MLB ROUNDUP: CRISTOPHER SANCHEZ’S 2-HITTER LIFTS PHILS PAST NATS
Cristopher Sanchez pitched a two-hitter for his second career complete game to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting Washington Nationals 5-1 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.
Sanchez (9-8) struck out four with no walks for Philadelphia, which has won eight of the nine meetings against Washington this season, including six straight.
Alec Bohm extended his on-base streak to a career-high 34 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the majors.
Alex Call homered for the Nationals, who have lost four straight.
Padres 8, Rockies 3
Luis Campusano homered and singled, Manny Machado had four hits and streaking San Diego beat Colorado in Denver for its 20th win in 25 games since the All-Star break.
Xander Bogaerts, Ha-Seong Kim and Bryce Johnson had two hits apiece to back another solid start from Padres starter Dylan Cease. The right-hander (12-9) allowed three runs on three hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five.
Michael Toglia homered for Colorado, which honored Hall of Fame inductee Todd Helton before and during the game. Starter Kyle Freeland (3-5) allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked three and fanned three.
Brewers 2, Guardians 1
William Contreras hit a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning and right-hander Freddy Peralta pitched six solid innings as Milwaukee edged visiting Cleveland in matchup division leaders.
Peralta (8-7) bounced back from a loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers by limiting the Guardians to one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked two. Devin Williams recorded his fourth save and capped a strong display by the Brewers’ bullpen. Williams, Jared Koenig and Joel Payamps each pitched one perfect inning of relief.
Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (10-5) was saddled with the loss. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking one and fanning seven. Josh Naylor hit his 27th homer of the season for the Guardians.
Cardinals 5, Dodgers 2
Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs as host St. Louis defeated Los Angeles to snap its five-game losing streak.
Masyn Winn homered and scored twice for the Cardinals. Nolan Arenado also hit a home run and Willson Contreras went 2-for-3 with an RBI. St. Louis starting pitcher Andre Pallante (5-6) held the Dodgers to two runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked two. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his 38th save.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 38th homer, stole two bases and scored twice for the Dodgers, who lost for the third time in four games. Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller (1-3) allowed four runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one, struck out one and threw four wild pitches.
Pirates 7, Mariners 2
Pittsburgh hit three home runs and Bailey Falter delivered a solid start in a win over visiting Seattle.
Falter (6-7) notched a career-high-tying eight strikeouts while holding Seattle to two runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Pirates have won two straight after a 10-game losing streak and snapped a skid of four consecutive series losses.
The Mariners have lost five straight and eight of their past 12.
Tigers 4, Yankees 0
Andy Ibanez had a two-run double and a trio of Detroit pitchers held visiting New York to four hits in a shutout victory.
Tigers starter Keider Montero (4-5) limited the Yankees to two hits while striking out five in five-plus innings. Tyler Holton gave up one hit in three innings. Jason Foley completed the shutout.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon (13-8) gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Oswaldo Cabrera had two of New York’s hits.
Cubs 3, Blue Jays 2
Michael Busch hit a two-run triple to lift host Chicago to a win over Toronto.
The Cubs jumped in front in the first inning as Ian Happ hit a leadoff homer 413 feet to center field to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Busch hit a triple off the ivy in center field, scoring Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya.
For the Jays, Addison Barger hit a solo shot and Daulton Varsho notched an RBI single. Toronto’s Chris Bassitt (9-12) threw five innings and gave up three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Twins 5, Rangers 2
Willi Castro finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, helping rally Minnesota past host Texas in Arlington, giving the Twins their third straight win.
Minnesota starter David Festa went five innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out six and walking none. Ronny Henriquez (1-0) got the win as the Twins’ bullpen threw four scoreless innings.
For Texas, starter Nathan Eovaldi (8-7) pitched seven-plus innings and allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits, striking out six without a walk. Designated hitter Carson Kelly went 2-for-4, driving in both runs for Texas as the Rangers lost their third straight and their sixth in seven games.
