MILWAUKEE — Colin Rea and two relievers combined on a two-hit shutout as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory.
The NL Central-leading Brewers (72-52) improved to a season-best 20 games above .500 after going 7-3 on a 10-game homestand that included a four-game split with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and a three-game sweep of the AL Central-leading Guardians.
Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak matches its longest of the season.
Rhea (11-4) held the Guardians hitless for the first 5 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander struck out five and allowed two hits and no walks in his seven-inning stint.
Rea departed after hitting Jhonkensy Noel with a pitch for the second time to start the eighth inning. Bryan Hudson came out of the bullpen and retired the next three batters in order.
With usual closer Devin Williams unavailable after pitching three of the last four days, 30-year-old left-hander Jared Koenig retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first career save.
MARLINS 3, METS 2
NEW YORK — Derek Hill delivered a tie-breaking single with two outs in the eighth inning that sent Miami to a victory over New York.
Nick Fortes had a sacrifice fly and Hill scored on a wild pitch for the last-place Marlins, who prevented a three-game sweep. Miami became the first team to win a game in which it had three runners picked off since the New York Yankees beat Toronto 4-2 in June 1991.
Andrew Nardi (3-1) struck out two and Declan Cronin got pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Calvin Faucher earned his third save with a scoreless ninth.
Francisco Lindor made a bid for a three-run homer in the ninth, but Cristian Pache ran down his long drive on the center-field warning track.
Lindor had an RBI single in the fifth for the Mets, who entered Sunday one game back of Atlanta for the third NL wild card. Lindor is hitting .358 (19 for 53) with eight RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak.
ORIOLES 4, RED SOX 2
BALTIMORE — Albert Suárez delivered another scoreless start for Baltimore, and Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson homered to lift them to a victory over Boston and a split of their four-game series.
Suárez (6-4) briefly returned to the bullpen following the trade deadline, but an injury to Grayson Rodriguez means the Orioles need him in the rotation again. He’s gone three consecutive starts — totaling 17 2/3 innings — without allowing a run, and after losing the first two anyway, Baltimore was able to close this one out.
Suárez allowed seven hits and struck out six with no walks in six innings. He fanned Tyler O’Neill on a full count after the first two batters had reached base in the fourth, and although two more reached in the sixth, the 34-year-old right-hander struck out three that inning.
Three relievers finished. Seranthony Domínguez came on with a three-run lead in the eighth and retired Romy Gonzalez on a bases-loaded popup. He allowed a one-out homer to Rob Refsnyder in the ninth but held on for his third save since being traded to the Orioles before the deadline.
The Orioles pulled within a half-game of the AL East-leading New York Yankees, who faced Detroit later Sunday.
ASTROS 2, WHITE SOX 0
HOUSTON — Framber Valdez threw seven sharp innings for his eighth straight win and Yainer Diaz and Jose Altuve homered to help Houston to a victory over Chicago.
The win was Houston’s 10th in 11 games and it moved the AL West leaders to a season-best 11 games over .500 at 67-56.
Bryan Abreu struck out two in the eighth and Josh Hader fanned two in the ninth to complete the three-hitter. Hader has converted his last 27 save opportunities, which extends a franchise record.
Diaz opened the Houston sixth with his shot to the seats in left field off rookie Ky Bush (0-2) to make it 1-0. The home run came after Diaz was robbed of one on a spectacular catch by rookie Dominic Fletcher in the first inning.
Altuve connected off John Brebbia with no outs in the eighth to make it 2-0.
Valdez (13-5) allowed just three singles and struck out nine to win his career-best eighth consecutive decision over his last 10 starts.
MARINERS 10, PIRATES 3
PITTSBURGH — George Kirby worked six solid innings and Seattle ended a five-game skid with a win over Pittsburgh.
Kirby (9-9) pitched five shutout innings and allowed two runs and four hits, striking out five and walking two. The 26-yeare-old right-hander rebounded after surrendering 11 runs and 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings his last time out, a 15-1 loss at Detroit on Aug. 13.
The Mariners, who scored a total of nine runs their previous five games, scored in four of the first five innings and went on to hand the Pirates their 13th loss in 16 games.
Cal Raleigh put Seattle ahead with a two-run, opposite-field homer in the first inning, driving his 27th homer of the season 367 feet over the Clemente Wall in right off Jake Woodford (0-5).
Victor Robles added two runs in the second with a double down the left-field line.
