Nathan Lukes' 3-run homer helps the Blue Jays avoid a sweep with a win over the Orioles
Toronto's AL East lead was down to four games after dropping the first three of this series against the last-place Orioles. And the Blue Jays fell behind 3-0 early in the finale before rallying.
Bo Bichette delivered a two-run single off Yennier Cano (1-6) to put Toronto ahead 6-5 in the seventh. Three batters later, Lukes came up as a pinch-hitter and connected off Cano.
The Orioles answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but with the bases loaded and one out, Braydon Fisher came on and struck out Cedric Mullins and pinch-hitter Ramon Laureano to preserve a one-run lead.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched a scoreless eighth one day after being traded from the Orioles to Toronto. Then Jeff Hoffman finished for his 25th save in 29 chances.
TIGERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, Chris Paddack threw six solid innings in his Detroit debut and the Tigers beat Arizona.
The AL Central-leading Tigers have won four straight games, coming off a 1-12 slump that spanned before and after the All-Star Game.
Detroit may make moves before the trade deadline on Thursday to bolster its chances winning the franchise's first World Series since 1984.
Arizona has lost five straight, matching its longest losing streak of the season.
Paddack (4-10) gave up only one run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks, two days after the right-hander was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins.
Ryne Nelson (6-3) allowed four runs — one earned — on six hits. Kyle Backhus followed and gave up three runs on four hits, retiring only two batters.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jarren Duran went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, Trevor Story hit his second homer in as many games, and the Red Sox earned a series win with a victory at Minnesota.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello yielded one earned run on five hits in seven innings with four strikeouts. The Dominican right-hander has recorded a quality start in nine of his past 10 outings.
Boston finished the month 17-7 and has the American League's fifth-best record at 59-51. Minnesota (51-57) is 4-8 since the All-Star break and sits fourth in the AL Central.
Story's 17th home run of the season gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Abraham Toro had an RBI sacrifice fly in the third, and Duran's two-run single in the fifth made it 4-1 and ended starter Zebby Matthews' day.
ASTROS 9, NATIONALS 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve tied a career high with four hits, highlighted by a three-run homer, to lead Houston to a win over Washington.
It was Altuve's second four-hit game of the season and 41st of his career, which extends a franchise record. He was 4 for 4 and scored three times.
Cooper Hummel hit a two-run homer and Yainer Díaz added a three-run shot to help the AL West leaders win a second straight after they snapped a season-long five-game skid with a 7-4 win Tuesday night.
Houston starter rookie Ryan Gusto (7-4) yielded four hits and a run in six innings to bounce back after giving up a season-high eight runs in a loss to the Athletics on Friday night.
There were two on with two outs in the second when Altuve smacked a changeup from MacKenzie Gore (4-11) into the Crawford Boxes to put the Astros on top 4-1.
Mauricio Dubón singled with one out in the sixth and Hummel made it 6-1 and chased Gore with his third homer of the season.
Gore allowed eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 1, BRAVES 0, 10 INNINGS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez drove in MJ Melendez with a single leading off the 10th inning, and Kansas City beat Atlanta while matching a major league record by using nine total pitchers in the shutout.
Sam Long (1-2) was the last of the relievers for Kansas City. He had runners on the corners with nobody out in the 10th before striking out Sean Murphy and Eli White and getting Luke Williams to line out to left field.
Kansas City put Melendez on second base as a pinch runner in the bottom half, and Perez rapped the second pitch from Daysbel Hernandez (4-2) into the gap in right field to give the Royals the win.
The only other club to use nine pitchers in a shutout was Cleveland, which also did it in a 10-inning game in 2016.
WHITE SOX 9, PHILLIES 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero each hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Chicago beat Philadelphia.
Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel also went deep as last-place Chicago won the rain-delayed rubber game of the three-game series. Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Tauchman each had three hits, and Mike Vasil (5-3) pitched four scoreless innings.
Robert, Tauchman and right-hander Adrian Houser all could be on the move ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline. Austin Slater was dealt to the Yankees before the matchup with the Phillies, and Houser was scratched amid trade talks.
