MLB roundup: Astros extend win streak to 9

[June 23, 2021]  Myles Straw homered and drove in two runs while starter Zack Greinke threw 7 1/3 strong innings as the visiting Houston Astros extended their winning streak to nine games with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday.

Houston now has won 13 of its last 15. This loss gave Baltimore a four-game losing streak.

Greinke (8-2) befuddled the struggling Orioles offense. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out four and walked one, remaining in control until leaving in the eighth.

Ryan Pressly closed it in the ninth and earned his 11th save this season.

Baltimore starter Jorge Lopez (2-9) threw 6 1/3 innings in his longest start this season. He allowed two runs on five hits and also struck out six with two walks.

Mariners 2, Rockies 1

Shed Long Jr. hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning and Seattle defeated visiting Colorado.

It was the second consecutive game in which Long homered to win the game. He hit a grand slam in the 10th inning Sunday to give Seattle a 6-2 victory against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rockies tied it in the seventh on a two-out solo home run by C.J. Cron, his 10th homer of the season.

Padres 3, Dodgers 2

Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim homered off Clayton Kershaw and host San Diego held on to defeat Los Angeles.

It was the sixth consecutive win for the Padres, who are 6-3 against the defending National League West champs this season. Padres starter Blake Snell (3-3), who entered the game with a 5.72 ERA, shut out the Dodgers for five innings to earn the win. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five.

Kershaw gave up three runs on four hits and two walks over six innings.

Giants 5, Angels 0

Anthony DeSclafani threw seven scoreless innings and got plenty of offensive support while leading San Francisco over Los Angeles.

The Giants had 12 hits, including home runs from Wilmer Flores and Mauricio Dubon. Brandon Crawford went 3-for-3 with a walk.

DeSclafani (8-2) allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out nine on the way to winning his fourth consecutive start. He has allowed just four runs (three earned) in 27 innings during those outings, good for a 1.00 ERA.

Red Sox 9, Rays 5 (11 innings)

Rafael Devers hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the 11th inning as visiting Boston spoiled the major league debut of Tampa Bay top prospect Wander Franco in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Franco, ranked as baseball's No. 1 prospect by MLB.com, hit a three-run homer for his first hit and finished 2-for-4 for the Rays, who have lost seven straight.

Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run homer and RBI single, Devers finished with three RBIs and J.D. Martinez added two RBIs for Boston, which has won five of seven.

Athletics 13, Rangers 6

Matt Chapman homered and drove in three runs as Oakland jumped out to a big lead before recording a victory over host Texas in Arlington.

Ramon Laureano also went deep among his three hits, and former Ranger Elvis Andrus and Mark Canha had two-run singles as part of their three-hit performances. Oakland provided insurance as Sean Murphy's two-run double highlighted a four-run ninth inning.

Eli White belted a two-out homer in the seventh inning and Joey Gallo went deep to lead off the eighth and trim Oakland's lead to 9-6. Texas, however, was unable to draw closer and sustained its 20th loss in the last 24 games.

Tigers 8, Cardinals 2

Jonathan Schoop capped Detroit's six-run fourth-inning outburst with a three-run homer and the host Tigers defeated St. Louis.

Schoop's homer was his 14th this season and ninth this month. Jake Rogers had two extra-base hits and drove in three runs and Akil Baddoo contributed two hits and scored twice.

Detroit starter Tarik Skubal gave up two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. St. Louis starter Johan Oviedo (0-3) gave up six runs, two earned, on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Paul DeJong reached base three times and scored a run, while Lars Nootbaar drove in a run in his major league debut.

Blue Jays 2, Marlins 1

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a go-ahead, run-scoring double in the top of the ninth inning, leading Toronto over host Miami.

Miami's Sandy Alcantara struck out seven in eight innings, allowing five hits, one walk and one run. He threw 55 of his 86 pitches for strikes as he lasted at least eight innings for the fourth time in his past six starts. He has a stellar 1.80 ERA over his past seven starts, although his record is just 3-3 during that span.

Jays starter Ross Stripling allowed just two hits, one walk and one run in six innings, striking out seven. Jays MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 2-for-4 with one RBI.

