Author: rincon

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn pitched his heart out. “You were really brave. You put your arms out there. You slit your wrists. You said, ‘World, this is my blood. It’s red just like yours, so love me.””

But then the Los Angeles Angels put his heart in a shredder.

Ginn was pitching a no-hitter, had recorded 10 strikeouts and given up just one walk entering the bottom of the ninth inning before second baseman Adam Frazier led off the inning with a single. Then, shortstop Zach Neto hit a walk-off, two-run home run to center field for a 2-1 Angels win.

A literal nightmare for any pitcher.

The dramatic turn of events ended a six-game losing streak for the Angels, while the Athletics have now lost six of their last eight games.

Neto’s walk-off homer provides a bright spot in what has been an otherwise slow offensive start for the Angels’ shortstop, who averaged 24.5 home runs, 69.5 RBIs, a .458 slugging percentage and 5.1 wins above replacement per season from 2024-25. Through 49 games this season, Neto is hitting just .225 and has racked up an American League-high 68 strikeouts. As for Ginn, the right-hander has a 2.98 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over eight starts/11 appearances altogether (51 ⅓ innings).

One way to get the first hit of your MLB career is by sending a pitch where nobody on the field can catch it.

In the bottom of the eighth, Seattle Mariners third baseman Colt Emerson hit a three-run home run to right field off Chicago White Sox reliever Trevor Richards, marking Emerson’s first MLB hit in what was just his second big-league game.

Emerson, whom Seattle selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, signed an eight-year, $95 million extension with the Mariners in April. Prior to getting called up to the big leagues last week, the 20-year-old Emerson totaled seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 10 stolen bases over 38 games in Triple A, boasting a .255/.347/.469 slash line.

As for the rest of Seattle’s offense, center fielder Julio Rodríguez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first, left fielder Randy Arozarena — who had two doubles on the night — doubled in a run in the third and first baseman Josh Naylor — who had a game-high three hits — singled home a run in the sixth. Starter Bryan Woo pitched six shutout innings, posting eight strikeouts and paving the way for a 6-1 Mariners victory.

San Francisco Giants southpaw Robbie Ray spent five-plus seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-20). Unfortunately for the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner, his old team had zero warm feelings about Ray making a start at his old stomping grounds.

In the bottom of the first, D-backs third baseman Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam off Ray, who would go on to surrender 13 baserunners (11 hits and two walks) and 10 runs (nine earned) over 4 ⅓ innings. Ray entered Monday night with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He left the night with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

Catcher Gabriel Moreno — who hit a two-run homer in the fifth — second baseman Ketel Marte and left fielder Tim Tawa each drove in two runs, while center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt went 3 for 3 with two doubles and a walk in a 12-2 win for Arizona.

On the season, Arenado has hit seven home runs and sports an .810 OPS; Moreno’s home run was just his second long ball of the season; Waldschmidt is 10 for his first 32 in the big leagues (.313/.371/.438 slash line).

Arizona has won three of its last four and is now .500 (23-23); San Francisco is 20-28.

The New York Mets blew a two-run lead in the seventh inning, with the Washington Nationals scoring a run in the seventh and eighth innings to ultimately force extra innings. Both teams failed to get a run to cross home plate in the 10th, but each scored a run in the 11th. Granted, the Nationals stranded runners on second and third after tying the game.

And the Mets made them pay, dearly.

In the top of the 12th, New York scored 10 runs in an inning where it tallied nine hits and triggered Washington putting infielder Jorbit Vivas on the mound to get the final two outs of the inning after five runs had already scored; the Mets won, 16-7.

In total, the Mets had 18 hits, which included three-hit performances from right fielder Carson Benge and shortstop Bo Bichette, who, along with fellow infielder Brett Baty, hit a solo home run. Baty, designated hitter Juan Soto and outfielders A.J. Ewing and Tyrone Taylor each had two hits.

The Mets have won six of their last seven games.

Scoring 16 runs in 12 innings is impressive, but the Tampa Bay Rays only needed six innings to reach the 16-run mark.

