Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 33rd home run and the New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in a game marred by a late benches-clearing incident on Friday night.

Benches cleared in the bottom of the ninth after Baltimore’s Heston Kjerstad was hit in the helmet by a pitch from closer Clay Holmes. There was some pushing and shoving, but no punches were thrown.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde walked toward the New York dugout and pointed at someone, at which point Yankees catcher Austin Wells tried to restrain Hyde.

The teams met for the first time since the Orioles took two of three in New York last month. Since then, the Yankees are 6-13 and Baltimore is 8-12.

Gerrit Cole rebounded from a poor start in his last outing by allowing one run and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver each worked one inning and Holmes pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

The Orioles had their lead in the East trimmed to one game over the Yankees as they lost their fourth straight. They have scored three runs during that skid and are 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position.

New York scored twice against rookie Cade Povich in the second.

Anthony Volpe singled and moved to third on an error by right fielder Anthony Santander. He scored on Jose Trevino’s double and Jahmai Jones singled home another run.

Judge led off the third by sending an 0-2 pitch from Povich over the wall in left field for his first RBI in nine games. Judge walked in his other four plate appearances.

Surging Mets hold off Rockies

Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader each homered twice and the New York Mets fended off the last-place Colorado Rockies, 7-6.

Mark Vientos also went deep and had an RBI double for the Mets, who are 4-0 on a six-game homestand against the struggling Nationals and Rockies heading into the All-Star break. New York has won six of seven overall and is 24-10 since it was 11 games under .500 on June 2.

Sean Manaea pitched seven effective innings, throwing a season-high 107 pitches. He allowed three runs and five hits while walking one and striking out nine.

He left with a 7-3 lead, but Charlie Blackmon homered to open the eighth and Brenton Doyle’s two-run shot later in the inning made it a one-run game.

Edwin Diaz worked around consecutive two-out walks in a hitless ninth for his 10th save.

Vientos and Iglesias hit back-to-back home runs in the second and Bader’s blast one batter later gave the Mets three homers in an inning for the first time since July 1, 2023, against San Francisco.

Hendricks pitches Cubs to 5th straight win

Kyle Hendricks pitched seven shutout innings and Nico Hoerner and David Bote each knocked in two runs as the Chicago Cubs stretched their season-best winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hendricks didn’t allow a runner to reach second base and gave up five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. He rebounded from three straight losses to improve to 14-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 27 career appearances against the Cardinals.

Chicago was coming off consecutive shutouts in Baltimore and had a scoreless streak of 32 2/3 innings snapped in the ninth on Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI single.

Hector Neris walked Nolan Arenado with two outs to load the bases before striking out Lars Nootbaar for his 13th save in 17 chances.

Chris Sale became the third in the majors to reach 10 wins and Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Austin Riley homered off Carlos Rodon as the surging Atlanta Braves rolled to an 8-1 rout of the New York Yankees on Friday night.

Sale allowed one hit and one run over five innings with three walks and eight strikeouts to join Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez and Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 10-game winners.

Four relievers finished up the three-hitter.

The Braves built a 2-0 lead on Rodon’s first two pitches as Jarred Kelenic singled before Albies homered to left.

Riley added his seventh home run later in the inning for a 3-0 lead. He finished 2 for 3 with two walks and has 12 hits in his last 22 at-bats, including four homers and four doubles.

Kelenic singled home a run in the second and Ramon Laureano doubled home another run in the third. Olson’s two-run blast in the fourth made it 7-1 and an error by left fielder Jahmai Jones allowed the eighth run to score.

Atlanta has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games.

Rodon, who also was bidding for his 10th victory, was tagged for season highs of eight runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He lost his second straight start following a personal seven-game winning streak.

The Yankees have lost three straight and five of six after winning 12 of 15.

Ohtani homers against former team in loss

Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer in his first game against his former team, but Taylor Ward singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nolan Schanuel sacrificed automatic runner Jo Adell to third to open the 10th. Evan Phillips then retired Luis Rengifo on a groundout with Adell holding, but Ward followed with a single to left to give the Angels their first lead of the game.

Ohtani’s two-run blast off reliever Matt Moore in the fifth opened the scoring. It was his National League-leading 22nd homer of the season and seventh in the last 11 games.

He finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two walks in his first game against the Angels, the team he spent his first six major league seasons with before signing a 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

The Angels tied it in the next inning when Zach Neto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and an RBI groundout from Mickey Moniak.  

Mets hammer Imanaga, Cubs

J.D. Martinez, Francisco Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo homered against Shota Imanaga to power the New York Mets to an 11-1 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs.

Francisco Lindor had three hits and two runs and Jose Iglesias added four hits and three RBIs to help the Mets win for the eighth time in nine games.

They are 12-3 in their last 15 games and averaging 6.6 runs during that stretch.

