PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched his first career complete game and Rodolfo Castro hit a two-run homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Keller (4-1) shut out the Rockies on four hits in his first time pitching into the eighth inning. The fifth-year veteran struck out eight and walked one in a game that took just 1 hour, 55 minutes.
Castro’s homer off Kyle Freeland in the seventh broke the scoreless tie.
Freeland (3-4) also had a strong start, giving up two runs and seven hits in seven innings with four strikeouts and three walks.
Ke’Bryan Hayes had two hits for the Pirates, who hold a slim lead in the NL Central. Kris Bryant had two hits for the Rockies, who had won six of seven.
RANGERS 2, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE (AP) — Marcus Semien ended Logan Gilbert’s bid for a perfect game with a leadoff single in a two-run seventh inning, and Jon Gray pitched Texas past Seattle.
Semien scored the tying run on Josh Jung’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Jonah Heim chased Gilbert (1-2) with a two-out RBI single.
Ty France homered in the first off Gray (2-1), who gave up four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none as Texas won its third straight.
Gilbert mowed down the Rangers for six innings. He struck out seven consecutive batters from the second through the fourth, matching a franchise record held by Mark Langston (1984) and teammate Luis Castillo (2022). He needed only 72 pitches to retire his first 18 hitters, fanning nine. But he ran into trouble in the seventh.
YANKEES 7, ATHLETICS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Hicks broke out of his season-long slump with a two-run homer and New York went deep four times in a win over Oakland.
Gleyber Torres hit a tiebreaking solo drive in the sixth inning against former Yankees lefty JP Sears (0-3). Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu launched two-run shots off Sears as New York (19-17) avoiding falling back to .500 for the second time in a week.
The Yankees won for the fourth time in 10 games without slugger Aaron Judge, who is expected back Tuesday from a stint on the injured list due to a strained right hip.
Nestor Cortes rebounded from his worst start with the Yankees and allowed two runs on six hits in five-plus innings. Ron Marinaccio (2-1) earned the win in relief.
Sears allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings as the major league-worst A’s dropped to 8-28 overall.
TIGERS 6, GUARDIANS 2
CLEVELAND (AP) — Joey Wentz settled down after allowing a double and single to start the game on the way to his first win, and Andy Ibañez homered and scored three runs in Detroit's win over struggling Cleveland.
After allowing the opening hits, Wentz (1-3) then retired 13 of 14 before giving up a pair of walks in the sixth. He got two outs and was pulled for Will Vest, who worked out of the jam. Jason Foley, Chasen Shreve and Alex Lange completed the combined six-hitter.
Ibañez connected for his first homer for Detroit and Riley Greene drove in two runs as the Tigers won for the sixth time in seven games.
José Ramírez homered as the Guardians continued to scuffle offensively. Rookie Tanner Bibee (1-1) for three runs and five hits in the third inning and didn't survive the fourth.
RAYS 3, ORIOLES 0
BALTIMORE (AP) — Shane McClanahan worked six innings and became this season’s first seven-game winner, Josh Lowe and Luke Raley homered and Tampa Bay topped Baltimore in a matchup of the teams with the best record in the American League.
The Rays extended their AL East lead to 6 1/2 games. McClanahan (7-0) allowed four hits and four walks and struck out seven.
Kyle Gibson (4-2) pitched well in defeat, allowing two runs in six-plus innings. Lowe hit a solo shot leading off the second and Raley added one in the ninth. Wander Franco hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Colin Poche and Kevin Kelly followed McClanahan for Tampa Bay, and Jason Adam struck out three in the ninth for his fourth save.
The Orioles lost a series opener for the first time this season after winning their first 11. It’s Baltimore’s first three-game losing streak of the season.
BREWERS 9, DODGERS 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Joey Wiemer and Willy Adames hit three-run homers to back Freddy Peralta’s strong pitching and Milwaukee defeated Los Angeles for its second straight win after six straight losses.