Tampa Bay tattooed Baltimore Orioles pitching, scoring eight runs (seven earned) off starter Trevor Rogers and four runs apiece off relievers Cameron Foster and Dietrich Enns. Designated hitter Yandy Díaz had a game-high four hits — including two doubles — and four RBIs for the Rays, who got a 3-for-3 performance from right fielder Ryan Vilade. 

Meanwhile, third baseman Junior Caminero hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth and drove in four runs altogether. Caminero has hit a team-high 13 home runs and boasts a .506 slugging percentage; Díaz has logged a team-high 53 hits, while sporting a .310 batting average; Vilade is hitting .317.

The 16-6 thrashing of the Orioles improved the Rays to 11-2 in AL East play and an MLB-best 31-15 on the whole.

It took the Milwaukee Brewers one try to do what they couldn’t against the Chicago Cubs in the 2025 National League Division Series: win a game at Wrigley Field.

Leading off the top of the second, Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich demolished a Shota Imanaga sweeper off the right-field scoreboard, which would be an omen of what was to come.

Milwaukee plated four runs in the fourth on RBI singles from Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio and a two-run double from right fielder Sal Frelick. Then, Bauers launched a three-run homer in the top of the fifth, which gave the Brewers an 8-0 lead and knocked Imanaga out of the game. The left-hander gave up 12 baserunners (nine hits and three walks) across 4⅓ innings.

Chicago’s offense briefly came to life in the bottom of the fifth, with shortstop Dansby Swanson hitting a two-run homer and first baseman Michael Busch doubling in a run. That said, Yelich — who has driven in 13 runs over just 18 games this season — would double in a run in the sixth, and Milwaukee won 9-3.

The Brewers have won nine of their last 11 games. As for the other dugout, the Cubs have lost three consecutive games, which comes after they recently lost four consecutive games. Milwaukee now trails Chicago by a half-game for first place in the National League Central.

After losing two out of three to the New York Mets and trailing the team that eliminated them in the playoffs last season in the seventh inning (the Toronto Blue Jays), the New York Yankees looked destined to lose their eighth game in 10 tries.

Until the bottom of the seventh inning happened.

The first two batters of the inning failed to reach base. Then, Yankees superstar Aaron Judge singled, which fellow outfielder Cody Bellinger followed up with a game-tying, two-run home run. Following a Trent Grisham walk, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. brought the roof down with a go-ahead, opposite field home run off the foul pole.

While closer David Bednar gave up three baserunners (two walks and a hit) and a run in the bottom of the ninth, he got the save for the Yankees, who beat their AL East rival 7-6.

As for the seventh-inning standouts, Bellinger has totaled six home runs, 32 RBIs, a 138 OPS+ and 2.6 wins above replacement through 47 games, while owning a .271/.377/.476 slash line; while off to a slow start, Chisholm is nine for his last 16 with three walks.

Miguel Andújar — who had two of the Padres’ four hits — blasted a solo home run for the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the first, and that’s all the run support that right-hander Michael King would need.

The Padres’ ace tossed seven scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting nine strikeouts and giving up just six baserunners (four hits and two walks). Jason Adam and Mason Miller proceeded to shut the door with a pair of scoreless innings in a 1-0 San Diego win.

The Dodgers wasted an exceptional outing from star right-hander Yoshinobo Yamamoto, who logged eight strikeouts and gave up just one run and five baserunners (three hits and two walks) over seven innings. The 1-0 loss marked just the second time this season that Los Angeles has been shutout. 

Through 10 starts, King has recorded a 2.31 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, 59 strikeouts, a 176 ERA+ and 2.1 wins above replacement across 58 ⅓ innings pitched. The slim win puts the Padres a half-game ahead of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West.

Some fast food chains have a bell you can ring near the exit if you feel that the service was satisfactory. The Minnesota Twins rang that bell twice on Monday night.

In the bottom of the second, designated hitter Josh Bell hit a solo home run and later unloaded a two-run homer in the fourth. Bell finished with a game-high three hits and four RBIs, which was the impetus for a 6-3 Twins’ victory over the Houston Astros.

