Justin Verlander was in impressive form as he reached his MLB-leading 12th win of the season, leading the Houston Astros to a 5-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.

Verlander put in a solid shift on the mount, striking out 10 while allowing just six hits and a walk over 106 pitches in six innings, lowering his ERA to 1.89, third in the major leagues.

The 39-year-old moved past Curt Schilling (3,116) and Bob Gibson (3,117) to 3,121 career Ks with his 10 on the night, moving to a 15th-ranked 108 for the season.

Martin Maldonado also hit a grand slam in the second inning, blasting A's rookie Jared Koenig over his head past centre-field for the third four-run shot of his career.

Moving to 59-31 for the yeat, the Astros extended their lead atop the American League West to 10 games over the Seattle Mariners, while the A's hold the AL's worst record on 31-61.

Yankees smash Red Sox to build momentum

Aaron Judge and Matt Carpenter led the way for the New York Yankees as they gave the Boston Red Sox 14-1 belting in the Bronx.

The team with the MLB's best record lost five of the previous six games and it threatened to be another glum night, at home to their fierce rivals, after Rafael Devers' home run off Jameson Taillon in the first inning.

Judge and Carpenter more than steadied the ship, however. Judge scored two home runs while also Carpenter went long twice, driving in seven runs on the night as the Yankees moved to 63-28 for the year.

Dodgers beat city rivals

Julio Urias and Trea Turner propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to their 60th win of the season, routing the Los Angeles Angels 7-1.

Trea Turner hit two home runs on the night, including a two-run shot to set up a five-run third inning for the Dodgers, who had the same amount of hits as the Angels with seven.

Julio Urias gave up five of those, but struck out eight Angels batters over 91 pitches in seven innings, moving his ERA to 2.89 for the season.

Freddie Freeman also recorded his 1,000th career RBI as the Dodgers moved to 60-30 for the year, extending their lead over the New York Mets atop the National League to three games.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's two-way selection for the second year in a row was the highlight of Sunday's All-Star Game roster reveal, while Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez was the only first-year player to earn the honour.

Ohtani, who learned Friday that he beat out the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in a fan vote for starter at DH, was also named to the AL roster as a pitcher. 

The reigning league MVP has posted a 0.27 ERA in winning his last five starts, and he threw a 1-2-3 first inning in starting last year’s All-Star Game, becoming the first two-way All-Star in baseball history. 

The Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan, however, figures to start the game on the hill for the AL, as he leads the league in strikeouts (141) and ERA (1.73). 

Two New York Yankees starting pitchers were named All-Stars in Nester Cortes and Gerrit Cole, as well as Clay Holmes out of the bullpen. Catcher Jose Trevino was named an All-Star reserve giving New York an MLB-high six All-Stars – the first time the Bronx Bombers had that many since 2011 – with outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton already named starters. 

The two teams that squared off in last year’s World Series – the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros – were close behind with five All-Stars apiece, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays each have four. 

For the defending World Series champion Braves, starting outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be joined by pitcher Max Fried, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, shortstop Dansby Swanson and DH William Contreras. 

Contreras will not only be the starter with the fan-voted Bryce Harper on the injured list, but he also will be in the starting lineup with his brother after Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was voted in by the fans. 

They are the first brothers in the same All-Star Game since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, and the first brothers to start a Midsummer Classic since 1992, when Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. did it. 

The host of this year’s All-Star Game already had two starters in outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner, and those Dodgers will be joined by Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw, who is on an All-Star Game roster for the ninth time. 

Gonsolin has an excellent chance to start the game on the mound in front of the fans in Los Angeles having gone 11-0 with an NL-best 1.62 ERA. 

The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, however, also could make a case to take the ball first after he lowered his ERA to 1.73 with seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Mets. 

Mariners outfielder Rodriguez is the only rookie named to a roster and is one of 30 first-time All-Stars. 

