MLB roundup: Astros' Framber Valdez no-hits Guardians

 

[August 02, 2023]  Framber Valdez tossed his first career no-hitter and faced the minimum 27 batters as the Houston Astros made a pair of third-inning runs stand in a 2-0 victory over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.

Valdez (9-7) was masterful from the onset in his 93-pitch gem. The 29-year-old lefty retired the first 12 batters he faced, six via strikeout, before surrendering a leadoff walk to Oscar Gonzalez in the top of the fifth inning. That frame ended with a ground-ball double play.

Valdez struck out seven and issued just the one walk while throwing the third no-hitter of the season. A two-run, third-inning single by Kyle Tucker gave him all the support he needed.

Guardians rookie Gavin Williams (1-3) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings.

Cubs 20, Reds 9

Dansby Swanson had five RBIs and clubbed two of Chicago's seven homers in a blowout of visiting Cincinnati.

Cody Bellinger added a two-run homer and Mike Tauchman belted a three-run drive for the Cubs, who also got a solo shot from Nico Hoerner, a two-run blast from Patrick Wisdom and a three-run homer from Miguel Amaya. Those seven homers tied a club record for the Cubs, who posted 21 hits en route to their highest-scoring game this season. Chicago has now won 11 of its last 14 games. Justin Steele (12-3) won his third straight outing, but he yielded five runs (four earned) and nine hits in six innings.

Tyler Stephenson had a two-run homer and Matt McLain added three hits and two RBIs for the National League Central-leading Reds, who are 4-1 at Wrigley Field in 2023. Cincinnati's Ben Lively (4-7) allowed 13 runs and 13 hits, including four homers, over four innings.

Padres 8, Rockies 5

Juan Soto homered twice and drove in four runs to lead San Diego over Colorado in Denver.

Fernando Tatis Jr. added two RBIs to help the Padres win for the ninth time in 14 games. San Diego's Jake Cronenworth had two hits for the fifth consecutive game while Robert Suarez (1-0) got the win after one scoreless inning of relief.

Ryan McMahon homered and drove in four runs for Colorado. Elias Diaz had three doubles and Jurickson Profar also had three hits for the Rockies, who have lost five of their past seven games. Peter Lambert (2-2) gave up four runs on four hits in 4 1/3 in the loss.

Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

Alex Verdugo and Reese McGuire homered and Brayan Bello overcame a rough start to pitch six innings as Boston snapped a three-game losing streak with a win in Seattle.

Bello (8-6) gave up four runs on eight hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 24th save of the season.

Eugenio Suarez homered and drove in three runs for the Mariners, who lost for just the second time in their past seven games. Bryce Miller (7-4) took the loss after giving up six runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Dodgers 7, Athletics 3

Los Angeles watched a pair of newcomers pave the way as right-hander Lance Lynn went seven innings in his debut with the club and Enrique Hernandez delivered a three-run double in a victory over visiting Oakland.

Lynn (7-9), acquired from the Chicago White Sox last week, gave up three runs on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to become the first Los Angeles starter to go seven innings since Clayton Kershaw on June 20. Mookie Betts hit a home run and Chris Taylor walked four times for the Dodgers, who won the series opener after going 2-4 with a pair of series losses against the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds to begin a nine-game homestand.

A's left-hander Ken Waldichuk (2-7) did not give up a hit over the first three innings before the Dodgers started to get their offensive bearings in the fourth. After James Outman was hit by a pitch to bring home Los Angeles' first run, Tayler Scott replaced Waldichuk and Hernandez greeted him with his bases-clearing double off the left field wall.

Pirates 4, Tigers 1

Liover Peguero hit a two-run homer and Johan Oviedo pitched seven strong innings as Pittsburgh topped visiting Detroit.

Endy Rodriguez added an RBI triple and Josh Palacios had a sacrifice fly for the Pirates, who have won three in a row and five of their past seven. Oviedo (5-11) picked up his 11th quality start. He gave up one run and six hits, with five strikeouts and two walks.

Akil Baddoo had an RBI single for the Tigers, who have lost six of their last seven. Matt Manning (3-3) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, with six strikeouts and no walks.

Rays 5, Yankees 2

Zach Eflin pitched six scoreless innings and Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz homered off Carlos Rodon as Tampa Bay picked up another win in New York.

The Rays have gone deep six times while taking the first two games of the three-game series. The Rays are 6-3 against the Yankees this season and have scored 18 runs in the last three games. The Yankees are 7-14 in their last 21 games.

Eflin (12-6) set a career high for wins, allowing just two singles and a double on the night. He struck out five and walked none. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon (1-4) struggled in his fifth start since coming back after missing three months with forearm and back injuries. The left-hander allowed four runs and four hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked four.

