It was a unique day at the ballpark as the Milwaukee Brewers treated their home fans to a 5-2 extra-innings win against the Chicago Cubs on Independence Day.

Pitchers dominated the early stages, with the only run in the first six innings coming from Cubs center-fielder Nelson Velasquez, who sent a ball 418 feet for the first home run of his career.

Cubs starter Justin Steele retired 20 batters before finally conceding his only run as Pedro Severino collected an RBI double in the seventh inning, tying things at 1-1.

Steele finished his day with nine strikeouts in six-and-two-thirds innings, with his one earned run coming from two hits and four walks. 

Milwaukee's Eric Lauer was just as impressive, pitching six full innings for one earned run from two hits and two walks, also striking out nine.

With scores tied in the top of the ninth inning, in his return from over a month on the sidelines due to injury, Seiya Suzuki sent a ball to deep center-field. It bounced awkwardly off the wall to evade the outfielders, allowing the Japanese rookie star to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run and give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

But David Robertson could not complete the save for Chicago, giving up a single, a double, a hit-by-pitch and a walk to drive in the tying run, sending the game to extra innings.

The Cubs were unable to put a run on the board in the top of the 10th, setting up the Brewers for a walk-off win.

After Rowdy Tellez was intentionally walked, putting two men on base, Victor Caratini blasted a 411-foot, walk-off home run to finish the contest.

It was the first time in MLB history there had been a player hit his first career home run, another hit an inside-the-parker, and another hit a walk-off homer in the same game.

Alvarez delivers in the clutch

The breakout star of the Houston Astros, Yordan Alvarez, capped off a big comeback on Monday with a walk-off home run to defeat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 at home.

It was the Royals who started hot, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after M.J. Melendez's solo home run in the third inning, and that is when the Astros would begin their fightback.

The Astros pulled back three runs through RBIs to Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve and Mauricio Dubon, and after Melendez's second home run of the game made it 6-3, Tucker drove in another two runs in the eighth inning.

Lourdes Gurriel tied things at 6-6 in the eighth frame, before with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Alvarez completed the comeback with a no-doubt, 444-foot solo home run to center-field.

Mateo takes one for the team in Orioles win

The Baltimore Orioles took a gutsy 7-6 home win against the Texas Rangers as shortstop Jorge Mateo wore a hit-by-pitch in the botttom of the 10th inning for an unconventional walk-off.

A pair of clutch hits in the ninth inning – first a solo home run from Texas' Marcus Semien to put his side up 6-5, and then an RBI double from Baltimore's Adley Rutchsman to tie it at 6-6 – forced extra innings in the back-and-forth contest.

The Rangers were unable to put on a run on the board in the 10th, allowing the Orioles to escape with the result after a bunt single, an intentional walk and finally Mateo's hit-by-pitch drove in the winning run.

New York Yankees ace pitcher Gerrit Cole was at the peak of his powers on Monday as he held the Tampa Bay Rays without a hit through the first seven innings in his side's 4-2 win.

Cole did not have to wait long for some run support, with Anthony Rizzo blasting a home run as the third batter of the game to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the opening frame.

After allowing a walk in the first inning, Cole locked in, striking out the next six batters he faced, and eight of the next 10.

The Yankees were able to double their lead in the seventh inning when Gleyber Torres came home on a fielding error, and at that point the Rays had still not registered a single hit.

Cole's no-hitter was broken up by Isaac Paredes as the lead-off batter in the eighth inning, signalling the end of his day. Cole finished with 12 strikeouts in seven-and-a-third innings, allowing three walks and one hit.

Shane McClanahan was similarly impressive for the Rays, striking out eight batters in six full innings, giving up one run from four hits and one walk as he continues to mount his case for the AL Cy Young Award.

Superstar relief pitcher Clay Holmes was brought in to tidy up the eighth inning and deliver the win for the Yankees, but he could not get the job done, allowing the Rays to tie the game at 2-2 for his first blown save of the season.

The Yankees would escape with the win, though, as Josh Donaldson's base hit turned into a run when Aaron Hicks hit a triple as the next batter, and Hicks was brought in by a Jose Trevino sacrifice-fly.

Pirates debutants shine

The Pittsburgh Pirates enjoyed a sparkling debut from top prospect Oneil Cruz as they defeated the Chicago Cubs 12-1 in front of their home fans.

