MLB ROUNDUP: METS BEAT NATS FOR JUSTIN VERLANDER’S 250TH WIN
Justin Verlander earned his 250th career win on Sunday afternoon, when he tossed 5 1/3 solid innings to lead the New York Mets to a 5-2 victory and an eventful series win over the visiting Washington Nationals.
Verlander (6-5), whose name has been bandied about in trade rumors, allowed one run — when CJ Abrams swiped home as part of a double steal in the first — on five hits and one walk while striking out five. He is the 49th pitcher to record 250 wins.
Pete Alonso had two RBIs via a game-tying single in the first and a sacrifice fly during a three-run third against Trevor Williams (5-6). Francisco Lindor homered in the fourth and finished with three hits.
Ildemaro Vargas had an RBI single in the seventh for the Nationals, who are 8-8 since the All-Star break. Williams allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two over four innings.
Giants 4, Red Sox 3 (11 innings)
Joc Pederson lined a bases-loaded single to right field with no outs in the last of the 11th inning, giving San Francisco its second straight walk-off win over visiting Boston in the interleague series finale.
After Tristan Beck (2-0) had held the Red Sox without a hit in both extra innings, the Giants plated automatic runner Patrick Bailey as Casey Schmitt was hit by a pitch and Brandon Crawford bunted for a single, setting up Pederson’s game-winner off former teammate Mauricio Llovera (1-1).
Both teams scored in the eighth to produce a 3-3 tie moving forward. Justin Turner and Adam Duvall homered for the Red Sox, who have lost back-to-back games after a five-game winning streak.
Angels 3, Blue Jays 2 (10 innings)
Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning and drove in three runs as visiting Los Angeles defeated Toronto.
Renfroe had three hits as the Angels salvaged the finale of the three-game series. Left-hander Tyler Anderson gave up one run on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings, and Carlos Estevez (5-1) earned the win.
Yimi Garcia (3-4) allowed Renfroe’s 17th homer of the season with one out in the 10th. Whit Merrifield and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each had an RBI single for the Blue Jays.
Braves 8, Brewers 6
Matt Olson homered twice and drove in five runs to help Atlanta complete a three-game sweep of visiting Milwaukee.
Olson broke a 6-6 tie with a two-run homer in the eighth off reliever Joel Payamps (4-2). Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna also homered, and Ronald Acuna Jr. had two hits and two runs for Atlanta. Kirby Yates (5-0) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth.
Christian Yelich and Carlos Santana homered and William Contreras had two hits and two RBIs for Milwaukee, which has dropped four of its last five.
Pirates 6, Phillies 4 (10 innings)
Josh Palacios hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning to give Pittsburgh a victory over visiting Philadelphia in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Bryan Reynolds also hit a home run for the Pirates. Left-hander Angel Perdomo (2-1) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win. Andrew Vasquez (2-1) took the loss.
Alec Bohm hit a two-run home run and an RBI single, and Bryce Harper added an RBI single for the Phillies. Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sanchez pitched five no-hit innings, allowing five baserunners — three hit batters and two walks.
Marlins 8, Tigers 6
Garrett Cooper hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning and Jean Segura added a solo shot in the eighth to lift host Miami past Detroit.
In his first game since April 28 due to a back injury, Marlins right fielder Avisail Garcia went 2-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and one run. Two relievers obtained in trades within the past week helped the Marlins earn the win, as Jorge Lopez (5-2) got the victory and David Robertson picked up his 15th save.
Miguel Cabrera and Kerry Carpenter finished with two RBIs apiece for the Tigers.
Royals 2, Twins 1
Behind Ryan Yarbrough’s seven solid innings, Kansas City beat visiting Minnesota, completing its first series sweep of the season.
Yarbrough (4-5) needed just 78 pitches to complete seven innings, allowing a run on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks. It was Yarbrough’s longest outing in over two years.
Freddy Fermin got the Royals out in front with two outs in the second, hitting Kenta Maeda’s splitter over the wall in left center. Matt Wallner answered with one out in the third, smashing Yarbrough’s curveball above the right field bullpen. Kansas City retook the lead on Maikel Garcia’s RBI double in the third.
Rays 8, Astros 2
Josh Lowe delivered a bases-clearing double in the first inning, Brandon Lowe hit a two-run home run in the sixth and Zack Littell logged a career-high five innings as Tampa Bay claimed the rubber match of its three-game series against host Houston.
Littell (1-2) limited the Astros to two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Brandon Lowe finished with three hits, three RBIs and two runs.
