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MLB roundup: Twins make homer history in wild win

[September 18, 2019] Ronald Torreyes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 12th inning to drive in the winning run, and Miguel Sano hit his 30th home run of the season to lead the Minnesota Twins to a record-setting 9-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Torreyes was struck on his right forearm by a 1-1 pitch by Jose Ruiz (1-4), the sixth Minnesota batter to reach base in the inning. Gonzalez, who finished 3-for-6, had tied the game earlier in the inning with a two-run single.

Ryan LaMarre also homered on a night when the Twins became the first team in baseball history to have five players hit 30 home runs in a season. Sano joined Nelson Cruz (37), Max Kepler (36), Eddie Rosario (31) and Mitch Garver (30) in the 30-homer club with a 482-foot drive into the third deck in left-center.

Tim Anderson homered and had four hits, Eloy Jimenez had three hits, and Ryan Cordell, Zack Collins and Adam Engel also homered for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight game, three of them in walk-off fashion.

Giants 7, Red Sox 6 (15 innings)

Pinch hitter Alex Dickerson lofted a sacrifice fly in the top of the 15th inning to send San Francisco past host Boston.

Dickerson's fly ball decided a game that featured a major-league-record-tying 24 pitchers used between the two clubs. Dereck Rodriguez (6-9), the 13th pitcher for the Giants, earned the win, pitching a scoreless 14th inning and then working around a walk and a single in the 15th.

The Giants tied the major league record for most pitchers used in a game, matching the number the Colorado Rockies used in a 16-inning win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 15, 2015. That same Rockies-Dodgers game also set a record for most overall pitchers used, 24, which Boston and San Francisco matched as well.

Astros 4, Rangers 1

Justin Verlander worked six shutout innings to earn his 19th win, and Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez hit back-to-back home runs as host Houston inched closer to securing a postseason berth with a victory over Texas.

Verlander (19-6) allowed four hits and two walks while recording eight strikeouts. He improved his season strikeout total to 283, seven shy of his single-season high set last year, while bumping his career mark to 2,989 strikeouts. Verlander could soon become the 18th pitcher in history with 3,000 K's.

The Astros kept pace with the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors, each with 99 wins. Houston can clinch a third consecutive postseason bid with a win Wednesday against Texas.

Yankees 8, Angels 0

Luis Severino pitched four innings in his season debut, and Gleyber Torres highlighted a six-run fourth with a three-run homer as New York began its final homestand with a shutout victory over Los Angeles.

The Yankees lowered their magic number to clinch their first AL East title since 2012 to one.

Severino allowed two singles while facing 15 hitters after missing New York's first 151 games due to right rotator cuff inflammation. He struck out four, walked two and threw 47 of 67 pitches for strikes.

Nationals 6, Cardinals 2

Howie Kendrick had a home run among his three hits, Patrick Corbin pitched six strong innings, and visiting Washington defeated St. Louis.

Kendrick also had a triple, a single and a walk, and Victor Robles added two RBI singles for the Nationals, who improved to 7-9 in September.

Corbin (13-7) allowed two runs, both unearned, on five hits. He struck out 11 and walked four. After Fernando Rodney threw a shutout inning, Daniel Hudson pitched two scoreless innings for his fourth save.

Brewers 3, Padres 1

Mike Moustakas hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning as Milwaukee beat visiting San Diego for its 11th win in 12 games.

After the Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds later Tuesday, Milwaukee is now tied with Chicago in the race for the NL's second wild-card spot with both teams two games back of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. The Padres have lost six straight.

Brandon Woodruff, making his first big league appearance since he sustained a left oblique injury July 21, started for the Brewers and struck out four over two hitless innings. Matt Albers (8-5) earned the win despite allowing Hunter Renfroe's game-tying homer in the top of the seventh.

Reds 4, Cubs 2

Sonny Gray pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, and rookie Aristides Aquino smacked a two-run home run to help visiting Cincinnati snap Chicago's five-game winning streak.

Gray (11-7) limited the Cubs to two runs and four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. Raisel Iglesias struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for his 32nd save.

Yu Darvish (6-7) yielded four runs on six hits in seven innings with one walk and 13 strikeouts, giving him 27 strikeouts over his past two starts covering 13 innings. Darvish struck out eight successive batters from the second through fourth innings, a single-game franchise record.

Dodgers 7, Rays 5

Corey Seager hit a pair of two-run doubles, including the go-ahead hit in the seventh inning, as Los Angeles put together a victory over visiting Tampa Bay, whose wild-card advantage narrowed to one-half game over Cleveland.