Imanaga was roughed up for 10 runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings after he pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in a 1-0 win over the Mets on May 1. His ERA ballooned from 1.89 to 2.96 following the shortest outing of his rookie season.

Jose Quintana allowed one unearned run and four hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight in his second straight win.

Nelson Velazquez's run-scoring fielder's choice capped a three-run 9th inning and the Kansas City Royals rallied from an eight-run deficit for a stunning 10-9 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

The Mariners scored seven runs in the first inning – highlighted by Mitch Haniger's bases-clearing double and Ryan Bliss's first career homer.

They took a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth but were without injured closer Andres Munoz. Ryne Stanek walked Nick Loftin before Garrett Hampson hit an infield single that third baseman Josh Rojas threw wildly to put runners on second and third.

After Maikel Garcia's groundout scored a run, Bobby Witt Jr. tripled home the tying run. The Mariners intentionally walked the next two batters and Velazquez hit a potential double-play grounder to shortstop J.P. Crawford, who bobbled the ball and the throw to first was late.

Ty France’s RBI double in the fourth stretched the lead to 8-0, but the Royals responded with four runs in the bottom half. Velazquez's infield single scored a run and MJ Melendez followed with a three-run homer.

Seattle tacked on a run in the sixth before Kansas City closed to 9-7 in their half. Melendez knocked in a run on a groundout and Hunter Renfroe had a two-run single.

Teams trailing 7-0 after one inning had lost 75 straight games, a streak that dated back to 1995.

Dodgers end Yankees' streak in 11 innings

Teoscar Hernandez lined a two-run double in the 11th inning to break up a scoreless game and the Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 2-1 victory, ending the New York Yankees' eight-game winning streak.

With automatic runner Shohei Ohtani on second, Freddie Freeman walked against Ian Hamilton before Will Smith lined out. Hernandez then drilled a shot into the left-center field gap to easily score both runners.

Aaron Judge singled home a run with one out in the bottom half, but Yohan Ramirez struck out Giancarlo Stanton and got Anthony Rizzo to foul out for his first save of the season.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto limited New York to two hits over seven innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. The Dodgers' bullpen allowed three hits and an unearned run over the next four innings.

Ohtani went 0 for 5 and is batting .195 with three homers and 10 RBIs since May 16 to drop his average from .364 to .312.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the eighth after Judge worked a 10-pitch walk but Blake Treinen got Stanton to fly out.

Juan Soto missed his first game of the season for New York due to a sore left forearm.

Cody Poteet gave up two hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings in his third start of the season.

Reds hold off Cubs for 6th straight win

Nick Lodolo pitched six strong innings and Tyler Stephenson had a two-run double to lift the Cincinnati Reds to their sixth consecutive victory, 3-2 over the Chicago Cubs.

Lodolo limited the Cubs to one run and four hits while walking two and striking out seven to win his third straight start.

Alexis Diaz gave up a run in the ninth but struck out Patrick Wisdom with the tying run on second for his 13th save.

Cincinnati has won 11 of 14 to pull even with Chicago for second place in the NL Central, both at 31-33.

The Cubs have lost 11 of 15.

Stephenson's double off Justin Steele in the fourth came after Spencer Steer reached on a strikeout/wild pitch and Elly De La Cruz's walk.

Trent Grisham doubled his season totals with a home run and three RBIs as the New York Yankees completed a season sweep of the Minnesota Twins with their eighth straight win, 8-5 on Thursday night.

Yankees slugger Juan Soto left the game with left forearm discomfort following a 56-minute rain delay before the sixth inning.

Gleyber Torres had a two-run double and Giancarlo Stanton walked three times as New York broke a tie with Philadelphia for the best record in the majors at 45-19. The Yankees have won 25 of 31 and extended their longest winning streak since a nine-game run in June 2022.

They went 6-0 this season against the Twins and outscored them 36-12. New York are 123-44 in the series since 2002 – including playoffs.

Carlos Correa homered and drove in two runs for Minnesota, who had won nine of 12 before getting to the Bronx.

De La Cruz homers for surging Reds

Elly De La Cruz belted a three-run homer and Hunter Greene pitched into the seventh inning as the Cincinnati Reds won their fifth straight, 8-4 over the Chicago Cubs.

After Seiya Suzuki's two-run homer staked the Cubs to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, De La Cruz followed Will Benson's single and TJ Friedl's walk with his 11th home run, a shot to right field that came off the bat at 114.7 mph.

Christopher Morel's two-run homer in the sixth gave Chicago a 4-3 lead, but Cincinnati scored twice in the bottom half on Jonathan India's RBI single and Friedl's run-scoring double.

Greene allowed four runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks to win his fourth straight decision.