Kyle Tucker had an RBI double and Alex Bregman added an RBI for the Astros. Houston starter Brandon Bielak (5-6) surrendered six runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
Guardians 5, White Sox 0
Jose Ramirez smacked a pair of home runs and Aaron Civale logged six strong innings as visiting Cleveland beat Chicago in the finale of a four-game set.
Ramirez hit a solo shot in the fifth and added a two-run blast in the seventh for Cleveland, which had lost back-to-back games after winning Thursday’s series opener. Civale (5-2) surrendered just three hits while keeping the White Sox off the board.
Luis Robert Jr. doubled and Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Andrew Vaughn each had a single to account for Chicago’s four hits. White Sox starter Michael Kopech (4-10) lasted five innings, giving up three runs on four hits.
Cardinals 3, Cubs 0
Steven Matz, Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero combined to throw a five-hit shutout as St. Louis blanked visiting Chicago.
Matz (2-7) allowed four hits and did not walk a batter over six innings. Tyler O’Neill, Andrew Knizner and Paul Goldschmidt drove in the Cardinals’ runs.
Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (4-5) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings, with two strikeouts.
Rockies 2, Athletics 0
Ryan McMahon had two hits and two RBIs, Ty Blach opened the game with five strong innings and Colorado beat Oakland in Denver.
Nolan Jones also had two hits and Justin Lawrence got the final three outs for his eighth save for Colorado, which snapped a four-game losing streak and salvaged the final game of the weekend series. Ramon Laureano had two hits for the A’s.
Blach (1-0) served as the opener for the Rockies and was able to hold Oakland scoreless for his five innings, which was a change from the first two games of the series when the A’s had at least five runs after three innings both nights.
Dodgers 9, Reds 0
Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Joey Votto all hit home runs in the first three innings and visiting Cincinnati finished off a convincing victory over Los Angeles.
De La Cruz finished with four hits, the third time in 46 games since his June 6 debut that he has delivered at least four hits in a contest. Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft (6-7) gave up five hits over six scoreless innings as the Reds went 4-2 against Los Angeles this season, winning the season series over the Dodgers for the first time since 2018.
Freddie Freeman had two hits for the Dodgers, who lost a pair of All-Stars in the first four innings as both designated hitter J.D. Martinez (hamstring) and catcher Will Smith (elbow) departed. Michael Grove (2-3) gave up eight runs on 10 hits over six innings but also had a career-best 10 strikeouts.
Mariners 4, Diamondbacks 0
Luis Castillo allowed two hits over six scoreless innings and J.P. Crawford hit a home run to lead Seattle to a victory over Arizona in Phoenix.
Castillo (7-7) struck out seven, walked one and did not allow a runner past second base. Crawford added a double, two walks and three runs for the Mariners.
Arizona starter Merrill Kelly (9-5) threw 41 pitches in a two-run first inning and finished with 90 in five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks as the Diamondbacks lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
Padres 5, Rangers 3
Gary Sanchez hit two solo home runs and Blake Snell didn’t allow an earned run in five innings as San Diego held on to defeat visiting Texas and complete a three-game sweep.
The win was the Padres’ 11th straight over the Rangers since 2018 — setting a San Diego franchise record for consecutive wins against one team. Sanchez hit his 11th and 12th homers against Texas relievers Jose Leclerc (0-2) and Brock Burke, helping the Padres build a 4-1 lead after five innings.
The Rangers pulled to within a run in the top of the sixth on Marcus Semien’s two-run single off Padres reliever Nick Martinez. Texas loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against closer Josh Hader, but Hader retired Josh Jung on a fly ball to right to record his 25th save.
RANGERS ACQUIRE STARTING PITCHER JORDAN MONTGOMERY AND RELIEVER CHRIS STRATTON FROM THE CARDINALS
SAN DIEGO (AP) The AL West-leading Texas Rangers continued to load up on pitching Sunday by acquiring left-hander Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The deal came a few hours after Texas announced the addition of three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer from the New York Mets. Also on Sunday, the Rangers placed ace Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, retroactive to July 27.
Texas sent left-hander John King, minor league infielder Tommy Saggese and Double-A right-hander T.K. Roby to the Cardinals. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rangers designated right-hander Joe Barlow for assignment.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the guys in Texas,” Montgomery said, before referring to popular Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux. “Having Mad Dog there will be great.
“I was kind of prepared for it. Just excited to join the new team. It’s been fun being here. Stratton is one of my best friends here – it’s great having that.”
