MLB roundup: Astros slug 5 homers, sweep Rangers

Jose Abreu matched his career high of seven RBIs with a grand slam and a three-run homer and the Houston Astros slugged five homers while completing a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 12-3 victory on Wednesday night at Arlington, Texas.

Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley and Chas McCormick also slammed homers as Houston again assaulted Texas pitching. The Astros slugged 16 homers and collected 50 hits in the series while outscoring Texas 39-10 and moving to three games up on the Rangers in the American League West. The division-leading Astros lead Seattle by one game.

Justin Verlander (11-7) gave up two runs (one earned) and four hits over seven innings while improving to 5-2 in seven starts since the Astros reacquired him from the New York Mets. He also outdueled his former Detroit Tigers and Mets teammate Max Scherzer.

Scherzer (12-6) was rocked for seven runs and six hits in three innings while falling to 3-2 since the Rangers acquired him from the Mets. He struck out four and walked two.

Yankees 4, Tigers 3

Jasson Dominguez opened the third inning with a tiebreaking homer and produced his first career three-hit game as host New York moved back over the .500 mark for the first time in more than three weeks by beating Detroit.

The Yankees tied a season high with their fifth straight win. New York moved over the .500 mark for the first time since it was 60-59 following an 11-3 loss at Atlanta in the third game of a nine-game skid that pushed them out of contention.

Dominguez snapped a 1-1 tie by lining a 2-1 fastball from Beau Brieske (1-3) into the first row of the right-center field seats. Dominguez joined current Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan (2007) as the second Yankee to hit three homers in their first five career games. New York’s Clarke Schmidt (9-8) allowed three runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings for the win.

Phillies 5, Padres 1

Zack Wheeler gave up one bloop single in six scoreless innings and Kyle Schwarber opened the game with a homer as Philadelphia beat host San Diego in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Wheeler didn’t allow a baserunner until Juan Soto drew a two-out walk in the fourth. Manny Machado then hit a broken-bat fly ball to shallow center that landed just beyond the dive of second baseman Bryson Stott. But Wheeler got Xander Bogaerts to ground out to the inning en route to improving to 11-6.

Padres starter Michael Wacha fell to 11-3, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in four innings. He did, however, work his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam after giving up Schwarber’s homer in the first.

Orioles 10, Angels 3

Austin Hays went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs and Anthony Santander added three hits with a home run as red-hot Baltimore routed Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif., to complete a three-game sweep.

The Orioles won their fifth straight game, all on the road, and picked up their ninth sweep of the season. They kept their lead in the American League East at 3 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 earlier on Wednesday.

Orioles starter Kyle Gibson (14-8) went six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. The right-hander walked two, struck out three and tied the Toronto Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt for the most wins in the AL. Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval (7-12) worked five-plus innings, and all four batters he walked came around to score. He yielded seven runs (four earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts.

Marlins 11, Dodgers 4

Miami hit three home runs in a nine-run fifth inning to rally past visiting Los Angeles and maintain the Marlins’ half-game lead for the final National League wild-card spot.

Joey Wendle, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Sanchez all hit home runs in the fifth inning to account for six of the Marlins’ nine runs in the inning. Miami had seven hits in the decisive frame after just one hit, on a bunt single, in the first four innings.

Five Miami pitchers held down the Dodgers’ offense, with right-hander Edward Cabrera (6-6) throwing four of those innings without allowing a run. Dodgers right-hander Lance Lynn (10-11) was roughed up for eight runs on seven hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. His three home runs allowed boosted his major league-leading total to 40.

Pirates 5, Brewers 4

Ke’Bryan Hayes homered and Ji Hwan Bae hit a go-ahead RBI triple as Pittsburgh erased an early three-run deficit to down visiting Milwaukee in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Jack Suwinski, Joshua Palacios and Miguel Andujar each added an RBI single for the Pirates. Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3) pitched a scoreless seventh. David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.

Willy Adames homered and Mark Canha added an RBI single for the Brewers. Elvis Peguero (4-5) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss.

Guardians 2, Twins 1

Will Brennan had a double with two RBIs, five pitchers combined for a two-hitter and Cleveland edged visiting Minnesota to salvage the finale of a three-game series.

Andres Gimenez had a double and scored twice for Cleveland, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Rookie right-hander Gavin Williams (2-5) picked up his first win since July 8 against the Kansas City Royals, snapping a nine-start winless streak.

Minnesota’s Joe Ryan (10-9) gave up two runs on four hits over four innings with one walk and three strikeouts.

Diamondbacks 12, Rockies 5

Alek Thomas hit a three-run homer to help host Arizona overcome an early four-run deficit and beat Colorado in the rubber match of a three-game series in Phoenix.

After Colorado took a 4-0 lead in the first, the Diamondbacks stormed back, with Thomas’ blast capping a five-run rally in the third that put Arizona ahead 6-5. Thomas added a two-run single an inning later to put the game out of reach. His five RBIs were a career high. Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs for the Diamondbacks, who pulled within a half-game of the third and final National League wild-card spot.