Houston Astros outfielder Myles Straw (3) high fives shortstop Robel Garcia (9) after beating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Cubs 7, Indians 1

Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras and Patrick Wisdom homered as Chicago cruised to a win over visiting Cleveland.

Joc Pederson added a two-run double for the Cubs, who salvaged a split in the two-game series. Chicago's seven-run outburst followed a string of nine straight games with three runs or fewer.

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (10-4) won his eighth consecutive start. He allowed no runs on four hits in six innings. Hendricks walked none and struck out five. Cleveland's Eli Morgan (0-2) gave up four runs on four hits in five-plus innings. He walked none and struck out nine.

Nationals 3, Phillies 2

Yan Gomes singled twice and drove in two runs and Juan Soto added two hits and scored twice as Washington defeated host Philadelphia.

Nationals starter Max Scherzer (6-4) tossed five solid innings and allowed two hits and one run. Scherzer, who had been struggling with a groin injury, struck out eight and walked three.

Bryce Harper homered and singled while Rhys Hoskins homered and doubled for the Phillies. Manager Joe Girardi was ejected after a fifth-inning spat with Scherzer. Girardi asked the umpires to check Scherzer for a foreign substance and, after nothing was found, Girardi was ejected.

Royals 6, Yankees 5

Kansas City scored four runs in the eighth inning and Greg Holland survived a jam in the ninth as the Royals hung on for a victory over New York at Yankee Stadium.

By scratching out a rally against Jonathan Loaisiga (7-3), the Royals won for the second time in 34 games when trailing after seven innings.

Kansas City's comeback occurred after the Yankees took a 3-2 lead when Wade scored on a wild pitch by Jake Brentz (2-0). Kyle Zimmer allowed a two-run homer to LeMahieu, and Scott Barlow stranded Aaron Judge at second in the eighth.

Pirates 6, White Sox 3

Erik Gonzalez and Bryan Reynolds each drove in two runs as Pittsburgh handed visiting Chicago its fifth straight loss.

Adam Frazier added a solo homer and walked and scored for the Pirates, who rode a four-run seventh inning to win for the third time in four games. Pittsburgh starter Tyler Anderson pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.

Yasmani Grandal hit a pinch-hit three-run homer for the White Sox, whose losing streak is their longest of the season. Chicago starter Lucas Giolito, making his first start against the Pirates since no-hitting them Aug. 25, gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Braves 3, Mets 0

Charlie Morton pitched seven scoreless innings and earned his 100th career win as visiting Atlanta blanked New York.

All of the Atlanta offense came from Dansby Swanson, who connected for a three-run homer off reliever Yennsy Diaz in the third inning. It was his 12th home run of the year.

Morton (7-3) allowed only one hit, a high chopper from pinch hitter Jerad Eickhoff with two outs in the fifth inning. Morton extended his scoreless streak to 14 2/3 innings. He walked two batters, hit two with pitches and struck out a season-high 11.

Brewers 5, Diamondbacks 0

Kolten Wong led off the game with a home run and Freddy Peralta tossed six strong innings as Milwaukee beat Arizona in Phoenix.

The Diamondbacks were held to two hits and lost for the 32nd time in their last 35 games. Arizona ended its franchise-record, 17-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory Monday in the series opener.

Peralta (7-2) allowed one hit and walked four while matching a season high with 10 strikeouts. Christian Yelich added a solo homer and Luis Urias drove in two runs for Milwaukee, which won for the third time in four games.

Reds 10, Twins 7

Tyler Naquin went 4-for-4, including a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the ninth, as Cincinnati snapped a five-game losing streak in a wild victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Naquin drove a 2-1 fastball by Twins reliever Hansel Robles (3-4) 420 feet into the back of the bullpen in left-center for his 12th home run of the season. Tucker Barnhart went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs and Jesse Winker added a two-run double for Cincinnati.

Ryan Jeffers, Max Kepler and Trevor Larnach each homered and Nelson Cruz went 3-for-4 and was also hit by a pitch for Minnesota, which had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped.

--Field Level Media
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