Mets 4, Marlins 0
Luis Severino threw his first shutout in more than six years for New York, which earned its second straight win by beating visiting Miami in the middle game of a three-game series.
Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso homered for the Mets, who have outscored the Marlins 11-3 over the past two games. The Marlins have lost eight of 11.
Severino (8-6) gave up four hits and walked one while striking out eight in his second career shutout. He tossed a five-hitter for the New York Yankees against the Houston Astros in a 4-0 win on May 2, 2018.
Rays 6, Diamondbacks 1
Brandon Lowe bashed a two-run homer, starter Jeffrey Springs won for the first time since Tommy John surgery and Tampa Bay’s win broke Arizona’s nine-series winning streak in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Lowe was 2-for-4 with his 15th homer along with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs for the Rays.
Kevin Newman had two of the Diamondbacks’ five hits, all singles. Jose Herrera had an RBI single.
Royals 13, Reds 1
Dairon Blanco homered twice and collected seven RBIs as Kansas City rolled past host Cincinnati in the middle game of a three-game series.
Every starter had at least one hit and one run for the Royals, who won their third straight game.
Jeimer Candelario homered in the seventh for the Reds, who have dropped two in a row after a four-game winning streak.
Athletics 2, Giants 0
Osvaldo Bido took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Seth Brown stroked three hits and host Oakland blanked rival San Francisco.
Scott Alexander, Grant Holman, T.J. McFarland and Michel Otanez completed Oakland’s 10th shutout of the season by combining for three innings of relief, helping the A’s guarantee themselves at least a split in their four-game season series with the Giants.
Grant McCray and Mark Canha teamed up for all four Giants hits.
Astros 6, White Sox 1
Hunter Brown recorded his 14th quality start while matching his single-season high for victories to lead Houston past visiting Chicago.
Brown (11-7) logged seven innings for only the second time this season and allowed one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts for the Astros. After encountering two-out trouble that cost him a run in the first inning, Brown blanked the White Sox from there.
Chris Flexen allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with one strikeout over four innings and dropped to 0-9 over his past 18 starts, with the White Sox losing each game.
Red Sox 5, Orioles 1
Jarren Duran’s two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning broke a tie and Rafael Devers added a two-run home run as visiting Boston defeated Baltimore.
Starter Brayan Bello (11-5) and four relievers combined on a five-hitter as the Red Sox won their second game in a row.
Gunnar Henderson homered for the third time in four games for the Orioles, who have lost four of their past six games. Henderson had two of Baltimore’s hits.
Braves 11, Angels 3
Marcell Ozuna had three hits, including a three-run homer in the first inning, sparking Atlanta to a lopsided victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Ramon Laureano and Whit Merrifield also homered, and Michael Harris II chipped in with three hits for an Atlanta offense that tallied 12 in all.
Kevin Pillar went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Angels, who have lost four of five.
REDS PUT ALL-STAR HUNTER GREENE ON IL (ELBOW SORENESS)
Reds ace Hunter Greene was placed on the 15-day injured list just before Cincinnati’s game Saturday with right elbow soreness in what was deemed a “precautionary” move.
Greene (9-4, 2.83 ERA), who made the All-Star team for the first time in his three seasons in the majors, was sore after his start on Tuesday, according to Nick Krall, Cincinnati’s president of baseball operations. Greene felt better for a few days, but the pain returned after he played catch on Saturday.
“We put him on the IL for precautionary reasons. We’ll get the MRI in the next couple of days and go from there,” Krall said.
Greene, who vaulted into consideration for the National League Cy Young Award by going 4-0 in his last seven starts with an ERA of 0.98, had Tommy John on his right elbow in 2019.
He was first in the NL in opponents’ batting average (.185), third in ERA and tied for fourth in strikeouts. However, he also was second in walks (53) and first in hit batters (19).
Greene had been scheduled to pitch again Monday, although no plan for that start was immediately announced. The Reds said a corresponding move to fill Greene’s spot on the active roster would come Sunday.
Cincinnati’s first-round pick in 2017 (second overall) is 18-24 with a 3.94 ERA in 70 career starts.
–Field Level Media