The six-foot-seven Cruz started at shortstop in his first major league outing, having been called up from the minor leagues earlier in the week along with Bligh Madris.

His big moment came in the third inning with bases loaded, connecting on a double to center-field to drive in all three runs. He collected his fourth RBI of the game with a base hit in the seventh inning.

Madris was also impressive, finishing with three hits and two RBIs from his four at-bats, while starting pitcher J.T. Brubaker was finally credited with his first win of the season in his 14th start.

Vaughan helps White Sox edge the Blue Jays

Andrew Vaughan went four-for-four at the plate in the Chicago White Sox's 8-7 home win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He had an RBI double as Chicago's second batter of the game, added a base hit in the third inning, and then blasted a 409-foot home run to center-field in the fourth frame, before capping off his night with another single in the sixth.

The White Sox also received big homers from Luis Robert (436 feet) and Josh Harrison (412 feet) to open up a 8-2 lead by the end of the fifth inning, and were just able to hold on down the stretch as Toronto threatened to steal it late.

The New York Yankees extended their winning streak to nine games on Saturday, shutting the Toronto Blue Jays out 4-0 on the road.

Jameson Taillon was in impressive form on the mound for the Pinstripes against their divisional rivals, allowing only four hits and striking out eight and managing 14 first-pitch strikes out of 22 batters faced over 88 pitches.

Allowing all four runs and six hits in just over five innings for the Blue Jays, walking one and striking out five, Alek Manoah lost for the first time in 16 career home starts.

Aaron Hicks gave the Yankees important early momentum with a three-run drive off Manoah in the second inning, in an otherwise off night for the top of the batting order.

Improving to 49-16 for the season – leading the Blue Jays by 12 games in the American League East - the Yankees will next face Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who also ended their 11-game win streak in May.

Willson wins in Contreras match-up

Willson Contreras led the way for the Chicago Cubs against younger brother William and the Atlanta Braves, with the Cubs winning 6-3.

Both starting at catcher on Saturday, the two brothers embraced at home plate before Willson's first at-bat, in what was their first meeting in the major leagues. The older Contreras went on to claim three hits and a stolen base in the win.

Kyle Wright gave up a career-high 11 hits, a day after the Cubs snapped the Braves' 14-game winning streak, which broke their own sequence of 10 consecutive losses.

Freeman the fuel as Dodgers hit 40

Freddie Freeman had three hits and Trea Turner homered for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who secured a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

Julio Urias pitched solidly for the Dodgers, giving up only two hits and two walks while striking out six over 87 pitches in six innings to secure his first win since May.

The Dodgers became the fifth team to reach 40 wins for the year, taking a lead of half a game in the National League West over the San Diego Padres.

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.

San Diego Padres ace and NL Cy Young Award candidate Joe Musgrove put in another quality start to help his side to a 6-4 away win against the Chicago Cubs.

While Musgrove finished with a great game, it was a rough beginning, with Christopher Morel hitting a home run from the Cubs' first at-bat of the game.

The Padres took the lead in the second inning as Nomar Mazara connected on a two-run home run, before Jake Cronenworth's RBI double a couple of batters later made it 3-1.

Andrelton Simmons pulled one run back with a base hit later in the second inning, and that would be the last run Musgrove gave up, holding the Cubs scoreless for the next five innings.

Musgrove finished with nine strikeouts from seven complete innings, giving up two earned runs from five hits and one walk.

His dominance through the middle innings allowed the Padres to open up some breathing room, with MVP candidate Manny Machado tacking on a run with an RBI single in the fourth, before Austin Nola made it 5-2 with a sacrifice fly an inning later.

Jurickson Profar completed the away side's scoring with a solo home run in the eighth inning, before the Cubs added a pair of consolation runs with RBIs to Frank Schwindel and Ian Happ.

Machado finished with three hits – all singles – from five at-bats, taking his batting average for the season up to .328.

Yankees walk it off

The New York Yankees came out on top in a hard-fought pitching duel, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 thanks to a walk-off home run by Anthony Rizzo.

Francisco Mejia finally broke the deadlock with a solo home run to give the Rays a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, before Rizzo tied things up with an RBI single an inning later.

Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt only went three innings before he was withdrawn, while Rays starter Jalen Beeks pitched just two innings without allowing a baserunner before he was also pulled, with the two teams trusting their bullpens in long-relief.

