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Rafaela Doubles Down on Nationals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run double to help the host Red Sox defeat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Sunday in the finale of a three-game series. Rafaela’s double was part of a three-run second inning. Boston won for the second straight day despite striking out 11 times against three Washington pitchers. The Sox took the series 2-games-to-one.

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Boston’s Brayan Bello (4-1) was activated from the injured list and made his first start since April 19. He went on the IL with lat tightness five days after a win over Pittsburgh.

Bello gave up two runs on four hits in five innings. He walked two and recorded one strikeout.

Kenley Jansen allowed a hit in a scoreless ninth to earn his seventh save. The game ended when Red Sox catcher Connor Wong threw out Jacob Young attempting to steal second base.

Eddie Rosario hit a two-run home run for the Nationals. It was his second home run in as many days and his fifth of the season. CJ Abrams had two of Washington’s five hits, but the Nationals had five runners erased on the base paths.

Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (2-4) threw 111 pitches in six innings. He surrendered three runs (two earned) on six hits, struck out nine and walked two.

It was a rough day for Washington center fielder Victor Robles, who dropped a routine fly ball during Boston’s three-run second inning, and then ran into an out the following inning when he tried to take third when the base was occupied.

Rafaela hit a ground-rule double with the bases loaded that plated Garrett Cooper and Vaughn Grissom to make it 2-0 before Jarren Duran scored on Gore’s wild pitch to increase Boston’s lead to 3-0. Cooper collected two hits in the victory.

The Nationals trimmed their deficit to 3-2 in the fourth. Nick Senzel drew a two-out walk and scored on Rosario’s home run to right center.

–Field Level Media

Bello Returns for Rubber-Game vs DC

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BOSTON – Right-hand starting pitcher Brayan Bello will make his return from the 15-day injured list when the host Red Sox and Washington Nationals wrap up a three-game series this afternoon. Bello (3-1, 3.04 ERA) hasn’t pitched since April 19, when he picked up a win against the Pittsburgh Pirates after allowing just one hit across six shutout innings. He landed on the IL five days later because of lat tightness.

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Today will mark Bello’s first career appearance against the Nationals, who, like the Red Sox, will seek a series victory.

After Washington opened the series with a 5-1 victory on Friday night, Boston battled back for a 4-2 win on Saturday. Rafael Devers broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning.

Devers doubled off of Robert Garcia after the Nationals elected to intentionally walk Tyler O’Neill with Romy Gonzalez on second base.

“I thought that was the right matchup,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “It’s a good battle up there. He fouled a couple of good, tough pitches off, and (Devers) just got the best of him (Saturday). But Garcia’s throwing the ball good. He’s our left-handed guy, so we decided to go that route.”

Devers said he couldn’t remember a time when a team intentionally walked a player to pitch to him.

“Those are baseball decisions,” Devers said through an interpreter. “Tyler is a right-handed batter. I’m lefty, so if I’m a manager someday, I might make the same decision.”

The outcome ended Boston’s three-game losing streak, and the Red Sox struggled immensely at the plate with runners in scoring position during the skid. Boston stranded 33 runners during those three setbacks, in which the team was 2-for-29 with runners in scoring position.

“Raffy against anybody — we’ll take that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “As a manager you gotta kind of like pick your poison, right? They had the righty ready. They’re watching, too. At that point they made the decision to go against Raffy. (Garcia) had him with two strikes. He was one pitch away from getting out of the inning.

“You’re managing that inning, you’re managing the whole game, you’re managing the series, right. Probably the lefty won’t be there (Sunday). They got a lefty going. So there’s a lot of thought process, not only like it’s Raffy Devers. I bet if he has to do it again, he’ll do it again, because I know Dave. There’s a lot of conviction behind it. I understand the reasoning.”

Washington was held to four hits in Saturday’s loss, but two were solo home runs by Joey Meneses and Eddie Rosario.

The Nationals will send left-hander MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 3.44 ERA) to the mound on Sunday.

In his most recent outing, Gore was tagged for six runs (two earned) and six hits in three innings against the Toronto Blue Jays last Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.

Gore’s only career appearance against the Red Sox came last August, when he gave up one hit and no runs in 6 1/3 innings during Washington’s 6-2 victory. Gore struck out seven and walked two but settled for a no-decision.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Activate, Start Bello

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Prior to the 1:35pm game today, the Boston Red Sox reinstated right-hander Brayan Bello from the 15-day injured list to start the final game of the series against the visiting Washington Nationals.