Below are the full All-Star Game rosters: 

AL Starters, as voted on by fans 

Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays 
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays 
Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros 
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox 
Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox 
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels 
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees 
Mike Trout, OF, Angels 
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees 

Reserves 

Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros 
Miguel Cabrera, DH, Tigers (Special Selection) 
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox 
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians 
Jose Trevino, C, Yankees 
Luis Arraez, 1B, Twins 
Andrés Giménez, 2B, Guardians 
George Springer, OF, Blue Jays 
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins 
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals 
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros 
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners 

Starting Pitchers 

Shane McClanahan, LHP, Rays 
Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees 
Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays 
Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros 
Martín Pérez, LHP, Rangers 
Paul Blackburn, RHP, A's 
Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees 
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros 
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels 

Relief Pitchers 

Clay Holmes, RHP, Yankees 
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians 
Gregory Soto, LHP, Tigers 
Jorge López, RHP, Orioles 

NL Starters, as voted on by fans 

Willson Contreras, C, Cubs 
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals 
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Marlins 
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres 
Trea Turner, SS, Dodgers 
Bryce Harper, DH, Phillies 
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves 
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants 
Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers 

Reserves 

William Contreras, C, Braves 
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals 
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets 
Albert Pujols, DH/1B, Cardinals (Special Selection) 
Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets 
Travis d'Arnaud, C, Braves 
C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies 
Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves 
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies 
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals 
Starling Marte, OF, Mets 
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs 

Starting Pitchers 

Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers 
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins 
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers 
Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds 
Max Fried, LHP, Braves 
Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers 
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Padres 

Relief Pitchers 

Edwin Díaz, RHP, Mets 
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers 
Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals 
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates 
Joe Mantiply, LHP, Diamondbacks 

Alex Verdugo led the way for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, as they dramatically came from behind to defeat the New York Yankees in extra innings.

Verdugo claimed three hits from five at-bats and sparked his side's fightback, scoring the game-tying single in the eighth inning.

Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead with RBI doubles in the 10th inning, both scoring off Jake Diekman.

However, the Red Sox left-fielder responded, scoring a two-run single in the bottom of the extra inning to cap off a three-run frame and hand his side the win over their old rival.

Boston moved to second in the American League East at 46-39, but the Yankees still hold a 15-game lead with the MLB's best record at 61-24.

Rodon rolls for Giants

Carlos Rodon was in spectacular form to inspire the San Francisco Giants to a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres in divisional ball.

The Giants had lost eight of their past 10 games and Rodon's last start capped off a five-game losing streak. The 29-year-old pitched a complete game, allowing his only run in the second inning.

The left-hander retired 22 of the Padres' final 23 batters while allowing only three hits for only the third complete game of his career.

Mets make it count in extra innings

The New York Mets overcame injuries to Starling Marte and James McCann to maintain their lead in the National League, defeating the Miami Marlins 5-4 in extra innings.

Tomas Nido hit the game-tying double with two outs in the 10th inning, before scoring the winning run on a throwing error by Marlins reliever Tanner Scott.

After retiring the number 17 to honour Keith Hernandez, the Mets secured their fourth walk-off win of the season and improved to 7-0 in extra innings, while moving their record to 53-32.

Los Angeles Angels superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout went a combined six-for-10 from the plate on Friday, but their side still went down 5-4 on the road to the Baltimore Orioles after a ninth-inning collapse.

There were three runs scored in the opening six innings, and all three came from one Mike Trout swing in the third frame, sending a 376-foot shot to left-field to open up a 3-0 lead.

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers was spectacular, allowing just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters.

But when Detmers was withdrawn, the Orioles finally found their offense, with Ramon Urias getting them on the board with his RBI single in the seventh inning.

Ryan Mountcastle's RBI base hit an inning later trimmed the lead 3-2, but the game appeared to be put to bed in the top of the ninth inning when Ohtani connected on a 418-foot blast to center-field.

Trailing by two, with two outs in the last inning, the Orioles were able to reduce the margin to one run when rookie Adley Rutschman delivered a clutch RBI double into the gap at right-center.

As the very next batter, Cedric Mullins tied the game when his base hit brought Rutschman in to score, and after a wild pitch put Mullins into scoring position, the comeback was completed as Trey Mancini came through with the Orioles' third consecutive hit to win the game.

