ATLANTA (AP) — Sean Murphy hit a pair of two-run homers, Reynaldo López threw five scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 7-0 victory on Wednesday.
López (5-2) lowered his MLB-leading ERA to 1.57. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out six. López has given up just four runs in 40 2/3 innings over six home starts this year.
The Braves went 5-1 on a six-game homestand and have won six of their past seven. They allowed just two runs combined in the series.
Murphy, who made the National League All-Star team last season, was hitting just .135 in 15 games this season entering the game. The catcher went 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs.
PIRATES 1, REDS 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and Pittsburgh edged Cincinnati.
Reynolds pounced on an 80 mph changeup from Nick Martinez (2-5) and sent it just over the wall in center field for his 10th homer of the season as the Pirates took two of three from Cincinnati.
Colin Holderman (3-0) retired the three batters he faced in the eighth after coming on for a brilliant Mitch Keller. David Bednar worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.
The teams combined for just five hits on a steamy day at PNC Park in which Keller and Hunter Greene dominated.
PADRES 5, PHILLIES 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Matt Waldron used his knuckleball to strike out six over seven innings and San Diego avoided a 10th straight road loss with a late rally off Philadelphia’s bullpen.
A day after the Phillies used four consecutive ninth-inning hits to rally for a 4-3 win, Waldron (5-6) and two relievers helped the Padres snap a five-game skid that started against the Mets. The Padres avoided their first 0-6 trip since 2009 and had lost nine straight overall on the road. They hadn’t lost 10 straight away games since 2013.
Bryce Harper homered twice for the Phillies, his 27th career multi-homer game and second of the season. His 17 homers are tied with Kyle Schwarber for the team lead.
Robert Suárez worked the ninth for his 18th save.
MARLINS 4, CARDINALS 3
MIAMI (AP) — Otto Lopez hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to drive in Tim Anderson and Miami defeated St. Louis.
Lopez’s liner off Ryan Fernandez (0-2) was bobbled by right fielder Alec Burleson, but is doubtful he would have had a play. Tanner Scott (6-5) got the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.
The NL-worst Marlins took two of three from the Cardinals, who fell back below .500 at 36-37.
Kyle Gibson had been scheduled to start for the Cardinals after being on the bereavement list this week following a death in his family, but was scratched just before game time with back tightness.
Emergency starter Matthew Liberatore gave up homers to the Marlins first two hitters, Bryan De La Cruz, his 13th of the season, and Jesús Sánchez, his sixth. Josh Bell followed with a double and Jake Burger walked, but a double play and a fly out got Liberatore out of the first inning.
CUBS 6, GIANTS 5
CHICAGO (AP) — Ian Happ hit a 442-foot homer, Dansby Swanson made it back-to-back longballs and the Chicago Cubs hung on to beat San Francisco.
Jorge Soler made it interesting in the eighth inning with a 444-foot grand slam over the bleachers in left field against Tyson Miller that got the Giants within one, but Colten Brewer pitched around back-to-back walks to Wilmer Flores and Brett Wisely in the ninth and finished for his first save.
Kyle Hendricks (1-4) pitched neatly into the sixth inning, allowing one run on two hits in his longest outing of the season and lowering his ERA from 8.20 to 7.46.
NATIONALS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jesse Winker hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning and Washington defeated Arizona.
Ildemaro Vargas added an RBI single for Washington, which has won nine of 11 overall and seven of its last eight at home.
Arizona (36-38) was denied getting back to .500 for the first time since April 16, when it was 9-9.
Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt cruised through five scoreless innings in just 50 pitches, allowing just one runner to reach scoring position.
But with two outs in the sixth and Washington trailing 1-0, Lane Thomas worked a walk. Winker then ripped a four-seam fastball to center for his seventh home run this season. The left fielder is hitting .452 (19 for 42) over his last 14 games.
GUARDIANS 8, MARINERS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Tanner Bibee struck out a career-high 12 in six innings, Josh Naylor homered twice and had four RBIs, and Cleveland beat Seattle in a battle of American League division leaders.
Bibee (5-2) struck out multiple batters in each of the first five innings, allowing three hits and one walk. The right-hander had 11 strikeouts in his previous start on June 12 at Cincinnati, his first double-digit game in the majors.
Steven Kwan hit a two-run homer and José Ramírez and Bo Naylor each had two hits for the Guardians, who are five games ahead of Minnesota in the Central and have won 22 of 31 games at Progressive Field this season.
Seattle, which leads the West, lost for the second time in 10 games and is 17-6 since May 26. Manager Scott Servais and shortstop J.P. Crawford were both ejected in the fifth by Doug Eddings, who had called Crawford out on strikes.
RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 3
TORONTO (AP) — Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez hit solo home runs, Brayan Bello pitched six innings to snap a three-start winless streak, and Boston beat Toronto to complete a three-game sweep.
Duran, who had two hits and two RBIs, extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Valdez scored all three times he reached base as the Red Sox won their fifth straight and for the eighth time in their last 10 games.
The past eight series between Boston and Toronto have all been sweeps, with the Red Sox winning three. The Blue Jays and Orioles also had eight straight meetings finish as sweeps in 2009 and 2010.
Toronto made four errors. The Blue Jays are 9-20 when they make at least one error.
Bello (7-4) allowed two runs and six hits to win for the first time since May 28 at Baltimore.
Justin Slaten pitched two innings, giving up a run on a wild pitch in the seventh, and Chris Martin finished for Boston.
ASTROS 4, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Hunter Brown tossed six innings of one-run ball for his third straight win, backup catcher César Salazar had a pair of RBI singles and Houston topped the Chicago White Sox.