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Fellow right-hander Josh Winckowski was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to make room for Bello, who last pitched for Boston on April 19. Bello landed on the injured list five days later because of lat tightness.

Sunday will mark Bello’s first career appearance against the Nationals, who, like the Red Sox, will seek a series victory.

Bello, who was Boston’s Opening Day starter, is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA in five starts this season.

Bello, who turns 25 on Friday, is 17-20 with a 4.22 ERA in 46 career appearances (44 starts) in three seasons with the Red Sox.

Winckowski, 25, is 1-1 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 appearances (three starts) this season.

He is 10-12 with a 4.12 ERA in 87 career games (18 starts) with Boston.

–Field Level Media

Devers Doubles Sox to Victory

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Rafael Devers hit a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning to propel the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Saturday.

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Devers’ line-drive double hit the base of the wall in left field and broke a 2-2 tie by driving in Romy Gonzalez and Tyler O’Neill. Gonzalez reached on a fielder’s choice before O’Neill was walked intentionally. Devers had two of Boston’s six hits.

Wilyer Abreu hit his fourth home run of the season for Boston, which ended a three-game losing streak. The Red Sox were 2 for 29 with runners in scoring position during those three losses.

Chris Martin (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win. Kenley Jansen struck out two of three batters he faced in the ninth to record his sixth save.

Reliever Robert Garcia (0-2), who surrendered the double to Devers, took the loss.

Joey Meneses and Eddie Rosario each homered for Washington.

Boston starting pitcher Cooper Criswell went five innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and recorded a career-high nine strikeouts. It was a 2-2 game when he exited.

Washington’s Jake Irvin gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.

Meneses opened the scoring by leading off the second with a solo home run, his first home run of the season.

The Red Sox tied the game at 1 on Abreu’s home run in the third.

After Rosario homered on a ball that hit the Carlton Fisk pole in left field to give Washington a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Boston pulled even when Jarren Duran’s two-out double drove in David Hamilton to make it a 2-2 game in the bottom half of the inning. Rosario’s homer was his fourth of the season.

CJ Abrams had two of Washington’s four hits.

-Field Level Media

Sale, Braves Sweep Red Sox

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Chris Sale threw six shutout innings and Marcell Ozuna hit two home runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday and a sweep of their two-game series.

Sale (5-1) scattered six hits, walked one and struck out a season-high 10 batters against his former team. The Red Sox were 0-for-6 with runners on base and left seven runners on base against Sale, whose scoreless outing was saved in the sixth when left fielder Jarred Kelenic reached over the wall to take away a homer from Garrett Cooper.

Ozuna was 2-for-3 with a walk, scored two runs and hit his 11th and 12th home runs of the season, most in the majors. Ozuna drove in four runs and leads the majors with 38 RBIs. It was Ozuna’s second multi-homer game of the season.

Atlanta got two scoreless innings from Dylan Lee. Ray Kerr threw a perfect ninth inning in his Atlanta debut.

Dodgers 3, Marlins 1

Gavin Stone went seven strong innings, Teoscar Hernandez had a home run with three RBIs and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to seven games and completed a 6-0 homestand with a win over Miami.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the sixth inning, Freddie Freeman hit a two-out double and scored on Hernandez’s full-count home run to left that just cleared the top of the wall over the outstretched glove of Marlins left fielder Nick Gordon.

Bryan De La Cruz hit a home run among his two hits and Ryan Weathers gave up three runs over six innings as the Marlins went 1-5 on a six-game road trip that also included a stop at Oakland.

Angels 5, Pirates 4

Willie Calhoun hit a sacrifice fly to cap a three-run rally in the sixth that lifted Los Angeles over host Pittsburgh.

Los Angeles’ bullpen took care of the rest, with Adam Cimber (3-0) striking out the side in the sixth, Matt Moore fanning two in 1 1/3 clean innings, and Luis Garcia getting the last two outs of the eighth.

Luis Ortiz (2-2) took the loss. Oneil Cruz and Connor Joe each had two hits for the Pirates.

Blue Jays 5, Phillies 3

Vladimir Guererro Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier each had three hits to lift Toronto past host Philadelphia, which saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end.

Davis Schneider added two hits and an RBI, while Kiermaier drove in two runs, and Guerrero and Bo Bichette hit RBI singles for the Blue Jays.

Nick Castellanos had two hits and Bryson Stott knocked in two runs for the Phillies, who had their 11-game home winning streak snapped.

