MLB Roundup: Yankees score two in the ninth to beat Tigers

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a tying double in the ninth inning and Anthony Rizzo followed with a game-winning single to give the New York Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

Shut out on two hits for eight innings, the Yankees got four in a row off closer Jason Foley (2-1) to start and finish the ninth in a heartbeat.

Aaron Judge opened the inning by bouncing a single through the middle and advanced to second on Alex Verdugo’s bunt single toward third. Stanton, who struck out his previous three times up, then lined an opposite-field double into the right-field corner on a 97 mph sinker, leaving runners at second and third.

It was Stanton’s first hit this season on a pitch 97 mph or faster.

Rizzo then grounded a single through a drawn-in infield beyond the glove of diving second baseman Andy Ibáñez.

Foley, who grew up on nearby Long Island, had converted 14 consecutive save chances dating to June 18 last year.

BREWERS 3, CUBS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — William Contreras hit an RBI single during Milwaukee’s three-run eighth inning, and they won their first game against former manager Craig Counsell, beating the Chicago.

Chicago’s Hayden Wesneski pitched scoreless ball into the seventh and Christopher Morel homered for the third time in five games. But the Brewers used a late rally to open a weekend series between the NL Central’s top teams on a winning note.

Jackson Chourio started Milwaukee’s comeback with a pinch-hit single with one out in the eighth against Adbert Alzolay (1-4). The rookie swiped second and scored on Contreras’ base hit.

Contreras then stole second and came around on Willy Adames’ two-out single. The Brewers got another run when Adames stole second and scored on Jake Bauers’ single to centre against Alzolay, who heard it from the crowd.

Milwaukee’s Joe Ross pitched six innings of six-hit ball after losing his previous three starts. Elvis Peguero (4-0) and Joel Payamps each worked an inning before Trevor Megill handled the ninth for his second save.

ROCKIES 3, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH ( AP) — Ryan McMahon homered into the Allegheny River, Cal Quantrill pitched into the eighth inning and Colorado finally held onto a lead during a win over struggling Pittsburgh.

Colorado trailed in each of its first 31 games this season, a modern-era record. But not this time around.

McMahon put the Rockies in front when he opened the sixth with a drive over the right-field stands against Martín Pérez for his fifth homer.

Elehuris Montero and Brendan Rodgers added RBI singles later in the sixth, and Quantrill (1-3) and two relievers did the rest as Colorado led wire to wire for the first time since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in September. 

Jake Bird struck out Andrew McCutchen with two on to end the eighth. Jalen Beeks gave up a two-run homer to Oneil Cruz in the ninth but recorded two outs for his first save of the season.

The Rockies flirted with ending the streak this week in Miami when they took an early five-run lead on the Marlins only to fall in extra innings.

Quantrill beat the Pirates for the first time by limiting Pittsburgh to three hits with nine strikeouts. His only trouble spot came in the second when Rowdy Tellez and Jared Triolo singled with one out.

RAYS 10, METS 8

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Johnny DeLuca had three RBIs in his season debut after being sidelined by a broken right hand, Amed Rosario had three hits and two RBIs, and Tampa Bay beat New York.

DeLuca drove in two with a single off Jose Quintana (1-3) during a five-run third as Tampa Bay took an 8-3 lead. He had an RBI grounder in a three-run second as the Rays won for just the third time in 11 games.

Yandy Díaz also had two RBIs to help Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash get his 754th victory to tie Joe Maddon for the most in franchise history.

Randy Arozarena, mired in a season-long slump, made it 9-3 with a fourth-inning solo homer. The 2023 AL All-Star is hitting .145.

Rays starter Aaron Civale was pulled with two outs in a four-run fifth after Francisco Lindor hit a two-run double. The right-hander, who allowed seven runs and six hits, has given up 18 runs over 13 2/3 innings in last three starts,

Brett Baty connected on a towering three-run homer in the second that put the Mets up 3-0. He also had a ninth inning solo drive.

NATIONALS 9, BLUE JAYS 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Luis Garcia Jr. hit a three-run shot deep to centre field in the seventh inning for his first career pinch-hit home run, helping Washington rally for a victory over reeling Toronto.

Garcia connected on Erik Swanson’s 85-mph splitter for his second homer of the season to give Washington a 4-3 lead. Nick Senzel added an RBI double in the inning.