With the scores tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, with one out, Rizzo cleared the fence with the game-winning homer, moving the Yankees' league-leading record to 47-16.

Phillies stay hot

It's now 12 wins from their past 14 games for the Philadelphia Phillies after a dominant 10-1 win against the Washington Nationals.

Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was lights-out on the mound, giving up just one run from four hits and no walks in seven complete innings, while his side were just as impressive with the bat.

Five Phillies drove in at least one run each, with Kyle Schwarber the star, hitting two massive home runs, with both travelling further than 415 feet.

St Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas fell agonisingly short of a career-first no-hitter as his side won 9-1 over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Mikolas came within one strike of the rare feat, achieved only 10 times in Cardinals' history, with two outs and two strikes against the Pirates in the ninth inning.

It was Cal Mitchell who denied Mikolas in his no-no bid with a center-field hit that eluded Harrison Bader by inches and bounced over the wall.

Mikolas tossed down a season-high 129 pitches throughout the game, with six strikeouts.

"It kinda stinks to not finish that out," Mikolas said after the game. "I don’t have one yet. I've got friends who have one, it would’ve been nice to join that conversation but I can't say enough about our defense. I kinda feel like I let them down."

Mikolas overshadowed Mike Goldschmidt who had a four-hit, two-homer and five-RBI display in the second game of the double-header.

Goldschmidt sits atop the National League (NL) rankings for batting average (.349) and on-base plus slugging (1.073). He is second in the NL for RBIs (56) and tied for second for home runs (16).

The Cardinals won both games, triumphing 3-1 in the earlier match-up, with Yadier Molina reaching 14,865 putouts which is the most by a catcher in MLB history.

Voit leads Padres' turnaround against Cubs

The Chicago Cubs' slide continued despite boasting a 5-0 lead heading into the sixth inning as Luke Voit turned things around for the San Diego Padres in a 12-5 win.

Willson Contreras enjoyed his 10th career multi-home run game to help the Cubs lead 5-0 before Voit's two-run blast narrowed the gap, followed by another two runs in the sixth for the Padres.

Voit emptied the bases in the seventh inning, finishing the game with five RBIs along with his two hits and two runs from six at-bats.

Astros launch with eighth-inning rearguard

The Texas Rangers blew their shot at a fourth consecutive win after poor fielding cost them in the eighth inning, losing 4-3 to the Houston Astros.

The Rangers were leading 3-0 in the eighth when third baseman Ezequiel Duran misplayed, allowing Jose Altuve to get home despite a mix-up between bases from Alex Bregman's hit.

Two batters later, with Michael Brantley having added a second run, Kyle Tucker hit a two-run blast to clinch a 4-3 victory for the Astros. Tucker extended his active hitting streak to 13 games.

Adam Duvall homered twice of Jose Quintana as the Atlanta Braves secured a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

William Contreras and Matt Olson also went deep off Quintana and Chase de Jong respectively, as the reigning World Series champions claimed their 11th consecutive victory.

Kyle Wright pitched solidly for the Braves in his start, striking out seven and giving up five hits over 79 pitches in six innings with an ERA of 2.57, moving to a 7-3 record over 12 games started.

Atlanta have outscored their opponents 74-30 over that 11-game winning streak, with an ERA of 2.47 over that period.

They continue to chip into the New York Mets' lead atop the National League East, moving to 34-27 for the season so far.

Mets account for Angels

The Mets were able to recover from Saturday's defeat away to the Los Angeles Angels however, winning 4-1 to claim their second game in a three-game series.

J.D. Davis and Pete Alonso homered for the NL East leaders, while Starling Marte had two hits and one RBI as they ended their two-week Californian road trip.

Taijuan Walker was in impressive form, striking out ten and giving up six hits over 97 pitches in six innings, maintaining the Mets' five-and-a-half game lead over the Braves.

Carpenter crushes Cubs for series sweep

Matt Carpenter claimed two home runs and tied his career high of seven RBIs, propelling the New York Yankees to a massive 18-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The 36-year-old Carpenter only signed for the Pinstripes in May as a free agent, with a release by the Texas Rangers following his Triple-A ball assignment, to account for injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson.

The three-time All-Star has now hit six home runs in his first 10 games, with the Yankees now winning 11 of their past 12 after this three-game sweep.

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 Minnesota Twins showed why they are a team on the rise as they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-4 on Friday.