Jake Meyers lined a pair of doubles to end an 0-for-17 slump and scored two runs to help Houston end a two-game slide. Mauricio Dubón drove in a run with a groundout and single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Chas McCormick added a sac fly.
Andrew Benintendi hit a solo homer in the fourth for Chicago, ending Brown’s streak of scoreless innings at 16, a season high for an Astros pitcher.
Brown (4-5) scattered seven hits, struck out six and walked none in his sixth straight quality start. The 25-year-old right-hander, in his second season in Houston’s rotation, lowered his ERA to 4.72 after a rough start.
Three relievers followed with three innings of one-hit ball. Josh Hader worked around a single in the ninth for his 10th save.
RANGERS 5, METS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Leody Taveras hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning and Texas, after not having a hit until the sixth, beat the New York Mets.
The slumping Texas center fielder didn’t even start the game, but entered on defense in the top of the seventh. He had only five hits in 59 at-bats (.085) his last 18 games until the homer to right-center off reliever Drew Smith (1-1).
The reigning World Series champion Rangers ended a five-game losing streak and avoided being swept in consecutive series. They are still nine games behind AL West-leading Seattle, which took all three games against them last weekend.
Pete Alonso hit his 16th homer for the Mets, whose seven-game winning streak was their longest this season. They had won 11 of their previous 13 games.
Mets starter Sean Manaea didn’t allow a hit until Robbie Grossman lined a sharp single to left with one out in the sixth.
ORIOLES 7, YANKEES 6, 10 INNINGS
NEW YORK (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning and scored on a throwing error to help Baltimore hold off the New York Yankees.
New York ace Gerrit Cole was charged with two runs over four-plus innings in an up-and-down season debut after returning from an elbow injury. He was on the hook for his first loss since Aug. 19 last year until Giancarlo Stanton rallied the Yankees late.
The slugger greeted All-Star reliever Yennier Cano with a three-run homer that pulled the Yankees to 5-4 in the seventh, then laced a tying single off closer Craig Kimbrel (5-2) with one out in the ninth.
It was Kimbrel’s fourth blown save in 20 chances this season, but the Orioles bounced back.
Mullins blooped an RBI single to center field off Clay Holmes (1-3) that scored automatic runner Anthony Santander from second base with one out in the 10th. Mullins raced to second on the throw to the plate, then stole third and scored easily when catcher Jose Trevino’s toss sailed high into left field.
Dillon Tate got three outs for his ninth career save and first this season, with help from his defense. Santander made a diving catch in right-center of Ben Rice’s sacrifice fly, and catcher Adley Rutschman threw out pinch-runner Oswaldo Cabrera trying to steal second.
RAYS 3, TWINS 2, 10 INNINGS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tampa Bay scored on a throwing error by Minnesota ‘s Royce Lewis with two outs in the 10th inning for a victory that stopped the Twins’ six-game winning streak.
The Rays, who improved to a major league-best 25-11 in games decided by one or two runs, won for just the fourth time in their last 12 games.
Jason Adam (4-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the victory. Phil Maton worked a 1-2-3 inning in the 10th for his second save, with closer Pete Fairbanks unavailable after the thumb on his throwing hand was bruised by a comebacker the night before.
Jorge Alcala (1-2) hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch to start the inning. He threw a sinker in the dirt so wildly it ricocheted off the backstop and right to catcher Christian Vázquez for a relatively easy throw-out of automatic runner Jose Siri at third.
ROCKIES 7, DODGERS 6
DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle broke a ninth-inning tie with a sacrifice fly and Colorado rebounded from a tough loss to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Doyle’s fly ball to center was deep enough for Jake Cave to score from third, giving Colorado the victory a night after the Rockies blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning in an 11-9 loss.
Cave and Elhehuris Montero led off the ninth with singles off Yohan Ramirez (0-3), and rookie Adael Amador, who had two hits, reached on a fielder’s choice.
Michael Toglia homered and tripled and Jalen Beeks (3-3) pitched an inning of relief to help Colorado snap a four-game skid.
Shohei Ohtani doubled, singled and drove in three runs for Los Angeles. Freddie Freeman also had two hits for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles’ Bobby Miller made his first start since April 10 after spending more than two months on the injured list because of inflammation in his right shoulder.
BREWERS 2, ANGELS 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Freddy Peralta struck out eight over six innings of three-hit ball, outdueling Tyler Anderson in Milwaukee's victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Rhys Hoskins and Willy Adames drove in runs for the Brewers, who took two of three in Anaheim to open their Southern California road trip.
Peralta (5-4) rebounded from a rough outing against Cincinnati last week with a strong effort against the punchless Angels. Although he walked two and wasn’t particularly efficient, Peralta repeatedly escaped trouble.
Los Angeles got two runners into scoring position in the sixth, but Peralta retired Logan O’Hoppe on a hot grounder up the middle with his final pitch.
ATHLETICS 5, ROYALS 1
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luis Medina held down Kansas City to get his first victory in more than 11 months and Oakland won their second straight game following a nine-game skid, beating the Royals.
Medina (1-2) had lost five straight decisions since beating Boston on July 18 last season but was sharp against the struggling Royals. He allowed one run on an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr. and six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the win in front of an announced crowd of 4,557 fans.
Brett Rooker hit a pair of RBI singles for Oakland and Zack Gelof hit a solo homer to provide the offense. Medina and the bullpen did the rest, giving the A’s their first back-to-back wins since a six-game winning streak that ended May 4.
A’s relievers threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings, ending a streak of 13 straight games that the bullpen allowed at least one run.
The Associated Press