Yankees 9, Astros 4

Juan Soto hit a two-run homer two batters into the bottom of the first inning and finished with five RBIs as host New York continued its recent success against Houston.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton added solo shots as the Yankees won their fifth straight and beat the Astros for the ninth consecutive time. It was the first time this season the trio homered in the same game. Judge had three hits, including a two-run double that pushed New York’s lead to 8-1 in the sixth. Carlos Rodon (3-2) allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena homered, their 11th and fourth, respectively, but the Astros dropped their fourth game in a row. Jake Meyers hit an RBI triple that chased Rodon, and Altuve added an RBI single in the ninth.

Guardians 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Brayan Rocchio delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning as host Cleveland defeated Detroit to take two of three in the series.

Emmanuel Clase (2-1) picked up the win by pitching a scoreless 10th. Starter Tanner Bibee gave up four runs on five hits in four innings and struck out five. Kyle Manzardo singled in the seventh for his first major league hit.

Detroit starter Reese Olson limited the Guardians to two runs (one earned) and one hit in six innings. Alex Lange (0-2) took the loss.

Twins 6, Mariners 3

Willi Castro went 2-for-3 with a triple, a homer and two RBIs as the Minnesota pulled away for a win over Seattle in Minneapolis.

Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach each added a solo home run for the Twins. Chris Paddack (4-1) held the Mariners to one run on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings while fanning 10. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Mitch Garver went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for the Mariners, and Cal Raleigh had a two-run double. George Kirby (3-3) allowed four runs on four hits, including three home runs, in five innings.

Royals 6, Brewers 4

Bobby Witt Jr. homered to lead Kansas past visiting Milwaukee in the rubber game of their three-game set.

Vinnie Pasquantino had two of the Royals’ nine hits while Michael Massey’s career-best 10-game hitting streak came to an end. Adam Frazier’s RBI hit in the three-run eighth snapped an 0-for-20 slide.

William Contreras drove in two runs for the Brewers, who have lost four of five.

Padres 3, Cubs 0

Dylan Cease pitched seven shutout innings of one-hit ball and San Diego got a few timely hits in its shutout win against host Chicago.

With the win, the Padres took the series over the Cubs, 2-1. They also won a three-game series against Chicago last month. Cease (5-2) racked up 12 strikeouts and gave up two walks in a masterful effort. It marked the fifth time in Cease’s last six outings that he gave up one or fewer earned runs.

Cubs starter Hayden Wesneski (2-1) was removed after pitching six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in the loss.

Athletics 9, Rangers 4 (Game 1)

Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker each homered while combining for six hits and eight RBIs, propelling Oakland over visiting Texas in the opener of a doubleheader.

Brett Harris also homered and the Athletics held the Rangers scoreless over the final five innings, helping Oakland snap a three-game losing streak.

Marcus Semien homered for the second consecutive day for the Rangers as part of a 3-for-5 performance. The homer was his seventh.

Rangers 12, A’s 11 (Game 2)

Adolis Garcia, Josh Smith and Jonah Heim had consecutive RBI hits in the eighth inning to help Texas outlast host Oakland and salvage a doubleheader split.

Evan Carter and Nathaniel Lowe produced insurance runs in the ninth with RBI singles, allowing the Rangers to survive a four-run uprising by the A’s in the last of the inning.

Heim finished with two hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Texas’ Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran chipped in with three hits apiece. Shea Langeliers hit his second homer of the day for the A’s, and Tyler Soderstrom also went deep.

Diamondbacks 4, Reds 3

Jordan Montgomery allowed just two runs over seven innings and Gabriel Moreno drove in the go-ahead run to lead visiting Arizona past Cincinnati.

Eugenio Suarez homered against his former team and collected two hits while Moreno also added two hits for the Diamondbacks, who won their third straight. Montgomery (2-2) scattered seven hits, striking out two and walking two, to end a personal two-game skid.

Jeimer Candelario had three hits and Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl each had two for the Reds, who suffered their seventh straight loss. The Reds snapped a 43-inning drought without a lead when they broke through in the second against Montgomery.

Orioles 7, Nationals 6 (12 innings)

Jorge Mateo singled home the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and Baltimore beat host Washington after blowing two-run leads in the ninth and 11th innings.

Mateo led off with a single against Jordan Weems (1-1) that scored Jordan Westburg. Mateo ended up on third via two Washington throwing errors on the play and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5.

Albert Suarez (2-0) pitched two innings for the win and Jacob Webb picked up his second save of the season despite allowing Luis Garcia, Jr.’s run-scoring double in the 12th.

White Sox 4, Rays 1

Paul DeJong hit his second home run in as many games as Chicago salvaged a win in its three-game series, beating Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-3) allowed one run on three hits in six innings to beat the Rays for the second time in two weeks. He fanned eight and walked one.