Twins center-fielder Byron Buxton went deep for the third consecutive day, and it was the second day in a row he has hit multiple home runs, with five in his past three games. 

He didn't have to wait long for his first, sending Drew Rasmussen over the fence as the Twins' second batter of the day, and after Isaac Paredes tied things up with his own solo homer, Buxton untied things with his second solo shot in the fifth inning.

Buxton's second home run ignited a massive fifth inning for the home side, with six hits and an error bringing home six runs, turning 1-1 game into a 7-1 blowout.

Sparks would fly again in the seventh inning as Randy Arozerena hit a rare inside-the-park home run for the Rays, and Vidal Brujan backed it up with a home run from the very next at-bat. 

Another Arozerena RBI in the eighth inning cut the margin to 7-4, but Twins star Carlos Correa made sure it was a comfortable final inning as he added two more insurance runs with a 410-foot bomb for the longest hit of the game.

On the mound for the Twins was Devin Smeltzer, who is quickly making his case as being the ace of the staff.

Smeltzer gave up three earned runs in six innings, which is the first time in his six starts this season he has allowed more than two earned runs.

Rasmuessen is having a strong season for the Rays, but he was beat up in this game, conceding seven runs in four-and-a-third innings, although three were unearned due to fielding errors.

New Yorkers are walkin' here

It was a pitching display at Yankee Stadium as the New York Yankees eventually came away with a 2-1 home win against the Chicago Cubs after 13 innings.

Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino was terrific, striking out 10 batters while giving up one run in six innings, while Cubs start Wade Miley was withdrawn due to injury after pitching three scoreless frames.

A solo home run to Gleyber Torres in the fourth inning gave the Yankees the lead, until Jason Heyward answered with his own solo home run for the Cubs an inning later, and that would be followed by seven innings of shut-out baseball.

Eventually, in the bottom of the 13th inning, facing the 16th pitcher of the contest, Jose Trevino was able to send the fans home happy with a walk-off base hit.

Bryce Harper and the Phillies stay hot

The Philadelphia Phillies rattled off their eighth consecutive win as they jumped the Arizona Diamondbacks early on the way to a 7-5 win.

Philadelphia's reigning MVP Bryce Harper collected three hits from his four at-bats, but with no RBIs he relied on his teammates to show up in big spots.

Rhys Hoskins got the Phillies off to terrific start with a 423-foot home run in the first inning, before a three-run blast in the second to Kyle Schwarber helped blow the game open, leading 6-0 after two innings.

Daulton Varsho tried his best to drag the Diamondbacks into the contest, with a solo homer in the sixth inning and a two-run double in the seventh, but the Phillies bullpen was able to finish the job.

DJ LeMahieu's early grand slam propelled the New York Yankees to a 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday as tempers flared again.

A week after Josh Donaldson and Tim Anderson scrapped in Chicago, the two resumed hostilities in the third inning as the former American League MVP, in his first season with the Yankees, rounded second base.

The benches were then cleared in the fifth inning, when the Yankees' designated hitter faced off with White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal.

The Pinstripes started strong early and took the lead in the second with a five-run inning, on the back of LeMahieu going deep off Dallas Keuchel with two out.

Nestor Cortes struck out seven and gave up six hits over 100 pitches in five innings, as the Yankees moved to 29-10.

Musgrove muzzles Giants in Padres win

Joe Musgrove was in fine form as the San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in a big National League West matchup.

Musgrove pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out four and giving up only four hits over 100 pitches.

Manny Machado scored the eventual winning run for the Padres, sending Carlos Rodon's fast-ball back over his head.

Varsho drives Diamondbacks to extra-innings victory

The Arizona Diamondbacks staged a late comeback to defeat the Chicago Cubs, winning 7-6 in an extra inning on the road.

Daulton Varsho was pivotal for the D-Backs, forcing the 10th inning with a two-out, three-RBI double.

Varsho then scored the winning run on the back of a throwing error by Andrelton Simmons in the 10th inning, before Mark Melancon made his ninth save of the season.

The MLB record for most combined home runs in a game was threatened in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 10-6 win against the Chicago Cubs.

Overall, the teams combined to hit 11 home runs – two short of the record, which was set by the Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. 

After the Diamondbacks drove in the first two runs of the contest with a bases-loaded single in the opening inning, Patrick Wisdom launched the first long-ball of the game in the second frame in response for the Cubs.