Philadelphia's bullpen struggled on the same day it acquired hard-throwing reliever Jhoan Duran in a trade with Minnesota. The Phillies remained a half-game back of the NL East-leading Mets, who lost 5-0 at San Diego.
CUBS 10, BREWERS 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Busch homered on the game's first pitch, Moisés Ballesteros hit a bases-clearing double and Chicago trounced Milwaukee to avoid a three-game sweep.
Milwaukee leads Chicago by one game in the NL Central. The teams meet once more this season, a five-game series at Chicago from Aug. 18-21.
Ian Happ homered, Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3 for 4 with two doubles and Kyle Tucker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for the Cubs.
Milwaukee's William Contreras had his fifth career two-homer game. The two-time All-Star had homered just once since May 23.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (8-4) struck out eight, walked none and gave up three runs and five hits in five innings.
Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (12-5), who had won his last seven starts, allowed a season-high five runs in four innings.
PIRATES 2, GIANTS 1, 10 INNINGS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Henry Davis' fielder's-choice grounder brought home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning, and Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of San Francisco.
Pittsburgh has won five in a row. San Francisco went 0-6 on its homestand, the first time since 1896 the Giants franchise has gone winless on a homestand of six or more games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Giants also dropped below .500 (54-55) for the first time this season.
San Francisco was swept last weekend by the New York Mets.
With runners at the corners in the 10th, Davis hit a comebacker to Ryan Walker (2-4). Instead of throwing to the plate to get Oneil Cruz, Walker went to second to try to get a double play. Jack Suwinski was running on the pitch and beat the throw. Davis was retired.
Isaac Mattson (3-1) worked two scoreless innings. He struck out Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos with runners at second and third for the final two outs.
Pittsburgh starter Mike Burrows allowed one run on three hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one. The Giants' Logan Webb gave up one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 and walked four.
PADRES 5, METS 0
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish pitched seven impressive innings for his first win of the season, Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer and San Diego beat NL East-leading New York for a three-game sweep.
Manny Machado added a two-run, bases-loaded single for the Padres, who won their fifth straight game as they continue to chase the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Slugger Juan Soto was out of the lineup for the Mets a day after fouling a ball off the top of his left foot.
Darvish (1-3), who turns 39 on Aug. 16, held the Mets to two hits, struck out seven and walked none in his fifth start. After allowing Mark Vientos' single with one out in the first, Darvish retired the next 13 batters. He had been sidelined by right elbow inflammation from mid-March until making his season debut on July 7.
Darvish got a nice ovation as he headed to the dugout after pitching a perfect seventh in what became the Padres' big league-high 15th shutout.
GUARDIANS 5, ROCKIES 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — David Fry hit a two-run homer, Kolby Allard struck out five in 3 1/3 innings, and Cleveland beat Colorado.
Carlos Santana had two hits and an RBI and José Ramírez added two hits as Cleveland took two of three from the Rockies.
Allard retired nine straight batters with five strikeouts while surrendering just one hit.
Ramírez doubled in the first inning, moving to seventh on the Guardians' career hit list, and Fry followed with a home run over the left field wall for a 2-0 lead.
Jakob Junis (3-1) went two innings while Nic Enright, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith each pitched one scoreless inning. Six Cleveland pitchers held the Rockies to three hits.
Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (2-11) gave up three hits and two runs in three innings.
REDS 5, DODGERS 2
CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer hit a two-run triple in the eighth inning and Cincinnati defeated Los Angeles after Shohei Ohtani's pitching outing was cut short.
Ohtani left the mound accompanied by a trainer during the fourth inning with no outs and a 2-0 count against Spencer Steer. The Dodgers' two-way superstar threw six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches.
Ohtani was making his seventh mound start in his comeback from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which occurred after the 2023 season. The Dodgers' plan for Wednesday was for Ohtani to throw four innings. He threw 51 pitches, including 32 for strikes.
After Austin Hays and Tyler Stephenson walked in the eighth against Emmet Sheehan (0-3), Steer drove a ball to deep center on the 11th pitch of his at-bat. James Outman, who had just entered to play center field, nearly made a leaping catch at the wall, but the ball popped out of his glove, and Hays and Stephenson scored.
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