Twins stay hot, win sixth consecutive series with 5-1 victory over Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) — Carlos Santana hit a three-run home run, Bailey Ober matched his career high by striking out 10 over 6 1/3 shutout innings and the Minnesota Twins won for the 17th time in 20 games by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Sunday.

The Twins have won six consecutive series for the first time since September 2010.

Santana homered for the third straight game north of the U.S. border, extending Minnesota’s streak of games in Toronto with at least one home run to 20. The Twins homered in 21 straight games at Kansas City between July 30, 1998, and Aug. 25, 2001.

Max Kepler added a two-run double for the Twins, extending his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.

The game was scoreless until Kepler reached on a one-out fielding error by Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement in the seventh inning. Willi Castro followed with a single and Alex Kirilloff grounded into a fielder’s choice before Santana drilled his seventh home run on a 2-0 pitch from Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah.

RED SOX 3, NATIONALS 2

BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela had a two-run double after center fielder Victor Robles dropped a routine fly for an error during Boston’s three-run second inning, as they held off Washington to take the series.

Behind a good start from Brayan Bello (4-1) and scoreless work from four relievers, the Red Sox won their second straight after losing the opener Friday.

Eddie Rosario homered for the second consecutive day for the Nationals, a two-run shot. Robles also had a base-running blunder that took them out a potential big inning and lined to left with two runners on to end the seventh.

The game ended when Jacob Young was caught trying to steal second, but it was challenged and confirmed.

Robles dropped Vaughn Grissom’s fly, with the ball popping out of his glove when he was lining up to throw to third with runners on first and second. One out later, Rafaela’s bloop fell in down the right-field line for a ground-rule double.

Jarren Duran then scored on a wild pitch when Romy Gonzalez swung and missed. Adding to the crazy inning, plate umpire Brian O’Nora had the wrong count on Gonzalez later in the at-bat even though he took a full swing on the pitch.

ASTROS 9, TIGERS 3

DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander dominated his former team and Kyle Tucker homered as Houston beat Detroit at Comerica Park.

Verlander (2-1) pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out eight. He now has 3,365 career strikeouts, two behind former teammate and friendly rival Max Scherzer for 11th on the all-time list and six behind Greg Maddux for 10th.

Mauricio Dubón had four hits for Houston and Jake Meyers went 3 for 3 with three RBIs despite not entering the game until the seventh inning.

Jack Flaherty (0-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Detroit relievers allowed six runs on 11 hits in the final 2 1/3 innings.

Verlander retired the first 14 Tigers before Colt Keith beat out a slow dribbler to short, and he was promptly thrown out trying to steal second.

YANKEES 10, RAYS 6

ST. PETERSBURG. Fla. (AP) — Jose Trevino hit two of New York’s five homers, Luis Gil went six scoreless innings as they recovered after nearly blowing a six-run lead to beat Tampa Bay.

Trevino hit a two-run shot in the third and a solo drive in a four-run eighth that put the Yankees ahead 10-5. Struggling Gleyber Torres hit his second homer of the season, a three-run shot earlier in the inning.

Aaron Judge added his 10th home run of the season and Jahmai Jones hit his first major league homer for the Yankees, who took two of three from the Rays to return to a season high-tying 12-games over .500.

Jose Siri keyed a five-run seventh that got the Rays within a run with a one-out grand slam off reliever Caleb Ferguson.

Nick Burdi replaced Ferguson with the Yankees up 6-4 and loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter. Luke Weaver entered and hit Isaac Paredes in the helmet with a pitch for another run before he retired Richie Palacios and Amed Rosario to end the inning.

GUARDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 0

CHICAGO (AP) — David Fry hit a two-run homer and Andrés Giménez lined a solo shot in Cleveland’s three-run fourth inning, as they blanked Chicago to end a three-game losing streak.

Logan Allen tossed six scoreless innings to help Cleveland salvage the finale of a four-game series in Chicago and remain in first place in the AL Central. The left-hander allowed six hits, walked one and struck out three.

Nick Sandlin, Hunter Gaddis and Sam Hentges followed with a hitless inning each. Chicago’s season-high four-game winning streak ended and the White Sox were shut out for the 10th time this season, most in the majors.

Allen (4-2) was struck on the hip by Tommy Pham’s comebacker off his first pitch of the game, but he was checked by trainers and continued. He had allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in his previous outing, Tuesday versus Detroit, and entered with a 6.41 ERA.

Estevan Florial tripled, doubled and drove in a run. Brayan Rocchio added an RBI.

Last-place Chicago, at 12-29, is 9-7 after a 3-22 start.

