MLB Roundup: Mariners sweep Mets with blowout win

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, Luis Castillo struck out nine and the Seattle Mariners completed a spirited sweep of the New York Mets with a 12-1 win on Sunday.

Castillo gave up four hits and walked two in six innings, completing a tour de force series for Seattle’s starters. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Castillo combined to strike out 21 and give up 10 hits while walking four in 19 innings.

New York’s Jeff McNeil ended a scoreless streak of 27 innings with a solo home run in the sixth inning, the only run for the Mets in the three-game series.

Seattle has won four straight and remains tied atop the AL West with the Houston Astros.

Castillo (10-11) had the Mets baffled at times, striking out five straight batters midway through his start. He got the side swinging in the fourth, finishing Jose Iglesias with a sinker inside that caused the batter to comically corkscrew into the ground to end the inning.

Raleigh put the Mariners up 4-0 with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, then hit a three-run shot in the six-run sixth to make it 10-1. The catcher’s third multi-homer game this season brings his total to 26. He came to the plate in the seventh with the bases loaded, but popped out to left field.

ANGELS 6, NATIONALS 4

[brightcove videoID=6360274120112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

WASHINGTON — Jack Kochanowicz pitched 7 2/3 innings to earn his first major league win, Kevin Pillar hit a three-run double and Los Angeles beat Washington.

Los Angeles avoided a three-game series sweep in its first visit to Washington since 2017 and went 3-3 on a road trip that began in New York against the Yankees.

The Nationals issued 13 walks, matching their most since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. The Angels turned four of those into runs to help deny the Nationals their fourth series sweep of the season.

Kochanowicz (1-2) made his third career start and it went considerably better than the two last month, when he gave up a combined 12 runs over seven innings. Recalled from Double-A Rocket City on Saturday, the right-hander retired the first eight Nationals hitters before Nasim Nuñez reached on an infield single.

Kochanowicz breezed through seven innings on 72 pitches before Jacob Young led off the eighth with a homer to left. The rookie was pulled after Luis García Jr.’s two-out RBI single. He allowed two runs, six hits and a walk while striking out two.

RAYS 2, ORIOLES 1

[brightcove videoID=6360273689112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Curtis Mead had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay avoided a three-game sweep by beating Baltimore.

Anthony Santander hit his 35th homer and Albert Suárez gave up four hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings for the Orioles, who started the day with a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East,

Brandon Lowe walked to open the eighth against struggling reliever Craig Kimbrel (6-4) and stole second with one out. Christopher Morel drew a walk, the Rays had a double steal and Josh Lowe was intentionally walked to load the bases before Mead hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.

Kimbrel, fifth all-time with 440 saves, didn’t work the ninth for the fourth straight appearances after posting a 13.50 ERA during the second half of July.

After Manuel Rodríguez (2-2) worked around Gunnar Henderson’s one-out double in the top of the eighth, Pete Fairbanks got three outs to get his 23rd save in 25 chances.

Henderson had his second consecutive three-hit game, and 14th overall with three or more this season.

YANKEES 8, RANGERS 7

[brightcove videoID=6360276078112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer after Aaron Judge was intentionally walked in the fifth inning, Juan Soto went deep twice, Judge hit his MLB-best 42nd homer and New York hung on for a victory over Texas.

Judge reached base four times, marking the 41st time he reached base at least three times this season. He singled twice and and homered for the first time since Aug. 3 — when Toronto walked him with two outs and nobody on base in the second inning following his 41st homer.

Playing in his ninth game since missing 28 with a hamstring injury, Stanton tied a season high with four RBIs and homered in consecutive games for the first time since June 11-12 in Kansas City to reach 20 homers for the 13th time in his first 15 seasons.

Soto hit a solo homer off Texas starter Andrew Heaney (4-12) in the third and connected again in the seventh off Andrew Chafin. Soto reached 30 homers for the third time in his career as the Yankees won for the 10th time in 14 games and improved to 13-17 in games started by left-handers this season.

