland pulled reliever Lucas Erceg (2-2) in favor of Sam Moll. Yastrzemski prevailed in the lefty-on-lefty matchup.
Tyler Rogers (4-4), who allowed Oakland’s only run in two innings of relief, was credited with the win. Giants closer Camilo Doval needed 16 pitches to strike out the side in the ninth for his 31st save.
Rays 4, Marlins 1
Tampa Bay received a much-needed seven strong innings from Tyler Glasnow, who struck out eight in a victory over Miami in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Glasnow (4-3) yielded one run on two hits as the Rays took the opener of the interleague series with the Marlins, who dropped their 10th straight road game. Brandon Lowe had three hits, including his 11th home run, for Tampa Bay.
Miami was limited to two hits, singles from Jesus Sanchez in the second inning and Jon Berti in the sixth. Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera (5-6) worked just two innings and was replaced due to a recurring blister issue.
Phillies 4, Orioles 3
Alec Bohm hit a walk-off RBI single to left field as host Philadelphia scored twice in the ninth inning to defeat Baltimore.
Bryce Harper hit a solo home run and a single while Bryson Stott added an RBI double in the ninth to tie the game at 3. Phillies starter Taijuan Walker tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed six hits and two runs. Yunior Marte (1-1) earned the win by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Ryan O’Hearn hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning for the Orioles. Ryan Mountcastle added two hits, two walks and two runs. Reliever Yennier Cano (1-2) took the loss.
Cubs 7, White Sox 3
Dansby Swanson went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs and Nico Hoerner homered among his three hits as the visiting Cubs defeated the White Sox.
The Cubs stretched their winning streak to four games behind a 13-hit attack that featured four home runs. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (4-4) yielded three runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
White Sox starter Michael Kopech (4-9) allowed five runs (four earned) and nine hits in five innings. Andrew Vaughn drove in two runs for Chicago.
Astros 4, Rangers 3
Rookie J.P. France logged his eighth quality start over his past nine appearances while Kyle Tucker and Martin Maldonado slugged solo home runs to pace Houston to a victory over visiting Texas.
France (6-3) matched his career high by logging seven innings. He allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks while recording three strikeouts.
Mitch Garver belted a two-run homer off Astros closer Ryan Pressly in the ninth, but Pressly recorded his 24th save thanks to a leaping catch from Tucker at the wall in right.
Red Sox 7, Braves 1
Nick Pivetta pitched five scoreless innings of relief and Masataka Yoshida homered to help Boston beat Atlanta and stretch its winning streak to three games.
Pivetta (7-5) limited the Braves to three hits, struck out five and walked one. Yoshida, who capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, also had two singles for his 10th three-hit game this season.
Atlanta starter Charlie Morton (10-8) gave up four runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. The damage could have been worse if the Braves didn’t turn an 8-3-5 triple play in the third. It was the first triple play in the major leagues this season.
Padres 5, Pirates 1
Manny Machado and Juan Soto each hit his 20th home run of the season and Blake Snell allowed just one run across six innings as host San Diego beat Pittsburgh.
Gary Sanchez also went deep for the Padres, who snapped a two-game skid. Snell (7-8) surrendered two hits while walking five and striking out four.
The Pirates finished with just three hits. Pittsburgh starter Rich Hill (7-10) allowed two runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Nationals 6, Rockies 5
Joey Meneses belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning to cap his three-hit performance, lifting host Washington to a victory over Colorado.
Stone Garrett launched a solo homer and Riley Adams and Jeimer Candelario each had an RBI double for the Nationals, who have won four of their past five games.
Elias Diaz’s second RBI single accounted for his third hit of the night and staked the Rockies to a 5-2 lead in the top of the eighth before Washington rallied. Justin Lawrence (3-4) took the loss, while Jose Ferrer (1-0) emerged with his first major league victory.
OHTANI BUZZ DOMINATES MLB TRADE DEADLINE, EVEN IF SMALLER DEALS ARE MORE LIKELY
PHOENIX (AP) — MLB’s trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Aug. 1 and with less than a week remaining, it’s sometimes hard to figure out which teams are the buyers and which are the sellers.