The Nationals added four runs in the eighth, benefitting from two fielding errors. They have won six of their last eight to get back to .500 at 16-16. It was their 11th comeback win of the season.

Staked to a 3-1 lead, the Blue Jays’ bullpen collapsed.

Swanson (0-2) and Tim Mayza combined to surrender four runs on four hits, getting just one out, to ruin a quality start from Yusei Kikuchi. Reliever Génesis Cabrera allowed four runs in just two-thirds on an inning.

Kikuchi allowed one run on six hits over six innings on 10 pitches. It is the fifth consecutive start that the left-hander has gone six frames, matching a similar run in 2021.

The Japanese pitcher struck out seven, including six of seven batters in the middle frames, and has now walked only one batter in his last 22 innings.

ANGELS 6, GUARDIANS 0

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Soriano pitched six scoreless innings for his first career win as a starter and Mickey Moniak hit a three-run homer, powering Los Angeles to a win over Cleveland.

Soriano (1-4), who pitched strictly in relief last season, allowed just five hits. The right-hander was only stressed once, working out of a jam in the fifth by striking out Andrés Giménez with the bases loaded.

Both of Soriano’s career wins have been against Cleveland.

Amir Garrett pitched one inning and José Suarez the final two in LA’s combined six-hitter.

Nolan Schanuel homered and Willie Calhoun had three hits for the Angels, who won for just the third time in their last 25 games at Progressive Field.

Moniak’s shot with two outs in the fourth inning off Tanner Bibee (2-1) put the Angels up 5-0.

PHILLIES 4, GIANTS 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm extended his hitting streak to 16 games with an RBI single, Brandon Marsh drove in two runs and surging Philadelphia defeated San Francisco.

Trea Turner had two hits for Philadelphia, which has won 14 of 17 and leads the majors with 22 victories.

Thairo Estrada hit a two-run double for the Giants.

Wearing their alternate City Connect jerseys on a cool, May evening, the Phillies opened a six-game homestand by continuing where they left off after winning seven of 10 on a road trip.

Matt Strahm (2-0) pitched a scoreless fifth inning in relief of starter Aaron Nola, and José Alvarado kept San Francisco off the board in the ninth to earn his sixth save.

Philadelphia went ahead 3-2 in the third against Jordan Hicks (2-1) on Bohm’s RBI single and Marsh’s two-run single.

Bohm is batting .500 (30 of 60) with three homers, 10 doubles and 21 RBIs during his streak. 

ROYALS 7, RANGERS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, Brady Singer pitched six dominant innings and Kansas City beat Texas.

Perez hit his eighth home run of the season in Kansas City’s six-run seventh inning to break open what was a pitcher’s duel. Kyle Isbel, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. had RBI singles before Perez gave the Royals a 7-1 lead.

Prior to that, Michael Lorenzen had his best start of the season for Texas, giving up three hits and one run — on a homer by Hunter Renfroe — in six innings. He walked two and struck out three while throwing 86 pitches.

Cole Winn (0-1) then gave up four runs in one-third of an inning and Jose Urena gave up two more before closing out the inning.

The Royals have won three straight and seven of their last 10. The Rangers had won three of their previous four.

Singer allowed just one run and four hits while striking out eight with no walks. He hasn’t given up more than one run in five of his seven starts this season.

TWINS 5, RED SOX 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chris Paddack pitched six scoreless innings to carry Minnesota to their 11th consecutive victory with a win over Boston.

The Twins matched win streaks in 2003 and 2006 for their third-longest ever, trailing the club record of 15 straight during its last World Series championship season in 1991. It also won 12 in a row in 1980.

Minnesota has the longest winning streak in the major leagues this year. There were only four last season of 10-plus games, topped by Tampa Bay’s 13 straight.

Edouard Julien hit a two-out RBI single to give Paddack (3-1) a lead in the third, and the lanky, long-haired right-hander deftly took it from there. He allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one while throwing 83 pitches.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck (3-3) completed six innings for the sixth time in seven turns this season, but he was pulled three batters into the seventh as the Twins broke the game open with a four-run inning.

CARDINALS 3, WHITE SOX 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado drove in three runs, Sonny Gray gave up three hits in seven innings and St. Louis beat Chicago.

Gray (4-1) walked one and struck out five in his longest outing of the season as the Cardinals snapped a two-game losing streak. Gray retired the last eight and 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.

The White Sox lost their fourth game in a row. It was the ninth time they were shut out this season.

