MLB Roundup: Surging Astros complete three-game sweep of Marlins

HOUSTON — Jake Meyers hit an RBI double and surging Houston beat Miami, completing a three-game sweep with their ninth straight victory at home.

Houston has won nine of 12 overall to improve to 49-44.

After coming off the injured list, Jake Bloss allowed four hits and two runs over four innings for the Astros in his second major league start. Tayler Scott (6-2) got the last two outs in the sixth for the win and Josh Hader struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each hit a solo homer for the National League-worst Marlins, who were swept for the eighth time this season.

Miami rookie Roddery Muñoz (1-4) permitted five hits and six runs — four earned — in 6 2/3 innings. He also had two wild pitches and a balk.

PHILLIES 5, DODGERS 1

PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh hit a home run and an RBI triple, Trea Turner launched his sixth longball in nine games and the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-1 victory Thursday night.

Aaron Nola (11-4) struck out nine in six innings and Kyle Schwarber also went deep for the Phillies, who swept the Dodgers for the first time since 2011 — and the first time in Philadelphia since 2008. Los Angeles has lost four straight overall.

In a matchup between the top two teams in the National League, the Phillies led in every inning of the series except for the first one on Tuesday, which ended with both teams scoreless. They outscored the Dodgers 19-5 in the three games.

Marsh clubbed a 3-1 fastball from Landon Knack into the right-field seats leading off the second inning. Marsh then ripped a triple off Knack down the right-field line in the sixth, scoring Nick Castellanos to put the Phillies ahead 3-1.

Turner hit a solo shot in the first inning off Dodgers opener Anthony Banda (1-2) and added an infield single in the fourth. In the 21 games since he returned to Philadelphia’s lineup following a 38-game stint on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, Turner is batting .356 with 11 multi-hit games.

Johan Rojas had an RBI single for Philadelphia.

Nola allowed one run and four hits. His 11 wins rank second in the NL behind Atlanta lefty Chris Sale (12).

TIGERS 10, GUARDIANS 1

DETROIT — Riley Greene drove in three runs on three hits and Jack Flaherty pitched six sparkling innings, helping Detroit beat AL Central-leading Cleveland to win their four-game series.

Cleveland’s Bo Naylor homered in the third and Carson Kelly countered with his seventh of the season in the bottom of the inning, restoring Detroit’s three-run lead before the game turned into a rout.

Greene’s two-run double in the fourth put the Tigers ahead 6-1, and Gio Urshela’s three-run double gave them a 10-run lead in the sixth inning.

Detroit is 6-1 in its last seven for its best stretch since winning six of its first seven games this season, but is still four games below .500 and trails the Guardians by 13 games in the division. The fourth-place Tigers will face Cleveland six more times this month, giving them an opportunity to make up some ground in the standings.

Flaherty (6-5) allowed two hits, struck out four and walked two in his return from a back injury. Facing a team with an AL-high five All-Stars, including four in the lineup, the 28-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.13.

REDS 8, ROCKIES 1

CINCINNATI — Tyler Stephenson homered twice and drove in five runs, helping Hunter Greene and Cincinnati beat Colorado.

Greene (6-4) struck out a season-high 10 in six innings. The All-Star right-hander allowed one run and two hits.

Jonathan India and Spencer Steer each had three hits and scored two runs as the Reds improved to 3-4 on their 10-game homestand leading up to the break. They won three of four against the Rockies to finish their season series with a 6-1 record.

Stephenson hit a three-run shot off Austin Gomber (2-6) in the third inning. He capped Cincinnati’s four-run seventh with a two-run drive against Anthony Molina.

It was Stephenson’s first career multihomer game. He has 10 homers this season.

Gomber was charged with four runs and seven hits in five innings.

METS 7, NATIONALS 0

NEW YORK — Brandon Nimmo hit a bases-clearing double to spark a five-run fifth inning, David Peterson threw six scoreless innings and New York moved into playoff position with a victory over Washington, completing a three-game sweep.

J.D. Martinez and Pete Alonso added RBI singles as the Mets moved two games over .500 for the first time since April 24. Mark Vientos and Harrison Bader had RBI singles in the eighth and New York (47-45) moved one percentage point (.511) ahead of San Diego into the NL’s third wild-card spot.

New York also completed its seventh sweep this season and is 23-12 since being swept by the Dodgers in a doubleheader on May 29 that necessitated a players-only meeting.

Peterson (4-0) allowed four hits and worked out of trouble at times while combining with four relievers on New York’s first shutout of the season. Peterson struck out five and walked three.

The Mets were held hitless until Martinez doubled in the fourth. Consecutive walks to Jeff McNeill and Francisco Lindor in the fifth loaded the bases for Nimmo, who was denied a double by rookie left fielder James Wood in the first.

PIRATES 1, BREWERS 0

MILWAUKEE — Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee Brewers.

Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The All-Star right-hander walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90.

Colin Holderman replaced Skenes (6-0) and surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Bauers for Milwaukee’s first hit. The Brewers loaded the bases with two down in the eighth, but Holderman escaped the jam when he struck out William Contreras swinging.

Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth for his fourth save, finishing a two-hitter for Pittsburgh.

Milwaukee wasted a terrific performance by Aaron Civale (2-7), who pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning. The NL Central leaders lost for the fifth time in seven games.