Wiemer went 2 of 3 with four RBIs — his first since April 29 — while homering off Tony Gonsolin (0-1) with two outs in the fifth. He added an RBI double against Phil Bickford in the seventh.
Christian Yelich added a two-run single in the win. Peralta (4-2) struck out five and allowed just three hits, one run and two walks in six innings for his third straight quality start.
Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the Dodgers, who lost for just the second time in 10 games.
ROYALS 12, WHITE SOX 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MJ Melendez homered and drove in four runs, Nick Pratto had a three-run double during an eight-run sixth inning, and Kansas City beat Chicago and won consecutive home games for the first time this season.
Melendez hit a 431-foot, two-run shot in the fourth against Dylan Cease and then had a two-run single in the sixth as the Royals turned a 4-4 game into a rout. Kansas City had its highest-scoring game this season.
Jose Cuas (2-0) relieved Zack Greinke with two out in the sixth and retired the only batter he faced.
Cease (2-2) gave up seven runs on nine hits in five-plus innings. Gavin Sheets homered for the White Sox and Andrew Vaughn had a two-run double.
The Royals' Jackie Bradley Jr. finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a two-RBI double.
CARDINALS 3, CUBS 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras had two hits and two RBIs in his return to Wrigley Field, including a tiebreaking double, and St. Louis beat Chicago.
St. Louis also got a strong effort from its bullpen in its second straight win after an eight-game losing streak. Génesis Cabrera (1-0), Jordan Hicks and Ryan Helsley combined for 4 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in relief of Miles Mikolas. Helsley got his fourth save.
It was the Cardinals’ first win in 12 series openers. The streak of 11 straight losses in such games to begin the season was a franchise record.
Dansby Swanson hit an RBI double in the fifth to account for Chicago’s only run. Marcus Stroman (2-3) pitched six innings of two-run ball as the Cubs lost for the fifth time in seven games.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, MARLINS 2
PHOENIX (AP) — Christian Walker crushed a 459-foot solo homer and added an RBI double and Zac Gallen threw seven quality innings as Arizona beat Miami for its fourth win in five games.
Walker got the scoring started in the fourth with a double into the left-center gap tthat scored Emmanuel Rivera. He followed that up with a his ninth homer of the season.
Arizona scored two more times in the sixth on RBI singles from Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte. Moreno had a three-hit night, including a double.
Gallen (5-1) gave up one run on five hits while striking out seven.
Braxton Garrett (1-2) pitched well until getting roughed up in the sixth. He threw 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while striking out six as the Marlins lost for the sixth time in seven games.
NATIONALS 5, GIANTS 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rookie Jake Irvin struck out five in 6 1/3 innings and earned his first career victory, leading Washington past San Francisco.
Making his second career start and first on the road, Irvin didn’t give up a run in a dominant outing for the Nationals, who are in last place in the NL East. The 26-year-old right-hander limited the Giants to four hits and walked three.
Luis García singled twice and had a multi-hit performance in his fourth consecutive game and CJ Abrams drove in two runs. Alex Call, the Nationals’ new everyday center fielder after Victor Robles was placed on the injured list earlier Monday, had an RBI double.
Joc Pederson homered for San Francisco, which lost its second straight after a four-game winning steak. Anthony DeSclafani (3-2), who has been one of San Francisco’s best pitchers so far this season, allowed 10 hits and five runs in seven innings.
ANGELS 6, ASTROS 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani had a pair of RBI doubles, Brandon Drury drove in the go-ahead run with a triple in the eighth inning and Los Angeles rallied past Houston.
Taylor Ward had three hits and Hunter Renfroe homered for the Angels, who are 2-2 on their current homestand.
David Hensley homered for the Astros, who have dropped five of six.
Ohtani tied it at 4-all in the fifth inning with a line-drive double off the wall in right-center and had a run-scoring double in the second.
The Angels' Matt Moore (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Carlos Estévez earned his eighth save. Rafael Montero (0-2) took the loss.
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