Red Sox hammer lowly White Sox

Tanner Houck pitched seven strong innings and was backed by home runs from Jarren Duran and Emmanuel Valdez as the Boston Red Sox handed the Chicago White Sox their franchise-record 14th straight loss, 14-2.

The White Sox, who have lost 18 of 19, surpassed a mark set by the 1924 team and dropped to a major league-worst 15-48.

Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela each had four of Boston's season-high 24 hits, including two off White Sox infielder Danny Mendick in the ninth inning.

Houck did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and allowed two runs and three hits with nine strikeouts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got sterling pitching performances from Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone as they swept a double-header against the New York Mets on Tuesday and snapped a five-game losing streak.

In the opener, the Dodgers rallied late, and Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer off Jorge Lopez in the 10th inning for a 5-2 win.

The Dodgers trailed 2-0 most of the game until Freeman’s single in the eighth inning drove in Andy Pages. Teoscar Hernandez scored the tying run in the ninth after a well-placed Chris Taylor bunt.

Glasnow gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor in the third but pitched seven innings, allowing two hits and two runs with eight strikeouts.

Mets starter Tylor Megill pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with nine strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Stone pitched a gem to improve to 5-2 after allowing three hits in seven scoreless innings.

Will Smith and Miguel Vargas backed Stone with solo home runs. Freeman added two more hits to finish the double-header 5 for 8.

Seager powers Rangers in World Series rematch

Corey Seager hit his seventh home run in as many games, Nathan Eovaldi returned from injury and the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in a rematch of last year’s World Series.

Seager, the 2023 World Series MVP, hit a three-run blast off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning to continue his tear. After a slow start to the season, Seager extended his hitting streak to 11 games, with a .480 on-base percentage in that span.

Eovaldi made his first start in nearly four weeks after being sidelined with a right groin strain. Instead of making a minor-league rehab start this week, Eovaldi pitched three innings against Arizona on Tuesday, allowing five hits and two runs.

Andrew Heaney, Grant Anderson, David Robertson and Kirby Yates pitched six scoreless out of the Texas bullpen to close the game.

The Rangers have won back-to-back games after a 2-12 slump.

Cubs lose no-hit bid, beat Brewers in extras

The Chicago Cubs carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, then had an offensive explosion in extras to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 and snap a five-game losing streak.  

Rookie right-hander Ben Brown was pulled after seven hitless innings, allowing two walks and striking out 10 in 93 pitches.

Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick singled off Hayden Wesneski with one out in the eighth to break up the no-hit bid.

The Cubs held a 1-0 lead much of the night, thanks to a third-inning home run by Michael Busch, but the Brewers tied it with two outs in the ninth on a Willy Adames single that plated Christian Yelich.

Chicago responded with a five-run 10th inning, highlighted by Ian Happ’s two-run double off Hoby Milner.

Zack Short broke a scoreless tie with a run-scoring double in the sixth inning, and Reynaldo Lopez and three Atlanta relievers combined on a five-hitter as the Braves opened a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs with Monday's 2-0 win.

Ronald Acuna Jr. plated Short with a single as the Braves scored both of the game's lone runs against reliever Hayden Wesneski, who replaced Shota Imanaga after the Japanese lefty tossed five scoreless innings to deliver another effective start in his debut MLB season.

Imanaga scattered seven hits and struck out eight to lower his MLB-leading ERA to 0.96. The offseason addition extended his team record with an eighth consecutive start of allowing two earned runs or fewer to begin his major league career.

Lopez was just as good while also not factoring in the decision, as the right-hander yielded just two hits and a pair of walks over five innings. Ray Kerr (2-0) received the win with two scoreless innings in relief of Lopez.

Wesneski (2-2) took over in the sixth and struck out the first two Atlanta batters before giving up a double to Travis d'Arnaud. Short, starting at third base with Austin Riley dealing with left-side tightness, then laced a double into the right field corner to put the Braves ahead.

Acuna followed with a single to left to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Cubs threatened in the ninth by putting their first two runners on, but A.J. Minter worked out of the jam to notch his first save of the season and close out the Braves' fifth win in six games.

Stott the hero as Phillies rally past Mets in 10 innings

Bryson Stott ignited a ninth-inning rally with a solo homer, then drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 5-4 win over the rival New York Mets.

The Phillies trailed 4-2 entering the ninth before scoring twice off Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who forced in the tying run by hitting Alec Bohm with a pitch with the bases loaded.

Stott started the comeback with a lead-off homer and pinch-hitter Kody Clemens followed with a single before Diaz issued a pair of walks to load the bases with two out. The two-time All-Star then hit Bohm in the forearm on an 0-2 count to bring in Clemens and force extra innings.

In the 10th, designated runner Bryce Harper advanced from second to third on a wild pitch from Sean Reid-Foley before crossing the plate on Stott's sacrifice fly.

