Phillies shut out Marlins 2-0 behind Christopher Sánchez’s first complete game

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cristopher Sánchez pitched a shutout, Bryson Stott drove in both runs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 2-0 on Friday night in the first contest without Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber in the lineup.

Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh doubled for the Phillies, who improved their MLB-best record to 54-28.

Sánchez (6-3), making his second start since signing a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension, allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked none for his first career complete game. The 27-year-old lefty retired 14 consecutive batters before Otto Lopez’s leadoff single in the eighth. Lopez was the lone batter to reach second base after advancing on a groundout. Sánchez, who lowered his ERA to 2.41, threw 73 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

After putting runners on first and third with no out in the fifth, Philadelphia went ahead 1-0 on Stott’s groundout off Kyle Tyler (0-1) that scored Whit Merrifield.

The Phillies tacked on a run in the eighth. Johan Rojas led off with a base hit to center field that the speedy outfielder turned into a double when center fielder Vidal Bruján jogged to the ball. Rojas went to third on Calvin Faucher’s wild pitch and scored on Stott’s sacrifice fly to left.

ORIOLES 2, RANGERS 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — Albert Suárez outpitched three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, and Baltimore beat Texas to extend their latest lengthy losing streak.

Making his second start of the season following a long stay on the injured list, the 39-year-old Scherzer gave up two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Along the way, the right-hander reached another milestone and provided hope he might be able to help the defending World Series champions turn around a disappointing season.

For that to happen, the Rangers (37-45) need to get their hitters on track. Scherzer (1-1) kept the Orioles’ potent offense in check, but Texas managed only four hits and got its only run in the seventh inning, when two Orioles relievers issued four walks, the last with the bases loaded.

Suárez (4-2) allowed three hits and walked none in six innings. The 34-year-old snapped a two-game skid in which he allowed a combined eight runs and 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings.

Texas has lost five straight, its fourth skid of at least five games. In this one, the Rangers got the potential tying run in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings but failed to cash in.

RAYS 3, NATIONALS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Zach Eflin worked six scoreless innings, Jose Siri homered twice and Tampa Bay beat Washington.

The Rays’ Yandy Díaz singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to a team-record 20 games, surpassing Jason Bartlett’s mark set in 2009. Tampa Bay was the only team not to have a player with a 20-game hitting streak.

With the win, Tampa Bay improved to 41-41. The Rays haven’t been over .500 since May 21.

Washington slipped to 2-5 on a nine-game trip.

Eflin (4-5) scattered four hits, struck out six and snapped a five-start winless streak. Pete Fairbanks, the third Rays’ reliever, worked the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances, closing out the five-hitter.

Siri had a solo homer in the second inning before Isaac Paredes added an RBI single that put the Rays up 2-0 in the third inning.

BRAVES 6, PIRATES 1

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in Atlanta’s five-run third inning, Charlie Morton gave up only three hits to beat Pittsburgh, his former home.

Austin Riley hit his ninth homer, including six in the last 14 games. The Braves scored six runs in four innings off Martín Pérez (1-4) in the left-hander’s return from the injured list. Pérez had been out since May 27 with a left groin muscle strain.

The lone highlight for the Pirates came in the eighth when Bryan Reynolds singled up the middle off Jesse Chavez, extending his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest in the majors this season. It is the longest streak by a Pittsburgh hitter since 2003.

Morton (5-4) was dominant in only his second career start against Pittsburgh, where he pitched from 2009 through 2015. The 40-year-old right-hander pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Morton hit Reynolds with a pitch in the first and walked Nick Gonzales in the second. He retired 10 consecutive hitters before Ke’Bryan Hayes’ single up the middle with one out in the fifth for the Pirates’ first hit. Andrew McCutchen opened the sixth with an infield single and Gonzales doubled to open the seventh.

PADRES 9, RED SOX 2

BOSTON (AP) — Jackson Merrill hit a three-run homer and Kyle Higashioka added a two-run shot in a nine-run fifth inning, leading San Diego to a win over Boston.

The Padres sent 13 batters to the plate in the fifth, with nine scoring on eight hits and two walks. The first nine batters reached base safely. Every batter in the Padres starting lineup had at least one hit and scored a run.

The nine runs scored matches the most in an inning for the Padres this season. They also scored nine runs in the eighth inning on May 31 against the Kansas City Royals. The nine runs allowed surpassed Boston’s previous season high of seven runs scored by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning on Tuesday.

After Nick Pivetta (4-5) gave up four hits, including Higashioka’s ninth homer of the season, and a walk to open the fifth, he was replaced by Greg Weissert, who gave up four straight hits including two-run singles to Jake Cronenworth and Donovan Solano and Merrill’s 11th homer of the season.