Raisel Iglesias takes the loss and the blown save for the Angels, giving up four hits and three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

For Ohtani, it was his 19th home run of the campaign – only 12 players have more this season. Trout is one of those 12 players, with his long-ball registering as his 24th, good for fourth in the majors.

Phillies pitchers dominate in St. Louis

Zack Wheeler and Alec Bohm put on a show as the Philadelphia Phillies made some unique history in their 2-0 shutout win against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wheeler pitched seven rock-solid innings, giving up five hits and one walk without conceding a run, with Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand also delivering a scoreless frame each to close it out.

With the bat, Bohm scored both of the Phillies' runs with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and then another in the eighth inning.

It was the first time in MLB history that a team has won 2-0 with a multi-homer game by a player eighth or ninth in their side's batting order.

Yankees smack the Red Sox

The New York Yankees have won the first two fixtures of their four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox, hammering the home side 12-5.

Despite a poor outing from Yankees starter Nestor Cortes, where he was withdrawn in the fourth inning after giving up eight hits and two walks for four runs, the Yankees' bats were able to pick up the slack.

Aaron Judge went a disappointing zero-for-five at the plate, but Matt Carpenter and Josh Donaldson were able to hit home runs, and the Yankees racked up 14 hits as a team, although the Red Sox also had 13.

D.J. LeMahieu, Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks and Jose Trevino all finished with multi-hit games for the pinstripes as they extended their league-leading record to 61-23 – six games clear of the second-placed Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout were among the players elected Friday to start in the MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19. 

Mookie Betts and Trea Turner will represent the host Los Angeles Dodgers, while Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Turner were voted to start as first-time All-Stars. 

Sluggers Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals were added to the rosters by commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision in the sport’s new labor agreement. It will be the 11th All-Star selection for Pujols and the 12th for Cabrera. The two future Hall-of-Famers have combined for five MVPs, and both are members of the 3,000-hit club. 

''I've always looked up to Albert,'' Cabrera said. ''I've always followed his career. He's one of the best hitters I've ever seen in my life. To be part of this together is going to be great.'' 

Already named starters as the top vote-getters from the first round of balloting were outfielders Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves. Judge leads the majors with 30 home runs. 

Joining Judge in the AL outfield will be teammate Giancarlo Stanton, making them the first pair of Yankees to start in the outfield together since Rickey Henderson and Davie Winfield in 1988. 

The other AL starters are Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and Ohtani as the designated hitter.  

The NL starters include Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado and an outfield of Betts, Acuna and Pederson.  

Philadelphia's Bryce Harper was elected as the National League's first DH following the expansion of the DH rule to both leagues, but will be replaced in the starting lineup after breaking his left thumb when hit by a pitch from San Diego's Blake Snell on June 25. Harper earned his seventh All-Star selection, his sixth as a starter. 

Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday. 

The New York Yankees' bullpen were terrific down the stretch to deliver a 6-5 win in the first game of their series against heated rivals the Boston Red Sox.

Played at Boston's Fenway Park, the Yankees threatened to blow the Red Sox away in the third inning when Josh Donaldson crushed a 429-foot grand slam to sntach a 4-0 lead. Aaron Hicks then followed it up with his own solo home run from the very next pitch.

But the Red Sox showed fight in the bottom of the third inning, with Rafael Devers connecting on his fifth career home run against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, and his 18th blast of the season, with a two-run, 434-foot shot to center-field.

The Yankees were able to add one more insurance run in the fifth inning through a Jose Trevino double, but the Red Sox answered straight back in the bottom of the frame once again.

After a double to Franchy Cordero and a walk to Kevin Plawecki, Devers came through again, this time with a 425-foot homer to straight center-field to score three runs, making it six career homers off Cole and 19 for the season.

The rest of the game featured spectacular pitching out of both bullpens, with the Yankees trio of Wandy Peralta, Michael King and Clay Holmes combining to allow no hits and one walk from the final three frames, while Red Sox arms Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Ryan Brasier and Austin Davis combined to allow one hit and no walks in the last four innings.