The Pirates scored their only run in the seventh. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a leadof single, but he was erased when Jack Suwinski bounced into a fielder’s choice.

BLUE JAYS 5, GIANTS 3

SAN FRANCISCO — Danny Jansen and Spencer Horwitz homered, Kevin Gausman pitched seven strong innings against his former team and Toronto beat San Francisco.

Gausman (7-8) allowed two runs and six hits with three strikeouts and no walks in his first outing at Oracle Park since pitching for the Giants in 2020-21.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Justin Turner and Leo Jiménez also drove in runs for Toronto, which took two of three from San Francsicso and won for the fourth time in five games.

Toronto’s Kevin Kiermaier had two hits and made a diving catch in center field to rob Matt Chapman of a hit in the fourth inning.

Heliot Ramos and Mike Yastrzemski homered for the Giants, who have lost four of five.

CUBS 8, ORIOLES 0

BALTIMORE — Justin Steele pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Selya Suzuki had three extra-base hits and three RBIs, and Chicago blanked Baltimore for a three-game sweep.

Dansby Swanson homered for the Cubs, who outscored the AL East leaders 21-2 in becoming the first team to sweep the Orioles in Baltimore since Tampa Bay in August 2021.

Chicago completed the sweep with a pair of shutouts, marking the first time the Orioles were blanked in successive games since June 23-24, 2021, during a season in which Baltimore finished 52-110.

Steele (2-3) celebrated his 29th birthday with a dominant performance. He retired his first 11 batters, didn’t allow a runner past second base and struck out four without issuing a walk.

The only hits against the lefty were doubles by Ryan Mountcastle, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Santander.

RED SOX 7, ATHLETICS 0

BOSTON — All-Star pitcher Tanner Houck limited Oakland to two hits in six innings and Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida homered to help Boston win.

The Red Sox have won eight of their last 10 to improve to 51-41. They have won five of the six against Oakland this season.

Houck (8-6) took a no-hitter into the fifth and struck out six in his first victory since June 13. He threw 64 of 103 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA from 2.68 to 2.54.

Yoshida went 3 for 4 and drove in four runs, Abreu also was 3 for 4, and Wong and David Hamilton each had two hits.

With two on and two down in the sixth, Boston manager Alex Cora visited the mound. He had Brennan Bernardino warming up the bullpen, but Cora elected to stay with Houck after he threw a wild pitch to put the runners in in second and third. Houck got Lawrence Butler on a grounder to shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela for the final out.

RAYS 5, YANKEES 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Randy Arozarena hit a first-inning home run in a 5-3 victory for Tampa Bay as they took two of three from the Yankees and extended New York’s streak of winless series to eight.

Brandon Lowe’s RBI single put Tampa Bay ahead to stay in a three-run fifth against Nestor Cortes (4-8), and the Yankees lost for the 18th time in 25 games.

Austin Wells and Juan Soto homered for the Yankees, who have lost four straight series. The Yankees started 17-3-2 in their first 22 series but are 0-7-1 since winning three of four at Kansas City from June 10-13.

New York begins a three-game series at AL East-leading Baltimore on Friday night. The Yankees trail the Orioles by two games.

Soto went 2 for 3 with two walks and has reached bases at least three times in a majors-best 30 games but was in discomfort after a seventh-inning swing. His right hand has bothered him swinging since he got hurt June 28 at Toronto.

Shane Baz gave up three runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings in his second start since Tommy John surgery on Sept. 28, 2002.

MARINERS 11, ANGELS 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cal Raleigh homered from each side of the plate for the second time in three days, and J.P. Crawford had a two-run homer while getting three hits and three RBIs in Seattle’s thrashing of Los Angeles.

Jorge Polanco had a two-run single in a four-run first inning as the Mariners wrecked the major league debut of Jack Kochanowicz (0-1) and kept piling on. Seattle opened a four-game series in Anaheim with its third straight victory.

Raleigh connected for a solo shot in the third inning from the left side of the plate and a three-run drive in the sixth from the right side. His 19 homers are an ongoing record for a Seattle catcher before the All-Star break.

Luis Castillo (8-9) pitched six innings of four-hit ball with five strikeouts to win consecutive starts for the first time since April.

Mickey Moniak had two hits for the Angels, who have lost nine of 11. Los Angeles was shut out for the fourth time in its last nine games.

DIAMONDBACKS 1, BRAVES 0

PHOENIX — Brandon Pfaadt outpitched Max Fried in six strong innings, Jake McCarthy made a leaping grab at the wall in the ninth inning and Arizona beat Atlanta.

Pfaadt (4-6) was sharp for the fourth straight start, scattering three hits while striking out four to win after three consecutive no-decisions.

Fried (7-5) allowed a run on five hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. The lone run off the right-hander came in the fifth inning by Eugenio Suarez, a 437-foot shot after he hit a 452-foot homer in Arizona’s 7-5 win the night before.

It was the first time Arizona won 1-0 at home on a solo homer since Sept. 19, 2011, when Justin Upton did it against Pittsburgh.

Paul Sewald worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his 13th save — second straight since a streak of three blown saves. He got a big lift from McCarthy, who snagged Matt Olson’s one-out drive to the wall in left.