Pittsburgh goes 0-for-Atlanta after 3-2 loss
Toronto Blue Jays' Andrés Giménez (0) celebrates with George Springer, second from left, after scoring on a single hit by Nathan Lukes (not shown) against the Baltimore Orioles during sixth-inning baseball game action in Toronto, on Sunday. (AP Photo)
ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II hit a three-run double in the seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep Sunday. Reynaldo López (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh, and Tyler Kinley ended a bases-loaded threat in the eighth when he got Ryan O’Hearn to ground out to first base. Braves rookie Didier Fuentes stranded two runners in the ninth for his first career save. Harris came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and the Braves trailing 2-0. With light rain falling, he drove the first pitch from Evan Sisk into the right-field corner to clear the bases. The major league-leading Braves (45-21), limited to three hits, have won eight of 10. Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz led off the game with a home run, his sixth in nine career games at Truist Park. He also had an infield single and extended his on-base streak to 15 games. Pittsburgh’s Mason Montgomery served as an opener for the fourth time this season after pitching an inning in relief Saturday night. Montgomery stranded two in a scoreless first and has not given up a run as an opener this season. Bubba Chandler (2-7) came on as a bulk reliever and cruised until the seventh, when an error by third baseman Tyler Callihan and two walks loaded the bases. He was pulled before Harris doubled off Sisk. Braves starter Bryce Elder gave up two hits and two runs in six innings, his 10th quality start in 14 outings this season. He struck out four and walked two. CARDINALS 5, REDS 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bryan Torres homered, Jordan Walker hit an RBI double and the St. Louis Cardinals scored on two errors in the eighth inning to rally past the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Sunday to sweep the series. Victor Scott II dribbled a sacrifice bunt to Reds pitcher Sam Moll that he threw past the third baseman to score Alec Buleson and give St. Louis a 4-3 lead. Iván Herrera reached on a fielding error by shortstop Matt McLain soon after, adding an insurance run. Walker got the Cardinals on the board with his one-run single in the fifth before Torres hammered his second-career home run over the right-field wall for St. Louis’ first lead of the game at 3-2. Both of Torres’ homers have come against the Reds. Ryne Stanek (2-0) threw the final two outs of the eighth inning and struck out one. Riley O’Brien earned his 17th save of the season in a scoreless ninth. McLain and Tyler Stephenson hit back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning to put the Reds ahead 2-0 early. McLain homered again in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. It was his third home run in two days and his second career multi-homer game. Moll (1-5) allowed two runs on two hits without recording an out for the Reds, while Chris Paddack blew his first save of the season. Rhett Lowder made his first start off the IL for the Reds and threw 3.0 innings, walking five and striking out four. The Reds have lost eight of their last 10 games and have dropped four straight. After starting the season 20-11, they have gone 11-22 since. They are 2-13 in the NL Central. RANGERS 10, GUARDIANS 0 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom allowed only three singles over six innings, Justin Foscue hit the first of Texas’ four home runs and the Rangers beat Cleveland 10-0 on Sunday, giving them three consecutive series wins for the first time this season. Two-time Cy Young award winner deGrom (5-4) got his 101st career victory with six strikeouts, including the last four hitters he faced, and two walks. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.26 ERA in six home starts, and 43 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. Foscue’s two-run homer in the first put Texas up to stay. Josh Jung, Wyatt Langford and Michael Helman also went deep. The Rangers (32-33) took two of three games against Cleveland, after the same at St. Louis since a three-game sweep of Kansas City at home last weekend. That 7-2 mark is their best nine-game stretch under first-year manager Skip Schumaker. Cleveland left-hander Joey Cantillo (4-3) struck out seven in his five innings, but gave up seven runs and the first three Texas homers. YANKEES 6, RED SOX 1 NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger’s tiebreaking homer sparked a five-run eighth inning capped by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s three-run drive, and the banged-up New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 on Sunday. Bellinger drove a cutter from Justin Slaten (0-3) into the right-center seats for a 2-1 lead. Trent Grisham added an RBI single and Chisholm went deep on a cutter against Joe La Sorsa. New York (38-26) gained a split of the rain-shortened, two-game series and moved within percentage points of first-place Tampa Bay (37-25), which has led the AL East since May 10. Tim Hill (3-2) pitched a perfect eighth. New York is missing a trio of regulars who are on the injured list: Aaron Judge (fractured rib), Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) and Austin Wells (cervical headaches). In five games without Judge, the Yankees are batting .226 with 19 runs. Pitching against the team he rooted for growing up, Yankees starter Cam Schlittler dropped his ERA to 1.87 with his ninth start allowing no runs or one. He gave up an RBI double with two outs in the sixth to his last batter, Willson Contreras. BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 4 TORONTO (AP) — Yohendrick Piñango and