MLB Roundup: Twins send White Sox to 20th straight loss

MINNEAPOLIS — The woeful Chicago White Sox lost their 20th consecutive game Sunday, the majors’ longest skid in 36 years and one short of the American League record, as Chris Flexen was chased early in a 13-7 defeat against the Minnesota Twins.

Royce Lewis hit a three-run homer off Flexen in a six-run second inning that gave Minnesota an 8-0 cushion. The White Sox (27-87) rallied and cut it to 10-7 in the eighth, but couldn’t get any closer.

Chicago’s franchise-record losing streak is the longest in the big leagues since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles dropped 21 games in a row — the AL mark — to begin the season. The NL record is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight.

The major league-low belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels, an American Association team that endured a 26-game slide during a 27-111 season.

Next up, the White Sox head to Oakland for a three-game series beginning Monday night against the Athletics, who are last in the AL West.

GIANTS 8, REDS 2

CINCINNATI — Matt Chapman hit his 17th homer and saved a run by barehanding a slow roller to third base, lifting San Francisco to a win over Cincinnati.

LaMonte Wade Jr. and Tyler Fitzgerald also homered for the Giants, who took two of three from the Reds in a series between teams on the fringes of contention in the NL wild card race.

Robbie Ray (2-1), making his third start of the season, allowed two runs on three hits in five innings. He struck out nine.

The Giants led 3-2 with two outs on the sixth when TJ Friedl hit a soft grounder to Chapman, who barehanded it and threw to first for the out, preventing Elly De La Cruz from scoring the tying run from third.

The Giants put it out of reach with a five-run eighth that included Fitzgerald’s two-run homer and Michael Conforto’s two-run double.

NATIONALS 4, BREWERS 3

WASHINGTON — Luis García Jr. homered for the second consecutive day, rookie James Wood hit a bases-loaded triple, and Washington defeated Milwaukee.

Mitchell Parker threw six shutout innings for his first victory since June 16 for Washington, which has won back-to-back games since a five-game skid that matched a season-high.

Gary Sánchez homered for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who dropped the final two of a three-game series and have lost four of five overall. Milwaukee went 2-4 against Washington this year, the first time the Brewers lost a season series to the Nationals since 2015.

García put Washington up in the first when he ripped Tobias Myers’ 3-1 fastball to center for his 13th home run of the season. The second baseman, who homered in Saturday’s 6-4 victory, had his seventh multi-hit game in his last 10 outings and is hitting .398 (33 for 83) with six homers and 17 RBIs since July 3.

It was all the Nationals managed against Myers (6-5), who allowed four hits and struck out two in five innings. But Washington immediately pounced when left-hander Hoby Milner entered to start the sixth, loading the bases with three singles.

ROYALS 3, TIGERS 2

DETROIT — MJ Melendez hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning to rally Kansas City to a win over Detroit.

Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the ninth, Hunter Renfroe and Freddy Fermin reached on singles with one out. Adam Frazier nearly hit a pinch-hit homer, but the ball curled foul and he flew out to center field.

Melendez then hit a 362-foot blast, his 13th of the season, to give Kansas City the lead.

Chris Stratton (4-3) got the win with a scoreless eighth. The Royals’ Hunter Harvey, who squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss on Saturday, pitched the ninth for his first save.

The Royals have won six of their last seven games. The Tigers went 2-7 on a nine-game homestand against Minnesota, Cleveland and Kansas City.

MARLINS 7, BRAVES 0

ATLANTA — Edward Cabrera struck out eight in five impressive innings and Jonah Bride hit a three-run homer as Miami beat Atlanta to split their four-game series.

Cabrera (2-3) allowed just three hits and two walks. It was the first time in 11 starts this season that he didn’t give up a run. Three relievers finished the six-hitter.

Emmanuel Rivera was 2 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and a steal. Xavier Edwards went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run, extending his on-base streak to 21 games.

All-Star lefty Max Fried (7-6) had a disappointing return from the injured list for the Braves. He gave up five runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings, walking a season-high five. He also had six strikeouts.

It was Fried’s first start since July 11. He felt discomfort in his forearm prior to his one-inning appearance in the All-Star Game on July 16 and was placed on the injured list July 21.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, PIRATES 5

PITTSBURGH — Joc Pederson’s three-run home run in the seventh inning rallied Arizona to a win as Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes got a no-decision after taking a shutout into the sixth inning.