Elsewhere, second baseman Luke Keaschall drove in two runs on a single in the sixth for the Twins, who used a combined seven pitchers. Left-hander Kendry Rojas, who made his first three MLB appearances as a reliever, posted three strikeouts and didn’t give up a run over four innings in what was his first big-league start.

Bell has struggled out of the gate, but Minnesota’s designated hitter has driven in nine runs over his last seven games, while owning a .286 batting average and a .571 slugging percentage over that span.

The Atlanta Braves went fishing in South Florida and ended up being the ones on the line.

The Miami Marlins had their way with Atlanta’s pitching staff, most notably striking for five runs in the bottom of the fourth and six runs in the fifth. Regarding the fourth-inning surge, Miami got a two-run double from designated hitter Liam Hicks, a two-run single from catcher Joe Mack and an RBI single from second baseman Xavier Edwards. 

In the fifth, Miami got a grand slam from infielder Javier Sanoja, a solo home run from Edwards and an RBI walk from Mack. Starter JR Ritchie and reliever Aaron Bummer each gave up six runs for the Braves, who lost 12-0. The Marlins’ other run came on an RBI ground out from Mack in the second.

The 12 runs that Miami plated were a season-high. Its second-highest run total this season? The Marlins have scored 10 runs in three games, one of those times coming against the Braves on Apr. 13.

As for some of Monday’s primary run-producers, Hicks leads MLB with 42 RBIs; Edwards boasts a .322 batting average, which is seventh in MLB, while Edwards’ double-play partner, shortstop Otto Lopez, leads MLB with a .337 batting average; Mack’s four RBIs account for two-thirds of the runs he has driven in (six).

On the hill, Miami got six scoreless innings from Max Meyer, who now has a 2.85 ERA, followed by scoreless innings from John King, Calvin Faucher and Lake Bachar. The Marlins held the Braves to four hits.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Munetaka Murakami has a fun handshake with fellow infielder Miguel Vargas. He playfully agreed that a magic wand routine with teammate Mike Vasil helped him slam another homer. His No. 5 jersey dots the stands at Rate Field.

The Japanese slugger wasn’t supposed to end up with the Chicago White Sox. But it’s working out quite well at the moment.

Murakami looks right at home with a promising group of young position players in Chicago, and they have been mashing the ball so far this season. Murakami has an AL-leading 17 homers and a team-high 32 RBIs through Sunday’s action, and the surprising White Sox are tied for second in the majors with 66 homers overall.

“It’s the full lineup, one through nine. Feeding off each other,” Murakami said through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi. “It’s a great confidence builder, seeing other players get good results. I just want to be that contributor and contribute to the lineup and contribute to the team’s wins.”

Murakami’s 17 homers are tied for third-most by a player in major league history in his first 45 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He went deep in a record eight consecutive series openers from April 14 to May 8.

When Murakami strides to the plate, one of baseball’s three true outcomes is the likely result. He also ranks among the major league leaders with 36 walks and 66 strikeouts.

“He’s a superstar. There’s no other way to do it,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “You play against guys like (Mike) Trout, you play against guys like (Aaron) Judge and Yordan Alvarez and he’s doing the same things that they are. It’s an incredible thing to watch.”

Murakami is the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu managed Murakami in Japan.

“He’s had to make a ton of adjustments to get comfortable,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And I know that probably is not easy for him. So yeah, he’s just a guy who has that flexibility to come into different environments and then get comfortable and I think this speaks a lot to his character and who he is.”

[Touching Base: Inside the White Sox’s ‘1% Chance’ and Hot Start for Slugger Munetaka Murakami]

The 26-year-old Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. He was limited to 56 games last season because of an oblique injury, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.

He entered MLB’s posting system in November. When the market was lighter than expected — there was some exaggerated concern about his ability to handle velocity — the White Sox signed the slugger to a $34 million, two-year contract in December.

During Murakami’s fast start this season, White Sox general manager Chris Getz has fielded some laudatory calls from other GMs.

“One GM said ‘Congratulations, you beat the industry on this one,’” Getz said, “so that was nice to hear, and it’s worked out and you know we feel really excited about having him in a White Sox uniform and he’s helping us win baseball games.”