Jose Alvarado then kept the Mets scoreless in the bottom of the 10th to record his eighth save and give the National League-leading Phillies a victory to start this four-game, home-and-home series.

Stott scored the game's first run after reaching on a single in the top of the second inning and later coming home on Garrett Stubbs' infield hit.

The Mets answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, as Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez had back-to-back doubles off Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sanchez to tie the game before Tomas Nido brought in Martinez with a single.

Starling Marte doubled off Sanchez in the third and later scored on a bases-loaded walk to Martinez to increase the Mets' lead to 3-1. It remained that way until the top of the seventh, when the Phillies put two aboard on singles by Edmundo Sosa and Brandon Marsh in front of Johan Rojas' run-producing groundout.

New York restored a two-run advantage in its half of the seventh when Alonso scored on Bohm's error on a grounder hit to third off the bat of Tyrone Taylor.

Martinez finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs in the Mets' sixth loss in nine games. Philadelphia has now won 10 of its last 12.

Ramirez's four RBIs helps Guardians extend Rangers' skid

Jose Ramirez went 2 for 3 and drove in four runs as the Cleveland Guardians extended the Texas Rangers' losing streak to a season-high four games with Monday's 7-0 victory.

Ramirez knocked in two of Cleveland's four runs in the eighth inning that broke a scoreless tie as the American League Central leaders took the opener of this three-game series.

The game featured a pitching duel between Cleveland's Tanner Bibee and Texas' Michael Lorenzen, who held the Guardians to one hit through seven innings before the visitors broke through against the Rangers' bullpen in the eighth.

Jose Leclerc (3-3) relieved Lorenzen and was greeted by a double from Estevan Florial, who scored on Brayan Rocchio's single two batters later for a 1-0 Cleveland lead.

The Guardians then loaded the bases on a walk and a single before Ramirez drove in two with a base hit to extend the margin. Texas reliever Jacob Latz later forced in another run with a wild pitch that allowed Andres Gimenez to score from third.

Cleveland tacked on three more runs in the ninth on Gimenez's RBI double and another two-run single from Ramirez.

Bibee allowed just three hits and two walks before being removed with one out in the sixth. 

Christopher Morel hit a go-ahead home run off Edwin Diaz with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Chicago Cubs rallied to a 3-1 win over the New York Mets on Monday.

Morel’s heroics came an inning after Michael Busch scored the tying run on a fielder’s choice.

Mets starter Luis Severino carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, when Dansby Swanson singled to left center with no outs.

Making his sixth start for the Mets, Severino threw eight innings and allowed one run with five strikeouts.

Jameson Taillon was nearly as good for the Cubs. After giving up a lead-off home run to Brandon Nimmo to open the game, Taillon allowed four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Cubs closer Hector Neris walked two batters in the bottom of the ninth but finished the game with back-to-back strikeouts for his fourth save of the year.

Twins extend winning streak to 8 games

Max Kepler hit an RBI single in the ninth inning, lifting the Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 win over the White Sox as their winning streak reached eight games.

After the White Sox scored two runs in the first inning, Minnesota’s Carlos Santana tied the game with a home run in the second off of Chicago starter Garrett Crochet.

The teams played six scoreless innings before Byron Buxton scored from second on Kepler’s single off John Brebbia.

The White Sox got the tying run to third base in the bottom of the ninth, but Caleb Thielbar punched out Korey Lee to seal the Minnesota win.

After a rough start to the season, the Twins’ current win streak has them at 15-13, one game back of the surprising Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.

Garver’s walk-off lifts M’s over Braves

Mitch Garver hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning to lift the Seattle Mariners over the Atlanta Braves 2-1.

The Mariners had only four hits in a game dominated by excellent pitching, but two of those hits came in the ninth against A.J. Minter, including Garver’s game-winning blast.

The Braves carried a combined no-hitter into the eighth inning that was broken up by a Josh Rojas single. Atlanta starter Max Fried went six innings, walking two and striking out seven.

Seattle starter Bryce Miller pitched seven strong innings, allowing two hits and one run with 10 strikeouts.

Tyler Freeman and Bryan Rocchio delivered RBIs in the seventh inning and Jose Ramirez homered to lift the Cleveland Guardians to their fifth straight victory, 4-1 over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The Guardians improved the majors’ best record to 17-6, matching their best start through 23 games. Cleveland also was 17-6 in 1999 and 1966.

Ben Lively allowed one run and five hits over 6 1/3 innings in his Progressive Field debut. He walked one and struck out seven.

Scott Barlow and Hunter Gaddis got the next five outs before Emmanuel Clase struck out the side in the ninth for his seventh save.

Tanner Houck, who threw a three-hit shutout against Cleveland last week, held the Guardians scoreless through six innings before Freeman singled home Will Brennan and Rocchio’s sacrifice fly in the seventh put Cleveland ahead.