Pederson hit a two-out drive to left-center field off struggling Colin Holderman (3-4) to turn a 4-2 deficit into a one-run lead. Pederson’s 17th homer of the season came after Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll walked.

Ketel Marte added a solo home run, his 20th, in the ninth inning off Jake Woodford to give the Diamondbacks an insurance run. Arizona won its sixth straight series and for the ninth time in 11 games.

The Pirates got within 6-5 on Bryan Reynolds’ one-out RBI single in the ninth off Ryan Thompson. However, A.J. Puk relieved with runners on first and third and struck out Oneil Cruz on an 11-pitch at-bat and then got Bryan De La Cruz to fly out.

Holderman has a 7.94 ERA in his last 12 appearances, raising his season mark from 1.21 to 3.07.

RAYS 1, ASTROS 0

HOUSTON — Tyler Alexander combined with four other Tampa Bay pitchers on a three-hitter, Brandon Lowe hit an RBI double in the third inning, and they beat Houston.

Alexander (5-3) entered with two outs in the first inning after opener Hunter Bigge loaded the bases with two walks and a single. He fanned Jon Singleton on three pitches to escape that jam, then allowed two hits over the next four-plus innings to pick up his third straight win. He struck out five.

The Astros didn’t get a hit after Yordan Alvarez singled off Alexander leading off the sixth, ending his day. Edwin Uceta came in and retired six straight batters, Manuel Rodriguez pitched the eighth and Pete Fairbanks closed it out for his 21st save in 23 opportunities.

The Rays, who were sellers at the trade deadline, have won seven of 10 and are five games out of an AL wild card spot. Houston and Tampa Bay are even in the standings at 57-54.

Spencer Arrighetti (4-10) struck out a career-high 12 batters in six innings, the most Ks by an Astros starter this season. As a team, the Astros have struck out at least 10 in 10 straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in major league history.

ORIOLES 9, GUARDIANS 5

CLEVELAND — Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer and Adley Rutschman drove in three runs as Baltimore beat MLB-leading Cleveland.

Henderson went deep in the fourth inning against Gavin Williams (1-4) for his 29th home run of the season, giving the Orioles a 6-2 lead. Three batters earlier, rookie Jackson Holliday hit a solo homer as Baltimore split the four-game series.

Eloy Jiménez had three hits and Colton Cowser extended his hitting streak to 17 games, tying the Orioles’ rookie record by Trey Mancini in 2017. Baltimore entered the game tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL East.

Corbin Burnes (12-4) won his third straight decision and recorded his 1,000th career strikeout. The 29-year-old right-hander worked five innings and gave up a season-high five runs, four earned, with four strikeouts.

Josh Naylor hit a 420-foot, three-run homer and Steven Kwan singled twice and stole two bases for the Guardians, who have won five of their last seven games and are 67-44 overall. Cleveland also has the best home record in baseball at 35-17.

RED SOX 7, RANGERS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas — Wilyer Abreu homered twice and tied a career high with four RBIs, leading Boston to a victory over Texas.

Boston leadoff man Jarren Duran, who had three hits, connected on a tiebreaking homer for the second time in less than three weeks at the home of the Rangers.

The first of those two made Duran the MVP in the AL’s 5-3 victory in the All-Star Game on July 16. The second added to his official total, a solo shot that was his 14th and put Boston up 3-2 in the fifth inning.

Corey Seager homered for the third time in the series for Texas — his 22nd of the season — and Josh Jung went deep for the first time in his fifth game back since missing three months with a broken right wrist.

Those homers gave the defending World Series champions a 2-0 lead and were the only hits allowed by Nick Pivetta, who was removed an out shy of qualifying for the win. The right-hander struck out five in 4 2/3 innings.

DODGERS 3, ATHLETICS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kiké Hernandez had two doubles and two RBIs and Cavan Biggio added a run-scoring single as Los Angeles beat Oakland and snapped a streak of six road series losses.

Dodgers rookie starter River Ryan allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander did not figure in the decision and remained unbeaten through three career starts.

Alex Vesia (2-3) struck out two batters in the seventh inning and earned the victory. He was one of five Los Angeles relievers who combined for six strikeouts and no walks in 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. Anthony Banda pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save in his second opportunity.

Evan Phillips entered in relief of Ryan and inherited a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the fifth inning. He struck out Brent Rooker looking to end the threat.

Rooker hit his 28th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning, for Oakland, which had won five of its last eight games going into Sunday.

