DeLuca two-run homer rallies Rays past Nats, 4-3
Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras (24) celebrates after batting in three runs during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday in Atlanta. (AP Photo)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jonny DeLuca hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a comeback 4-3 victory against the Washington Nationals on Sunday. Ryan Vilade also hit a home run for Tampa Bay, which won its eighth home series in the past nine at Tropicana Field. The Rays improved to 26-10 at home. Nick Martinez allowed three runs in six innings while Garrett Cleavinger (2-2) picked up the win in relief. Kevin Kelly worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his third save of the season and extend his scoreless streak at home to start the season to 18 innings. Washington had won five consecutive road series, one short of tying a franchise record set in 1994 as the Montreal Expos. C.J. Abrams homered for the third consecutive game for the Nationals. Andrew Alvarez allowed one run on four hits through four innings. DeLuca, who also homered on Friday in his first game back from injury, drilled a towering ball into the left field stands off Orlando Ribalta (0-1) with one out to bring home Yandy Diaz to put the Rays in front. Washington went ahead 2-1 following a Dylan Crews RBI-double in the fourth while Abrams’ 17th home run in the sixth put the Nationals up by two. Vilade pulled Tampa Bay to within a run with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth off Gus Varland. MARLINS 2, GIANTS 1 MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Stowers homered and scored on Otto López’s go-ahead double to lead the Miami Marlins to a 2-1 win against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Ryan Gusto and four relievers limited the Giants to four hits as the Marlins won their eighth straight at home. Miami is a major league best 14-4 in June. Neither team scored after López snapped a 1-all tie in the fourth when his line drive rolled to the warning track in right and scored Stowers from first. Stowers drew a two-out-walk, the only one issued by Logan Webb. Webb (4-5) scattered five hits over eight innings for his first complete game of the season and fourth of his career. The right-hander has completed eight innings in each of his last three outings. John King (4-1) relieved Gusto and threw 1 1/3 innings. Calvin Faucher got the next four outs and Michael Petersen threw a perfect eighth. Lake Bachar allowed a leadoff walk against Rafael Devers in the ninth but then retired Jung Hoo Lee and Willy Adames for his first save. Casey Schmitt singled twice for San Francisco. Stowers gave Miami an early lead with his homer to lead off the second. He drove the first pitch from Webb 426 feet into the center-field seats for his eighth homer. The Giants tied it on Schmitt’s run-scoring single in the third. Gusto gave up one run and three hits while striking out six over 4 1/3 innings. Before the game, the Marlins placed slugger Liam Hicks on the injured list because of a low back strain and designated infielder Christopher Morel for assignment. TIGERS 5, WHITE SOX 4 DETROIT (AP) — Dillon Dingler homered and drove in the tying run in the ninth before Matt Vierling’s bloop single finished off Detroit’s comeback in the 10th as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Sunday. Detroit trailed 3-1 after seven innings, but Dingler hit a homer in the eighth and the game-tying single in the ninth. Tristan Peters put Chicago up 4-3 with a sacrifice fly in the 10th off Will Vest (3-4). Riley Greene led off the bottom of the inning with a single off Brandon Eisert (1-1) to put runners on the corners. Spencer Torkelson’s base hit tied the game. Colt Keith hit a grounder to first, and Jacob Gonzalez threw to the plate when Greene was holding third. That loaded the bases and brought Jordan Hicks out of the Chicago bullpen. Vierling hit a flare into shallow right field and Braden Montgomery couldn’t make the diving catch. Chicago was one out away from winning the game in the ninth. Seranthony Domínguez retired the first two batters before Jahmai Jones, who was 0-for-16 against right-handed pitching this season, beat out an infield single to keep the game going. Kevin McGonigle singled to move Jones to third, and Dingler tied the game with a grounder between third and short. Kerry Carpenter hit a hard grounder down the first-base line, but Gonzalez made a sprawling play to force extra innings. Peters had two hits, drove in two runs and scored for Chicago, which have lost five of six. Chicago starter Davis Martin allowed one run on five hits and three walks. Keider Montero, starting in place of Justin Verlander after his return was delayed by a hamstring pull, allowed three runs in seven innings. Montero retired the first 13 batters before Montgomery beat out a slow grounder to third. The Tigers ended the scoreless tie in the fifth. Colt Keith singled, stole second and scored on Zach McKinstry’s two-out base hit to center. Chicago, though, took