MLB roundup: Rafael Devers homers twice as Red Sox top Padres

 

[May 20, 2023]  Rafael Devers drove in four runs with two home runs and James Paxton held the struggling Padres to one run over six innings as the Boston Red Sox scored a 6-1 win in San Diego on Friday.

Devers put the Red Sox ahead 1-0 with a homer leading off the second inning, then capped a five-run third with a 435-foot, three-run blast to straightaway center.

The win was the third straight for the Red Sox. The Padres, who earlier in the day placed third baseman Manny Machado on the 10-day injured list due to a hairline fracture in his left hand, lost their third straight game and fell for the 10th time in 12 games.

Paxton (1-0) allowed one run -- a third-inning solo homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. -- on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He earned his first win in just his second start since having Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in April 2021. His previous win was Aug. 15, 2020.

Yankees 6, Reds 2

Aaron Judge hit his fifth homer of the week and Anthony Rizzo also went deep as visiting New York recorded a victory over Cincinnati.

Coming off a highly charged four-game series in Toronto, the Yankees won for the 12th time in 17 games as Judge homered for the seventh time in seven games since coming off the injured list two batters in, sending a 2-2 fastball over the center field fence. Rizzo hit a two-run homer on a 2-2 pitch to right off Ian Gibaut for a 3-0 lead in the sixth.

Jake Fraley hit a two-run double off the base of the left-center field wall against Jimmy Cordero in the bottom of the sixth to make it 3-2. Cincinnati's Ben Lively (1-2) allowed two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings in his first start since April 26, 2018, for Philadelphia. Lively retired 16 straight before walking Judge ahead of Rizzo's homer.

Cubs 10, Phillies 1

Nico Hoerner had three hits, including a pair of two-run doubles, to help visiting Chicago to a win against Philadelphia in the opener of their three-game series.

Christopher Morel hit a two-run homer and scored three times and Nick Madrigal had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice for the Cubs, who ended a five-game losing streak. Cubs starter Marcus Stroman (3-4) allowed one run and three hits over six innings.

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez (0-1) allowed four runs and five hits in two innings, striking out four and walking three. The Phillies have lost five straight and seven in a row against Chicago.

Rays 1, Brewers 0

Tampa Bay manufactured the only run of the game on Francisco Mejia's sacrifice fly in the eighth inning in beating Milwaukee in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Rays avoided losing three in a row for the first time this season. Their ace, Shane McClanahan, went seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits and a walk. The left-hander was able to work out of jams, courtesy of seven strikeouts. Reliever Jason Adam (1-1) threw the eighth inning and picked up the win.

Milwaukee's Adrian Houser tossed six shutout innings, scattering four hits. The right-hander struck out four and walked one, before giving way to Joel Payamps in the seventh.

Orioles 6, Blue Jays 2

Ryan Mountcastle hit a three-run home run, leading visiting Baltimore to a win over Toronto.

Adam Frazier added a two-run homer and Anthony Santander had a solo shot for the Orioles to open a three-game series. The Orioles were coming off a 6-4 homestand. The Blue Jays fell to 4-4 on their 10-game homestand as they lost for the fourth time in five games.

Baltimore right-hander Kyle Gibson (5-3) gave up one run, five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out five. Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (5-1) allowed three runs, three hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

Angels 5, Twins 4

Mickey Moniak finished a home run shy of the cycle and Hunter Renfroe hit a two-out, tiebreaking single in the seventh inning to help Los Angeles beat Minnesota in Anaheim, Calif.

Moniak singled leading off the first inning, doubled in the third and had an RBI triple in the seventh that tied the game at 4-4. Willi Castro had given the Twins a 4-3 lead by hitting a solo homer in the top of the seventh.

Zack Weiss (1-0), one of five Angels relievers, earned his first major league victory. Carlos Estevez pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save. Griffin Jax (2-6) took the loss.

Rangers 7, Rockies 2

Martin Perez returned to his early-season form, Adolis Garcia belted his 14th home run of the season and Texas pulled away for a victory over Colorado in Arlington, Texas.

Perez (5-1) allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings. That's his best start this month, after he gave up 11 runs over 8 2/3 innings combined in his first two starts. In his six starts over April, Perez had a 2.41 ERA.

The Rangers took control in the middle innings with two runs in the fourth and five in the fifth. Garcia's opposite-field shot to right after a walk to Nathaniel Lowe in the fourth gave Texas a 2-0 lead. It came against Colorado starter Karl Kauffmann (0-1), who allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut.

Astros 5, Athletics 1

Kyle Tucker recorded a pair of run-scoring extra-base hits while Brandon Bielak sidestepped early trouble en route to a career-best strikeout total as Houston topped visiting Oakland in the opener of a three-game series.