Could two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani be on the move from the Los Angeles Angels? Could the New York Mets and San Diego Padres — two hugely disappointing teams with some of the game’s highest payrolls — really turn into sellers?
Few scenarios seem too far-fetched.
The sport’s expanded 12-team playoff bracket, which was introduced last season, means that at least 20 teams have legitimate playoff aspirations more than halfway through the season. However, that doesn’t mean all of them will be buyers.
Take the Arizona Diamondbacks: They were the darlings of the National League for much of the first half of the season, ascending to the top of the NL West for a big chunk of June. But a 5-13 mark in July has sent them spiraling back to the pack.
Entering Tuesday’s games, they were one of five teams in the NL — including the Cincinnati Reds (55-47), Miami Marlins (54-47), Diamondbacks (54-47), San Francisco Giants (54-47) and Philadelphia Phillies (53-47) — that are in an incredibly close race for the league’s three wild-card spots.
And the calculus changes daily.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said the communication with general manager Mike Hazen is constant.
“Mike’s like my second wife — we talk every day on the phone,” Lovullo said. “We talk about everything under the sun involving the Arizona Diamondbacks. That’s our job. We have some easy conversations and we have some aggressive conversations. That’s just how we are.
“I try to give him a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in the dugout. He’s got some decisions he needs to make.”
OHTANI’S FUTURE
Ohtani is in the final year of his contract with the Angels, who have had some good moments this season but at 51-49 through Monday are far from a certainty to make the postseason. It doesn’t help that fellow superstar Mike Trout is on the injured list with a broken bone in his wrist.
It’s unclear whether Ohtani would be willing to re-sign with the Angels during the offseason, so owner Arte Moreno could instead trade the 29-year-old, which undoubtedly would bring back a sizable haul of talent.
But the Japanese star is a one-of-a-kind talent who can’t be replaced — on the field or when selling tickets.
BIG MONEY, LITTLE RESULTS
Money can’t buy everything in baseball — just ask the Mets and Padres.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is spending upward of $350 million for a team that had a 46-53 record through Monday’s games. With that in mind, it feels like the Mets could part with some veterans — like reliever David Robertson or outfielder Tommy Pham — who would be useful pieces for just about any contender.
The Padres cost nearly as much and have been nearly as disappointing at 48-53. General manager A.J. Preller hasn’t been shy about making big deals in the past, so it’s fair to wonder if pitchers like lefty starter Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader might be available for the right price. Both are free agents after this season.
PITCHING A PREMIUM
Pitching is almost always a hot commodity at the trade deadline, and this year is no exception.
The disappointing Chicago White Sox could be shopping Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito while the St. Louis Cardinals might move Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery or reliever Jordan Hicks.
Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman has had a great year and could be a game-changer for a contender. The same goes for Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who has a 2.69 ERA over 14 starts.
OTHERS TO WATCH
— It makes sense that the last-place Colorado Rockies would be sellers at the deadline. They’ve got a few veteran bats like C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk who could provide some pop.
— The New York Yankees could use another good bat or two as they continue to fight in the brutally tough AL East. Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger or Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario could be good fits. Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP with the Dodgers, has had a great bounce-back year in Chicago, batting .319 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX REINSTATE 3B YOÁN MONCADA FROM THE 10-DAY INJURED LIST
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox reinstated third baseman Yoán Moncada from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned catcher Carlos Pérez to Triple-A Charlotte.
Moncada was placed on the IL on June 15 with lower back inflammation. He played eight games in a rehab stint at Charlotte, batting .333 (10 for 30).
The 28-year-old Moncada is hitting .232 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 38 games with Chicago this year.
The White Sox opened a two-game series against the crosstown Cubs on Tuesday night.
The White Sox also announced that they had outrighted veteran reliever Bryan Shaw to Charlotte. The 35-year-old Shaw was designated for assignment on Saturday.