Cole was credited with the win, despite it not being his best performance, finishing with six complete innings for five earned runs, with all five runs coming off the bat of Devers.

The Yankees also got the job done without the help of AL MVP favourite Aaron Judge, who missed with a lower-back complaint, as well as Anthony Rizzo, who is fifth in the league in home runs (22), eight behind Judge's league-lead (30).

Ohtani and Trout struggle as Rutchsman goes deep

Superstar Los Angeles Angels duo Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout finished a combined zero-for-seven from the plate as their side went down 4-1 on the road against the Baltimore Orioles.

The loss is the Angels' fifth from their past six games as another potential AL MVP season from Ohtani appears likely to end without a playoff berth unless things turn around drastically, now fourth in their division and 17 games behind the Houston Astros.

Baltimore was buoyed by top prospect Adley Rutchsman hitting his first career home run at Camden Yards – which the Orioles fans will be hoping was the first of many.

Rookie Strider shines in Braves loss

Atlanta Braves rookie starting pitcher Spencer Strider continues to make his case for NL Rookie of the Year after striking out a career-high 12 batters in his side's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the St Louis Cardinals.

Incredibly, the first nine outs Strider recorded were all strikeouts, and he would make it through six complete innings, allowing no runs from two hits and two walks in 100 pitches. It was the first time in Braves history that a pitcher has recorded each of his first nine outs via strikeout.

The scores were tied at 1-1 after nine innings, and after each side brought home a run in the 10th, the Cardinals were able to score another in the 11th off a Dylan Carlson infield-single, with Packy Naughton collecting the save.

Carlson finished three-for-three at the plate after being brought in as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.

Aaron Judge is in the midst of a stellar season that is only driving up the price of his next contract for the New York Yankees or whichever team ultimately signs the slugger. 

Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner said that even if negotiations with Judge take place during this season, the team won’t release details or give any public updates until after the season is over.  

Judge turned down an eight-year contract in the range of $230million before the season, and said he wouldn’t negotiate again until after the season. He signed a one-year, $19 million deal last month that avoided an arbitration hearing. 

Judge could become the most sought after free agent in years if he hits the market, especially after this season during which he is batting .281 with a major-league leading 29 home runs with 60 RBIs.  He is the biggest reason why the Yankees lead baseball with a 58-23 record – matching their second-best 81-game start in franchise history – and are in complete control of the American League East.  

"No matter what happens during the season, we’re not going to give any updates. We’re just not going to," Steinbrenner said Wednesday. "I completely agree with Aaron, and still do, that in no way, shape or form can this be a distraction. So the sole focus is winning a championship. That’s all anyone needs to worry about right now." 

Steinbrenner said the Yankees have "no regrets" about the financial terms of their initial offer.  

"We made an offer that I feel was a very good one. It was based on the numbers, of course, but it was also based, in part, on what he means to the organization. We just didn’t get a deal done." 

Pittsburgh Pirates center-fielder Bryan Reynolds hit three home runs to carry his side to an 8-7 away win against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

The Nationals had it all working at the plate, collecting 16 hits compared to nine for the Pirates, but Reynolds' power made the difference.

Reynolds connected on his first home run as the second batter of the game, following up Ke'Bryan Hayes' base hit with a 389-foot shot to make it 2-0.

Washington would tie things up later in the first inning thanks to RBI hits from Nelson Cruz and Keibert Ruiz, and star right-fielder Juan Soto got in on the action in the second frame, putting the Nationals up 3-2 with his RBI double.

After Pittsburgh's Daniel Vogelbach hit a 400-foot home run, and the Nationals drove in three more through Ruiz, Cesar Hernandez and Yadiel Hernandez, Reynolds returned to the plate in the sixth inning, trailing 6-4.

His 420-foot solo home run trimmed the margin to 6-5, and followed it up an inning later with a three-run, 389-foot bomb to jump ahead 8-6.

Yadiel Hernandez made things interesting down the stretch when his home run brought the Nationals back to within one run, but Yerry De Los Santos was able to protect the lead and register his first save of the season for the Pirates.

