MLB roundup: Braves use 6-run 8th to sweep Cards

[August 06, 2021]  Austin Riley hit a two-run homer as the visiting Atlanta Braves scored six runs in the eighth inning to rally past the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4 Thursday night and complete a three-game sweep.

The Braves cleared .500 for the first time this season and moved within 1 1/2 games of the first-place New York Mets in the National League East.

Atlanta finished the season 6-1 against the Cardinals and improved to 20-11 against the National League Central.

Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Edgar Santana (1-0), the third Atlanta pitcher, earned the victory.

Giants 5, Diamondbacks 4 (10)

Kris Bryant hit a run-scoring double in the 10th inning as visiting San Francisco rallied to beat Arizona.

The Giants trailed 4-0 going into the ninth before Bryant doubled and scored their first run of the game. San Francisco ended up tying the score before winning it in the 10th.

The comeback marked the first time San Francisco won a game in which it trailed by four runs going into the ninth inning since beating the Atlanta Braves 13-12 in 11 innings on April 18, 1993.
 

Tigers 8, Red Sox 1

Robbie Grossman's leadoff home run set the tone and Detroit starter Tarik Skubal tossed five scoreless innings to help host Detroit top Boston in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Victor Reyes (2-for-4) totaled three RBIs and Jonathan Schoop (2-for-5) drove in two for Detroit, which pounded out 13 hits to bounce back from a 4-1 loss Wednesday following its 4-2 series opening victory. Skubal (7-10) struck out four while allowing just five hits and walking one.

Detroit has won six of its last nine games and is 13-7 since the All-Star break.

Phillies 7, Nationals 6

Rhys Hoskins snapped a tie with a two-out, two-run double off Kyle Finnegan in the ninth inning to lift Philadelphia past host Washington, completing a four-game sweep.

J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run double with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at 5. Hoskins finished with three hits while Bryce Harper homered for the Phillies. Odubel Herrera added two hits for the Phillies, who won their fifth in a row.

The Phillies are just half a game behind the New York Mets in the National League East. Phillies starter Aaron Nola struggled through five innings as he allowed five hits and five runs. Nola struck out seven and walked three.

Marlins 4, Mets 2
 

Jorge Alfaro hit a tie-breaking single in the bottom of the eighth inning, leading host Miami to a win over New York.

Mets shortstop Javier Baez, acquired from the Chicago Cubs last week, went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts, stranding eight runners.

The Mets, who have a slim lead in the National League East, lost three of four games in the series against the last-place Marlins. Reliever Jeurys Familia (5-2) allowed three runs in the eighth to take the loss as the Mets continued a slump that dropped them to 21-27 in their past 48 games.

Rockies 6, Cubs 5

Trevor Story hit two home runs, Connor Joe and Sam Hilliard also went deep and Colorado beat Chicago in Denver.

The Rockies built an early lead by scoring single runs in the first four innings against starter Jake Arrieta. That included Story's solo homer in the first inning and Joe's third of the season, also a solo shot, in the second.

Chicago wiped that out with four runs in the fifth, but the Rockies came right back in their half of the fifth. Brendan Rodgers led off with a single and Story hit his second homer of the day and 15th of the season to put Colorado ahead for good.

Angels 5, Rangers 0

Dylan Bundy threw 6 1/3 shutout innings in his best outing of the season, and Los Angeles beat Texas to take the final three games of the four-game series.

Bundy (2-8) gave up three hits, struck out six and walked two in his second start since being demoted to the bullpen for a month. He improved to 6-2 in his career against the Rangers with a 3.12 ERA.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a two run home run during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Eaton hit his first homer with the Angels, David Fletcher had two hits and Jose Iglesias added two RBIs for Los Angeles.

Reds 7, Pirates 4

Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez drilled three-run homers in a six-run second inning to power Cincinnati past visiting Pittsburgh in the opener of a four-game series.

Reds starter Sonny Gray (4-6) was the beneficiary of an early offensive surge as he pitched five innings to earn the win. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks, striking out seven as the Reds moved seven games over .500 for the first time since 2014.

Pirates starter Wil Crowe (3-6) allowed seven runs -- three earned -- and eight hits over four innings.

Twins 5, Astros 3

Rookie right-hander Griffin Jax earned his first career win as a starter and Minnesota parlayed a four-run second inning into a road victory over Houston.

Jax (2-1) limited the Astros to one hit and just two baserunners through five shutout innings. Jax logged a career-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk.

Rob Refsnyder went 2-for-3 with two runs for Minnesota, and Andrelton Simmons drove in two. Yordan Alvarez hit his 21st home run, a two-run shot in the ninth, for Houston.

Yankees 5, Mariners 3
 

Joey Gallo hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting New York to a victory over Seattle in the opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Two-out singles by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton off Paul Sewald (6-3) put Gallo in position to deliver his biggest hit since being acquired from the Texas Rangers a week ago. It was Gallo's 26th homer of the season and it lifted the Yankees to their sixth win in seven games since adding him and Anthony Rizzo in a pair of deadline trades.

Kyle Seager and rookie Jarred Kelenic homered for Seattle, which fell to 3-4 on a 10-game road trip. Mitch Haniger also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for the Mariners.

Royals 3, White Sox 2

Edward Olivares homered, Emmanuel Rivera provided a two-run double, and Kansas City held on for a win over host Chicago.

Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch (2-3) did not need any additional run support as he limited the White Sox to one run on four hits in five-plus innings. The highly touted rookie walked two and struck out seven for his third quality start in a row.

Jose Abreu homered for the White Sox and Eloy Jimenez contributed an RBI double. Chicago lost two out of three games in its series against Kansas City and finished its six-game homestand with a 3-3 record.

Blue Jays 3, Indians 0
 

Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer and drove in all three runs, right-hander Ross Stripling pitched six strong innings and Toronto won three in a row after dropping the opener of the four-game series with Cleveland.

The Blue Jays are 6-1 after returning to Rogers Centre for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Stripling (5-6) held Cleveland to three hits and a walk for his second consecutive win. He struck out six.

--Field Level Media

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