Tucker finished 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a home run. His RBI double in the fourth snapped a 1-all tie, and he extended the lead to 4-1 when he golfed his seventh homer into the right-field seats in the sixth, plating Jose Abreu.

May 19, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) rounds the bases after hitting his second home run of the game in the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

Bielak allowed one run on five hits and tossed 88 pitches, notching nine strikeouts against three walks. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve made his season debut and finished 0-for-4 with a walk. Altuve missed the first 43 games with a right thumb fracture sustained during the World Baseball Classic.

White Sox 2, Royals 0

Michael Kopech allowed just one hit and struck out 10 over eight shutout innings and Gavin Sheets and Romy Gonzalez drove in early runs as Chicago blanked visiting Kansas City.

Kopech retired the first 16 Royals while striking out at least one batter in each of his first six innings. Michael Massey hit a broken-bat single to right field in the sixth for Kansas City's first baserunner. Kopech (2-4) did not walk a batter and faced the minimum over his career-best eight innings while throwing 98 pitches, 65 for strikes.

Kendall Graveman assured Chicago faced the minimum overall, working a perfect ninth for his third save. Royals starter Zack Greinke (1-5) lost for the first time in four starts this month. The right-hander surrendered two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Pirates 13, Diamondbacks 3

Jack Suwinski hit a two-run double and Josh Palacios had a two-run single during a seven-run fourth inning as host Pittsburgh trounced Arizona for its third win in four games.

Bryan Reynolds hit a three-run homer, Ke'Bryan Hayes contributed a two-run single and an RBI double and Palacios and Ji Hwan Bae each had an RBI single for the Pirates. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo (3-3) allowed one run and two hits in six innings, with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Geraldo Perdomo homered and Josh Rojas added a two-run double for the Diamondbacks, who had won five of six. Arizona starter Zac Gallen (6-2) was rocked for eight runs, five earned, and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts and a season-high four walks.

Dodgers 5, Cardinals 0

Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer and scored twice and five Los Angeles pitchers blanked host St. Louis.

Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin (2-1) went five innings and held the Cardinals to one hit and three walks. He struck out three. Brusdar Graterol, Shelby Miller, Caleb Ferguson and Tyler Cyr worked one inning each.

St. Louis starter Steven Matz (0-5) allowed one unearned run on six hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six. The Dodgers scored four runs in the eighth, highlighted by Betts' homer, to break open a tight game.

Braves 6, Mariners 2

Orlando Arcia singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning for host Atlanta, which beat Seattle for its third win in four games.

The Braves tied the game on Marcell Ozuna's RBI single in the seventh and took the lead when Arcia singled sharply to right off reliever Trevor Gott, extending his hitting streak to six games. Arcia has hit safely in eight of 10 games since returning from the injured list.

The Braves iced the win with a three-run eighth, which included Matt Olson's 12th homer. The late uprising handed Seattle rookie Bryce Miller (2-1) his first major league loss. Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits.

Mets 10, Guardians 9 (10 innings)

Francisco Lindor hit a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to give New York, which trailed 5-0 in the fifth inning, a win over visiting Cleveland.

Pete Alonso tied the score at 7-7 with a grand slam in the seventh for the Mets. Gabriel Arias delivered a two-run homer in the top of the 10th before the Mets scored three times in the bottom of the inning.

The Guardians' Josh Naylor had five RBIs. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning and he had a two-run single in the seventh. The Mets have given up the first run in a game in 13 straight games.

Tigers 8, Nationals 6

Akil Baddoo homered and drove in four runs as Detroit topped host Washington in the opener of a three-game series.

Detroit starting pitcher Matthew Boyd didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning. Baddoo's three-run shot in the third inning was his first homer of the season, coming in his 31st game. Zach McKinstry led off the game with a home run en route to the Tigers' third victory in their last four games. Matt Vierling added a solo shot in the fifth and Riley Greene followed suit in the sixth.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2), a rookie in his fourth big-league game, surrendered six runs, four earned, in 2 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out only one in his second rough outing in a row.

Giants 4, Marlins 3

Rookie Casey Schmitt capped a three-run sixth inning with an RBI single and host San Francisco added to the struggles of Miami ace Sandy Alcantara, the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

Mitch Haniger singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored another for the Giants, who won their fourth in a row. Scott Alexander (4-0) got the win in relief, and Tyler Rogers pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to get his second save.

Alcantara (1-5) has not won since April 4. He allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five. He took a 2-1 lead into the sixth but walked LaMonte Wade Jr. and then threw away Thairo Estrada's infield single, putting runners at second and third, setting up the three-run inning.

--Field Level Media

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