Brandon Valenzuela hit solo home runs, Andrés Giménez had two hits and an RBI and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Sunday. Piñango opened Toronto’s five-run sixth inning with a homer off Shane Baz (3-6), his fourth of the season. Valenzuela connected off Rico Garcia to begin the eighth, his seventh. Baltimore’s Taylor Ward hit a two-run home run, his third. Colton Cowser added a solo homer, his sixth, but the Orioles lost their second straight. Left-hander Adam Macko (2-0) pitched one inning for the win and Louis Varland got the final four outs for his 11th save in 11 chances. MARLINS 4, RAYS 1 MIAMI (AP) — Sandy Alcantara struck out seven in seven innings of one-run ball, Otto López doubled and tripled, and the Miami Marlins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Sunday. Kyle Stowers singled and hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Marlins, who clinched the three-game series and finished 3-3 against their in-state rival this season. A day after using seven pitchers in a 4-3 win, the Marlins counted on Alcantara (5-4) to provide length. And the veteran right-hander responded with his second consecutive outing of seven innings or more and fifth of the season. Alcantara scattered five hits, walked one and hit a batter. Michael Petersen relieved Alcantara and threw a perfect eighth. Anthony Bender worked around a leadoff walk for his second save. ATHLETICS 5, ASTROS 0 HOUSTON (AP) — Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker homered, Gage Jump worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the Athletics beat the Houston Astros 5-0 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep. Kurtz opened the scoring in the third with his 12th home run of the year — a 389-foot line drive to right-center that scored Alika Williams for a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, Brent Rooker added an RBI double that scored Shea Langeliers and gave the Athletics a 3-0 lead. Zack Gelof scored on a fielding error by shortstop Jeremy Peña in the fourth inning and Rooker’s 397-foot solo shot to left field capped the scoring in the fifth. Jump (2-1) allowed three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. The 23-year-old left-hander has allowed just one run in his past 13 1/3 innings pitched. Houston’s Mike Burrows (3-8) allowed all five runs on eight hits in five innings. Burrows has given up 17 home runs in 13 starts this season, with 11 coming on his four-seam fastball. He has a 5.77 ERA in 73 1/3 innings. PHILLIES 9, WHITE SOX 5 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Marsh homered for the third straight day and drove in two runs, Rafael Marchán also went deep and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Sunday. Marsh connected in the third inning off David Sandlin, his eighth of the year, and hit an RBI single in the sixth. The outfielder, who has never batted higher than .280 in a full season, raised his National League-leading average to .338 with his 2-for-4 afternoon. Marchán hit his second homer of the season in the second inning, a two-run shot. The Phillies took two of three from the White Sox to conclude a 5-1 homestand and moved a season-best five games over .500 (35-30). In a game that featured four lead changes, the Phillies went ahead for good against Tyler Davis (2-3) in the fifth. Alec Bohm tied it with a double, Bryson Stott followed with a go-ahead RBI single, and Bohm scored on a double-play grounder to make it 7-5. After Marsh’s hit in the sixth, Bohm added an RBI single. José Alvarado (3-1) worked a scoreless sixth as the Phillies’ bullpen closed out the game with 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Aaron Nola. Randal Grichuk had two hits for the White Sox, including a pinch-hit two-run single in the fifth. Tristan Peters doubled twice off Nola and Sam Antonacci also had two hits. Tyler Gilbert got two outs and allowed one run as the opener for the White Sox. It was the first run surrendered by a White Sox opener in 11 games (13 innings) this season. D-BACKS 5, NATIONALS 1 PHOENIX (AP) — Gabriel Moreno hit a two-run homer, Michael Soroka threw seven effective innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided a series sweep with a 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The Diamondbacks’ bats came to life after losing the series’ first two games by a combined score of 20-2. Corbin Carroll hit a solo homer in the first inning off Cade Cavalli (3-4) and Moreno added his two-run shot off the right-hander in the fifth. Pavin Smith hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to put Arizona up 5-1. Soroka (8-3) gave up a leadoff homer to CJ Abrams in the second inning and two other hits. He struck out six and walked two. It was Soroka’s first start of at least seven innings and one or fewer runs allowed since Aug. 10, 2019. TIGERS 5, MARINERS 4 DETROIT (AP) — Kevin McGonigle homered in the fourth inning and hit a two-run single off All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that gave the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Wenceel Pérez tripled home two runs in the seventh to begin Detroit’s comeback from a 4-1 deficit as the Tigers took two of three games in the series. Muñoz (3-4) struck out Spencer Torkelson to start the ninth, then walked Zach McKinstry and Pérez. Both advanced on Matt Vierling’s groundout before McGonigle lined a single off the glove of leaping second baseman Cole Young to give Detroit its fifth victory in six games. Will Vest (2-4) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Seattle wasted a strong start from Luis Castillo, who left with a 3-1 lead after yielding three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The veteran right-hander’s only blemish was McGonigle’s fourth homer — a 420-foot shot leading off the fourth that tied it at 1.