Arizona took over from there, with seven of the next eight runs coming from Diamondbacks home runs.

Third-baseman Josh Rojas hit his own solo shot in the top of the third inning, and it would be the first of his three home runs in the game, as he hit a two-run bomb in the fifth inning and another solo in the seventh inning, with all three travelling at least 402 feet.

David Peralta hit two home runs for the Diamondbacks, while Alek Thomas and Christian Walker had one each. For the Cubs, Jonathan Villar was the second from his team to go deep, before Christopher Morel and Ildemaro Vargas went back-to-back in the seventh inning.

Given the friendly scoring conditions, the best pitching performance of the game came from Diamondbacks bullpen arm Noe Ramirez, who was only asked to retire four batters, but was the only pitcher from either team to allow no hits and no runs.

Story time continues in Boston

After hitting three home runs on Thursday, Trevor Story stayed hot for the Boston Red Sox on Friday, hitting a bases-loaded grand slam in his side's 7-3 home win against the Seattle Mariners.

Story, who was the Red Sox's biggest off-season signing, had his big moment with two outs in the third inning after Christian Vazquez's base hit and walks to Enrique Hernandez and Xander Bogaerts, launching a long-ball 378 feet over the 'Green Monster' in left-field.

A two-run, 429-foot blast from Abraham Toro in the fifth frame kept the Mariners competitive, before Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. put the game to bed with a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Nats turn rare triple-play

The Washington Nationals were on the wrong end of a 7-0 beating from the Milwaukee Brewers, but they produced one of the rarest plays in baseball.

With no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and runners on first and second base, Milwaukee's Luis Urias hit a hard ground-ball straight at third base, allowing the field to take it cleanly and step on the base, before throwing to second, who got it to first in time for the triple-play.

It was the Nationals' first triple-play since 2016, although it was soured by a dominant pitching performance from Brewer Eric Lauer, who went seven full innings, conceding no runs while allowing just five hits and no walks.

Boston Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi made unwanted history after becoming the third pitcher in major league history to allow five home runs in an inning as the Houston Astros won 13-4 on Tuesday.

Eovaldi allowed homers to Yuli Gurriel, Michael Brantley, Jeremy Pena, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez in the second inning as the Astros raced to a 9-1 lead.

The 32-year-old Red Sox right-hander lasted only one and two-third innings, allowing eight hits and six earned runs with no strikeouts.

It was the first time in Astros franchise history that they have had a five-homer inning.

"They did an outstanding job hitting mistakes," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

"We didn't get any swings and misses. Obviously, it's surprising. Now, we just have to move onto the next one."

Cora added on Eovaldi: "He's a strikethrower, right? He was in the zone, and they had a gameplan. They got good pitches to hit. I think that's the bottom line."

Eovaldi has allowed 14 homers this season for the Red Sox, who have a 14-22 record.

Judge takes season HR tally to 14

Aaron Judge continued his big-hitting form with two homers taking his season tally to 14 in the New York Yankees' 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Judge homered in both the third and fifth innings, finishing the game with four hits and three RBIs. The game marked Judge’s third multi-homer game of the season and the 19th of his career.

It could have been three homers for Judge, with his first-inning drive smacking into the top of the 13-foot barrier, before he was thrown out at third base.

Rookie Morel blasts first at-bat

Rookie Christopher Morel created some positive history when he became the first Cub to homer in his first big-league at-bat since Willson Contreras in 2016 in the Chicago Cubs' 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The prospect added an exclamation point to the big win when he was sent in for a pinch-hit with his side 6-0 up in the eighth inning, delivering a blast over left field from Chase De Jong.

"I've known this guy for a really long time, and he makes me proud," Contreras said. "It was amazing. He told me [he would homer], and I felt like he was going to get something done… Once I saw the ball going out, I was like, that was a no-doubt. That kid has some pop in his bat."

The New York Yankees continued their red-hot start to the season with a 6-2 away win against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

With the win, the Yankees are now 26-9, and sit three games clear atop the standings.

As has been the story with the Pinstripes this season, their power was again the driving force in their success, with every run scoring as a result of an extra-base hit.

New York took the lead in the third inning through a Giancarlo Stanton RBI double, before Jose Trevino gave the Yanks some breathing room with a three-run homer an inning later.