Tampa Bay got two hits from Harold Ramirez and an RBI double by Isaac Paredes, but the club produced just four hits as its season-high five-game winning streak ended.

Giants 8, Rockies 6

Michael Conforto had three hits, including a homer, Blake Sabol also had three hits, and San Francisco beat Colorado in Denver.

Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits each for the Giants, who have won two straight after dropping four in a row.

Elias Diaz homered and singled, Sean Bouchard had three hits and Charlie Blackmon and Jordan Beck had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who have lost four in a row.

–Field Level Media

Sox Snap Twins Win Streak

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela and Rafael Devers hit two-run home runs and the Red Sox pulled away for a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

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Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith added two-run doubles for Boston, which avoided a three-game sweep in the series finale. Rob Refsnyder had an RBI double.

Ryan Jeffers hit a solo home run for the Twins, whose 12-game winning streak ended. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Minnesota lost for the first time since falling at home on April 21 against the Detroit Tigers. The 12-game winning streak was the Twins’ longest since a franchise-best 15-game streak in 1991.

Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino (1-1) earned the win out of the bullpen after recording the final two outs of the fifth inning. Minnesota starter Joe Ryan (1-2) gave up three runs on four hits in six innings.

Rays 7, Mets 6 (10 innings)

Jonny DeLuca’s walk-off, two-run triple in extra innings propelled Tampa Bay to a win and a series sweep of New York in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jake Diekman (1-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit in the extra inning for New York, which has lost three straight and five of its past seven. The Mets had gone ahead 6-5 in the top of the 10th, as Harrison Bader scored when Brandon Nimmo reached on a missed-catch error by first baseman Yandy Diaz.

Randy Arozarena tied it at 5-5 for the Rays in the ninth with a two-out solo home run to left-center field. Rays reliever Erasmo Ramirez (1-0) got the win.

Dodgers 5, Braves 1

Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and left-hander James Paxton pitched into the seventh inning as host Los Angeles finished off a three-game sweep of Atlanta.

Paxton (4-0) gave up a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks.

Marcell Ozuna hit a home run and Max Fried (2-1) gave up four runs on four hits over seven innings after delivering a complete-game shutout and six no-hit innings in his previous two starts.

Yankees 5, Tigers 2 (8 innings)

Juan Soto hit a go-ahead, three-run double in the seventh and host New York completed a three-game series sweep by defeating Detroit in a game that was called early due to rain.

Aaron Judge homered one day after his first career ejection. Oswaldo Cabrera added two hits and an RBI. Yankees starter Nestor Cortes was charged with two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings while recording nine strikeouts, and Victor Gonzalez (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

Detroit starter Tarik Skubal struck out a career-high 12 in six innings while allowing two runs and six hits. Spencer Torkelson had two doubles and an RBI to lead the Tigers’ offense. Shelby Miller (3-4), Detroit’s second pitcher, took the loss.

Nationals 11, Blue Jays 8

Eddie Rosario’s seventh-inning two-run homer broke an 8-8 tie and host Washington went on to beat Toronto.

Luis Garcia Jr. had four hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs while Jesse Winker had a three-run homer and a double for the Nationals, who took two of three games from Toronto.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam for the Blue Jays, who have lost four of their past five. Alek Manoah, making his first start in the majors since last August, was given a 6-1 lead but could not hold it. He went four innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits.

Pirates 5, Rockies 3

Oneil Cruz doubled and hit a two-run homer as Pittsburgh rallied from an early deficit to edge visiting Colorado in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Rowdy Tellez, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski each drove in a run for Pittsburgh, which trailed 3-0 after two innings. Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings before Luis L. Ortiz (2-1) followed with 1 2/3 perfect innings.

Jacob Stallings and Sean Bouchard hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning for the Rockies. Bouchard, Elias Diaz and Brendan Rodgers each had two hits.

Guardians 4, Angels 1

Jose Ramirez hit a slump-busting, go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth, then scored two innings later on Josh Naylor’s home run as Cleveland downed visiting Los Angeles.

Mired in an 0-for-19 drought, Ramirez crushed the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Los Angeles starter Griffin Canning (1-4) well over the right-center-field wall to put Cleveland ahead 2-1. It was the sixth homer of the season for Ramirez.

Cole Tucker had a pair of hits for Los Angeles, which has dropped 13 of its past 16 and fell to 3-25 at Cleveland since the start of the 2015 season.

