Hunter Brown and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Houston Astros moved into a tie for the AL West lead with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

Yainer Diaz delivered the big blow with a two-run single and the Astros (51-46) won for the 18th time in 24 games. They trailed the Mariners by 10 games and were seven games under .500 on June 18.

Seattle, meanwhile, has stumbled to an 8-16 mark during that span and turned in a listless effort against a division rival coming out of the All-Star break that led to boos from the home fans after the final out.

Brown allowed four hits with three walks and five strikeouts to win for the sixth time in seven starts.

Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly each worked a perfect inning and Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 19th save.

Houston did all its scoring in the third against Luis Castillo.

Trey Cabbage doubled, then scored as Jose Altuve reached on a bunt single and a bad throw by Josh Rojas got away from first baseman Ty France. Alex Bregman was hit by a pitch and Yordan Alvarez walked to load the bases.

Diaz then jumped on Castillo’s first pitch for a two-run single and a 3-0 lead.

Pirates rally, walk-off Phillies

Nick Gonzales delivered a walk-off single and the surging Pittsburgh Pirates completed a rally from a three-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pittsburgh trailed 7-4 but pulled to within one in the seventh on an RBI infield single by Oneil Cruz and Rowdy Tellez’s sacrifice fly.

Jose Alvardo was called on to protect the slim lead in the ninth, but Connor Joe led off with a single and Andew McCutchen walked. After a double steal, Bryan Reynolds struck out and Cruz brought home the tying run on a fielder’s choice.

Gonzales then sent a first-pitch cutter through the left side of the infield to give the Pirates their fifth straight win and seventh in eight games.

Pittsburgh (49-48) moved over .500 for the first time since April 24.

Trea Turner homered and Weston Wilson had a career-high three hits, including his first home run of the season, for the major league-best Phillies, who lost their third in four games.  

Freeman’s slam lifts Dodgers

Freddie Freeman drilled a grand slam in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen worked four scoreless innings in a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Nick Pivetta limited the Dodgers to two hits over six scoreless innings, but the Dodgers got to Boston’s bullpen in the eighth.

Miguel Vargas drew a leadoff walk against Zach Kelly and Chris Taylor struck out before Brennan Bernadino entered. He gave up a ground-rule double down the left-field line to Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Freeman followed by sending an 0-1 slider over the wall in right field for his 15th home run and seventh career grand slam.

Gavin Stone allowed one run and six hits over five innings before Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough each pitched a scoreless frame. Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

All-Star MVP Jarren Duran homered for the Red Sox, who entered the break with 10 wins in 14 games.  

Kyle Schwarber hit another leadoff home run and All-Star Matt Strahm struck out Shohei Ohtani in a key spot as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for their major league-leading 60th win on Wednesday night. 

The Phillies have won the first two games of this three-game series between division leaders. At 60-32, only the 1976 team (88 games) reached the 60-win mark faster in a season in franchise history.

Philadelphia won without All-Star slugger Bryce Harper, who sat out with a bruised left hand after he returned for Tureday’s10-1 win following a nine-game absence. Harper was hurt at an unspecified point, through he clearly grabbed his hand and hunched over in pain on a second-inning chopper by Miguel Rojas.

Strahm entered with one out in the seventh and the Phillies holding a 4-2 lead. With runners at the corners, he struck out Ohtani and retired Teoscar Hernandez on a fly out to escape the jam.

The Dodgers scored a run in the eighth on Rojas’ RBI single, but Jeff Hoffman tossed a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.

Schwarber’s homer off Gavin Stone was his 39th career leadoff homer and 18th overall this season.

Valdez pitches Astros past Marlins

Framber Valdez struck out a season-high 10 over seven stellar innings and rookie Joey Loperfido homered and tripled to propel the Houston Astros to their eighth straight home win, 9-1 over the Miami Marlins.

Valdez allowed six hits – all singles – and walked one to win his third straight decision.

Loperfido hit a two-run homer to highlight a four-run second off Bryan Hoeing and had his first career triple in the fourth.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs for the Astros (48-44), who have won eight of 11 to match a season high at four games over .500.

Perez’s home runs help Royals sweep

Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez hit a solo shot in the nightcap as the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of their day-night doubleheader.

Garrett Hampson had two-run double to back a strong start by Alec Marsh in the Royals’ 6-4 victory in the early game.

Kyle Isbel homered in the second game and James McArthur pitched the ninth for his second save of the day and 17th of the season.

Kansas City notched its 50th and 51st wins of the season after it totaled just 56 victories all last season.

Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt homered in the opener for the Cardinals, while Lars Nootbaar went deep in the nightcap. St. Louis entered the day having won four of five.