NATIONALS 6, PHILLIES 4
PHILADELPHIA — Keibert Ruiz homered for the third time in four games, Alex Call and James Wood also went deep and Washington snapped a four-game skid and avoided a series sweep with a win over NL-leading Philadelphia.
Jacob Young’s sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth snapped a 4-all tie as the Nationals ended the Phillies’ four-game winning streak.
Ruiz hit a two-run homer in the third off Phillies starter Taijuan Walker. Call followed an inning later with his third this season, and second in the series.
Call’s 397-foot shot to left field chased Walker, who lasted 4 2/3 innings and threw 99 pitches, 61 for strikes. The 32-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three.
The Nationals were able to get the two late runs off of Philadelphia’s two All-Star relievers. Washington loaded the bases against Matt Strahm (4-2) when Young was able to get good contact on a high fastball out of the zone and drive it deep enough to score Andres Chaparro.
BLUE JAYS 1, CUBS 0
CHICAGO — Joey Loperfido homered and Bowden Francis threw seven scoreless innings to help Toronto shut out Chicago.
Loperfido’s solo shot off Shota Imanaga (9-3) was all Toronto needed to end a two-game skid.
Francis (6-3) matched his longest career outing, set six days earlier against the Los Angeles Angels.
He was perfect the first time through the order but loaded the bases in the fourth. He escaped the jam by catching Dansby Swanson looking at a third strike. The right-hander allowed just one other baserunner the rest of the way and finished with three hits and seven strikeouts while walking none to win for the fourth time in six starts.
Chad Green, the last of three Blue Jays relievers, worked the ninth to secure the shutout and record his 13th save in as many chances.
Imanaga allowed four hits, walked one and struck out six in the first five innings. It was his first loss since June 21, a span of nine starts.
ROYALS 8, REDS 1
CINCINNATI — Dairon Blanco hit his third home run in two days and started a rally with a bunt single as Kansas City beat Cincinnati to complete a series sweep.
Blanco, an outfielder, had just 64 at-bats coming into the series, before helping the Royals outscore the Reds 26-3.
The 31-year old from Cuba drove in seven runs on Saturday with two home runs, including a grand slam. On Sunday, he started a two-run third inning against 10-game winner Andrew Abbott with a bunt single. Blanco stole second and scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s single. Salvatore Perez added a sacrifice fly.
Blanco hit his fourth home run of the season off Abbott (10-10). It was the 25th home run allowed by Abbott.
Pasquantino drove in three runs to take the team lead over Bobby Witt Jr. with 92.
Brady Singer (9-8) snapped a two-game losing streak, overcoming a 45-minute rain delay to pitch six scoreless innings. He allowed five hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out seven.
RAYS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 7, 12 INNINGS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dylan Carlson hit an RBI single in the 12th inning and Tampa Bay beat Arizona to complete a three-game sweep after blowing a six-run lead.
Jonny DeLuca led off with a sacrifice bunt against Justin Martinez (5-4) that moved automatic runner Alex Jackson from second to third. Taylor Walls walked before Carlson won it with his base hit to left field.
Martinez worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 11th.
Edwin Uceta (1-0) struck out two in a scoreless inning to get his first major league win.
Walls and Arizona’s Joc Pederson each had a run-scoring single in the 10th.
Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen and Tyler Alexander lost a combined no-hit bid in the seventh when Corbin Carroll flared a single off Alexander to shallow left that Walls, the shortstop, nearly caught barehanded.
RANGERS 6, TWINS 5, 10 INNINGS
ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Jung’s infield single and a throwing error gave Texas a win over Minnesota in 10 innings after the defending World Series champions trailed 4-0 going into the seventh.
Jose Miranda fielded Jung’s chopper coming toward the plate and his throw to first base pulled Carlos Santana up off the base. Santana tried to tag out Jung but the ball came loose and rolled toward right field, allowing automatic runner Adolis García to score.
Jung also hit a solo homer in the seventh to cap a five-run inning for the Rangers.
Andrew Chafin (4-2) pitched a scoreless 10th for Texas. Twins automatic runner Edouard Julien was on third base with one out in the 10th and tried to score on a grounder against a drawn-in infield. Julien didn’t slide, was thrown out by Texas shortstop Corey Seager, and the result was upheld following Minnesota’s challenge that catcher Carson Kelly blocked the plate.
Texas, the defending World Series champion, won for the second time in eight games.
The Rangers erupted for five runs in the seventh inning off Jorge Alcala to take a 5-4 lead after being shut out through six innings by Pablo López.
DODGERS 2, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS — Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 39th home run and Clayton Kershaw tossed six shutout innings to lead Los Angeles to a win over St. Louis.
