Martinez homers twice, surging Red Sox sweep Mariners
BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit two homers, rookie Michael Chavis drove in five runs and the surging Boston Red Sox beat the stumbling Seattle Mariners 11-2 to complete a three-game sweep Sunday at soggy Fenway Park.
The World Series champions have won five straight games and 16 of 22 following a 6-13 start.
Omar Narváez homered for Seattle (20-23), which has lost four in a row and 15 of 19 after opening 13-2. The Mariners were outscored 34-8 in the series, completing a 2-8 trip.
Hector Velázquez (1-2) gave up two runs in five innings for the Red Sox. Marco Gonzales (5-2) gave up four runs, two earned, in four innings.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Masahiro Tanaka (3-3) matched his season high of seven innings, allowing one run and five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks to outpitch reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. New York closed back within one-half game of AL East-leading Tampa Bay.
Thairo Estrada homered just after play resumed following a ninth-inning power outage that caused a 43-minute delay.
Snell (3-4) struck out 12 in 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs, four hits, and two walks. Austin Romine and Michael Tauchman hit consecutive two-out doubles in the fifth, and DJ LeMahieu followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
HOUSTON (AP) — George Springer was 5 for 5 with four RBIs and a pair of home runs that increased total to an AL-high 15 as Houston completed a four-game sweep of Texas and extended its winning streak to five.
Alex Bregman also homered twice and tied his career high with five RBIs as the Astros set season highs for runs and hits (18). Corbin Martin (1-0) struck out nine in his major league debut, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings.
Springer hit his fifth leadoff homer this season and big league-high 29th since the start of 2015, a drive off Adrian Sampson (0-3).
Sampson allowed six runs — five earned — and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.
CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester pitched 6 2/3 gutsy innings, Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer and Chicago beat Milwaukee to take a weekend series between the top teams in the NL Central.
Lester (3-1) gave Chicago exactly what it needed a day after it used seven relievers during a 2-1 victory in 15 innings. Taking the mound on a rainy, cold night at Wrigley Field, the ace left-hander allowed an unearned run and nine hits while throwing a season-high 116 pitches.
Bryant had three hits and scored three times, reaching safely for a career-best 22nd straight game and helping the division-leading Cubs close out an 8-2 homestand.
Milwaukee wasted a solid start by Jhoulys Chacín (3-4), who permitted two runs, one earned, and six hits in six innings.
TORONTO (AP) — Lucas Giolito (4-1) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings to win his second straight start, matching his season high with eight strikeouts as Chicago beat Toronto.
Tim Anderson and Yonder Alonso homered for Chicago.
Toronto lost for the 10th time in 12 games and dropped to a season-worst eight games below .500. The Blue Jays have scored two or fewer in eight of their past 10 games.
Aaron Sanchez (3-4) lost his third straight start, allowing five runs in six innings.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nicholas Castellanos was a triple short of the cycle, hitting a two-run homer to lead Detroit past Minnesota.
Daniel Norris (2-1) gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, his longest start since May 24, 2017.
Ehire Adrianza homered and had two hits for the Twins, but designated hitter Nelson Cruz exited in the seventh inning because of a left wrist injury.
Martin Perez (5-1) left in the sixth after being hit in the left foot by a line drive off Castellanos' bat.
Shane Greene pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cole Irvin (1-0) threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in his major league debut, and Philadelphia beat Kansas City.
J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run double and Odubel Herrera followed with a two-run single in a six-run fifth inning that began off Jakob Junis (3-4).
Kansas City has lost 12 consecutive series rubber games, a streak that stretches back to May 30 last year, when the Royals took two of three against Minnesota.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Bell hit a tying three-run homer off John Brebbia (1-2) in the seventh and drove in a career-high five runs, and Adam Frazier hit a tiebreaking, pinch-hit double. Pittsburgh scored five times in the seventh inning and twice in the eighth to rally from a 6-3 deficit and beat St. Louis.
