Kyle Schwarber clubbed two homers and drove in four runs, leading the blazing-hot Washington Nationals to a 7-3 win over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
Schwarber hit a homer to lead off the game and added a three-run shot in his second at-bat in just the 13th time that Schwarber hit leadoff for Washington. He has delivered 12 home runs in those games and is already tied for third in franchise history with five leadoff homers.
The reigning National League Player of the Week, Schwarber has 21 homers for the season. He is one of just four players in MLB history with at least eight homers and 15 RBIs in a five-game span. The Nationals won their fifth straight game, making them the hottest team in the NL since June 13 at 10-1.
Miami has lost four straight games and eight of 10. The Marlins couldn’t get a runner past first base until the fifth inning, and they have now scored just five runs over their past four games. Rookie Jazz Chisholm Jr. lofted a three-run homer.
Astros 12, Tigers 3
Yordan Alvarez blasted his second career grand slam and drove in five runs, Myles Straw led an 18-hit attack with four hits and three runs scored, and Houston stretched its winning streak to 11 games by pounding host Detroit.
The Astros are within one victory of matching the franchise record of 12 consecutive wins, which they have accomplished three times (1999, 2004, 2018). Carlos Correa supplied three hits and three RBIs; Yuli Gurriel contributed three hits, two runs and an RBI; and Martin Maldonado added two hits and two RBIs.
Akil Baddoo led the Tigers’ offense with three hits and an RBI. Detroit starter Jose Urena (2-8) gave up six runs, four earned, on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Rays 1, Red Sox 0
Manuel Margot scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the ninth inning as Tampa Bay held off Boston in the rubber match of a three-game series at St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Red Sox took a combined no-hitter into the eighth inning before Kevin Kiermaier doubled with one out. Margot’s two-out single in the ninth was Tampa Bay’s second and final hit. Margot stole second, took third on a throwing error by catcher Christian Vazquez and then scored on the errant pitch from Matt Barnes (3-2).
Boston starter Nick Pivetta did not allow a hit in 6 2/3 innings. Tampa Bay starter Michael Wacha gave up just one hit in five innings.
Yankees 8, Royals 1
Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the sixth and Jameson Taillon pitched 6 1/3 effective innings as New York pulled away for a victory over visiting Kansas City.
Aaron Judge and Luke Voit added solo homers as the Yankees won for the seventh time in nine games. Giancarlo Stanton, Rougned Odor and Judge had three hits apiece, and Sanchez continued his tear by hitting his eighth homer in his past 23 games.
Rookie Sebastian Rivero had an RBI double for Kansas City, which lost for the 14th time in 18 games. It was the first career hit for Rivero, who drew a game-tying walk Wednesday off Aroldis Chapman.
Blue Jays 9, Orioles 0
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a grand slam to cap a six-run first inning and Toronto defeated visiting Baltimore in Buffalo.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who opened the four-game series with their season-best fifth straight win. Reese McGuire had three singles and a run scored for the Blue Jays.
The Orioles have lost six in a row and 14 of their past 15, with their only win during that span coming June 18 against Toronto. Baltimore has lost its past 20 road games, two shy of the American League record held by the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics and three short of this season’s Arizona Diamondbacks for the major league mark.
Reds 5, Braves 3
Rookie Tony Santillan earned his first major league win with six innings of one-run ball as Cincinnati beat visiting Atlanta.
Nick Castellanos launched a towering two-run homer and drove in four runs to help the Reds take the opener of a four-game series. Santillan (1-1), making his third start, allowed three hits and three walks while striking out a career-high eight.
Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies launched homers for the Braves as Ronald Acuna Jr. missed his second consecutive game due to back tightness.
A’s 5, Rangers 1
Jed Lowrie homered and drove in two runs to lift Oakland to a victory in Arlington, Texas, and a split of the four-game series.
Lowrie hit an RBI single to cap the Athletics’ three-run, first-inning rally, and he added a solo homer in the fourth.
Chris Bassitt (8-2) won his eighth consecutive decision after allowing one run on five hits in seven innings. Texas’ Kolby Allard (2-3) yielded four runs on eight hits in six innings.
Pirates 8, Cardinals 2
Bryan Reynolds drove in four runs as visiting Pittsburgh sent slumping St. Louis three games below .500 for the first time this season.
Reynolds hit a three-run homer and an RBI single for the Pirates, who won for the fourth time in six games. Adam Frazier and Phillip Evans also hit homers and Colin Moran drove in two runs. The Cardinals lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (2-4) held the Cardinals to one run on three hits and three walks in six innings. Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (3-9) allowed five runs in five innings on five hits and seven walks, one of them intentional.
Indians 4, Twins 1
Eddie Rosario celebrated his homecoming to Minneapolis with a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning, propelling Cleveland past Minnesota.
It was Rosario’s first game at Target Field in a visitor’s uniform since he signed a one-year contract with the Indians in February. He starred for six seasons in Minnesota. Blake Parker (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief, and James Karinchak picked up his ninth save.
Bobby Bradley and Austin Hedges also drove in runs for the Indians, and the Twins scored their only run on a wild pitch in the first inning. Losing pitcher Jorge Alcala (1-2) surrendered three runs in the eighth. He gave up two hits and walked one.
–Field Level Media