BALTIMORE (AP) — Grayson Rodriguez allowed one hit over six innings, and the AL-best Baltimore Orioles clinched their second consecutive winning season with a 9-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
Anthony Santander hit his 25th homer for Baltimore (82-49), which has won eight of its last 10 and increased its AL East lead over idle Tampa Bay to 2 1/2 games. The Orioles went 83-79 last year, their first winning season since 2016.
Rodriguez (4-3) retired the first 11 batters before Luis Robert Jr. doubled to left. Robert was stranded when Eloy Jiménez grounded out two pitches later, and Chicago wouldn’t get a runner into scoring position the rest of the night.
Chicago starter Michael Kopech (5-12) allowed four runs in four innings, striking out five. The right-hander is 2-5 with a 7.34 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.
Baltimore extended its streak of series without being swept to 82. It is the fifth-longest streak in MLB history and the longest since the St. Louis Cardinals’ record 124 in a row from 1942-44.
BREWERS 6, CUBS 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Christian Yelich and Mark Canha homered during Milwaukee’s four-run first inning, and the Brewers earned their ninth consecutive victory.
Wade Miley pitched six effective innings as Milwaukee increased its NL Central lead to five games over second-place Chicago. It’s the longest win streak for the Brewers since an 11-game run in 2021.
Chicago committed two costly errors and finished with five hits. Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom homered, but Jameson Taillon (7-9) got off to a rough start. He was charged with four earned runs and nine hits in six innings.
Miley (7-3) permitted four hits in his first win since July 9. The veteran left-hander struck out one and walked none while throwing 50 of his 82 pitches for strikes.
RANGERS 4, METS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning and Texas won for the first this season when trailing after eight innings.
Tylor Megill allowed one run and struck out eight in six solid innings for the Mets. Trevor Gott (0-4) took the loss.
José Leclerc worked around a two-out walk to Francisco Álvarez in the ninth to earn his second save. Martín Pérez (9-4) tossed two perfect innings of relief.
Rangers starter Jon Gray struck out nine batters in six innings — his most since whiffing 12 in a complete-game loss to St. Louis on June 7.
ASTROS 13, RED SOX 5
BOSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve completed the first cycle of his career with a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the eighth inning, and Houston rolled past Boston.
Altuve struck out swinging to lead off the game, then doubled in the third, singled in the fifth and tripled in the sixth. His homer made him the first Astros player to hit for the cycle since Brandon Barnes against Seattle on July 19, 2013.
Kendall Graveman (4-6) pitched a scoreless fifth inning for Houston, which followed up its 25-hit performance in Sunday’s win at Detroit with 18 on Monday.
Chris Sale (5-4) lasted 4 2/3 innings and yielded three runs and seven hits, including a home run.
Red Sox reliever Kyle Barraclough walked back-to-back batters to open the sixth. With one out, Altuve hit a deep flyball that ricocheted off the Monster in center, scoring two and allowing Altuve to slide in for a triple.
Barraclough threw 94 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, allowing 10 runs, 11 hits, five walks and three homers. He hit three batters.
PHILLIES 6, ANGELS 4
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trea Turner homered twice, Bryce Harper hit a two-run shot and the streaking Philadelphia beat Shohei Ohtani and Los Angeles.
Turner hit a tying solo homer in the second and the go-ahead shot in the fifth that made it 5-3 and sent the NL wild-card leaders to their fourth straight win. Harper lined his sixth homer in the last 11 games into the right-field seats. Philadelphia has a majors-best 52 longballs this month.
Angels starter Lucas Giolito (7-11) allowed all three homers and five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Taijuan Walker (14-5) struck out six and gave up three runs in his 5 2/3 innings.
Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his 21st save.
BLUE JAYS 6, NATIONALS 3
TORONTO (AP) — Danny Jansen homered and scored three runs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in a pair and Toronto defeated Washington.
Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (10-8) pitched five innings to win for the first time in three starts, allowing three runs and seven hits. He walked two and struck out seven, boosting his AL-leading total to 202. Atlanta’s Spencer Strider leads the majors with 236.
Trevor Richards pitched two innings, Génesis Cabrera worked the eighth and Jordan Hicks finished for his 12th save in 15 chances.
Washington right-hander Josiah Gray (7-11) allowed four runs and four hits in two innings, extending his winless streak to six starts. He walked four and struck out two.
TWINS 10, GUARDIANS 6
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Royce Lewis hit his second grand slam in as many games, giving Minnesota a second-inning jolt on their way to a victory that stretched their AL Central lead to a season-high seven games.
Kody Funderburk (1-0) was credited with the win in his major league debut, tallying three strikeouts, two weak groundouts back to the mound and one popout behind second base over two perfect innings in relief of a roughed-up Kenta Maeda.
Bo Naylor hit a two-run homer and Gabriel Arias and Steven Kwan each had RBI doubles off Maeda, who went four innings and surrendered all six runs.
Guardians starter Xzavion Curry (3-3) lasted only two innings with six runs allowed. Daniel Norris, promoted from Triple-A Columbus for his third stint with the club this year, relieved Curry and gave up homers to Matt Wallner and Jorge Polanco.
YANKEES 4, TIGERS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Aaron Judge ended an 0-for-17 slide with his 249th home run, Luis Severino pitched shutout ball for the second straight start following an alarming skid and New York beat Detroit in a series opener.
Judge walked in the fifth and scored on Gleyber Torres’ double, then combined with Torres for back-to-back homers in the seventh off Beau Brieske.
Severino (4-8) allowed five hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and no walks, following 6 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Washington. He has lowered his season ERA from 7.98 to 6.64 in his last two outings after allowing 21 earned runs over 13 1/3 innings over a four-start span.
Detroit has lost three straight by a combined 30-7. Starter Reese Olson (2-6) struck out a career-high 10 in 4 1/3 innings, but allowed one run, three hits and four walks while throwing 100 pitches. He fanned the first eight batters he retired.
PADRES 4, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Blake Snell struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Garrett Cooper had three hits and three RBIs to lift San Diego over St. Louis.
Snell (11-9), who threw five or more innings in his 19th straight start, allowed just two hits and improved to 2-0 in four career starts against the Cardinals. Josh Hader pitched the ninth inning and earned his 28th save.
Adam Wainwright (3-10) surrendered just one run on eight hits in six innings. Wainwright, who turns 42 on Wednesday, has been stuck on 198 career victories since June 17. The 41-year-old right-hander has been plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness in his farewell season. He has made 10 starts trying to record his elusive 199th win.
Paul Goldschmidt hit his 22nd homer of the season off Robert Suarez with one out in the eighth inning.
PIRATES 5, ROYALS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Johan Oviedo pitched a two-hitter for his first complete game in 53 major league starts, Ke’Bryan Hayes had four hits and Zack Greinke lost his ninth consecutive decision.
Oviedo (8-13) struck out five and walked two while throwing a career-high 112 pitches. It was just the 28th complete game in the major leagues this season and the first complete game in 150 professional starts for the 26-year-old right-hander dating to 2016.
Kansas City didn’t advance a runner past first base. The Royals were blanked for the 14th time this season and held to two hits or fewer for the eighth time.
Greinke (1-13) gave up two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings, dropping to 0-9 in 17 starts since beating Baltimore on May 3. The 39-year-old right-hander is tied with Oviedo, Kyle Freeland and Rich Hill for second in the majors in losses, trailing only teammate Jordan Lyles at 15.
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