Rob Refsnyder had three hits as Boston had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Fried dominates Marlins

Max Fried pitched a three-hitter for Atlanta’s first complete game since 2022 and Adam Duvall belted a two-run homer as the surging Braves blanked the Miami Marlins for the second straight night, 5-0.

Fried didn’t walk anyone and struck out six, needing just 92 pitches to become the first Braves pitcher to complete nine innings since Bryce Elder in an 8-0 win over Washington on Sept. 26, 2022.

Fried notched his fourth career shutout and fifth career complete game as Atlanta won its eighth in nine games.

The Marlins have gone 20 innings without scoring a run and dropped to 6-19.

Duvall’s second home run of the season capped a three-run sixth and extended the lead to 5-0.

Cubs keep Astros reeling

Mike Tauchman hit his first two home runs of the season and the Chicago Cubs scored five first-inning runs in a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros, who dropped 10 games under .500 for the first time since 2016.

Cody Bellinger had a two-run blast in the first inning off J.P. France and Tauchman capped the fast start with a three-run shot. He added a solo home run in the eighth.

Houston has lost three straight and six of seven and, at 7-17, is 10 games under .500 for the first time since an 18-28 start in 2016.

Jordan Wicks limited the Astros to two runs and five hits over a season-best six innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Chris Bassitt tossed 6 1/3 effective innings to lead the way as the Toronto Blue Jays dealt the New York Yankees their first losing streak of the season with Monday's 3-1 win to open a three-game series.

Bassitt allowed just one run on four hits to help Toronto to its season-high third straight win. The right-hander has now won back-to-back starts after losing his first two outings of the season. 

The Blue Jays managed just four hits but took advantage of seven walks issued by New York starter Luis Gil in five innings of work.

Gil walked three straight Toronto hitters to force in a run after Cavan Biggio opened the bottom of the second inning with a ground-rule double with the Blue Jays trailing 1-0. The right-hander later uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Alejandro Kirk to cross the plate for a 2-1 lead.

Kirk recorded two of the Blue Jays' four hits, including a two-out double in the third that scored Bo Bichette, who had reached on an infield single.

The Yankees had briefly gone ahead in the top of the second on Oswaldo Cabrera's run-scoring single, the last of three consecutive hits off Bassitt.

Bassitt did not surrender a hit from the fourth inning on, however, and relievers Tim Mayza and Chad Green combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Yimi Garcia retired the side in order in the ninth for his second save.

Gil struck out six but permitted all three Toronto runs as the Yankees lost consecutive games for the first time in 2024. New York was coming off Sunday's 8-7 defeat at Cleveland in which the Guardians rallied for three runs in the 10th inning.

Riley helps Braves pull away from Astros

Austin Riley collected three hits, including an RBI single during a four-run ninth inning that enabled the Atlanta Braves to pull away for a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros.

Four Atlanta relievers combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings to protect an early 2-1 lead and allow the Braves to take the opener of this three-game series between the two participants in the 2021 World Series.

Aaron Bummer was credited with the win after retiring two of three hitters in relief of Darius Vines, who held Houston to one run and four hits over 4 2/3 innings.

The Astros did touch Vines for a run in the first inning as Kyle Tucker drew a walk, stole second and scored on Alex Bregman's two-out single.

Atlanta answered by scoring two runs in the second off Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, all with two out.

Travis d'Arnaud started the rally with a double and later scored on an error by Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena, who threw wildly to first base after fielding Luis Guillorme's infield single.

Arrighetti then walked Ronald Acuna Jr. to load the bases before hitting Ozzie Albies with a pitch to bring in the go-ahead run.

The score remained 2-1 until the Braves erupted in the ninth off struggling Houston closer Josh Hader, who surrendered four hits and a walk while recording just one out.

Hader also threw a wild pitch that allowed Adam Duvall to advance to second in front of Orlando Arcia's run-scoring single that gave Atlanta a 3-1 advantage. Riley and Marcell Ozuna later delivered RBI singles and the Braves scored another run on a fielder's choice groundout.

Arrighetti struck out five over four innings in his second major league start, but took the loss after permitting two runs.

Cubs rally in ninth inning, then beat Diamondbacks in 11

Nico Hoerner's run-scoring single in the 11th inning capped a late rally that propelled the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a three-game series.

Hoerner finished 2 for 4 and also scored the tying run in the ninth when he raced home from second base on a wild pitch thrown by Arizona reliever Kevin Ginkel.

Michael Busch tied a franchise record for Chicago with his fifth consecutive game with a home run. The first baseman achieved the feat with a solo shot off Diamondbacks' starter Merrill Kelly in the top of the second inning that gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Kelly did not allow a run over the remainder of his five-inning stint, helping the Diamondbacks eventually move ahead when Randal Grichuk doubled in the eighth and scored on Corbin Carroll's single off reliever Drew Smyly to put Arizona up 2-1.