Mariners 5, Astros 4

Cal Raleigh slugged a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning as Seattle rallied to knock off host Houston in the rubber match of a three-game series, claiming its sixth consecutive series win.

Raleigh homered for the second time in as many games, drilling a sinker from Astros closer Josh Hader (1-3) for his eighth home run of the year. The Mariners rallied from a 4-3 deficit after coughing up a three-run lead. Andres Munoz (2-2) recorded the final four outs to secure the victory.

Kyle Tucker and Jon Singleton hit two-run homers for the Astros. Singleton and Jose Altuve had two hits apiece.

Rangers 3, Royals 2 (10 innings)

Nathaniel Lowe delivered a 10th-inning RBI single, lifting visiting Texas to a victory over Kansas City.

The Rangers rallied with single tallies in the eighth and ninth to tie the game at 2-2. With one out in the top of the 10th, Lowe lined a 1-2 pitch into center field to score Leody Taveras with the go-ahead run, completing the come-from-behind win.

The Royals grabbed a 2-0 lead, as their first four hits went for extra bases against Texas starter Jon Gray. Bobby Witt Jr. tripled and scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s sacrifice fly in the first to open the scoring. With two outs in the third, Witt and Pasquantino hit consecutive doubles.

White Sox 5, Cardinals 1

Paul DeJong had two doubles, two runs and an RBI against his old team as visiting Chicago defeated St. Louis.

Eloy Jimenez hit a solo homer and Bryan Ramos got his first career RBI for the White Sox, who won two of three games to earn their second series victory of the season.

Willson Contreras hit a solo home run for the Cardinals, who mustered just four hits while losing for the fourth time in five games.

Cubs 5, Brewers 0

Nico Hoerner sparked a three-run fifth inning to break a scoreless stalemate while Javier Assad pitched six shutout innings in Chicago’s victory over visiting Milwaukee.

Dansby Swanson added his fourth home run of the season as the Cubs took the three-game series 2-1. Assad (3-0) gave up just four hits and three walks, striking out four.

Milwaukee only had five hits on the afternoon as Chicago posted its third shutout win of the year. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (3-1) was pulled after five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits, with five strikeouts and six walks.

Marlins 12, Athletics 3

Nick Gordon collected two singles, a double and a home run, drove in three runs and scored twice as Miami avoided an interleague series sweep at the hands of host Oakland.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez and Christian Bethancourt all scored a pair of runs for the Marlins, who rebounded from a 20-4 shellacking by the streaking A’s one day earlier. Burch Smith (2-0), who worked a scoreless fifth in relief of Sixto Sanchez, was credited with the win.

Gordon’s homer capped a four-run first against Athletics starter Joe Boyle (2-5), who completed the inning but then left because of back soreness. Boyle set up the big frame by walking the first three batters of the game, throwing nine straight balls in one stretch.

Diamondbacks 11, Padres 4

Jake McCarthy went 3-for-4 with three runs as Arizona topped San Diego in Phoenix to avoid being swept in a three-game series.

McCarthy was one of five Diamondbacks to drive in two runs, with Ketel Marte and Joc Pederson contributing two-run home runs. Arizona had lost eight of its past 11, while San Diego had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Padres’ Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer for his second long ball of his rookie season. Luis Arraez went 1-for-5 in his second game with San Diego.

Orioles 11, Reds 1

Dean Kremer allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings as visiting Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of punchless Cincinnati.

Kremer (3-2) was the latest Orioles pitcher to blank an anemic Cincinnati offense, allowing only a sharp single in the fifth, followed by a walk, to win his third straight start. Baltimore’s Anthony Santander belted his third career grand slam, had three hits and drove in five, while Jordan Westburg and Ryan McKenna added homers.

For the second straight contest, the Reds avoided a shutout in the ninth and have scored a total of just eight runs in losing five straight games.

Phillies 5, Giants 4

Bryce Harper hit a three-run home run and J.T. Realmuto had three hits to lead Philadelphia to a win over visiting San Francisco.

Alec Bohm doubled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games for the Phillies, who won their fifth straight game and are 9-1 over their past 10. Philadelphia has won the first three contests of the four-game series and owns the best record in baseball at 24-11.

Thairo Estrada smacked a two-run homer for the Giants, who have lost five of their past six games. San Francisco ace Logan Webb (3-3) allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits over four innings.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Face Red Hot Twins

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Minnesota Twins are riding an 11-game winning streak, the longest in the big leagues this season. Going into this afternoon’s rematch with the Boston Red Sox in Minnesota, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers called the streak “amazing.”