Pirates super-prospect Oneil Cruz was quiet, with no hits, but he was walked twice from his four at-bats, and also reached base on a fielding error.

Judge blasts another in Yankees win

Only one player has more than 23 home runs this season, and Aaron Judge added to his league-leading tally as he crushed his 29th long ball in a 5-3 home win against the Oakland Athletics.

The Athletics started hot as they chained together four hits in the opening inning, highlighted by a two-run double for Stephen Piscotty to lead 3-0.

They would not score in the final eight frames as Yankees starter Jameson Taillon found his footing, and the bullpen combination of Lucas Luetge, Miguel Castro and Clay Holmes allowed just two hits and no walks in the final four innings.

Judge's home run also came in the first inning - a 429-foot, two-run launch as the Yankees' second batter of the game - before Giancarlo Stanton added three more runs with his 391-foot homer in the third inning. Stanton is also top 10 in home runs this season, with 19, while fellow Yankee Anthony Rizzo has 20.

Ohtani pitches a gem for the Angels

Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 batters in the Los Angeles Angels' 4-1 win against the Chicago White Sox, continuing his charge towards back-to-back AL MVPs.

Ohtani – who is also tied for 13th in the league with 17 home runs as a hitter – is now eighth in the league for total strikeouts as a pitcher (101) after a career-high 13 in his last start against the Kansas City Royals.

He held the White Sox scoreless through five-and-two-thirds innings, giving up five hits and one walk as he registered at least 10 strikeouts for the fifth time in his past 11 starts.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge continued to mount his case for AL MVP on Sunday as he crushed a three-run, walk-off home run to complete a 6-3 comeback win against the Houston Astros.

All the momentum was with the Astros early coming off Saturday's meeting where they became the first team in 19 years to hold the Yankees hit-less, and they added to that history to begin this contest.

Jose Altuve gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with a first-inning home run, before the road team jumped ahead 3-0 with a two-RBI single to Maurcio Dubon in the fourth frame.

The Yankees did not have a hit through six-and-a-third innings – making it a streak of 52 at-bats without a hit, the longest dry spell by any team since 1974.

Giancarlo Stanton finally broke the seal with a 436-foot solo homer in the seventh frame, before D.J. LeMahieu tied things up with a two-run shot an inning later.

Neither team was able to find a run in the ninth, forcing extra innings, where Michael King was able to keep the Astros from scoring, setting up Judge to connect on the walk-off winner in the bottom of the 10th.

Judge is the current favourite for AL MVP, and the home run was his 28th of the season – six more than any other player.

Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes put in a solid performance, striking out seven batters in five innings while conceding three earned runs from five hits and two walks.

Astros starter Jose Urquidy was even better, allowing just one run from one hit through seven complete innings.

With the win, the Yankees move their league-best record to 53-20, leading the second-placed New York Mets by six-and-a-half games.

McClanahan shows Cy Young quality

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan has emerged as the top choice for the AL Cy Young Award as the league's most outstanding pitcher, and he dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in his side's 4-2 win.

McClanahan struck out 10 batters, holding the Pirates to one run from four hits and no walks through his seven full innings.

His dominance was rewarded, keeping the Rays tied at 1-1 until the seventh inning when they would finally find their rhythm and string together three consecutive two-out hits to make sure McClanahan had the lead before he was withdrawn, and was thus credited with the win.

White Sox issue Cease and desist to Orioles offense

Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease was at the top of his game on what turned out to be a great Sunday for star pitchers, striking out a career-high 13 batters in a 4-3 home win against the Baltimore Orioles.

His 13 strikeouts in seven complete innings was one shy of this season's most strikeouts in a game, set by Miami Marlins star Sandy Alcantara when he sat down 14 batters against the Atlanta Braves last month.

With the bat, the White Sox jumped ahead in the second inning courtesy of a two-run Gavin Sheets homer, and they held that lead throughout.

The New York Yankees and star slugger Aaron Judge agreed to a one-year, $19million contract just hours before the two sides were scheduled for an arbitration hearing on Friday.