It was Soto’s fifth multihomer game this season and 22nd of his career.

ATHLETICS 8, BLUE JAYS 4

[brightcove videoID=6360277251112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

TORONTO — JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof both homered in a six-run first inning, JP Sears pitched seven innings to win his third straight start and Oakland beat Toronto for their 50th win, matching their total from last season.

Lawrence Butler had three hits, including a pair in the first inning, and drove in a run as Oakland improved to 20-13 since July 2, the third-best record in baseball in that span.

Bleday reached base four times, Gelof had three hits and Brent Rooker added two hits and an RBI. The Athletics have won six of their past eight series.

Oakland (50-69) lost 112 games last season and 102 the year before that.

In 2023, the Athletics didn’t earn their 50th win until Sept. 30, the penultimate day of the regular season.

Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at 22 games. Guerrero’s streak matched his career high, first set in 2022.

MARLINS 7, PADRES 6

[brightcove videoID=6360281200112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

MIAMI — Jake Burger homered for the third straight game, Jesús Sánchez also had a home run and Miami beat San Diego to end their seven-game win streak.

Burger has homered 12 times since the All-Star break.

Ha-Seong Kim originally was credited with a game-tying home run off Andrew Nardi when his drive bounced off the padding in left field and then deflected over the wall with two outs in the ninth. But after an umpire review, the call was reversed to a double.

George Soriano relieved Nardi and struck out Luis Campuzano for his first save.

Marlins starter Max Meyer (3-2) allowed three runs and seven hits, while striking out four in a career-high 6 1/3 innings. Meyer was lifted after David Peralta’s run-scoring double got San Diego within 5-4.

Sánchez’s two-run drive off reliever Yuki Matsui in the seventh extended Miami’s lead before San Diego narrowed the deficit on pinch-hitter Donovan Solano’s two-run drive off Nardi in the eighth.

GUARDIANS 5, TWINS 3

[brightcove videoID=6360275003112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

MINNEAPOLIS — David Fry and José Ramírez homered, and Cleveland held on to beat Minnesota to earn a split of the four-game series between the top two teams in the AL Central.

The Guardians won their second straight after losing seven in a row, and now lead Minnesota by 3 1/2 games. Kansas City is four games back.

Emmanuel Clase pitched a shaky ninth for his 35th save as Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs in the final frame, but Willi Castro struck out on a full count and Trevor Larnach grounded into a double play.

Byron Buxton homered twice for Minnesota, which fell to 2-7 against Cleveland this year.

The Guardians broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. With one out, Fry lined a home run off Caleb Thielbar (2-3) for just his third extra-base hit in 27 games. Prior to the 405-foot shot to the left of the bullpens, the American League All-Star was in a 4-for-32 slump.

ASTROS 10, RED SOX 2

[brightcove videoID=6360274399112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

BOSTON — Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer to key a five-run fifth inning, Yordan Alvarez followed with his third homer in two games and Houston beat Boston to complete a three-game series sweep.

It was the fifth straight win for the AL West-leading Astros, who also swept a three-game series in Fenway Park last season. Houston has won seven of its last eight series in Boston.

Jeremy Peña added a two-run homer and Yainer Diaz had a two-run double for the Astros, who improved to a season-best seven games over .500 (62-55).

Boston starter James Paxton limped off the field after straining his right calf while making a quick move to cover first on a grounder in the opening inning.

The Red Sox have lost four straight, and they’ve given up a major-league worst 47 homers since the All-Star break. Boston came in an MLB-best 16-3 in Sunday games.

REDS 4, BREWERS 3

[brightcove videoID=6360280340112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

MILWAUKEE — Santiago Espinal had two RBIs and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as Cincinnati beat Milwaukee to snap the NL Central-leader’s five-game winning streak.

The Reds avoided a sweep and beat the Brewers for just the 12th time in their last 47 meetings. The Brewers won two of three from the Reds this weekend for their ninth straight series victory against them.

Tyler Stephenson homered for Cincinnati, and Joey Ortiz had a two-run shot for Milwaukee.

