Shohei Ohtani hit a home run off of Paul Skenes, but the touted right-handed rookie and the Pittsburgh Pirates prevailed 10-6 over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.
Nick Gonzales matched his career high with four RBIs for Pittsburgh, including a two-run double that ignited a seven-run second inning. Yasmani Grandal, Edward Olivares and Ke’Bryan Hayes each had RBI singles for the Pirates, who can sweep the three-game series with a win on Thursday.
Skenes (3-0) surrendered a two-run blast to Ohtani and a solo shot to Andy Pages but earned the win by limiting Los Angeles to those three runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking one over five innings.
Jason Heyward led the Dodgers with three hits and two runs, while Ohtani, Pages and Will Smith tallied two hits apiece.
Reds 12, Rockies 7
Spencer Steer hit a go-ahead home run and Jonathan India added a grand slam to cap a six-run ninth inning as Cincinnati stunned Colorado in Denver.
Steer clubbed a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth to put the Reds ahead 8-7 before India followed four batters later with his fourth career grand slam to open up a five-run lead. Jeimer Candelario and TJ Friedl also homered for Cincinnati, which has won four straight.
Elias Diaz went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs for the Rockies, who squandered a 4-0 lead after the first inning and lost their fifth straight game.
Yankees 9, Twins 5
Carlos Rodon retired the first 16 hitters he faced and pitched six solid innings as New York recorded a victory over visiting Minnesota.
The Yankees matched a season high with their seventh straight win and improved to 5-0 in the season series against the Twins. Rodon (8-2) won his career-high sixth straight start, giving up two runs on three hits and no walks to go along with a season-best nine strikeouts.
New York’s Aaron Judge drove in five runs and reached base for the 31st straight game. Carlos Santana and Royce Lewis homered for the Twins, while Kyle Farmer had two hits and scored twice.
Rangers 9, Tigers 1
Jonah Heim and Josh Smith each homered and Jose Urena took a perfect game into the sixth inning as Texas salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a win over Detroit in Arlington, Texas.
Urena (2-5) had his no-hitter broken up by Justyn-Henry Malloy’s first major league hit, a leadoff homer in the sixth. The home run was the only hit allowed by Urena, who walked one and struck out six over 6 2/3 innings.
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager exited with left hamstring tightness after extending his on-base streak to a career-high 28 games with a run-scoring single in the second inning. Detroit starter Kenta Maeda threw two pitches before departing the game due to right side abdominal discomfort.
Blue Jays 3, Orioles 2
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a walk-off single to deep right field against Craig Kimbrel (4-2) in the bottom of the ninth inning as Toronto defeated visiting Baltimore.
Justin Turner had three hits for the Blue Jays, who are 3-3 on their seven-game homestand. Yimi Garcia (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win.
Anthony Santander hit a solo home run for the Orioles, who had won the first two games of the four-game series by a combined score of 17-3.
Rays 5, Marlins 3
Isaac Paredes doubled twice and drove in three runs as visiting Tampa Bay defeated Miami.
Since 2019, the Rays are 23-3 against the Marlins, including a two-game mini-sweep in this week’s series. Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin, who had been out due to back inflammation, pitched for the first time since May 18, allowing two runs on three hits in four innings.
Richard Lovelady (2-4) tossed a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win. Miami starter Braxton Garrett (2-1) gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings.
Angels 3, Padres 2
Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto homered and Jose Soriano pitched six solid innings to help Los Angeles beat San Diego, completing a three-game sweep in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano (3-5) allowed two runs (one earned) and six hits. Matt Moore tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.
Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Padres. Manny Machado exited in the fourth inning with a mild right hip flexor strain and is day-to-day, according to manager Mike Shildt.
Mets 9, Nationals 1
Luis Torrens hit two of New York’s three home runs, Luis Severino pitched eight strong innings and the visiting Mets beat Washington to complete a three-game sweep.
Francisco Lindor had two hits and went back-to-back with Torrens during a six-run sixth inning, while Harrison Bader drove in three runs with a double and a sacrifice fly for the Mets. Severino (4-2) gave up one run on seven hits.
Jesse Winker had two hits for the Nationals, who have lost five of their past six. Washington starter Patrick Corbin (1-7) allowed six runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Cardinals 4, Astros 2
Nolan Arenado homered among the team’s five hits as St. Louis eked out a victory over host Houston to salvage the finale of the three-game series.
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (4-6) allowed two runs and scattered five hits over six innings, striking out three without issuing a walk. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his 20th save.
Yainer Diaz and Trey Cabbage hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth inning for the Astros.
Red Sox 9, Braves 0
Nick Pivetta pitched seven shutout innings and Rafael Devers hit two home runs as Boston blanked visiting Atlanta to split the teams’ two-game series.
Devers hit a solo shot in the second inning and added a two-run bomb in the seventh. Jarren Duran also went deep for the Red Sox, while Jamie Westbrook collected his first major league hit in his third game.
Austin Riley’s fourth-inning single against Pivetta (3-4) was the only hit for the Braves, who were shut out for the first time this season.
Giants 9, Diamondbacks 3
Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam in a six-run third inning and San Francisco ended a six-game losing streak with a win against Arizona in the finale of a three-game series in Phoenix.
Heliot Ramos and Jorge Soler also homered and Thairo Estrada had three hits and an RBI for San Francisco. Giants starter Jordan Hicks allowed two runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Arizona starter Jordan Montgomery (3-4) allowed six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings. Pavin Smith had three hits, including a solo homer, and Blaze Alexander and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits each for Arizona, which was trying to win a season-high fifth game in a row.
Phillies 2, Brewers 0
Nick Castellanos smacked a two-run homer to lift host Philadelphia to a victory over Milwaukee, completing a three-game sweep.
Castellanos stayed hot after hitting a walk-off RBI double in the 10th inning of the Phillies’ 2-1 win on Tuesday. Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola (8-2) tossed seven shutout innings and allowed two hits. Jose Alvarado threw a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.
The Brewers managed only three hits, with two coming from William Contreras. Milwaukee starter Aaron Ashby (0-2) gave up two hits and two runs in five innings.
Cubs 7, White Sox 6
Mike Tauchman led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run as the Cubs handed the visiting White Sox their 13th consecutive loss.
Tauchman, who finished 2-for-4 with three runs, lined a 98 mph fastball from White Sox reliever Michael Kopech (1-6) into the bleachers in left-center. The 398-foot shot was his first career walk-off homer and his fifth long ball of the season.
Dansby Swanson went 2-for-3 with two runs, Cody Bellinger had two RBIs and Hector Neris (6-0) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Corey Julks and Paul DeJong went deep for the White Sox, who tied their record for the longest single-season losing streak, a mark set from Aug. 9-26, 1924.
Athletics 2, Mariners 1
Joey Estes took a perfect game into the seventh inning, Zack Gelof hit a home run and Oakland held off visiting Seattle.
Estes (2-1) wound up yielding one hit and no walks in 6 1/3 innings. Mason Miller recorded the first five-out save of his career, his 12th overall this season, to help the A’s end a two-game losing streak. The Mariners had won four games in a row and eight of the past nine.
Logan Gilbert (3-4) pitched well in defeat, allowing just two runs, only one of which was earned, in seven innings. Julio Rodriguez’s ninth-inning homer accounted for the Mariners’ lone run.
Royals-Guardians, ppd.
Kansas City’s scheduled game at Cleveland was postponed due to inclement weather. The contest will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Aug. 26.
–Field Level Media