Montgomery is 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts for last-place St. Louis, with 108 strikeouts against 35 walks. He can become a free agent after this season.
Stratton is 1-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 42 relief appearances, with 59 strikeouts and 17 walks.
“I look forward to seeing these guys. They’re going to help us and make us a better ballclub,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after the San Diego Padres clinched a three-game sweep with a 5-3 win over Texas.
The Cardinals are last in the NL Central, 13 games under .500.
“This is a day that we were hoping would never happen in a sense of having to break up our club, having to focus on the future,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “But over the course of the last two weeks, we were really taking a hard look at what the trading deadline can do for us.”
St. Louis also sent hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-handers Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse.
“I feel pretty good about what we acquired,” Mozeliak added. “This group has some upside. These guys are going to come out and compete right away. They’re people that are going to be pitching at our upper levels. This year has not gone as we planned. We want to focus on 2024 and beyond.”
To get Scherzer, the Rangers sent highly rated infield prospect Luisangel Acuña to the Mets. He is the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr.
Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to complete the deal, and the Mets will send cash to Texas. The pitcher also agreed to opt in on the final year of his contract in 2024 at $43.3 million, according to reports that said the Mets were paying about $35 million of the remaining $58 million on the right-hander’s contract.
BLUE JAYS BOLSTER BULLPEN BY ACQUIRING RHP JORDAN HICKS FROM ST. LOUIS
TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays strengthened their depleted bullpen Sunday by acquiring right-hander Jordan Hicks in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Toronto sent minor league right-handers Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse to St. Louis for the 26-year-old Hicks. The Blue Jays (59-47) are tied with Houston in the wild-card race, four games behind Tampa Bay. Toronto trails Baltimore by five games in the AL East.
A five-year veteran who had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, Hicks is 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA and eight saves in 11 chances. The hard-throwing Hicks has struck out 59 batters in 41 2/3 innings while walking 24.
Toronto put closer Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a sore back. Romano left the July 11 All-Star Game in Seattle because of back pain and did not pitch for the Blue Jays again until July 20. He left with two outs in the ninth inning of Friday’s 4-1 win over the Angels and was replaced by Yimi García.
Toronto lost Sunday’s series finale when García, who was pitching for the third straight day, gave up Hunter Renfroe’s two-run homer in the 10th. It was the first time this season García had pitched on three consecutive days.
The Blue Jays could get more relief help when right-hander Chad Green returns from Tommy John surgery. Green, who had elbow surgery last May, signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with Toronto in January. The former Yankee made his third rehab appearance with Class-A Dunedin on Saturday and is expected to move up to Triple-A Buffalo next.
Kloffenstein was 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA in 17 starts at Double-A New Hampshire. Robberse, who is from the Netherlands, was 3-5 with a 4.06 ERA in 18 starts for the Fisher Cats.
Right-hander Mitch White was designated for assignment to make room for Hicks on Toronto’s 40-man roster.
ANGELS ACQUIRE 1B C.J. CRON, OF RANDAL GRICHUK FROM ROCKIES
The Colorado Rockies dealt first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night in exchange for two prospects.
The Angels shipped right-handed pitcher Jake Madden and left-hander Mason Albright to the Rockies in the trade, two days before the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Los Angeles will also receive cash considerations from the Rockies.
Cron, 33, was in his third season with Colorado and batting .260 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs over 56 games. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2022, finishing the season with 29 homers and a career-best 102 RBIs.
Cron returns to the Angels after starting his MLB career there in 2014. He is a career .260 hitter with 186 homers, 193 doubles and 599 RBIs across 10 seasons with the Angels (2014-17), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Minnesota Twins (2019), Detroit Tigers (2020) and Rockies.
Grichuk, 31, is batting a career-high .308 with eight homers and 27 RBIs over 64 appearances. He has batted .251 over his 10-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals (2014-17), Toronto Blue Jays (2018-21) and Colorado.
The Angels added the two position players to help cope with a run of poor injury luck. Outfielder Taylor Ward (facial fractures) went on the 60-day injured list Sunday after getting hit by a pitch Saturday. Star outfielder Mike Trout (hand/wrist), third baseman Anthony Rendon (shin) and second baseman Brandon Drury (shoulder) are on the IL.
Madden, 21, is in his first season at Single-A Inland Empire and is 2-6 with a 5.46 ERA with 66 strikeouts through 14 starts.
Albright, 20, has never played higher than the High-A level and is 9-4 with a 3.62 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 15 games (14 starts) at Single-A this season.