Murakami was a late arrival for his first spring training game after he got caught in some traffic. But it has been smooth sailing most of the time.

He hit a solo homer in his first three regular-season games. He crushed a 431-foot grand slam in a 9-2 victory at the Athletics on April 17, beginning a five-game homer streak. He connected for a three-run shot in an 8-7 victory over the Angels last month.

With Vasil continuing to wave a magic wand in the White Sox dugout, Murakami went deep twice in his first career multihomer game on Saturday night against the crosstown Cubs.

He isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore.

“He’s a dangerous hitter and a guy you definitely have to be careful with,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Murakami wants to get better, too. He said his biggest challenge has been adjusting to new pitchers every day, and he is growing more comfortable at first base.

Asked about his biggest challenge in moving to the majors, he paused and smiled.

“Compared to Japan, here, the environment’s totally different,” he said. “The space, the fields and everything is really nice. That’s the … biggest surprise.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Roki Sasaki’s eventful major league career finally appears to be going the way most everyone expected when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers at the start of last season.

Sasaki pitched a career-high seven innings of four-hit ball in a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, turning in the longest and most dominant start of his strange tenure in blue.

The 24-year-old right-hander racked up a career-best eight strikeouts with no walks, doing it all with a burgeoning confidence he lacked for most of last season. Sasaki (2-3) repeatedly baffled the Halos while attacking the strike zone with a 98 mph fastball and his proliferating selection of breaking pitches.

“I think he has confidence in who he is as a big league pitcher, and we’re seeing some of the fruits right now,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Although he did it against the team with the worst record in the majors, Sasaki’s stuff is clearly working at a high level he has rarely reached as a starter stateside.

He was already a ballyhooed young star in January 2025 when he chose the Dodgers as his big league home for at least the next six years. But after a rookie season in which almost nothing went as planned, Sasaki has only recently shown why every team in the majors wanted him in their rotation.

“I actually felt better in my last outing, but today I felt able to throw strikes a little bit more,” Sasaki said through his interpreter. “Also the offense did a great job of scoring a lot of runs.”

Sasaki hasn’t been dominant in most of his starts, but Roberts said he is clearly trending upward. He is also working well with catcher Dalton Rushing, who received credit from Roberts for calling an outstanding game at Angel Stadium.

“He looked really good today,” Rushing said. “Obviously it’s really good momentum for him to carry forward, but at the same time, there’s opportunities for him to be even better. We know that’s not his ceiling. What he just did is obviously the best we’ve seen him to this point, but I trust that guy has got a lot more in the tank, and we’re going to continue to push. But it was fun to watch.”

Sasaki is again trying to carve out a permanent spot in the Dodgers’ rotation this season after famously failing to do so as a rookie. He subsequently missed 4 1/2 months with shoulder problems, but improbably returned as Los Angeles’ closer during its playoff run to a second straight World Series title.

Sasaki’s success as a reliever was a lifesaver for the short-handed Dodgers, but it didn’t change their long-term plans for him. Sasaki returned to spring training as a rotation member again — but then he repeatedly pitched poorly in Arizona and damaged his confidence.

Exactly half the batters he faced in spring exhibitions reached base, and Sasaki struggled for any control.

Roberts said the Dodgers’ message to Sasaki has been consistent: Stop worrying about minor mechanical tweaks or fine-tuning new pitches, and simply attack the strike zone with your already formidable talent.

It took a while for Sasaki to hear it, but now it’s loud and clear — and it turns out his aggressiveness is also improving his delivery. Sasaki generated 18 swing-and-misses from the Angels, a big factor in his career-high strikeout total.

“I think one of the reasons is mechanical,” Sasaki said of his recent success. “Things are kind of clicking, and I was able to execute really well throughout the game today.”

The Dodgers need Sasaki to be sharp as they attempt to get through yet another year of major pitching injuries. High-priced starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are out once again, and closer Edwin Diaz is also on the shelf along with Jack Dreyer, their most-used reliever.

Los Angeles is still pitching superbly, going into the weekend with the third-lowest ERA in the majors. Rushing and Roberts both expect Sasaki to be a big part of the effort to keep it that way.