The deal represents a compromise between Judge, who is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and the Yankees.

The three-time All-Star's representatives had been seeking a $21m salary for this season, while New York countered with a $17m offer.

Judge can also earn an additional $250,000 if he wins the American League MVP award and another $250,000 if named MVP of the World Series. 

The 30-year-old has emerged as an early MVP frontrunner as the leader of a Yankees team who own the majors' best record at 52-18.

Judge's 27 homers in 2022 are five more than any player, and he is batting a career-best .304 through 68 games. He also ranks third in the majors in OPS (1.037) and third in the AL with 53 RBIs.

Judge reportedly turned down a seven-year, $213.5m extension offer from the Yankees during spring training, and the six-foot-seven outfielder's stellar start to 2022 likely has him in line for a more lucrative payday when he reaches free agency in the offseason. 

Those 2022 numbers would not have impacted Judge's arbitration case, however, as any statistics after March 1 are not admissible per the agreement between MLB and the players' association that ended this past offseason's lockout.

Aaron Judge hit a game-winning single to cap a four-run ninth inning for the New York Yankees in their 7-6 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday.

Aaron Hicks started the late rally for the Pinstripes, tying the game with a three-run home run off Astros closer Ryan Pressly.

Alex Bregman and Giancarlo Stanton traded three-run homers in the first inning, while Yordan Alvarez also added a three-run shot in the third off Jameson Taillon to put the Astros ahead.

The Yankees took the opener of a highly anticipated four-game series between the American League's two best records with the win, as the Astros kick off a six-game stand in New York, taking both games from the Mets earlier this week in Houston.

The American League leaders moved to 52-18 for the season and claimed their 19th win in the past 22 games, heading into Judge's in-season salary arbitration on Friday.

Swanson seals win for Braves

Dansby Swanson hit two home runs for the Atlanta Braves, who were able to hold out against the San Francisco Giants in a 7-6 victory.

Swanson had three hits and three RBIs as the Braves built a 7-1 lead coming into the fifth inning. Six Giants players scored multiple hits, with Austin Slater's home run starting the rally in the fifth.

They were not able to capitalise on the higher hit count however, as the Braves moved 11 games over .500 with their 18th win in the past month.

Freeman fires Dodgers to victory

Freddie Freeman's form continued in the absence of Mookie Betts, leading the way for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Freeman claimed a home run and three RBIs, moving his OBP for the season to a team-leading .386, while Max Muncy and Trea Turner each tallied three hits.

Clayton Kershaw allowed just one run and seven hits in six innings for the National League West leaders, striking out seven in 80 pitches and lowering his ERA for the season to 2.00.

The best team in baseball keeps on chugging along as the New York Yankees hammered the Toronto Blue Jays 12-3 on Friday.

Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery was excellent on the mound, giving up two earned runs from three hits and one walk across six innings, striking out five in a quality start.

The Blue Jays, at home, would take the early lead with Gabriel Moreno's RBI single in the second inning – but the Yankees responded by rattling off 10 runs in a row.

Gleyber Torres and Kyle Higashioka drove in a run each in the fourth inning, before an explosion in the fifth,

Giancarlo Stanton got things started with a 350-foot, two-run home run, followed by a massive 411-foot solo blast from D.J. Lemahieu. Joey Gallo then brought in another run with his RBI double, and the eight-run inning was capped off by a 435-foot grand slam from Anthony Rizzo.

Gallo put an exclamation point on the result in the last frame as the fourth Yankee to hit a home run in the game.

MVP favourite Aaron Judge was surprisingly not part of the power surge, but he kept his numbers strong with two base hits from five at-bats.

Judge leads the majors in home runs with 25 – six more than any other player – while Rizzo is now tied for seventh (17 home runs) and Stanton is also in the top-20 (14).

The win moves the Yankees' league-leading record to 48-16, six games clear of the New York Mets in second-place (43-23).

Cubs snap streaks

The Chicago Cubs ended a 10-game losing streak with their 1-0 home win against the Atlanta Braves – also snapping the visitors' 14-game winning streak.