Rockies starter Chris Flexen (1-7) took the loss. Nolan Jones had a two-run triple for Colorado, which has lost 13 of its last 16 games.

Cubs 8, Giants 2

Seiya Suzuki delivered a three-run double in the first inning and Chicago went on to a victory against visiting San Francisco to complete a three-game series sweep.

Miguel Amaya and Cody Bellinger homered as the Cubs won their fourth consecutive game. Chicago left-hander Jordan Wicks (3-0) went 6 2/3 innings in his third major league start. He scattered nine hits, struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Giants starter Alex Wood (5-5) lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his first start since July 21 after nine appearances as a long reliever. He was tagged for five runs and five hits. San Francisco was shut out until the seventh.

Athletics 5, Blue Jays 2

Kevin Smith bombed a three-run home run, Carlos Perez added a two-run shot and Oakland topped visiting Toronto to avoid a sweep and clinch a winning homestand for only the second time this season.

JP Sears (4-11) and three relievers combined on a six-hitter as the A’s won for the fourth time in six games. Despite completing a third consecutive 2-1 series win, the Blue Jays lost ground to victorious Seattle in the wild-card chase. Toronto sits half a game ahead of Texas in the third and final wild-card slot.

Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu (3-2) worked the first five innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He walked one and struck out five. He surrendered Perez’s home run in the fourth and the A’s never trailed from there.

White Sox 6, Royals 4

Andrew Vaughn homered among his three hits for the second day in a row as Chicago defeated host Kansas City to snap a five-game losing streak.

Vaughn’s two-run homer, his 19th, erased a 2-1 deficit in the sixth. The next batter, Yoan Moncada, homered on the first pitch from reliever Tucker Davidson. Chicago’s Oscar Colas led off the seventh with a first-pitch homer to right for a 5-2 lead. White Sox starter Touki Toussaint (3-7) matched a season high by lasting six innings, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Pinch hitter Edward Olivares belted a two-run homer in the eighth, cutting the Royals’ deficit to 5-4. It was Olivares’ third of the series and ninth of the year, and it was the Royals’ first pinch-hit home run of the season. Royals starter Jordan Lyles (4-16) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. He didn’t strike out a batter.

Rays 3, Red Sox 1

Tyler Glasnow matched his career high with 14 strikeouts as Tampa Bay topped Boston in the rubber game of a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Across six innings in a 103-pitch outing, Glasnow (8-5) yielded one run on three hits and one walk. The 6-foot-8 right-hander rounded out his start by fanning six consecutive batters in the fifth and sixth innings. Glasnow’s only previous 14-K game came against the Texas Rangers on April 12, 2021.

Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes both homered and Harold Ramirez doubled home a run as Tampa Bay improved to 9-2 this season against the Red Sox.

Mariners 8, Reds 4

Logan Gilbert allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings for his eighth straight winning decision as visiting Seattle beat Cincinnati to salvage the finale of a three-game series.

Cal Raleigh belted his 26th homer of the season and finished 3-for-4 while J.P. Crawford highlighted a five-run fourth with a three-run homer for the Mariners, who won for just the second time in six games on their 10-game road trip. Gilbert (13-5) struck out nine and walked two while allowing seven hits to help the Mariners snap a three-game skid and improve to 40-19 since July 1.

Will Benson homered and doubled twice for the Reds, who fell to 4-3 on their 10-game homestand. The Mariners roughed up Cincinnati rookie right-hander Lyon Richardson (0-2) for seven runs on seven hits, including three homers. Richardson lasted 4 2/3 innings, striking out three but walking four to remain winless in his first four major league starts.

Nationals 3, Mets 2

Rookie Jacob Young’s one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in the winning run as Washington beat visiting New York to end a six-game losing streak.

Mets reliever Phil Bickford (4-5) walked Carter Kieboom to open the ninth and hit Jake Alu with a pitch before Ildemaro Vargas delivered a sacrifice bunt. Young then came through with his single to center field. He was playing in his 11th major league game and ended up with multiple hits for the second time, going 2-for-4 for the second night in a row.

Kyle Finnegan (7-4) earned the win after working one shutout inning. He was aided by a double-play grounder in the top of the ninth.

Cardinals 11, Braves 6

Willson Contreras drove in three runs and hit one of four St. Louis home runs to help the visiting Cardinals beat Atlanta for the second straight game.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run, his 17th. Paul Goldschmidt hit his 23rd homer, Masyn Winn hit his first major league blast and Nolan Gorman added a three-run shot, his 27th, that put the game away in the eighth inning. Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson also had multi-hit games for the Cardinals, who had 14 hits and scored double-digit runs for the second consecutive game.

Atlanta ace Spencer Strider (16-5) worked only 2 2/3 innings, matching his shortest start of the season, and allowed six runs on six hits, three walks and five strikeouts, ending his four-game winning streak.

—Field Level Media