Right-hander Randy Vásquez started for the Padres and went four-plus innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk with one strikeout. He was replaced by Wandy Peralta after Ceddanne Rafaela’s comebacker hit him on his pitching arm and he suffered a right forearm contusion.

YANKEES 16, BLUE JAYS 5

TORONTO (AP) — Juan Soto hit a three-run home run, Gleyber Torres added a two-run homer in his return to the lineup and New York snapped a season-worst four-game losing streak with a rout of Toronto.

Aaron Judge had three hits and drove in a pair for the Yankees, who banged out 18 hits and scored a season-high in runs.

New York scored seven runs on eight hits against two Toronto pitchers in the ninth inning. Yankees DH Jahmai Jones had two of his three hits in the inning.

Torres went 2 for 4 with three RBIs after being benched by manager Aaron Boone the past two games.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit solo home runs for the Blue Jays, who had their two-game winning streak halted.

BREWERS 4, CUBS 2

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning, Colin Rea allowed two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings and Milwaukee beat Chicago.

The NL-Central-leading Brewers — coming off a three-game sweep of the defending champion Texas Rangers — moved 11 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs.

Rea (7-2) won for the third time in his last four starts. He walked two and struck out a season-high eight. Trevor Megill converted his 17th save in 18 chances.

The Brewers got to Jameson Taillon (4-4) in the fourth when they loaded the bases on a walk, catcher’s interference and Rhys Hoskins’ single off Taillon’s glove. Chourio connected on a 1-2 sweeper, with the ball just making it over the wall in left.

It was the second game in a row that the Brewers went deep with the bases loaded. On Wednesday, Jake Bauers hit his second career grand slam.

METS 7, ASTROS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil homered in the sixth inning, powering New York to a win over Houston and moving them over .500 for the first time since May 2.

The Mets have gone 18-6 since May 30 — the day after players held a team meeting following a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers — to improve to 40-39.

Alonso snapped a 2-2 tie with a one-out homer off Astros starter Ronel Blanco (8-3) — his first round-tripper since June 19 and only his third since June 5.

McNeil capped the outburst by ending an even longer power drought with a 346-foot, three-run homer just beyond the right field fence. The second baseman was 12 for 83 (.145) since his previous homer against Cleveland on May 22.

McNeil finished 3 for 4 in his first three-hit game since May 7.

CARDINALS 1, REDS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ryan Helsley closed for his major league-leading 29th consecutive save and Alec Burleson drove in the lone run, leading St. Louis to a victory over Cincinnati.

Helsley pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Left fielder Brendan Donovan made a leaping catch in front of the wall in left to end the game.

Helsley hasn’t blown a save since March 30, his first outing of the season against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Helsley did earn the victory in that game.

With one more save, Helsley will tie the 30 saves that Hall of Famer Lee Smith posted in 1993 before the MLB All-Star Game, a Cardinals record.

Andre Pallante (4-3) pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, checking the Reds on four hits. He struck out five while, walked three and hit a batter.

ROYALS 10, GUARDIANS 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez, Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino all homered and Kansas City beat Cleveland.

Perez hit his home run 447 feet over the left field bullpen in the second inning to tie the game before Renfroe homered in the next at-bat. Pasquantino hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to extend the Royals lead to 10-3. The trio went for a combined 6 for 12 with six RBIs and five runs scored.

Guardians starter Tristan McKenzie (3-5) lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits, with three strikeouts and three walks.

Isbel hit his sixth homer of the season in the fourth inning and Freddy Fermin added an RBI in the next inning.

José Ramírez hit his 22nd homer of the season 436 feet in the first inning to give Cleveland the early lead.

That homer was the only blemish against Alec Marsh (6-5), who went six innings giving up four hits. He struck out five and walked two. Over the last 10 games, Royals starting pitchers have a combined 1.98 ERA and have thrown six quality starts.

WHITE SOX 5, ROCKIES 3

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Drew Thorpe pitched two-hit ball over six innings in winning his second straight start, and Chicago beat Colorado to start a weekend series between teams with the majors’ worst records.

Thorpe (2-1) retired 16 in a row after Brenton Doyle led off the game with a single. He walked Sam Hilliard with one out in the sixth before Doyle put Colorado on top 2-1 with a 426-foot drive to left.

Those were the only baserunners Thorpe allowed in his fourth career start. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings at Detroit last week on the way to his first major league victory.

The White Sox scored four in the sixth and chased Rockies starter Dakota Hudson. Tommy Pham capped it with a two-run single against Justin Lawrence to bump the lead to 5-2.

Tanner Banks gave up a solo homer to Colorado’s Michael Toglia in the seventh, and John Brebbia pitched around a walk in the eighth. Michael Kopech worked the ninth for his seventh save in 11 chances, and the White Sox came away with their second straight win in a game delayed more than two hours at the start because of rain.

Chicago improved baseball’s worst record to 23-61, while Colorado fell to 27-54.