Ginkel surrendered one-out singles to Hoerner and Mike Tauchman in the ninth, however, before Hoerner hustled home from second on the closer's errant pitch to the plate with the Cubs down to their final out.

Hoerner put Chicago ahead in his next at-bat by delivering a bases-loaded single off Bryce Jarvis in the 11th. Keegan Thompson then stranded the tying run at third in the bottom of the inning to wrap up the Cubs' third straight victory.

Chicago starter Ben Brown worked six innings and yielded just one hit, a single to Jake McCarthy in the second that brought in Arizona's first run.

Seiya Suzuki drove in three runs and the Chicago Cubs scored five times in the second inning before holding on for a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Friday's opener of a three-game series.

Michael Busch, acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason, had a solo homer against his former team to help Chicago to its fifth consecutive win. Dansby Swanson also homered for the Cubs and Ian Happ contributed a two-run triple.

The Dodgers had a four-game winning streak snapped despite Shohei Ohtani connecting for his second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Teoscar Hernandez went 3 for 4 with four RBIs for Los Angeles.

After Hernandez's two-run single in the first inning gave the Dodgers an early lead, the Cubs answered and then some against Los Angeles starter Bobby Miller in the second.

Swanson got Chicago on the board with a one-out solo homer and Miller walked Busch before yielding back-to-back singles to Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal, the last of which plated Busch. Happ later walked to load the bases and Hoerner scored on Miller's wild pitch for a 3-2 Cubs lead.

Suzuki then doubled to right to knock in two more runs and extend the margin and chase Miller, who was tagged for five runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

Busch homered in the third to put Chicago up 6-2, but Ohtani followed Mookie Betts' single in the fifth with a blast into the right-field seats off Cubs' starter Kyle Hendricks to close the gap. Hendricks then walked Freddie Freeman before giving up a double to Will Smith that cut Los Angeles' deficit to 6-5.

Hendricks was charged with five runs on eight hits over four-plus innings.

Happ brought in Hoerner and Yan Gomes with a triple in the sixth to give Chicago some breathing room, then scored on Suzuki's sacrifice fly for a 9-5 lead.

Hernandez plated Freeman and Smith with a single in the seventh to get the Dodgers closer, but relievers Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay shut Los Angeles out over the final two innings to protect the lead.

Rangers roll past Astros in ALCS rematch

Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien each belted three-run homers as the Texas Rangers cruised to a 10-2 rout over the Houston Astros in the American League West rivals' first meeting since last season's League Championship Series.

Garcia also had an RBI single to back 7 2/3 outstanding innings from Cory Bradford as the Rangers took the opener of this four-game Lone Star series. 

Bradford yielded just one run and two hits with no walks to help Texas end a run of eight consecutive Houston wins at the Rangers' Globe Life Park, including three during the 2023 ALCS that Texas won in seven games before later capturing the franchise's first World Series title.

The Rangers went up big early in the rematch, scoring five two-out runs off Houston starter Hunter Brown in the second inning.

Singles by Josh Smith and Semien put two runners on before Corey Seager drove in Texas' first run with a double. Semien then scored on Wyatt Langford's infield single before Garcia launched a three-run homer for a 5-0 advantage.

Smith's RBI double in the fourth and Garcia's run-scoring single in the fifth increased the margin further, and Semien made it a 10-0 lead when he homered off Brandon Bielak with two aboard in the sixth.

Bradford was removed after giving up a two-out single to Jeremy Pena in the eighth. Jake Meyers then greeted reliever Yerry Rodriguez with a two-run homer to end Texas' shutout bid.

Brown lasted just three innings and was tagged for five runs and eight hits while walking four.

Clement's homer helps Blue Jays spoil Yankees' home opener

Ernie Clement broke a scoreless tie with a pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning, and five Toronto Blue Jays pitchers combined on a six-hitter to spoil the New York Yankees' home opener with a 3-0 victory.

Clement sent a pitch from Yankees reliever Caleb Ferguson into the left-field seats to help Toronto take the opener of this three-game series.

The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth before ex-Yankee Chad Green worked around a pair of hits in the bottom of the inning to finish off the shutout and earn his first save of the season.

New York was dealt just its second loss in eight games this season despite an outstanding start from former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman, who yielded just three hits and struck out six in six scoreless innings.

Yusei Kikuchi was just as good for Toronto, as the left-hander permitted just four hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.

Alejandro Kirk had three hits for the Blue Jays, including a single in the ninth that was followed by a base hit from Daulton Varsho. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then drew a walk to load the bases before New York reliever Nick Burdi threw a wild pitch that allowed pinch-runner Brian Serven to score for a 2-0 lead.

Burdi uncorked another wild pitch later in the inning that enabled Varsho to score Toronto's final run. 