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“Being able to put on a show for these fans every single night is cool,” Jeffers told the Twins’ TV audience after Minnesota’s 5-2 win in the series opener on Friday night. “This season is a long, grueling season, so to be able to rattle off 11 straight is pretty awesome.”

Jeffers and Eduoard Julien drove in two runs apiece on Friday, and five Twins pitchers held Boston to four hits. It was the second straight loss for Boston, which had won its previous four.

“It’s one of those that you’ve just got to keep battling and keep working, and hopefully (Saturday) we have a better one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

The Red Sox will have to find a way to grind out a win during a bullpen game.

Left-hander Brennan Bernardino (0-1, 0.73 ERA) is expected to make his second start, but he will be limited in terms of workload. In 11 appearances this season, he has not pitched more than two innings in a game.

Several other Red Sox relievers could chip in an inning or two. It typically would be right-hander Brayan Bello’s turn in the starting rotation, but he is on the injured list with tightness in his back.

Knowing the bullpen game was upcoming, Cora said he was grateful to need only two pitchers on Friday. Right-hander Tanner Houck started and went six innings, and reliever Naoyuki Uwasawa covered the next two innings.

“He was excellent,” Cora said of Houck. “We needed him to go deep into the game, coming from (Thursday’s) game and (Saturday) knowing where we’re at with a bullpen game.

“That’s what the good ones do. When you need innings, he goes out there, and it’s not like he just gave us innings. He gave us a chance to win.”

Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (2-2, 4.83 ERA) is set to make his seventh start of the season. Lopez is looking for back-to-back wins after defeating the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

In one career start against the Red Sox, Lopez is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits in 5 2/3 innings last June, and he walked three and struck out nine.

Jeffers said one key to the Twins’ winning streak has been late-inning offense. Each game has provided an opportunity for someone else in the lineup to come through, he said.

On Friday, the Twins scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to build on their 1-0 lead.

“We’ve been doing a really good job staying in there,” Jeffers said. “Whether we’re down or if it’s an even game going late, we feel like (our offense) can come from anybody. Feeding off the energy in this stadium (on Friday night) really pushed us through.”

–Field Level Media

 

Twins Down Sox for 11-Straight

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) Edouard Julien and Ryan Jeffers drove in two runs apiece, and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Willi Castro went 2-for-3 with a double for Minnesota, which won its 11th game in a row. The Twins have not lost since April 21 against the Detroit Tigers.

Rafael Devers went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs to lead Boston. Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran recorded the only other hits for the Red Sox.

Twins right-hander Chris Paddack (3-1) allowed two hits in six scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out six. Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck (3-3) gave up four runs on six hits in six-plus innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Dodgers 4, Braves 3 (11 innings)

Rookie Andy Pages capped his first career four-hit performance with a game-ending single in the 11th inning as Los Angeles walked away with a victory over visiting Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series.

Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run, Shohei Ohtani drove in a run in the 10th and Gavin Stone went five strong innings as the Dodgers improved to 8-2 since going 3-6 on their previous homestand while losing all three series. Michael Grove (1-1) picked up the win for the Dodgers with a scoreless 11th.

Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. hit home runs and right-hander Charlie Morton gave up two runs on five hits over six innings as the Braves lost for the fourth time in their last six games and fell to 1-3 on a six-game West Coast road trip.

Brewers 3, Cubs 1

Willy Adames headlined a three-run rally with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth as Milwaukee beat host Chicago in the opener of a three-game series.

Brice Turang went 2-for-4 for the Brewers, who pushed their winning streak to three games.

Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ and Michael Busch each had two hits as Chicago’s offensive struggles continued. The Cubs have averaged just 2.4 runs over their past seven games.

Phillies 4, Giants 3

Brandon Marsh drove in two runs, Alec Bohm extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a run-scoring single, and Philadelphia opened a four-game series against visiting San Francisco with a win.

Trea Turner had two hits before exiting with left hamstring soreness for Philadelphia, which won its third straight and improved to a season-best 11 games over .500 at 22-11. Aaron Nola allowed two runs and four hits over four innings before yielding to Matt Strahm (2-0), Seranthony Dominguez, Orion Kerkering and Jeff Hoffman. Jose Alvarado worked around a leadoff single in the ninth for his sixth save.

San Francisco went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and lost for the third time in its last four games. The Giants have scored a total of 19 runs over their last eight games.

Yankees 2, Tigers 1

Anthony Rizzo hit a walk-off single with nobody out in the ninth inning as host New York rallied past Detroit.