Miguel Rojas and Gavin Lux had three hits apiece as the NL West leaders won for the seventh time in 10 games.
Lars Nootbaar provided a pinch-hit homer in the eighth for the Cardinals, who have lost six of seven.
Ohtani drilled a first-pitch offering from Sonny Gray over the wall in the fifth to break a scoreless tie. Rojas added a run-scoring single later in the inning.
Kershaw (2-2) allowed four hits and struck out two. The three-time Cy Young Award winner made his fifth major league start since undergoing shoulder surgery in November. It marked the longest outing of the year for the left-hander, who made his season debut on July 25.
Michael Kopech picked up his 11th save and second for the Dodgers with a scoreless ninth. He got Nolan Arenado to hit into a game-ending double play.
ROCKIES 3, PADRES 2
DENVER — Jacob Stallings drove in the tie-breaking run with a single in the sixth inning, and Colorado beat San Diego.
Colorado took the season series from the Padres 8-5 and ended their streak of series victories. San Diego had won eight series in a row to tie the franchise record.
Manny Machado homered for the Padres, who are 20-6 in the second half. Four of those losses have come against the teams with the two worst records in the National League – Colorado and Miami.
Angel Chivilli (1-1) got the victory in relief and Victor Vodnik walked a batter in the ninth before nailing down his ninth save.
Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove made his second start since coming off the injured list last Monday. He got his 1,000th career strikeout when he punched out Sam Hilliard leading off the fifth. Musgrove followed that with a walk to Jordan Beck and was relieved by Bryan Hoeing (2-3) after 4 1/3 innings and 73 pitches.
BRAVES 3, ANGELS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ramón Laureano homered for the second straight game and Atlanta wrapped up a 10-game road trip with a victory over Los Angeles.
Laureano continued to give the Angels trouble, just like he did during his six previous seasons in Oakland. The right fielder gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when he drove a curveball from Jack Kochanowicz (1-3) 442 feet over the wall in left-center.
It was Laureano’s 14th homer in 69 games against the Angels. He was 4 for 11 during the weekend series and 10 for 29 with four homers and four RBIs on the road trip.
Charlie Morton (7-7) struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings for Atlanta, which went 6-4 on its trip. Raisel Iglesias retired the Angels in order in the ninth for his 26th save in 28 opportunities.
The Angels lost five of six on their homestand and dropped to last place in the AL West for the first time since June 8. They are also a season-worst 18 games under .500 at 53-71.
GIANTS 4, ATHLETICS 2, 10 INNINGS
OAKLAND, Calif. — Jerar Encarnación and Michael Conforto hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the 10th inning, lifting San Francisco to a win over Oakland in the finale of the Bay Bridge Series.
Heliot Ramos also connected to help the struggling Giants to their second victory in seven games.
Encarnación lined the first pitch he saw from Dany Jiménez (1-3) over the fence in right-center to snap a 1-all tie. Matt Chapman, the automatic runner at second base, also scored.
Conforto followed with a pinch-hit drive as a crowd of 32,727 at the Coliseum — many of them wearing Giants colors — roared in approval.
The A’s scored an unearned run in the bottom of the 10th and had the bases loaded with no outs. Ryan Walker (8-3) struck out the next three batters, including Shea Langeliers to finish it.
The abrupt ending followed a pitching duel between San Francisco ace Blake Snell and Oakland lefty JP Sears.
TIGERS 3, YANKEES 2, 10 INNINGS
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Parker Meadows set off fireworks with a 10th-inning single that brought hundreds of Little Leaguers to their feet and scored Zach McKinstry on a headfirst slide to give Detroit a win over New York in the Major League Baseball Little League Classic.
The Little Leaguers who went wild for Yankees slugger Aaron Judge — he finished 1 for 4 — from the moment he stepped off the plane to his last at-bat had to wait until the ninth inning for the real excitement to start.
Detroit rookie Jace Jung tied the game 1-all when he ripped an RBI single off Clay Holmes with two outs in the ninth. That scored Colt Keith, who hit a one-out double off the All-Star closer to start a rally that handed Holmes his 10th blown save this season.
DJ LeMahieu’s single in the top of the 10th brought home the automatic runner for a 2-1 Yankees lead, only for McKinstry to make it 2-all when his single scored Detroit’s automatic runner.
McKinstry stole second and dashed home on Meadows’ base hit to left field off Mark Leiter Jr. (3-5), as Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez hesitated for a moment before throwing late to the plate.