In a true pitching duel, Cubs starter Keegan Thompson struck out nine batters in six innings, allowing just two hits and two walks for no runs.

Charlie Morton was just as impressive on the mound for the Braves, striking out nine batters of his own in seven innings, giving up three hits and no walks for no runs.

When Morton was withdrawn, the Cubs capitalised, with pinch-hitter Jonathon Villar earning a walk to lead-off the eighth inning. He would make it to second with a sacrifice bunt, before stealing third base, setting up a sacrifice-fly from Christopher Morel for what would be the winning run.

Alonso moves to top of RBI list with grand slam

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso now leads the majors in RBIs after driving in four runs with one swing in his side's 10-4 win against the Miami Marlins.

Fellow Mets star Francisco Lindor provided the early fireworks with a monstrous 440-foot, three-run blast in the first inning, helping the hosts build a 6-1 lead.

With bases loaded, Alonso sent his only hit of the night over the fence, giving him his 19th home run of the season and his league-leading 63rd RBI. Jose Ramirez (62 RBIs) and Paul Goldschmidt (56) are the only other players with more than 49 RBIs this season.

In a battle between two of the best teams and best pitchers in the majors, Nestor Cortes' New York Yankees prevailed 4-3 at home against Shane McClanahan's Tampa Bay Rays.

McClanahan is the current favourite to win the AL Cy Young Award while Cortes is close behind, and they both put on spectacular performances in Wednesday's top fixture.

It was a rocky start for McClanahan, who was punished in the very first inning by American League MVP favourite Aaron Judge, connecting on his league-leading 25th home run of the season to make it 1-0. Nobody else has hit more than 18 home runs.

That was the only earned run McClanahan would give up, although a fielding error in the fifth inning and an intentional walk set up a three-run Kyle Higashioka blast to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.

McClanahan finished with seven strikeouts in six complete innings, allowing three hits and two walks.

Cortes held the Rays scoreless through five innings, eventually getting pulled in the sixth after the visitors finally got their first run on the board via a Manuel Margot RBI double.

Choi Ji-man's RBI base hit in the eighth inning cut the margin to 4-2, and Rene Pinto followed suit as the very next batter to make it 4-3. Clay Holmes was able to hold his nerve in the ninth frame to secure the save and the win for the Yankees.

After their performances, McClanahan (1.84 ERA) and Cortes (1.94 ERA) are two of only seven starting pitchers this season to allow fewer than two runs per nine innings.

The win moves the Yankees' league-leading record to 46-16 – six games clear of the New York Mets in second (41-23).

Astros' immaculate showing

The Houston Astros pitched two immaculate innings in their 9-2 road win against the Texas Rangers to retain the fourth-best record in the majors at 39-24.

After the Astros piled on six runs in the opening frame, including two-run doubles from both Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado, Houston starter Luis Garcia took control.

In the second inning, Garcia struck out all three batters, throwing just nine pitches, with all being strikes, for a rare immaculate inning.

Incredibly, the feat was repeated in the seventh frame by Astros reliever Phil Maton, who also collected his three strikeouts in nine pitches. It is the first time in MLB history that a team has thrown two immaculate innings in the same game.

Phillies win in last-gasp walk-off

Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs was the hero in his side's 3-1 home victory against the Miami Marlins.

Kyle Gibson was terrific on the mound for the Phillies, giving up one run from seven hits and no walks, pitching eight full innings and striking out six – but his team trailed 1-0 going into the ninth frame.

After a lead-off strikeout, Alec Bohm singled, and J.T. Realmuto walked, but another strikeout meant Stubbs was the last chance to make something happen – and he duly responded.

From the fifth pitch of his at-bat, with two strikes, Stubbs connected on a hanging slider and sent it over the fence for a game-winning three-run homer. It is the Phillies' 11th win from their past 13 games.

Clayton Kershaw gave up a go-ahead home run to Thairo Estrada upon his return from injury, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday.

Kershaw has been sidelined since May due to an inflamed joint in his back, but his return has also coincided with Walker Buehler being placed on the Dodgers' injured list.