On the verge of being shut out for the sixth time this season, the Yankees earned their first walk-off win of the season thanks to rallying against Detroit closer Jason Foley (2-1), who blew his first save of the season.

Riley Green went 3-for-4 for the Tigers, who were held to five hits and saw their two-game win streak come to an end.

Rays 10, Mets 8

Harold Ramirez and Amed Rosario each went 3-for-5 for Tampa Bay, which scored five times in the third inning in a win against visiting New York in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Shawn Armstrong (1-1) came on in relief in the fifth inning, allowing two hits and striking out two in 1 1/3 innings. Jason Adam allowed one run on two hits in the ninth for his second save of the season.

Mets starter Jose Quintana (1-3) allowed eight runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Athletics 3, Marlins 1

Miami kicked off the post-Luis Arraez era with a whimper, accumulating just seven hits off JP Sears and three relievers as host Oakland opened a three-game interleague series with a victory.

Arraez, the defending National League batting champion, was scratched from the lineup minutes before the first pitch, reportedly having been dealt to the San Diego Padres for four prospects. Miami then saw a three-game winning streak end when Brent Rooker smacked a two-run homer, Sears worked 6 1/3 shutout innings and the A’s recorded a season-best fifth straight win.

Rooker’s homer came off Miami starter Ryan Weathers (2-3), who dueled Sears into the last of the fourth before allowing his first hit of the game — a single by Abraham Toro. Rooker followed with his sixth homer of the season. Weathers was pulled after six innings, having allowed three runs and five hits. He struck out five and didn’t walk anyone.

Nationals 9, Blue Jays 3

Pinch hitter Luis Garcia Jr. hit a three-run home run in a four-run seventh and Washington defeated visiting Toronto.

Beginning a five-game homestand, the Nationals overcame a 3-0 deficit to take the opener of a three-game series.

The Blue Jays, who began a five-game road trip, have lost three games in a row and eight of their past 10.

Orioles 3, Reds 0

Cole Irvin extended his scoreless innings streak by allowing just two hits over 6 1/3 innings, combining with three relievers as Baltimore shut out Cincinnati in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Adley Rutschman snapped a scoreless tie with a seventh-inning RBI double and scored on a homer by Ryan O’Hearn as the Orioles won for the fourth time in five games. The Reds have lost three straight and six of eight.

Irvin (3-1) walked none and struck out four. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 20 innings dating back to the fourth inning of an April 15 start. Reds starter Hunter Greene gave up five hits and four walks while striking out five over 5 2/3 innings. He has thrown 14 2/3 straight scoreless innings dating back to April 22.

Rockies 3, Pirates 2

Ryan McMahon homered to spark a three-run sixth inning, Cal Quantrill pitched strongly into the eighth and Colorado beat host Pittsburgh.

Colorado snapped a five-game skid and ended a string that saw it set a major league record by trailing at some point in each of their first 31 games. McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings finished with two hits each for Colorado. Quantrill (1-3) gave up three hits, struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter in 7 2/3 innings.

Oneil Cruz homered and Jared Triolo had two hits for Pittsburgh, which has lost five in a row and eight of nine. The Rockies managed just five singles against Pirates starter Martin Perez (1-2) through five innings but broke out in the sixth. McMahon led off with his fifth home run, a 445-foot shot into the Allegheny River beyond the seats in right field.

Angels 6, Guardians 0

Jose Soriano threw six stellar innings to continue his road dominance and Mickey Moniak launched a three-run homer as visiting Los Angeles beat Cleveland.

Nolan Schanuel homered for one of his three hits, and Willie Calhoun also had three in his season debut for the Angels, who won for just the third time in 14 games. Soriano (1-4), who allowed five hits and a walk, has yielded one earned run over 17 innings of his three 2024 road starts.

Los Angeles roughed up Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (2-1) for all six runs, plus eight hits allowed, in five innings. Steven Kwan had two hits for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who have lost two straight and are 3-6 since winning five in a row.

Astros 5, Mariners 3

Jose Altuve deposited a perfect bunt single down the third base line with two outs in the seventh inning, the lone run-scoring hit of a four-run frame that lifted Houston to a victory over visiting Seattle.

Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Astros recorded five walks, two singles and a sacrifice fly to forge ahead. Astros closer Josh Hader recorded his third save with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.

The Mariners forged their lead with a pair of homers off Astros starter Ronel Blanco, who worked six innings and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Jorge Polanco smoked a two-out, solo shot to right-center in the third and Dylan Moore ripped a two-run blast in the fifth.