CARDINALS 4, BREWERS 3

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Siani doubled home the go-ahead run, Paul Goldschmidt homered to break out of his slump and St. Louis rallied to beat Milwaukee and snap a seven-game skid.

Goldschmidt had gone 1 of 34 in May until he led off the fifth inning with just his third homer of the season, a drive to center off Bryse Wilson. Goldschmidt also hit a game-tying, two-out RBI single in the sixth against Jared Koenig as the Cardinals erased an early three-run deficit.

The game was tied 3-all in the seventh when St. Louis’ Iván Herrera hit a leadoff single against Elvis Peguero (4-1). Two outs later, Siani doubled off the top of the wall in right-center to bring home Herrera before getting thrown out attempting to reach third.

Siani’s double was his second career extra-base hit and came on his 89th at bat.

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso were ejected in the third inning after first-base umpire Sean Barber missed a pair of calls that both got overruled after the Cardinals called for replay reviews. One of the reviews came in the bottom of the second, and the other was in the top of the third.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, ORIOLES 2

BALTIMORE (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched six solid innings, and Arizona beat an unusually sloppy Baltimore for their first victory at Camden Yards since 2007.

The Orioles allowed three unearned runs, plus several others that were earned but at least somewhat related to defensive mistakes. Jake McCarthy homered for the Diamondbacks and Adley Rutschman went deep for Baltimore.

Gallen (5-2) took a no-hitter into the fifth and ultimately allowed two runs and four hits. He struck out four with two walks.

Dean Kremer (3-3) permitted three earned runs, four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings, striking out 10.

CUBS 5, PIRATES 4, 10 INNINGS

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a go-ahead single before Patrick Wisdom added insurance with a home run in the 10th inning, lifting Chicago to a win over the Pittsburgh for a series victory.

Bellinger led off by dribbling a ball through the left side of the infield off Aroldis Chapman (0-3), scoring automatic runner Seiya Suzuki before getting caught in a rundown between first and second. Wisdom drove a two-out sinker, the seventh pitch of the at-bat, 412 feet into the center-field bushes.

Chapman left with an apparent injury after going down 3-0 to Nick Madrigal with two outs and runners on first and second. Kyle Nicolas entered, completing the walk of Madrigal before Mike Tauchman scored on a passed ball.

Connor Joe led off the bottom half with his fifth home run, a two-run shot into the bleachers in left. Adbert Alzolay went on to walk Jack Suwinski before retiring the next three batters for his fourth save.

Chicago has won five of eight after taking two of three from Pittsburgh, which is 7-16 since an 11-5 start.

MARLINS 7, PHILLIES 6, 10 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera hit a game-winning pinch-hit single in the 10th inning and Miami beat Philadelphia.

Rivera’s hard grounder deflected off the glove of Phillies reliever Gregory Soto (0-1) and into right field, scoring automatic runner Nick Fortes from second.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled and tripled while Josh Bell homered for the Marlins, who snapped a five-game losing skid and began Sunday with a major league-worst 10-31 record.

Anthony Bender (1-2) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th around two walks.

Down 6-3, Philadelphia tied it on Edmundo Sosa’s two-run triple and Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice fly against Miami reliever Andrew Nardi in the sixth.

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler gave up a season-high six runs and was lifted after four innings. Wheeler allowed six hits, walked three and struck out two.

ROCKIES 3, RANGERS 1

DENVER (AP) — Converted reliever Ty Blach pitched five solid innings in his second start this season, Ezequiel Tovar homered and Colorado beat Texas to complete a three-game series sweep of the defending World Series champions.

It was the first time the Rangers, losers of four of their last five, have been swept this season. Their offense was also stifled by three double plays, two sparkling defensive plays by third baseman Ryan McMahon and a run-saving catch against the center field wall by Brenton Doyle for the final out of the fifth inning.

Doyle also drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning for the Rockies’ final run.

The sweep by the Rockies, who have won a season high four in a row, was their first since May 2-4, 2023, against Milwaukee. It was their only series sweep during last year’s 103-loss season.

Jalen Beeks got three outs for his third save in three chances.

ROYALS 4, ANGELS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Seth Lugo racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts and allowed one run over eight strong innings, and Hunter Renfroe had a two-run single against his former team in Kansas City victory over Los Angeles.

Freddie Fermin and Michael Massey also had RBIs during the Royals’ four-run fourth inning, giving Lugo (6-1) plenty of support as Kansas City took three of four from the Angels.

Willie Calhoun had an RBI double in the sixth and a solo homer in the ninth for the Halos, who have lost 17 of 23 with a major league-worst 14 players on the injured list. Los Angeles has lost all six of its series at the Big A this season, failing to win consecutive home games at any point.

Lugo allowed five hits while continuing his outstanding start to his first season with the Royals, winning for the AL-best sixth time in eight starts and lowering his ERA to 1.66.

The longtime Mets right-hander overcame early control issues, retired 11 straight at one point, and didn’t walk a batter for the first time all season. Lugo has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts for Kansas City.

MARINERS 8, ATHLETICS 4

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodríguez and Mitch Garver both hit two-run home runs, Luis Castillo allowed two runs over six strong innings, and Seattle beat Oakland.

Seattle rebounded to take two of three games from the A’s after the Mariners lost their first series in nearly a month earlier this week in Minnesota. And they did it thanks to the long ball.

Rodríguez’s homer was just his second of the season and his first at T-Mobile Park in Seattle’s 22nd home game. Rodríguez hit a 2-2 pitch from Oakland starter Alex Wood out to straightaway center field in the second inning for a two-run shot that gave Seattle a 5-0 lead. The homer had an exit velocity of 109 mph and traveled an estimated 409 feet.

Rodríguez nearly homered in his next at-bat in the fifth inning, doubling off the top of the wall, but jogged home when Garver hit his fifth of the season to give Seattle a 7-1 lead. Garver also had a two-out RBI single in the first inning.

Seby Zavala added his first home run of the season for the Mariners, a solo shot in the sixth.

Following a sluggish start to the season, Castillo (4-5) has now gone six straight starts allowing two earned runs or fewer each time. Castillo needed 100 pitches to get through six innings, but closed his outing with strikeouts of Shea Langeliers and J.D. Davis with runners on base.

PADRES 4, DODGERS 0

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish gave up two hits in seven dominant innings to lead San Diego to a victory over Los Angeles.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts hit solo home runs for the Padres, who have won five of the eight games against the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers dropped two of the three games in the series after a seven-game winning streak.

Darvish (3-1) struck out seven and walked one in a sterling performance that lowered his ERA to 2.43.

Dodgers starter Walker Buehler (0-1), pitching in his second game this season, had an ineffective and abbreviated outing. He gave up two runs, five hits, two walks and hit a batter in 3 1/3 innings.

Buehler surrendered consecutive homers to Tatis and Cronenworth in the first inning for a 2-0 Padres lead. Bogaerts’ solo homer came in the fifth off reliever Gus Varland to give the Padres a 4-0 lead.

GIANTS 6, REDS 5, 10 INNINGS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Casey Schmitt hit a walk-off double in the 10th inning and San Francisco beat Cincinnati.

After the Reds failed to score in the top of the 10th off Giants reliever Luke Jackson (1-1), Schmitt’s first hit of the season was a two-out ground-rule double to left-center field off Emilio Pagan (2-3), scoring automatic runner Luis Matos.

Mike Ford evened the score at 5-5 for Cincinnati with a solo homer in the eighth after the Reds trimmed the deficit to a run in the seventh.

The Giants had six hits in the fifth to rally from a 3-0 deficit, including a two-run homer by LaMonte Wade Jr. to tie the game. Heliot Ramos gave the Giants the lead with an RBI single, and then scored on an infield hit by Blake Sabol when Elly De La Cruz’s throw skipped past first and down the right-field line.

Jeimer Candelario gave the Reds the early lead with a bases-clearing double in the first.

The Giants had dropped three straight series before taking two out of three against the Reds, who have lost 10 of 11. Giants starter Kyle Harrison pitched four scoreless frames after Candelario’s first-inning double. San Francisco has won each of Harrison’s last six starts.

METS 4, BRAVES 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Nimmo shook off an injury and came off the bench to hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that gave New York a victory over Atlanta.

Pete Alonso had two RBIs and the Mets avoided a three-game sweep, a day after they were held hitless by three Atlanta pitchers until there were two outs in the ninth.

Batting leadoff in Nimmo’s place, DJ Stewart singled on the first pitch from Braves starter Bryce Elder this time. Nimmo didn’t start after exiting Saturday’s game with discomfort on his right side, but he entered as a pinch runner in the seventh and stayed in to play left field.

Jarred Kelenic homered for Atlanta against the team that drafted him sixth overall and then traded him. Marcell Ozuna’s second tiebreaking single of the night gave the Braves a 3-2 lead in the eighth.

Jeff McNeil led off the bottom of the ninth with a perfect drag bunt for a single. He advanced on Tomás Nido’s sacrifice bunt before Nimmo stepped to the plate for his first plate appearance of the game.

Nimmo, who also made a terrific catch at the left-field fence in the eighth, drove a full-count cutter from A.J. Minter (5-3) to right-center for his sixth home run this season.