the lead in the sixth. Peters led off with a single and Luisangel Acuña followed with his first home run of the season. The White Sox made it 3-1 on Peters’ RBI double in the seventh, but Dingler led off the eighth with his 18th homer to pull Detroit within a run. Contreras rips 3-run homer in 8-run inning as Gasser ends drought in Brewers’ 9-4 win over Braves BREWERS 9, BRAVES 4 ATLANTA (AP) — William Contreras had four hits, including a three-run homer in Milwaukee’s eight-run second inning, and the Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves 9-4 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid. Sal Frelick added a two-run double off Bryce Elder (5-5) as the Brewers matched their season high for most runs in an inning. They also scored eight runs in the sixth inning of a 13-2 win over Arizona on April 28. After blowing a ninth-inning lead in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Braves, Milwaukee salvaged one win in the three-game series between NL division leaders. Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser (1-3) earned his first win since May 15, 2024, against Arizona. Gasser allowed two runs and four hits and one walk. His seven strikeouts and six innings matched career highs. Atlanta’s Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer off Chad Patrick in the ninth. Mauricio Dubón had three hits for the Braves. Elder gave up 12 hits and eight runs in six innings. He has allowed a combined 22 hits and 14 runs in his past two starts, including six runs in four innings in an 8-1 loss at the New York Mets on June 14. The Brewers sent 11 batters to the plate in the second. Contreras opened the inning with a single before adding the homer into the Brewers’ bullpen behind the left-field wall. RANGERS 4, PADRES 3 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Wyatt Langford hit a three-run homer, Josh Jung had a go-ahead RBI single and the Texas Rangers beat San Diego 4-3 on Sunday to end a six-series losing streak against the Padres. The Rangers preserved a one-run lead over the final five innings a day after failing to hold a two-run lead late in a 6-4 loss in 10 innings. The series clincher was just the fourth victory for Texas in its past 20 meetings with San Diego. Nathan Eovaldi sparkled for five of his six innings after the Texas right-hander’s start was pushed back a day because of left knee soreness. The fourth inning was a different story. Eovaldi allowed six hits and three runs right after Langford’s three-run shot, which was the leadoff hitter’s sixth homer of the season. Eovaldi (7-7) struck out a season-high nine, eight of those coming while he allowed just one hit and a walk in his other five innings. Peyton Gray pitched a perfect seventh, and rookie Robby Ahlstrom walked Manny Machado before getting pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Jakob Junis allowed singles to pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts to start the ninth before finishing for his fifth save. Closer Jacob Latz had pitched in the first two games of the series. Gavin Sheets and Bogaerts had run-scoring singles to go with Sung-Mun Song’s RBI double to get the Padres even. Sheets was thrown out at home on Bogaerts’ hit, which scored Machado. Nicky Lopez, Langford and Jung had three consecutive singles to put Texas back in front in the bottom of the fourth against Lucas Giolito (2-3), who allowed all four Texas runs after entering in the second inning. CARDINALS 12, ROYALS 10 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — JJ Wetherholt hit two home runs and had three RBIs as the St. Louis Cardinals avoided a series sweep with a 12-10 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Masyn Winn hit a three-run homer in the Cardinals’ five-run first inning and Iván Herrera hit a three-run home run in the fifth for a 12-7 lead. Wetherholt went 3 for 5 with a leadoff home run and a two-run home run in the second. Winn also hit an RBI single in the second for four RBIs. Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson hit RBI singles as St. Louis had a season-high 16 hits. The Royals rallied after entering the bottom of the second down 9-2. Nick Loftin and Jac Caglianone hit two-run homers to make it 9-6 in the second. Caglianone’s 444-foot home run into the second level of the right-field Kauffman Stadium fountain extended his home run streak to three games. Caglianone hit a solo home run in the ninth for his team-leading 12th of the year. Salvador Perez hit an RBI single in the fourth. Carter Jensen hit a solo home run in the sixth. Perez scored on a fielder’s choice in the ninth, avoiding a tag and touching home. St. Louis starter Dustin May allowed six runs in two innings. St. Louis used seven relievers with Gordon Graceffo (5-1) pitching one inning for the win. Stephen Kolek (4-2) gave up nine runs on nine hits with one walk and one hit batter in 1 1/3 innings. Bobby Witt Jr. was out of the lineup for the Sunday series finale after leaving Thursday’s game with a grade-1 MCL Sprain. Witt will be reevaluated on Monday.