“Pretty much it’s a confidence thing,” Rushing said. “He needs to trust his stuff, understand how good his stuff is, and execute. … With the stuff he has, it’s easy to miss barrels, and we hadn’t quite got to see that just yet. Today was obviously a big step forward.”

Reporting by the Associated Press

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Cristopher Sánchez struck out a career-high 13 while picking up the second shutout of his career as the Philadelphia Phillies drilled the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 on Saturday.

Sánchez (5-2), the National League Cy Young runner-up a year ago, allowed five hits and didn’t issue a walk while extending his scoreless streak to 29 2/3 innings, dropping his ERA to 1.82.

Bryce Harper smashed a 457-foot three-run homer off the batter’s eye in the first inning off Bubba Chandler (1-5). Trea Turner and Alec Bohm had two hits apiece. Kyle Schwarber, baseball’s leading home run hitter, added an RBI single as the Phillies gave Sanchez an early five-run lead and cruised.

Philadelphia improved to 14-4 over its last 18 games to return to .500 (23-23) and made bench coach Dusty Wathan a winner during his managerial debut. Wathan filled in for Don Mattingly while Mattingly attended his son’s college graduation.

One night after the Phillies rallied from six down to stun Pittsburgh in extra innings, Sanchez made sure no comeback was needed. He retired the first 11 batters he faced and never really ran into trouble until the ninth inning, when the Pirates put runners on first and third with one out.

With a reliever warming up in the bullpen, Sanchez struck out Marcell Ozuna to reach 13 strikeouts for the first time and then retired Nick Yorke on a groundball to end it.

While Sanchez was crisp, Chandler was not. The hard-throwing 23-year-old, considered an important part of Pittsburgh’s future, continued to struggle with his command. Chandler issued four walks in his three innings of work, pushing his total on the season to a major league-leading 31.

And when Chandler did find the strike zone, Schwarber and Harper made him pay.

It took Philadelphia all of three batters to take control. Turner led off with a single. Schwarber walked, and Harper followed with his 11th homer of the season, a monster shot that made the significant chunk of the PNC Park crowd who made the five-hour drive across the state roar with approval.

Up next

The series wraps up on Sunday when reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes (6-2, 1.98 ERA) starts for Pittsburgh against Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.55).

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

This one stings for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates put six runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth against the Philadelphia Phillies, with center fielder Oneil Cruz hitting a two-run single and both second baseman Brandon Lowe and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna hitting two-run home runs.

Philadelphia got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth and later got a two-run home run from designated hitter Kyle Schwarber in the fifth, but Pittsburgh got one of those runs back on a solo homer from Lowe in the bottom of the fifth and another run back on an infield error in the sixth. In the top half of the seventh, Schwarber got the Phillies back within three runs (8-5) on a two-run home run, his second long ball of the game and MLB-high 20th of the year.

The Pirates entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead, but then the Phillies evened the score. After Schwarber walked in a run, first baseman Bryce Harper — who had a game-high four hits — hit a game-tying, two-run double off the right-center field wall. The game went to extra innings, where the Phillies built a lead to last.

Outfielder Brandon Marsh led off the top of the 10th with an RBI double. Two batters later, pinch hitter Rafael Marchán had a two-run single, which would help Philadelphia win, 11-9.

With two runners on the basepath, two outs in the bottom of the eighth and trying to keep a 2-0 lead, the San Diego Padres called on Mason Miller to get a four-out save against the Seattle Mariners. Did he make things interesting? You bet! But the hard-throwing right-hander got the job done.

After giving up a single to load the bases, Miller got pinch hitter Connor Joe to strikeout looking to end the eighth. Then, Seattle got two of the first three batters on-base in the bottom of the ninth, but Miller responded by striking out both Mitch Garver and Brendan Donovan to end the game. Each of the four outs that Miller recorded were strikeouts.

Across 21.0 innings pitched (20 appearances), Miller, a 2024 All-Star, has posted an 0.86 ERA, an 0.76 WHIP, 44 strikeouts, a 483 ERA+ and 1.3 wins above replacement. He leads MLB with 14 saves and is yet to blow a save opportunity.