PHILLIES 6, MARINERS 0

SEATTLE — Kyle Schwarber led off with a homer and Zack Wheeler pitched eight scoreless innings as Philadelphia beat Seattle.

Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm homered as part of a five-run eighth inning to give Philadelphia breathing room. Schwarber added a double and a single for a three-hit day as the Phillies snapped a six-game losing streak.

Wheeler (11-5) allowed just two hits and struck out nine in his longest outing of the season. He only allowed one baserunner past first, when Cal Raleigh hit a double off the wall in the first inning.

Wheeler got the best of Seattle’s Logan Gilbert in a battle of All-Star starting pitchers. Gilbert (6-8) started out in a hole as he gave up the home run to Schwarber on the third pitch of the game, a fastball in the middle of the plate.

It was Schwarber’s 41st career leadoff homer, and his 10th of the season.

ANGELS 3, METS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Griffin Canning pitched five stingy innings for his first win in six weeks and Los Angeles held off New York.

Matt Thaiss and Kevin Pillar each had a sacrifice fly for the Angels, who knocked the Mets out of playoff position in the National League by winning the final two in a three-game series.

Los Angeles’ bullpen gave up two hits over four scoreless innings, with Roansy Contreras working a perfect ninth to earn his second save.

New York has dropped consecutive one-run games for the first time all season.

Canning (4-10) permitted three hits with four walks and eight strikeouts to win for the first time since June 24.

Jose Quintana (6-7) allowed three runs over five innings for the Mets, who are 1-2 to start a zig-zagging, 10-game, four-city road trip. They head to St. Louis on Monday for a makeup game against the Cardinals.

PADRES 10, ROCKIES 2

SAN DIEGO — David Peralta hit a three-run home run an inning after robbing Sam Hilliard of a shot, and San Diego beat Colorado for their first series win against the last-place NL West team in three tries this season.

Kyle Higashioka and All-Star Jurickson Profar also homered for the Padres, who had lost five straight games to the Rockies until winning 3-2 on Saturday night. San Diego improved to an MLB-best 11-3 since the All-Star break.

The Rockies had the chance to clinch the season series, which they lead 6-4 with a three-game series remaining in Denver in two weeks. Colorado came into Sunday with the NL’s worst record, 41-71.

Higashioka homered to left leading off the fifth, his 13th, to give San Diego a 2-1 lead against former Padres left-hander Cal Quantrill (7-8). Profar homered to right with one out, his 19th. It’s one shy of his career high.

The Padres then blew it open in the sixth. Justin Lawrence, who relieved Quantrill with one out in the fifth, hit Xander Bogaerts with a pitch opening the inning and walked rookie Jackson Merrill. Peralta then homered to right, his third, for a 6-1 lead.

YANKEES 4, BLUE JAYS, 10 INNINGS

NEW YORK — DJ LeMahieu hit a game-winning single through a five-man infield in the 10th inning to give New York a rain-delayed 4-3 victory over Toronto.

Juan Soto launched a tying homer in the seventh and Gleyber Torres had two hits for the Yankees, who won for the seventh time in eight games. New York remained tied atop the AL East with Baltimore, which won 9-5 at Cleveland.

Aaron Judge was intentionally walked three times by the last-place Blue Jays, who purposely gave him a free pass with the bases empty in the second inning Saturday.

The previous Yankees batter to receive three intentional walks in a game was Bernie Williams against Tampa Bay in September 1999.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole returned to the mound after missing his scheduled start in Philadelphia last Tuesday due to general body fatigue. The right-hander struggled during a lengthy second inning but rebounded to pitch into the sixth, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters.

Cole allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four without a walk.

CUBS 6, CARDINALS 2

CHICAGO — Justin Steele pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and Chicago topped St. Louis for their fourth win in five games.

Mike Tauchman and Miguel Amaya both homered in the sixth and finished with two hits and two runs scored to help the Cubs overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Chicago took three of four from its NL Central rival at Wrigley Field.

St. Louis rookie Masyn Winn lofted a two-run homer in the third for the only scoring off Steele. The shortstop’s ninth home run was his third in six games and second of the series.

Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger had RBIs as Chicago pulled ahead with two runs in the fifth. Dansby Swanson drove in a run and the Cubs plated another on a balk by Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.

Steele (3-5) rebounded from a rough outing at Cincinnati last Tuesday, retiring 12 straight Cardinals hitters during one stretch. The left-hander struck out six and walked two in 6 2/3 innings before being relieved by Porter Hodge after throwing 99 pitches on a humid evening.