White Sox top Guards, take over 1st
Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio breaks his bat as he pops out to Chicago White Sox shortstop Luisangel Acuña during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Vargas hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, Sean Burke struck out six in 6 1/3 innings, and the Chicago White Sox claimed sole possession of first place in the AL Central on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Burke (5-4) allowed one run on six hits and one walk to outduel Guardians starter Parker Messick. Sean Newcomb threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief for his second save. The White Sox are 22-4 in their last 26 home games, 11-1 against the AL Central at home and have won nine straight home series after beating the Guardians 6-5 on Monday. Their 16 one-run wins are the most in the majors. Messick (7-4) struck out a career-high 10 in 7 2/3 innings, walking one and allowing two runs on only three hits. Colson Montgomery singled home Randal Grichuk in the fourth after Grichuk doubled, the first hit off Messick. Guardians rookie Kahlil Watson hit his first career home run off Burke in the fifth, 373 feet to right field to make it 1-1, a week after making his MLB debut. The Guardians loaded the bases with two outs in the inning but Burke induced Brayan Rocchio to pop out. Vargas put the White Sox in the lead for good to lead off the sixth, hitting Messick’s slider 376 feet into the bullpen in left field. It was his career-best 17th home run of the season. MARINERS 3, PIRATES 2 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Young hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning in his first major league game in his hometown to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old second baseman’s drive into the right-field bleachers kept the Mariners in first place in the AL West with a 41-39 record. Young grew up in Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs and starred at North Allegheny High School. The Mariners’ other run came in the fourth inning when Cal Raleigh led off with a solo shot off Mitch Keller (5-5). That ended a streak of 64 plate appearances since Raleigh’s last homer on April 27. Raleigh has just eight home runs this season after hitting a major league-high 60 last year. He was on the injured list with an oblique strain from May 14-June 15. Young’s home run enabled George Kirby (6-7) to end a five-game losing streak and win for the first time in eight starts. Kirby allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings, allowing eight hits, striking out five and walking two. Andrés Muñoz pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Keller remained winless in his last five starts as he gave up three runs and seven hits in six-plus innings with four strikeouts and one walk. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Marcell Ozuna in the second inning and a throwing error by third baseman J.P. Crawford in the third. Crawford and Josh Naylor had two hits each for the Mariners. The Pirates got two hits each from Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales. BREWERS 2, REDS 0 CINCINNATI (AP) — Brandon Sproat pitched one-hit ball for six shutout innings and had a career-high 10 strikeouts, Hank Bauers and Andrew Vaughn drove in runs and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 on Tuesday night. Milwaukee (48-29) won a series at Great American Ball Park for the ninth straight time and has won 12 of the last 13. The Brewers spoiled the return of Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who went 0 for 3 and struck out twice in his first game since May 31 after landing on the injured list with a strained hamstring for the first time in his career. Sproat (2-4) did not allow a baserunner until hitting JJ Bleday with a two-out pitch in the fourth. The only hit the right-hander surrendered was a leadoff single to Joey Ortiz to open the sixth. Edwin Arroyo reached on a fielder’s choice, but was thrown out on a steal attempt. Blake Dunn struck out to keep it 1-0 after Bauers’ triple drove in the first run in the top of the inning. Sproat, who made his big league debut in September in a 3-2 loss in Cincinnati while pitching for the Mets, threw 80 pitches and did not walk a batter. Reds starter Nick Lodolo threw four scoreless innings before leaving with a left wrist contusion. Jackson Chourio reached on an infield single that struck the lefty’s pitching hand to start the fourth. Lodolo stayed in the game and worked out of a bases-loaded jam before being replaced by Julian Garcia. Garcia (0-1) got five outs in his major league debut but was charged with the loss. The 31-year-old is the third-oldest Reds player to make his debut since 1957. Garcia was replaced by Caleb Ferguson after issuing a two-out walk to Vaughn, who scored on Bauers’ triple. Chase Petty allowed a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Vaughn in the eighth in two innings of work The Reds (37-41) have managed just two hits for a second straight day after Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff took a perfect game into the sixth inning in the series opener. De La Cruz returned on the third anniversary of hitting for the cycle as a rookie — the Reds’ first in 34 years.