Paul Goldschmidt and José Martínez homered for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six and nine of 11.
Chris Stratton (1-2), acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, pitched a scoreless sixth.
DENVER (AP) — Charlie Blackmon homered twice, Antonio Senzatela pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Colorado held on to beat San Diego.
Raimel Tapia had three hits, including a two-run homer, and pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy hit a three-run double for the Rockies, who took two of three from San Diego.
Greg Garcia singled twice to drive in a pair of runs for the Padres, who lost a road series for the first time this season.
Senzatela (3-2) gave up three runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Both of Blackmon's homers came off Nick Margevicius (2-4), who allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings.
ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 1
BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis homered in his return to the cleanup spot in Baltimore's batting order, going deep for the second time in three games, and the Orioles beat Los Angeles to avoid a three-game sweep.
Davis hit cleanup for the first time since Aug. 27. The 33-year-old is hitting .290 (18 for 62) with five home runs and 17 RBIs since stopping an 0-for-54 skid on April 13.
Davis homered off rookie Griffin Canning (1-1) leading off the second and Stevie Wilkerson went deep two batters later. The Orioles stopped a four-game losing streak.
Mike Trout hit his ninth home run, the major league-high 84th off Baltimore this season, and also walked twice for Los Angeles.
Rookie John Means (5-3) allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings, throwing a season-high 110 pitches and lowering his ERA from 2.48 to 2.33.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hyun-Jin Ryu took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Corey Seager hit a grand slam and Los Angeles split a four-game series with Washington that featured three shutouts.
Nationals newcomer Gerardo Parra, who hit a grand slam Saturday night, played spoiler at Dodger Stadium again by breaking up Ryu's no-hit bid with one out in the eighth. Parra drove the left-hander's 105th pitch deep to left-center, where it bounced on the warning track and over the wall for a ground-rule double that ended up being Washington's only hit of the day.
Ryu (5-1) struck out nine in eight innings and threw a career-high 116 pitches, 79 for strikes.
Seager broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth with his second career slam.
Stephen Strasburg (3-3) yielded two runs and four hits in six innings.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pablo Sandoval homered and doubled in his second three-hit game this season, scoring the go-ahead run on Kevin Pillar's two-out single in the eighth inning to lift San Francisco over Cincinnati.
Sandoval hit a two-run, opposite-field homer to left in the first off Tyler Mahle that tied the score 2-2, his fourth home run this season. He singled in the sixth.
San Francisco trailed 5-4 when Evan Longoria singled off David Hernández (0-2) leading off the eighth. After a run-scoring groundout, Pillar later singled for his team-leading 22nd RBI.
Tony Watson (2-0) won despite forcing in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk to Tucker Barnhart in the eighth. Will Smith struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 10th save in as many attempts, and the Giants avoided a three-game sweep.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Roberto Pérez hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning and Cleveland beat Oakland.
Carlos González and Luplow reached on consecutive one-out singles against starter Daniel Mengden (0-1). After reliever Ryan Buchter retired Jake Bauers on a liner, Pérez drove a first-pitch fastball deep into the left field stands.
Jefry Rodríguez (1-2) allowed three runs in six innings for his first win. The right-hander gave up six hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Adam Cimber struck out two of the three batters he faced. Nick Wittgren pitched the eighth and Brad Hand worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save.
BRAVES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3
PHOENIX (AP) — Max Fried (1-2) pitched five effective innings after leaving his last start early, Johan Camargo hit an early two-run single and Atlanta beat Arizona.
Tyler Flowers had two RBIs, including a run-scoring triple in the eighth inning.
Luke Jackson allowed two hits in two innings for his fourth save.
Arizona's Zack Godley (1-3) gave up three hits in the second inning, including Ender Inciarte's RBI bloop single to left, and fellow starting pitcher Zack Greinke pinch-hit for him in the bottom half.