Cody Bellinger’s infield single in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead run and lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a key NL Central matchup.

The Cubs won the final two games of the series after dropping Monday’s opener to get back within three games of the Central-leading Brewers.

Chicago moved a season-high nine games over .500 and is three games behind Philadelphia, which owns the top wild card.

The Cubs sacrificed runners to second and third in the eighth, but Christopher Morel was thrown out at home on Ian Happ’s fielder’s choice for the second out.

Mike Tauchman moved to third and scored when Bellinger’s sharply hit ball up the middle glanced off the right ankle of reliever Joel Payamps and to third baseman Andruw Monasterio, whose throw to first was late.

Kyle Hendricks allowed only an unearned run and four hits over six innings while striking out six and walking two.

Adbert Alzolay hit Mark Canha with the bases loaded in the eighth to force in the tying run but worked a hitless ninth to earn the win.

Mariners close out red-hot August

J.P. Crawford delivered a two-run single in the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners rallied for a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics for their franchise-record 21st win in August.

Seattle rallied from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to finish 21-6 in August, surpassing the previous franchise record of 20 victories in a month.

The Mariners have won 13 of 15 and will head into September tied with Houston for the AL West lead. The last time Seattle entered September with a share of first place was in 2001, the last time it won the division.

Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run homer in the third inning to forge a 3-3 tie.

The Mariners pushed across two runs in the seventh against reliever Kirby Snead.

Dominic Canzone doubled before Mike Ford singled and Dylan Moore walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Crawford dropped a soft liner into left field to make it 5-4.

Astros complete first sweep at Fenway

Framber Valdez took a shutout into the sixth inning and the Houston Astros won their fifth straight game, 7-4 over the Boston Red Sox.

Michael Brantley had two hits and two RBIs and Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena and Martin Maldonado each added two hits and one RBI as Houston earned its first-ever sweep at Fenway Park.

The Astros are tied with Seattle atop the AL West as they seek their sixth division title in seven years. Houston has won two World Series since 2017, added another two AL pennants and twice lost in the AL Championship Series.

Boston lost for the fifth time in six games and dropped 6 ½ games behind the final wild-card spot.

Christian Yelich hit a leadoff home run and Mark Canha added a two-run shot in the first inning as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-2, Monday to extend their season-high winning streak to nine games. 

The Brewers tagged Cubs starter Jameson Taillon for four first-inning runs en route to taking the opener of this key three-game series between National League Central rivals. Milwaukee increased its lead over second-place Chicago to five games. 

Milwaukee starter Wade Miley, who pitched for the Cubs last season, allowed solo home runs to Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom but gave up only four hits in six innings to improve to 7-3 on the season.

Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner allowed only one hit the rest of the way as the Brewers improved to 5-3 this season against Chicago.

The Brewers are now 25-12 against NL Central teams and have won 11 of their last 15 division games.

The Cubs entered the series having won seven of nine overall to take the lead in the race for the NL's second wild card. Chicago remains a half-game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for that spot. 

Altuve hits for cycle to lead Astros' rout of Red Sox

Jose Altuve recorded the first cycle by a Houston Astros player in 10 years to lead the defending World Series champions to a 13-5 rout of the Boston Red Sox.

After producing a double in the third inning, a single in the fifth and a two-run triple in the sixth, Altuve launched a two-run homer over Fenway Park's Green Monster in the eighth to register the ninth cyle in Astros history and first since Brandon Barnes on July 19, 2013.

Yordan Alvarez also had four RBIs and four hits, including a three-run homer during a big sixth inning in which Houston scored six times to erase a 4-3 deficit. 

Jose Abreu added a solo homer and finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs in Houston's third straight win. The Astros remained a game back of Seattle for first place in the American League West after the Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics, 7-0, on Monday.

Masataka Yoshida went 3 for 5 with three runs scored for Boston, which had taken a 4-3 lead on Adam Duvall's two-run homer in the fifth. 

The Red Sox have lost two straight and now trail the Astros and Texas Rangers by 5 1/2 games for the AL"s final two wild card spots. 

Rookie Harrison dominant in Giants' win over Reds

Rookie Kyle Harrison struck out 11 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first major league victory and lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of an important three-game series between NL playoff contenders.

Making just his second career major league start and first at home, Harrison yielded just three hits and two walks to help the Giants gain ground in the NL wild card race. San Francisco now trails Arizona by only a half-game for the league's final playoff spot after the Diamondbacks were dealt a 7-4 loss by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.

Wilmer Flores' RBI double in the first inning staked Harrison to a 1-0 lead and the Giants scored twice more in third, highlighted by Patrick Bailey's run-scoring double.

All three early runs came off Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott, who lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and three walks despite striking out six. 

The Reds have now lost four of five and remain 1 1/2 games back of Arizona for the final wild card spot. 