Braves 5, Angels 1

Michael Harris II hit a pair of solo home runs to back right-hander Spencer Strider's record-setting performance, helping host Atlanta even its their three-game series with Los Angeles.

Strider (12-3) pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run on five hits, with two walks and nine strikeouts. His streak of double-digit strikeout games ended at four, but he has fanned nine or more batters in eight straight games and leads the major leagues with 208 strikeouts. He also broke his own major league record for fewest innings needed to reach 200 strikeouts. He set the record with 130 innings pitched last year and broke it on Tuesday at 123 1/3 innings.

Aug 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) waves to the crowd after pitching a no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (6-8) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits, with four walks and three strikeouts. Atlanta scored a run in the first inning. Ozzie Albies singled and came around to score on Matt Olson's sacrifice fly, his league-leading 90th RBI of the season.

Twins 3, Cardinals 2

Donovan Solano delivered a decisive two-run, pinch-hit single in the seventh inning as visiting Minnesota edged St. Louis to snap a five-game losing streak.

Twins starter Pablo Lopez (6-6) allowed one run on four hits over six innings. Jhoan Duran survived Tyler O'Neill's solo homer in the ninth to earn his 18th save.

Miles Mikolas (6-7) gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits in seven innings as the Cardinals lost for the eighth time in 11 games.

Phillies 3, Marlins 1

Bryce Harper hit a game-tying double in the ninth inning and Nick Castellanos followed with a go-ahead, two-run home run to rally visiting Philadelphia past Miami.

Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara pitched eight scoreless innings, putting himself in position for the win. He allowed just four hits and one walk. But closer David Robertson -- acquired from the New York Mets last week -- blew the save chance and dropped to 4-3.

Philadelphia's Seranthony Dominguez pitched the bottom of the ninth for his first save of the year after Gregory Soto (3-4) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win. Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .381 batting average, went 2-for-5.

Royals 7, Mets 6 (10 innings)

MJ Melendez scored on a balk to complete a three-run 10th inning for host Kansas City, which beat New York thanks to a chaotic final inning.

Francisco Alvarez hit a leadoff two-run homer in the 10th off Carlos Hernandez (1-6) before the Royals stormed back against a trio of Mets relievers. Bobby Witt Jr.'s leadoff double off Brooks Raley (0-2) scored automatic runner Maikel Garcia before Witt scored on Melendez's single. With bases loaded and two outs, Josh Walker entered the game but balked in Melendez.

The teams combined for only two runs in the first six innings -- the Mets' Pete Alonso homered in the second and Garcia delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Brewers 6, Nationals 4

Brice Turang and Joey Wiemer both drove in two runs from the bottom of the batting order and Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating host Washington.

Andruw Monasterio and William Contreras also had RBI hits for the Brewers. Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta (7-8) went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits.

Josiah Gray (7-9) took the loss, lasting 3 2/3 innings and giving up five runs on four hits. The Nationals held a 3-1 lead after CJ Abrams' two-run single in the second inning. That came two batters after Jake Alu knocked in a run with a single.

Orioles 13, Blue Jays 3

Anthony Santander was 3-for-4 with a grand slam and right-hander Kyle Bradish pitched seven innings to lead visiting Baltimore past Toronto.

Bradish (7-6) allowed three runs, four hits and one walk while striking out seven. Gunnar Henderson added a solo home run as part of a 3-for-5 night with four RBIs for the Orioles, who have won the first two games of a four-game series.

Toronto left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu (0-1), pitching for the first time since June of last year following Tommy John surgery, gave up four runs on nine hits over five-plus innings. Danny Jansen hit a two-run home run and Brandon Belt added a solo shot for the Blue Jays.

Rangers 2, White Sox 0

Mitch Garver and Adolis Garcia homered, Andrew Heaney struck out a season-high 11 batters over six-plus innings and Texas opened a three-game series against Chicago with a victory in Arlington, Texas.

Heaney (8-6) allowed two hits with no walks for the Rangers, who snapped a three-game skid. Josh Sborz and Aroldis Chapman each pitched a scoreless inning before Will Smith retired the White Sox in order in the ninth for his 18th save.

Chicago was held to three singles and lost for the 10th time in its last 13 games. Jesse Scholtens (1-4) tossed a career-high six innings in his third career start (17th appearance), giving up one run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Giants 4, Diamondbacks 3

LaMonte Wade Jr. gave San Francisco the lead with a solo home run in the seventh inning and the host Giants rallied to edge Arizona in a duel of long balls.

The Giants' Brandon Crawford tied the game with a two-run homer in the sixth. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Alek Thomas and Ketel Marte homered for the Diamondbacks, who had a chance to tie the Giants for second place in the National League West with a win.

Diamondbacks reliever Miguel Castro (5-5) took over for the seventh and served up the tiebreaking homer to Wade, the second batter he faced. Ryan Walker (4-0) earned the win.

--Field Level Media

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