JoJo Romero pitched a perfect eighth and Ryan Helsley retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his 11th save in 12 opportunities.

Arenado’s two-run double gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the first inning. It was Arenado’s first multi-RBI game since April 21.

He doubled again in the fifth to score Willson Contreras and make it 3-0. The hit knocked White Sox starter Brad Keller from the game.

Contreras had three hits, walked, stole a base and scored twice.

ASTROS 5, MARINERS 3

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a go-ahead bunt RBI single and collected his 300th career stolen base in Houston’s four-run seventh inning to lead them to a win over Seattle.

The 2017 AL MVP is the fifth player in MLB history to have at least 300 steals, 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 200 homers and a career batting average of .300 or higher, joining Derek Jeter, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays and Roberto Alomar.

The Mariners missed a scoring opportunity in the eighth. Josh Rojas was on second and Julio Rodríguez on third with no outs before Ryan Pressly struck out Jorge Polanco.

Mitch Haniger then hit a high fly ball to right field that Kyle Tucker caught. Rojas took off toward home before quickly retreating to third base. But Rodríguez dashed toward third, forcing Rojas into a rundown that resulted in him being tagged out at the plate to end the inning.

Josh Hader walked one in a scoreless ninth for his third save. 

ORIOLES 3, REDS 0

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cole Irvin extended his scoreless streak to 20 2/3 innings, and Baltimore beat Cincinnati.

Irvin (3-1) allowed two hits — both by Elly De La Cruz — through 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none.

Yennier Cano got two outs and Danny Coulombe worked the eighth. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save.

Ryan O’Hearn homered for Baltimore, which won for the fourth time in five games.

The start of the game was delayed two hours and 41 minutes by rain.

Reds starter Hunter Greene struggled coming out of the delay. Jake Fraley threw out Gunnar Henderson trying to stretch a leadoff single into a double, and the Orioles failed to score in the first despite two hits and a walk. 

ATHLETICS 3, MARLINS 1

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Oakland beat Miami for their fifth straight victory.

Esteury Ruiz added an RBI single in the fifth as the A’s backed lefty JP Sears (2-2), who won for the first time in four starts. 

Oakland, which is 16-17, lost 112 games last season and didn’t pick up its 16th victory until a win at Milwaukee on June 10 in the 66th game. Now, the A’s are on a roll. They drew 8,533 fans for the interleague opener.

Before the game, the Marlins agreed to trade second baseman Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres, but the team said the deal still needed a review of medical information for the swap to be finalized.

Miami changed its lineup minutes before the game started, pulling the 27-year-old Arraez out of the leadoff spot and second base. Arraez was hitting .299 with five RBIs and had scored 22 runs with a .347 on-base percentage over 16 games.

Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers (2-3) was tagged for three runs on five hits and struck out five with no walks over six innings.

PADRES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1

PHOENIX (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth hit back-to-back homers, Dylan Cease pitched 6 2/3 strong inning, and San Diego won their third game in a row, beating Arizona.

Manny Machado hit a two-run homer. Cronenworth finished with three extra-base hits, adding two doubles.

The Diamondbacks have lost 10 straight series openers after beating the Colorado Rockies on opening day.

D-backs pitcher Slade Cecconi (1-2) retired the first nine batters he faced, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Jurickson Profar walked to start the inning and Tatis launched a shot to left-centre — his seventh homer of the season.

Cronenworth followed with a another homer to make it 3-0 and rookie Jackson Merrill broke an 0-for-20 stretch at the plate with a one-out RBI double for a 4-0 lead.

DODGERS 4, BRAVES 3, 11 INNINGS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andy Pages had a walkoff single in the 11th inning for his fourth hit of the game and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Friday night.

Gavin Stone pitched well and Teoscar Hernandez homered in a matchup of two of baseball’s best teams. Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. homered for the Braves.

With Will Smith on second base in the 11th, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker intentionally walked Max Muncy. Teoscar Hernandez hit into a fielder’s choice and Pages, who battled Jesse Chavez (1-1) to a full count in an at-bat that lasted eight pitches.

Michael Grove (1-1) got the victory, retiring the side in the 11th.

Orlando Arcia hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning for Atlanta to score Luke Williams from second. The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the 10th. Shohei Ohtani singled to centre field to score Chris Taylor from second. Ohtani was 1 for 2 with two walks and a stolen base, his seventh of the season.