The Chicago Cubs were planning on Marcus Stroman returning from the injured list to pitch Wednesday.

It turns out he will be sidelined much longer.

Stroman has been diagnosed with a right rib cartilage fracture and is out indefinitely.

Already on the IL due to right hip inflammation, the 32-year-old experienced rib discomfort recently during his rehab and the Cubs announced Tuesday he would not be activated to pitch against the Chicago White Sox the following night.

At this point, the Cubs are going to wait until he's pain-free until he resumes throwing.

While the team is not giving a timeline for his return, recovery for such an injury could be anywhere from two weeks to up to six weeks.

With only 6 1/2 weeks left in the season, it's possible he's done for the year.

It's a tough blow for a Cubs team that entered Wednesday 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and one game back of the Miami Marlins for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

Stroman, who was Chicago's opening day starter, was sensational early in the season, going 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts through June 20 and earned his second All-Star team selection. At that time, his ERA was the lowest in the NL among the 37 pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown.

The last two months have not gone nearly as well for him, as he's gone 1-4 with a 9.00 ERA in his last seven outings and landed on the IL on August 2.

Despite his recent struggles, the Cubs were hoping a stint on the IL would help Stroman regain his early season form, but now the team is facing the real possibility he won't be able to pitch the rest of the year.

Chicago's Tim Anderson has been suspended six games and Cleveland's Jose Ramirez has received a three-game ban by Major League Baseball for starting a fight that sparked a benches-clearing brawl between the White Sox and Guardians on Saturday.

MLB announced the penalties on Monday, which also included fines to Anderson and Ramirez. Both players are appealing.

Also receiving suspensions are Guardians manager Terry Francona, closer Emmanuel Clase and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh. All received one-game bans, as did White Sox manager Pedro Grifol.

Francona and Clase will serve their ban Monday, when the Guardians open a four-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, while Sarbaugh will sit on Tuesday.

Grifol will carry out his suspension Monday in the opener of a three-game set between the White Sox and New York Yankees in Chicago.

While the White Sox are out of the playoff picture, Ramirez's absence could hurt Cleveland's chances of reaching the postseason.

The Guardians enter Monday 4 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins, while the five-time All-Star third baseman leads the team in home runs (18), doubles (27), runs (67) and OPS (.861).

The incident that sparked all the discipline from MLB occurred in the sixth inning of the White Sox's 7-4 win at Cleveland on Saturday on a play that began innocently.

Ramirez slid headfirst into second base with an RBI double and Anderson stood over him, straddling Ramirez. Ramirez was reportedly upset at Anderson's late, hard tag and when he got up, he pointed his finger in the second baseman's face and yelled, prompting the two to square off like a boxing match.

Anderson dropped his glove and threw the first punch, setting off a melee that saw both dugouts empty onto the infield. While trying to be restrained by White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, Ramirez swung blindly and connected with a right hand to the face of Anderson, who fell backward to the ground.

Anderson got back up incensed and tried unsuccessfully to get at Ramirez while being restrained by several teammates.

Ian Happ and Yan Gomes each hit two-run homers and the Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 for their eighth straight win on Saturday night.

Jameson Taillon won his third consecutive decision, allowing one run and two hits over six innings with four walks and four strikeouts.

Mike Tauchman, who had a game-saving catch in Friday’s win, had three hits with a seventh-inning RBI double, a night after scaling the center field fence to rob Alec Burleson of a potential winning home run.

Happ drove in Tauchman with his 10th homer of the season in the third inning to put the Cubs ahead 2-1.

Gomes’ two-run homer in the fourth inning off Adam Wainwright extended the lead to 4-1.

Wainwright was reached for four runs on seven hits with three walks in six innings. He remained stuck on 198 career victories.

The last-place Cardinals have lost three straight and seven of nine.

Acuna stars in Braves’ win

Ronald Acuna homered and stole his 50th base of the season to propel the Atlanta Braves to an 11-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup of division leaders.

Acuna went 3 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs and walk to become the first player in history with 20 or more home runs and 50 steals before August. He is one homer away from the 12th 25-50 campaign in MLB history.

Atlanta opened the game with four straight singles against Julio Teheran. After a sacrifice fly by Travis d’Arnaud, Marcell Ozuna had an RBI double and Eddie Rosario followed with a home run for a 6-0 lead.

Astros belt 5 home runs in rout

Jeremy Pena drove in a career-high four runs and the Houston Astros hit five homers in a 17-4 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yainer Diaz homered off starter Taj Bradley and Jose Abreu went deep off reliever Calvin Faucher before Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez all homered off catcher Rene Pinto in his first career pitching appearance.

Houston got eight hits and five RBIs from the bottom three batters in its lineup.

Hunter Brown limited the Rays to two runs and four hits over six-plus innings for his first win since June 13.