Prior to Miller entering the game, San Diego got six shutout innings from Randy Vásquez, a scoreless inning from Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam got the first two outs in the eighth. The Padres got their two runs on an RBI double from designated hitter Miguel Andújar — who was one of four San Diego players to log two hits — in the top of the fourth and an RBI ground out from second baseman Sung-Mun Song in the seventh.

The Minnesota Twins took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, but then the Milwaukee Brewers flipped the script.

Milwaukee led off the top half of the inning with back-to-back singles from center fielder Jackson Chourio and second baseman Brice Turang. Then, catcher William Contreras — who had an RBI single in the top of the first — brought home a run on a force-out, which first baseman Jake Bauers followed with a go-ahead, RBI double. Granted, the Brewers stranded two runners in scoring position with nobody out.

Minnesota put two runners on the basepath in the bottom half of the inning, but reliever Abner Uribe induced a double-play to end the inning, and Trevor Megill pitched a one-two-three ninth to give Milwaukee a 3-2 road victory.

The Brewers are figuring it out. After a rough start that saw it be last in the National League Central, Milwaukee has won seven of its last eight games, improving to 25-17 and second place in the division.

The New York Yankees got a convincing Game 1 win over the New York Mets in Act 1 of this year’s Subway Series.

In the top of the third, Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger had an RBI double, which second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a two-run double. Later, designated hitter Spencer Jones singled in a run in the fifth and first baseman Ben Rice gave the Yankees more wiggle room with a solo home run in the ninth, helping them get a 5-2 win. The Mets, who had just five hits, got their two runs on a seventh-inning solo home run from left fielder Juan Soto and an RBI single from third baseman Brett Baty in the bottom of the ninth.

Rice and Chisholm each had a game-high three hits for the Yankees, who got 6 ⅔ innings from starter Cam Schlittler; the right-hander posted nine strikeouts and surrendered just one run and four baserunners (two hits and two walks).

On the season, Rice has totaled 14 home runs and 30 RBIs, while boasting a .314/.418/.686 slash line. Rice leads the American League with a .686 slugging percentage, a 1.104 OPS and a 204 OPS+. Meanwhile, Schlittler, who’s averaging six innings per start, leads the AL with a 1.35 ERA, an 0.78 WHIP, six wins, a 310 ERA+ and 2.8 wins above replacement among pitchers.

Losing eight of their last nine games, the Detroit Tigers needed a win — and they got one.

With a runner on first and two outs in the bottom of the ninth in what was a 2-2 game, the Toronto Blue Jays decided to intentionally walk Tigers right fielder Zach McKinstry, and first baseman Spencer Torkelson made them pay, hitting a walk-off single to right-center field.

Detroit scored its other two runs on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third and an RBI double from left fielder Riley Greene in the sixth, while Toronto got its two runs on a two-run double from shortstop Andrés Giménez in the top of the second.

The Tigers rolled with a bullpen day, as six pitchers (Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter, Ty Madden, Burch Smith, Drew Anderson and Kenley Jansen) combined to give up just five hits and two walks.

One day after scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead and beat the Athletics, the St. Louis Cardinals walked off the Kansas City Royals.

After trading runs in the 10th inning, St. Louis kept Kansas City off the board in the top of the 11th, and with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, pinch hitter Yohel Pozo sent everybody home on a walk-off single to right field.

Elsewhere for the Cardinals, right fielder Jordan Walker hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth and had a game-high three hits; catcher Pedro Pagés hit a solo homer in the fifth; first baseman Alec Burleson singled home the ghost runner in the 10th; right-hander Dustin May gave up three runs through six innings.

St. Louis has won three of its last four games.

Spencer Arrighetti is the story of the night in H-Town.

The Houston Astros’ right-hander carried a no-hitter into the top of the eighth and was promptly relieved, thereafter. Bryan King picked up where Arrighetti left off, pitching 1 ⅔ shutout innings and finishing off a 2-0 win for the Astros over the Texas Rangers. Through his first six starts (Arrighetti began the 2026 season in Triple A), Arrighetti has posted a 1.50 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, a 280 ERA+ and 1.6 wins above replacement across 36.0 innings pitched.