The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner pitched four innings, giving up three hits over 71 pitches, including the two runs that set up the Giants' win in the second inning.

The Dodgers claimed 13 hits in comparison to the five from their NL West rivals, but simply were not able to capitalise at the plate with runners in scoring position.

The Dodgers have now lost eight of their past 12 games, with the San Diego Padres now drawing level atop the NL West.

Judge rules for Yankees

Aaron Judge led the way for the New York Yankees, scoring two home runs in their 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.

It was a day to forget for rookie Cubs pitcher Matt Swarmer, who gave up six solo home runs out of a total seven hits over 90 pitches in five innings.

Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Jose Trevino and former Cub Anthony Rizzo went deep along with Judge as the Pinstripes claimed their 10th win in 11 games, moving to 43-16 for the year.

Trout leads Angels upon return from injury

Mike Trout returned for the Los Angeles Angels as they claimed a morale-boosting 11-6 win over the NL East-leading New York Mets.

The three-time American League MVP returned from a minor groin injury and led the way for the Halos in the win, scoring two home runs and claiming three hits from four at-bats.

Shohei Ohtani also went deep while going three-of-four, claiming their second win in three after snapping a 14-game losing streak on Thursday.

The New York Yankees' power-hitters flexed their muscles in Tuesday's 10-4 away win against the Minnesota Twins, with three towering home runs.

Nervous Yankees fans only needed to wait until the second batter of the game to jump out to a lead, with a lead-off single to D.J. LeMahieu setting up a 431-foot, two-run bomb from Aaron Judge.

A 431-foot blast would normally be the biggest hit of the game, but it was not even the biggest hit from the top of the first inning, as Giancarlo Stanton stepped up and launched his solo home run 445 feet to make it 3-0.

Max Kepler's sacrifice-fly in the bottom of the first frame and an RBI double from Jorge Polanco in the third pegged the score back to 3-2, before each side grabbed a run each in the fourth and fifth innings the have the Yankees leading 5-4 after Polanco drove in his second run of the day with a solo home run.

From that point on it was all Yankees, scoring the last five runs of the game, including a 410-foot, three-run homer to Anthony Rizzo to give his side some breathing room in the seventh inning.

It was a rare rough start on the mound for Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon, giving up four earned runs from nine hits in four innings, but their bullpen was excellent down the stretch, giving up just three hits and no walks the rest of the way.

With the bat, it was Stanton's 12th home run, tying him for 15th in the league, while Rizzo sits in a tie for fifth after hitting his 14th of the season. 

Judge, however, is in a class of his own, hitting his league-leading 22nd homer, five ahead of second-placed Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros with 17.

The win moves the Yankees' league-best record to 40-15, three games clear of cross-town rivals the New York Mets (38-19).

The Rays walk-off in extra innings

Taylor Walls was the hero in the Tampa Bay Rays' 4-2 home win against the St Louis Cardinals, ending the game with a three-run, walk-off home run.

In an excellent display of starting pitching, neither team was able to score in the first six innings as Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson pitched seven frames for one run and six strikeouts, while Rays starter Jeffrey Springs pitched six scoreless innings, giving up six hits and two walks.

The Rays manufactured a run in the seventh, before the Cardinals tied it at 1-1 in the eighth to force extra innings.

St Louis was able to score one run in the top of the 10th, but Walls made sure the game would not see an 11th as he drove in the runners on first and second base by hooking a home run straight into the foul-pole at right-field to end the game.

Phillies take Hader deep

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader was not able to finish the job against the Philadelphia Phillies, blowing his save opportunity to gift the visitors a 3-2 win.

In his first 19 appearances of the season, Hader had not allowed opposing teams to score a single run, but he blew his first save on Tuesday after entering the final inning with a 2-1 lead.

Hader gave up a lead-off home run to Alec Bohm, tying the game, before pinch-hitter Matt Vierling repeated the feat to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. It is also the first game this season that Hader has conceded multiple hits.

Phillies closer Corey Knebel made tough work of the save – issuing three walks – but he was able to get out of the jam with bases loaded.