Royals 7, Rangers 1

Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe homered as host Kansas City rallied past Texas.

With one out in the fifth, Renfroe belted Michael Lorenzen’s slider down the left-field line for his third homer of the year to tie the score 1-1. Then Kansas City scored six times in the seventh, capped by Perez’s three-run homer. Reliever John Schreiber (3-0) allowed two hits and two walks in the seventh but escaped damage by striking out Marcus Semien with the bases loaded to end the inning.

In the third inning, Semien hit a two-out double and Corey Seager followed with a single to left, scoring the first run of the game. Seager had two of the Rangers’ seven hits. Losing pitcher Cole Winn (0-1) gave up four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning.

Cardinals 3, White Sox 0

Sonny Gray, JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley combined for a three-hitter as St. Louis blanked visiting Chicago.

Gray (4-1) allowed those three hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one while lowering his season ERA to 0.89 in 30 1/3 innings. Romero handled the White Sox in the eighth inning, and Helsley closed out the ninth for his 11th save.

Nolan Arenado drove in three runs with two doubles and Willson Contreras went 3-for-3 with a walk, a steal and two runs for St. Louis. Brad Keller (0-1) allowed three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings for the White Sox, who lost for the 11th time in 14 games.

Padres 7, Diamondbacks 1

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered and drove in three runs, Dylan Cease pitched 6 2/3 innings and San Diego opened a three-game weekend series with a win over Arizona in Phoenix.

Tatis collected three hits and scored twice, while Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado also slugged homers as San Diego won its third straight game. The Padres finished with 12 hits and scored at least six runs for the fourth time in five games. Cease (4-2) allowed three hits and one run with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Slade Cecconi (1-2) retired the first nine batters he faced for Arizona but was hit hard his second time through the order. He was removed after Tatis’ RBI single in the fifth made it 5-0. Cecconi gave up six runs on five hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings, striking out four.

–Field Level Media

S.F. Giants’ Mike Yaz Does In Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – San Francisco’s Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run and the visiting San Francisco Giants avoided a series sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Thursday in the final game of a three-game set. Yastrzemski’s home run was his third of the season and came hours after he was visited in the clubhouse by his grandfather and Red Sox legend, Carl Yastrzemski.

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It was Mike Yastrzemski’s second career home run in six games at Fenway Park after his grandfather hit 237 of his 452 home runs at Fenway.

The Giants broke a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in the seventh. Patrick Bailey singled, took third on Matt Chapman’s single and scored on a single by Thairo Estrada. Nick Ahmed added a sacrifice fly that drove in Chapman to make it 3-1. Both runs were charged to Zack Kelly (0-1).

The victory ended Boston’s four-game winning streak. The Red Sox won the first two games of the series 4-0 and 6-2.

Ryan Walker (3-2) earned the win for the Giants with a scoreless sixth inning. He allowed one hit and struck out one. Camilo Doval worked the ninth to earn his sixth save.

 

Sox Face Giants Today for Series Sweep

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox seek their fifth straight win and an Interleague sweep when they host the San Francisco Giants in the finale of a three-game series this afternoon.

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Continued outstanding pitching and timely hitting helped the Red Sox post 4-0 and 6-2 wins to begin the series, allowing just a total of nine hits.

“We expect to be consistent,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I know that every single night, we feel very comfortable where we’re going to be pitching-wise. Obviously, the numbers speak for themselves. But for me, this is not because of what we did in April. I felt very comfortable in spring training.”

On Wednesday, Kutter Crawford threw a career-high seven innings, while Connor Wong was 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.

Dominic Smith also recorded an RBI single in his Red Sox debut on the same day he was activated after he opted out of his deal with Tampa Bay. Garrett Cooper, formerly of the Chicago Cubs, made his first Boston appearance on Tuesday.

“We expect these two guys to help us,” Cora said. “They can slow down the game, they’re gonna hit the ball the other way. It was great to add them to the roster.”

The Red Sox also acquired infielder Zack Short from the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon. Cora expects him to be activated before the series finale and be in the starting lineup.

Boston turns to right-hander Josh Winckowski (1-1, 3.50 ERA), who is scheduled to make his third straight start after seven relief appearances to begin the season. He is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two appearances (no starts) against San Francisco.

This series marks the first for the Giants at Fenway since 2019, which was Yastrzemski’s rookie year.

“To be able to come back again and have a little bit more clarity of where I’m at in life and be able to be a little more comfortable, it’s nice,” he said.

Tom Murphy hit his first home run of the season in the third inning Wednesday.

–Field Level Media