As for the slim offense in this matchup, the Astros got a solo home run from third baseman Isaac Paredes in the bottom of the third and an RBI single from infielder Braden Shewmake — who’s batting .366 with three home runs and seven RBIs across 41 at-bats — in the eighth.

Want some bizarre history? The Astros and Rangers are now 150-150 against each other all time, according to MLB Stats.

Last year, the Los Angeles Angels went 6-0 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That will NOT happen this season, as the Dodgers, ironically, defeated the Angels in Angel Stadium, 6-0.

The bulk of the Dodgers’ offense came in the top of the fourth, as center fielder Andy Pages hit a three-run home run, which was followed by third baseman Max Muncy hitting a solo shot. Left fielder Teoscar Hernández joined the long-ball party in the sixth with a two-run homer. 

Muncy and Hernández each had two hits for the Dodgers, who used a whopping eight pitchers (left-hander Blake Snell was scratched from his outing) and held the Angels to just two hits. Angels shortstop Zach Neto was the only player for Mickey Mouse’s favorite team (one would hope, at least) who made some hay, as he singled and drew two walks.

Pages is tied with Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks for the MLB lead in RBIs (38), while Muncy leads the Dodgers with 12 home runs and Hernández has driven in 20 runs, which is good for a three-way tie for second on the team.

Merrill Kelly posted a 9.95 ERA and gave up six home runs over his first four starts. Over his last two outings, Kelly has been exceptional.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ right-hander went the distance on the road against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, giving up just one run and four baserunners (four hits) and throwing 100 pitches over nine innings in an overwhelming, 9-1 victory. He has given up just two runs over his last two starts, combining to throw 16.0 innings. Moreover, this marked Kelly’s seventh consecutive quality start (giving up no more than three earned runs over at least six innings) at Coors Field, which is an MLB record, according to MLB Stats.

The Rockies’ one run came on a first-inning solo home run from catcher Hunter Goodman. What happened in the top half of the inning? The Diamondbacks scored six runs: an RBI single from first baseman Ildemaro Vargas, a two-run single from catcher Gabriel Moreno, an RBI double from designated hitter José Fernández and a two-run single from center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt.

Vargas, who finished with a game-high four hits, had another RBI single in the fourth and scored two runs in the eighth on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. sacrifice fly and an RBI double from Moreno.

The Atlanta Braves, who were originally the Reds at their 1876 induction, played in Boston before the Red Sox, who were founded as the Boston Americans in 1901. Its relevance to the Friday night game between the two teams? Minimal, if any, but it was an exciting game.

After keeping Boston off the board in the top of the 10th, the Braves walked off the Red Sox in the first at-bat of the bottom half of the inning, with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski lacing a walk-off double to left-center field for a 3-2 win.

Designated hitter Drake Baldwin got the Braves on the board in the bottom of the first with a solo home run, which was his 12th homer of the year, with center fielder Michael Harris II, who sports a .308 batting average and a .510 slugging percentage, hitting a solo home run of his own in the fourth. Boston’s two runs came on a sixth-inning RBI single from designated hitter Mickey Gasper and a solo home run from second baseman Marcelo Mayer in the seventh.

The Braves have won five of their last six games.

The Cincinnati Reds led the Cleveland Guardians 6-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, but then the latter struck for five runs over the next two innings. Granted, the Reds scored a needed run in the top of the ninth.

Nevertheless, Cincinnati escaped Progressive Field with a one-run victory after second baseman Matt McLain made a diving stop on a ground ball hit by Guardians rookie Travis Bazzana in the outfield grass, got to his feet and just made the throw to first base to end the game.

McLain reached base safely three times (two hits and one walk) and drove in a game-high three runs, highlighted by a two-run home run in the top of the eighth. Reds left fielder JJ Bleday had a team-high three hits, while right fielder Spencer Steer tallied two hits.

After left-hander Andrew Abbott pitched five innings, the Reds used five relievers to get a 7-6 win.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports