Yankees rout Red Sox 14-4, Ben Rice becomes first Yankee rookie with three home runs in a game

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Rice became the first Yankees rookie to homer three times in a game and drove in seven runs as New York snapped a four-game slide with a 14-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer and D.J. LeMahieu also drove in a pair of runs as the Yankees won for the fifth time in 19 games. Aaron Judge added two hits.

Rafael Devers had a long homer and two RBI for Boston, which had its five-game winning streak halted.

Rice led off the game with a drive to right off Josh Winckowski and added a three-run shot off reliever Chase Anderson as part of a seven-run fifth inning. The 25-year-old first baseman capped his day with a second homer off Anderson in the seventh inning.

After Rice’s third homer, Juan Soto stepped out of the batter’s box to allow the rookie to take a curtain call.

ANGELS 7, CUBS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Anderson threw eight dominant innings and Jo Adell homered to help Los Angeles end a five-game skid with a victory over Chicago.

Anderson (8-8) gave up a leadoff single, then retired the next 13 Chicago batters before allowing another hit to cruise to his third win in his last five starts. The lefty matched his career-best 10 strikeouts and allowed just three hits with no walks.

Logan O’Hoppe added two hits and a pair of RBIs for Los Angeles, which saw all nine starters get at least a hit after the club managed just a run in its prior three losses.

Ben Joyce pitched a clean ninth to finish the shutout.

Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks (1-7) left after two innings with low back tightness. He surrendered the Angels’ first two runs and walked two with four hits as he dropped his third straight decision.

TWINS 9, ASTROS 3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Miranda matched a major league record with hits in 12 straight plate appearances and Byron Buxton and Brooks Lee homered leading Minnesota to a win over Houston.

Miranda, playing third base, entered the game with the team-record of hits in 10 straight at-bats. The 26-year-old singled in his first two official at-bats Saturday and tied the MLB record set by the Chicago Cubs’ Johnny Kling (1902) and matched by Boston’s Pinky Higgins (1938) and Detroit’s Walt Dropo (1952). His streak ended in the sixth inning on a routine flyout to left field.

Willi Castro added three hits for Minnesota, which raced to a five-run lead in the first two innings and led 7-1 after three.

Jon Singleton hit a two-run homer for the Astros, who lost for just the third time in 16 games.

Joe Ryan (6-5) allowed three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, earning the win after three straight no-decisions.

RANGERS 4, RAYS 3

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Slumping Texas second baseman Marcus Semien hit his first homer in nearly a month, a go-ahead shot in the seventh inning in their victory over Tampa Bay.

Semien, who earlier in the game walked and scored, was 3 for 42 over a 10-game span before his two-run homer with two outs against Kevin Kelly (2-1). The 422-foot drive to left-center was the 12th homer this season for the leadoff hitter, but his first in 23 games since June 9.

That came after Tampa Bay took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh on Yandy Díaz’s three-run homer off Jacob Latz.

Leody Taveras greeted Kelly with a leadoff single to start the Rangers seventh, and there were consecutive strikeouts before Semien went deep.

Jonathan Hernandez (2-0) retired the only batter he faced to end the seventh. David Robertson pitched a scoreless eighth, and Kirby Yates had a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 13 chances.

GAURDIANS 5, GIANTS 4

CLEVELAND (AP) — Major league batting leader Steven Kwan hit a solo homer and scored twice, Jhonkensy Noel homered and drove in two runs and AL Central-leading Cleveland beat San Francisco.

Kwan, who will start in the outfield at the All-Star Game, went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .365. He extended his interleague hitting streak to 11 games and is batting .413 against National League foes.

Noel homered for the third time in eight games since making his major league debut June 26. His towering solo shot to left off Luke Jackson extended Cleveland’s lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning.

The Guardians have the best home record in baseball at 29-11, winning 18 of their last 23 at Progressive Field.

Pedro Avila (3-1) was awarded the win for 1 1/3 innings of one-run relief. Emmanuel Clase walked Matt Chapman in the ninth before wrapping it up for his AL-high 26th save.

METS 5, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Luis Torrens had three hits, including a three-run double, and Edwin Diaz got the save after his 10-game suspension ended earlier in the day as New York defeated Pittsburgh.

Torrens hit his double in the third inning to the deepest part of the park at the 410-foot sign in left-center to break a scoreless tie. The catcher also singled twice as the Mets snapped a three-game losing streak.

A night earlier, Torres was used in mop-up relief in the Mets’ 14-2 loss to the Pirates.

Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save in 12 opportunities. Diaz was suspended by Major League Baseball after being ejected from a game against the Chicago Cubs on June 23 for having a foreign substance on his pitching hand.

Brandon Nimmo also had three of the Mets’ 11 hits.

Bryan Reynolds had two hits for the Pirates, who had won two of their previous three games. That came after he hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs in Friday’s rout.

TIGERS 5, REDS 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Pinch-hitter Wenceel Pérez hit a two-run homer and Mark Canha doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as Detroit locked up their first series win in two weeks, rallying to beat Cincinnati.

The Tigers won the first game Friday night by the same score. They won their first series since taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox June 21-23.

The Reds were cruising along with a 2-0 lead behind starter Hunter Greene, who left after pitching seven shutout innings and not allowing a runner past first base.

The trouble for Cincinnati came in the eighth against Fernando Cruz (3-6), who allowed a double to Parker Meadows and then the game-tying blow by Pérez.

The Tigers put two more across in the inning on a groundout and a double by Carson Kelly.

BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 4

SEATTLE (AP) — Yariel Rodríguez allowed one hit over six shutout innings for his first victory, Alejandro Kirk had three hits and drove in two runs and Toronto held off Seattle.

Rodríguez (1-3) had arguably the best start of his brief major league career and followed up on a terrific outing his last time out against Houston. Rodríguez went 6 2/3 innings allowing one run to the Astros earlier this week, then was even better against another AL West opponent.

The bigger worry for the Mariners was Julio Rodríguez after he was removed from the game following the first inning. Rodríguez appeared to be moving cautiously in the outfield a day after fouling a pitch off his left knee. There was no immediate word from the team about why he was removed.

Seattle tried to rally late, pulling within 5-3 on Mitch Haniger’s three-run homer off Trevor Richards in the eighth inning and Luke Raley hit a solo homer off Chad Green with one out in the ninth. Green recovered to strike out Mitch Garver and Dominic Canzone for his fourth save.

Yariel Rodríguez didn’t allow a hit until Luke Raley dumped a single into left field leading off the fifth inning. It wasn’t the most efficient performance by Rodríguez as he walked a pair and had a number of three-ball counts. But he struck out six and Seattle couldn’t string together any type of rally.

MARLINS 4, WHITE SOX 3

MIAMI (AP) — Dane Myers had a go-ahead two run homer in the seventh inning and finished with three hits and three RBIs as Miami beat Chicago in a matchup of teams with the worst records in the major leagues.

Myers’ 420-foot drive off White Sox reliever Michael Soroka (0-9), his second homer of the season, erased a 3-2 deficit and scored Jake Burger, who had reached on a leadoff walk.

Xavier Edwards singled twice for the Marlins, who snapped a five game skid and improved to 31-58, next to last in the MLB.

Huascar Brazoban (1-1) struck out five over two scoreless innings of relief. A.J. Puk got three outs in the eighth inning and Tanner Scott closed with a perfect ninth for his 13th save.

The White Sox got consecutive RBI doubles by Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn and took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. But Chicago, which has the worst record in the majors at 26-65, was held hitless the rest of the way and struck out a total of 13 times.

ATHLETICS 19, ORIOLES 8

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Brent Rooker and Max Schuemann hit 3-run homers and Oakland had five home runs overall in a rout of Baltimore.

The A’s homered in each of the first four innings for the first time since 2003, with Shea Langeliers and Tyler Nevin also leaving the park. Kyle McCann hit a two-run shot in the eighth. Oakland led 10-0 after two innings and 17-1 after six.

Rooker, who had three hits and drove in four runs, put the A’s up 3-0 in the first. Schuemann’s blast in the second came during a seven-run inning in which eight straight Oakland batters reached base.

Langeliers added a 2-run homer in the third, his 17th of the season to lead all catchers. Nevin’s blast put the A’s up 13-1 in the fourth. Miguel Andujar added three hits and drove in three runs. Nevin and Brett Harris also had three hits each. Oakland had 18 hits and Baltimore had 16 in front of an announced crowd of 8,526 at the Coliseum.

The A’s have won four of five, while the Orioles are in danger of dropping both series against Oakland this season with a loss on Sunday. Oakland has scored at least five runs in four of its last five games.

NATIONALS 14, CARDINALS 6

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top prospect James Wood launched his first career major league home run — a three-run shot — and added a two-run double for a career-high five RBIs as Washington beat St. Louis.

Wood’s 383-foot three-run opposite field homer put the Nationals ahead 7-0 in the second inning. He has reached base in all six games as a National, tied with Ian Desmond (2009) for second overall in club history.

The five RBIs are tied for second all-time for a Nationals rookie. Danny Espinosa had six RBIs on Sept. 6, 2010.

In the third, Wood hit a double to the left field wall to score two more. The homer and double are his first extra-base hits at the big-league level.

Keibert Ruiz went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a three-run homer off Cardinals starter Lance Lynn (4-4).

The Nationals scored a season-high 14 runs on 15 hits with three homers and four doubles.

BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 1

ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach gave up only one run in six innings, Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies hit two-run homers and Atlanta beat Philadelphia.

Schwellenbach (2-4) outpitched Ranger Suárez (10-3) by allowing seven hits with no walks. The 24-year-old right-hander recorded six strikeouts.

Suárez allowed five runs in five innings in his third consecutive start in which he has allowed four or more runs.

The Braves took a 3-0 lead off Suárez in the first inning. Jarred Kelenic led off with a double to right field and scored on a single by Albies. With two out, Ozuna’s two-run homer made a splash in the pool behind the center field wall. The homer was Ozuna’s 23rd of the season and second in two nights against the Phillies.

Albies pushed the lead to 5-1 in the fifth with Albies’ two-run homer off Suárez.

One night after hitting two homers and driving in four runs in Philadelphia’s 8-6 win in the opening game of the series, Trea Turner’s third-inning single drove in Johan Rojas for the Phillies’ only run off Schwellenbach.

DODGERS 5, BREWERS 3

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Miguel Vargas hit solo shots in the eighth inning, Will Smith became the first Los Angeles player to homer in four consecutive at-bats in a decade, and they beat Milwaukee.

After Christian Yelich went deep to tie the game at 3-all in the top of the eighth, the Dodgers responded with two homers to win their second straight in the matchup of National League division leaders.

Vargas, pinch hitting for Gavin Lux, led off the frame with drive over the wall in left-center off Bryan Hudson (4-1) to give the Dodgers the lead. Two batters later, Ohtani drove a cutter from Hudson 430 feet. It was the superstar’s 28th of the season, which leads the NL and is second in the majors behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who has 32.

Smith, who had his first three-homer game in Friday night’s 8-5 win, hit a two-run shot off Freddy Peralta in the first inning to put the Dodgers up 2-1. The last Dodger to homer in four straight at-bats was Adrián González in 2015.

The Dodgers have gone deep seven times in the first two games of the series.