Seager hit a ground-rule double to score a pair of runs in the fifth inning and hit a ball into left-center to bring home the first two runs in a five-run seventh. He has 18 RBIs in his past 13 games.

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Twins shortstop Ronald Torreyes (74) throws the ball to first base for an out against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers won while making a late change to their pitching plan. Ross Stripling was scheduled to start but came on in the fourth instead to pitch two innings as Los Angeles worked on a strategy it might use in the playoffs. Kenta Maeda (10-8) earned the victory, and Kenley Jansen got the last four outs for his 30th save.

Phillies 5, Braves 4

Journeyman Jose Pirela's first homer of the season capped a five-run fourth inning and helped Philadelphia win at Atlanta.

The Phillies trailed 2-0 before erupting against Dallas Keuchel in the fourth. Rhys Hoskins started it with a two-run, opposite-field homer, his 29th. Cesar Hernandez added an RBI groundout, and Pirela followed with a two-run shot.

Leading 5-3, Philadelphia withstood a ninth-inning rally. Hector Neris gave up a leadoff homer to Adam Duvall, and Atlanta got the tying run to third base when Ronald Acuna Jr. walked, stole second and went to third on a groundout. However, Neris struck out Josh Donaldson and retired Nick Markakis on a pop fly to earn his 27th save.

Mets 6, Rockies 1

Rookie Pete Alonso hit his majors-leading 48th home run, one of three home runs New York hit in the sixth inning in defeating Colorado in Denver.

Amed Rosario and Brandon Nimmo also went deep to help the Mets end a two-game skid and pull to within four games of the second NL wild-card spot, currently shared by Chicago and Milwaukee.

Marcus Stroman (9-13) tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and a walk while fanning seven. Rosario and Alonso had two hits and two RBIs apiece.

A's 2, Royals 1

Matt Olson ignited a two-run seventh inning with a home run, and Seth Brown broke a tie with an RBI double two batters later as host Oakland rallied past Kansas City.

Brown finished with a single and a double for the A's, who have won seven of eight and lead the race for the first American League wild card by two games over the Rays.

Rookie A.J. Puk (2-0) got the win after pitching two scoreless innings. Joakim Soria and Liam Hendriks (23rd save) retired all six Royals they faced, striking out four, to preserve the lead over the final two innings.

Indians 7, Tigers 2

Rookie Oscar Mercado belted a solo homer to highlight his fourth straight multi-hit performance as host Cleveland continued its mastery of Detroit.

Jordan Luplow and Roberto Perez each drove in a pair of runs, and Yasiel Puig added an RBI single for the Indians, who defeated Detroit for the 15th straight time and the 16th time in 17 meetings this season.

Adam Plutko (7-4) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He fanned six while walking one.

Blue Jays 8, Orioles 5

Justin Smoak hit a tiebreaking homer to lead off the top of the ninth inning, and Cavan Biggio later completed his cycle with a two-run triple that helped Toronto defeat host Baltimore.

Mychal Givens (2-6) came on to pitch for the Orioles in the ninth, and Smoak belted his homer to right on the second pitch. Biggio tripled with two outs to drive in two more and give the Jays a 7-4 lead. Toronto scored four overall in the ninth.

Biggio became the first Toronto player to hit for the cycle since 2001, finishing 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs.

Mariners 6, Pirates 0

Marco Gonzales pitched seven scoreless innings, and Seattle homered three times in defeating host Pittsburgh.

Gonzales (16-11) extended his career best for wins in a season. He combined with Sam Tuivailala and Reggie McClain (one inning each) on an eight-hit shutout.

Gonzales gave up six hits, struck out four and walked none. He also doubled and scored in a rare chance to hit in a National League park. Omar Narvaez and Shed Long each hit a solo homer and an RBI single for Seattle.

Marlins 12, Diamondbacks 6

Miguel Rojas had a career-high six RBIs and four hits, including three of Miami's season-high eight doubles, and Bryan Holaday had three hits, including a homer, in the Marlins' comeback victory over Arizona in Phoenix.

Austin Dean had three hits (two doubles), scored three runs and drove in two, and Jon Berti, Isan Diaz and Martin Prado had two hits apiece for the Marlins. Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro left in the second inning after sustaining a left hand contusion when he was struck by Ildemaro Vargas' backswing in the first.

Christian Walker had three hits and two RBIs for the Diamondbacks, and Ketel Marte had two hits before leaving with back stiffness.

--Field Level Media

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