The Reds broke a 3-all tie against Joe Ross (2-6) in the seventh inning. After Espinal hit a leadoff single and advanced to second when Jonathan India grounded out, Ross walked Elly De La Cruz intentionally and Tyler Stephenson unintentionally to load the bases. Espinal scored on Spencer Steer’s sacrifice fly to the left-field warning track.

The Brewers hit into inning-ending double plays in the seventh and eighth before Alexis Díaz retired the side in order in the ninth for his 23rd save in 25 opportunities.

ROCKIES 9, BRAVES 8

[brightcove videoID=6360279441112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

DENVER — Jake Cave had three RBIs, Charlie Blackmon and Sam Hilliard each had three hits, and Colorado mounted a furious comeback to defeat Atlanta in the finale of a three-game series.

The Rockies earned the victory with a seven-run eighth inning, turning an 8-2 deficit into a 9-8 advantage. It was the largest deficit the Rockies have overcome this season, and the seven runs were tied for the most in an inning by Colorado in 2024.

Entering the day, the Rockies had been 2-14 against the Braves since the start of the 2022 season and had lost nine of their previous 10 games against Atlanta at Coors Field.

Blackmon and Brendan Rodgers each had two RBIs for Colorado, which had lost four of its previous six games.

Josh Rogers (2-0) picked up the win after allowing one run in 1 2/3 relief innings while Victor Vodnik earned his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

DIAMONDBACKS 12, PHILLIES 5

[brightcove videoID=6360281612112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly pitched five solid innings in his return from a shoulder injury, Jake McCarthy had three hits and four RBIs, and Arizona stayed hot with a win over Philadelphia.

The D-backs won their eighth straight series, taking three of four from the Phillies. Since July 1, Arizona has a 25-10 record.

Philadelphia has lost three straight and 10 of 14. The Phillies surrendered 23 runs over the past two games.

McCarthy broke open the game in the fifth with a two-out, bases clearing triple down the right-field line that scored three runs and made it 8-2. The outfielder is one of the hottest hitters in the big leagues with a .403 average (25 of 62) over the past three weeks.

Rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo added three hits and two RBIs. The 25-year-old is 7 of 12 at the plate in his first three big league games, including a walk-off homer on Friday.

TIGERS 5, GIANTS 4

[brightcove videoID=6360280515112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

SAN FRANCISCO — Dillon Dingler hit his first career home run, Matt Vierling also went deep, and Detroit held on to beat San Francisco to avoid the three-game series sweep.

Colt Keith added two hits and an RBI and three Tigers relievers combined for four shutout innings to back rookie Keider Montero’s uneven outing.

Dingler hit a two-run home run in the second inning then doubled and scored in the fifth. Both hits came off Giants starter Hayden Birdsong.

Montero (3-5) gave up four runs on five hits and four walks. Tyler Holton retired four batters and Brenan Hanifee set down five. Will Vest earned his first save of the season when he got Heliot Ramos to strike out looking for the final out.

Matt Chapman had three hits and three RBIs for the Giants, who lost for the fourth time in their last 16 games.

DODGERS 6, PIRATES 5, 10 INNINGS

[brightcove videoID=6360278246112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernández drove in three runs, including a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, as Los Angeles pulled off a victory over Pittsburgh, handing them a season-high seventh consecutive defeat.

The Dodgers had a game-tying RBI double in the 10th from Kiké Hernández, who scored on Teoscar Hernández’s single. Kiké Hernández had three hits. Right-hander Evan Phillips (3-0) gave up an unearned run in the 10th but ended up with the win.

Bryan Reynolds gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead in the 10th inning with a one-out RBI single to center.

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings against his former team. Pittsburgh drafted Glasnow in the fifth round in 2011 and brought him to the major leagues in 2016 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.

The Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen hit a pair of home runs in his return to the leadoff spot after missing his previous three games with knee soreness. Left-hander Bailey Falter gave up four runs on seven hits over four innings in his first career start at Dodger Stadium.