Anthony Santander launched his own long-ball in response for the Orioles, making it 4-1 later in the fourth inning, and that score would hold all the way through to the ninth frame.

After Luis Severino pitched six terrific innings, allowing just one hit – Santander's home run – with two walks, the big bats came back to the plate to put the icing on the cake.

Josh Donaldson blasted the longest shot of the night for a 395-foot solo shot, before Rizzo topped it as the very next batter, sending his solo home run 406 feet through the Baltimore sky.

In a consolation for the home fans who stuck around, Santander hit his second bomb of the night in the bottom of the ninth.

Cubs go crazy in first inning

The Chicago Cubs wasted no time putting their 9-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates to bed, jumping out to a 8-0 lead in the first inning.

Pirates starting pitcher Dillon Peters was only able to get two outs before being pulled from the game as the Cubs piled on eight hits and two walks for their eight runs, highlighted by a grand-slam from Willson Contreras in his second plate appearance of the inning.

Cubs pitcher Wade Miley was lights-out, retiring 12 straight batters through the fourth inning, and finished with just one hit allowed, and no walks, through seven complete frames.

Brewers battle for 1-0 win

A wild pitch was the only thing that could bring in a run in the Milwaukee Brewers' 1-0 win against the Atlanta Braves.

Freddy Peralta was spectacular on the mound for the Brewers, striking out 10 batters in seven full innings, conceding just two hits and one walk.

Ian Anderson was not much worse for the Braves, giving up four hits and two walks in his six innings, but a costly wild pitch in the sixth inning while a runner was on third base gifted the Brewers the game's only run, and the win. 

Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts starred for the Los Angeles Dodgers swept a double-header on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

Kershaw dominated the opener, giving up only five hits and striking out two over 81 pitches in seven innings, as the Dodgers won 7-0.

Betts shone in the night game, smashing a three-run double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the ninth to secure a 6-2 win.

Tyler Anderson struck out seven and gave up four hits over 80 pitches in five innings as the Dodgers claimed a fifth straight win.

They moved to 18-7 for the season and lead a strong National League West division, with every team holding a record at .500 or over.

Flores leads Giants to win over Cards

Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam in the first inning and finished with a career-high six RBIs as the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-7.

Logan Webb struck out seven but gave up eight hits and four runs over 84 pitches in five innings, while Mauricio Dubon and Darin Ruf also hit home runs for the Giants.

Yadier Molina reached 1000 career RBIs and Dylan Carlson added a three-run homer, but it was not enough as the Cards had their three-game winning streak ended.

Polanco propels Twins to victory

Jorge Polanco led the Minnesota Twins as they sent the Oakland Athletics to their eighth consecutive defeat, claiming a 1-0 win.

Polanco had three of the Twins' five hits on the night from four at-bats, including a monster home run in the sixth inning, his third for the year.

Minnesota pitchers combined to strike out 15 while allowing three hits, as they maintained their lead atop the American League Central.

Alek Manoah was in intimidating form on Thursday as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated their divisional-rival Boston Red Sox 1-0.

The 24-year-old Blue Jays starter gave up only three hits and struck out seven over 92 pitches in seven innings.

With Xander Bogaerts rested, the second-year pitcher was able to put the Red Sox batters under constant pressure, claiming first-pitch strikes on 15 of the 25 he faced.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored the winning run in the third inning, moving to second after a walk for Raimel Tapia and getting home via Alejandro Kirk's two-out single.

The Blue Jays moved 13-7 for the season, within a game of the New York Yankees atop the American League East.

Acuna returns for Braves

Ronald Acuna Jr. made his return for the Atlanta Braves, who defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-2.

The 24-year-old made was taken off the injured list after a 10-month absence from a torn ACL and was immediately inserted into the lineup, starting as leadoff hitter for the Braves.

The Venezuelan went without a hit from his first three at-bats, but finished one-for-five and stole two bases.

Halos continue impressive start

The Los Angeles Angels claimed their 12th win in 16 games and secured a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 4-1 victory on Thursday.

Rookie pitcher Reid Detmers struck out four and allowed two hits over 88 pitches in five innings, but most notable was the fact the Angels performed at the plate without big showings from Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

While Trout went zero-for-two at the plate and Ohtani was rested, Brandon Marsh had three hits and an RBI while Taylor Ward claimed two RBIs and a hit in the win.