Chris Sale pitched six strong innings to become the second 11-game winner in the majors and Austin Riley had a two-run double to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Sale allowed three hits and struck out nine with two walks to join Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 11-game winners.

The veteran left-hander needed only six pitchers to retire the Giants in order in the first and struck out the side in the third. He added two more strikeouts to open the fifth before Curt Casali lined a single to center for San Francisco’s first hit.

Three relievers finished the four-hitter with Raisel Iglesias working the ninth for his 21st save.

Atlanta had three straight hits to open the second and took a 1-0 lead on Adam Duvall’s run-scoring double off Jordan Hicks.

Riley’s two-run double off the right-field wall in the fifth made it 3-0.

Kremer, O’Hearn lift Orioles

Dean Kremer pitched five scoreless innings in his return and Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Kremer was excellent in his first start since May 20 due to a triceps strain. He yielded just two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth for his 21st save of the season and 438th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list.

O’Hearn delivered a two-out, two-run double in a three-run third against Logan Gilbert and added a solo home run in the fifth.

Baltimore won for the sixth time in seven games and sent Seattle to its 10th loss in 13 contests. The Mariners’ lead in the AL West has been cut to two games over Houston.

Alvarez homers again as Astros roll

Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game and Jose Altuve delivered a tiebreaking single during a four-run seventh inning as the surging Houston Astros rolled to a 9-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs to help the Astros win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Alvarez doubled home a run in the third, led off the sixth with his 19th home run, scored after an intentional walk in the seventh and capped his night with an RBI double in the eighth.

Alvarez, who has seven home runs in 13 career games in Toronto, is 11 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs in his last six games overall. 

Last-place Toronto (39-47) has lost 11 of 15 to match a season high at eight games under .500.

Manny Machado homered twice and drove in five runs and Jackson Merrill had three hits, including a home run, to lead the streaking San Diego Padres to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Machado hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Tanner Houck and added a three-run shot in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-0.

It was the 40th career multihomer game for Machado, who is 17 for 41 (.415) with four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games.

Bryce Sullivan also went deep as the Padres (46-41) won their season-high fifth straight and ninth in 10 contests to move five games over .500.

Michael King limited the Red Sox to one run and five hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Houck was tagged for a career-worst eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on his 28th birthday, raising his ERA from an AL-best 2.18 entering the day to 2.67.

Jarren Duran homered for Boston, which has been outscored 29-7 during a three-game skid after an 8-1 stretch.

Astros score 8 unanswered to rally past Mets

Alex Bregman delivered a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth and the Houston Astros rallied from five down for a 9-6 victory over the New York Mets.

Jake Meyers hit an early home run and Jeremy Pena triggered the comeback with a two-run double during a three-run fourth against starter Tylor Megill.

The Astros drew four walks and had just one hit in the decisive eighth inning. Reed Garrett threw a run-scoring wild pitch before Bregman’s line single to right scored two to give Houston a 7-6 lead.

Maurico Dubon added some insurance with a two-run double in the ninth and the Astros won for the 11th time in 15 games.

Mark Vientos homered and Jose Iglesias had three hits for the Mets, who had won four straight and 16 of 20.

Kjerstad’s slam lifts Orioles

Rookie Heston Kjerstad hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Santander added his 13th home run this month as the Baltimore Orioles held on for their fourth straight win, 6-5 over the reeling Texas Rangers.

The Orioles became the third team in MLB history to hit at least 60 homers in a calendar month, joining the 2023 Atlanta Braves (61 in June) and the 2019 Yankees (74 in August).

Baltimore has gone deep 14 times in its last five games and leads the majors with 139.

Cade Povich earned his first major league win after allowing two runs – both on homers – and five hits in five innings.

Craig Kimbel walked two in the ninth but got Adolis Garcia to fly out for the final out for his 19th save.

Corey Seager, Derek Hill, Nathaniel Lowe and Garcia homered for the Rangers, who matched a season high with their sixth straight loss and dropped their ninth in a row on the road.

Seager left in the fifth inning after he was hit on his left wrist by a pitch from Povich. The Rangers said X-rays on the wrist were negative, and the four-time All-Star would be evaluated Sunday.

Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the second straight game and extended his RBI streak to a franchise-record 10 consecutive games in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Ohtani took Erick Fedde deep on a full-count fastball for his National League-best 25th home run. It was his third leadoff homer of the season and his eighth home run in the last 10 games.

He is batting .310 (27 for 87) with 11 homers and 23 RBIs in 23 games this month.

Gavin Stone shut down the White Sox on four hits in his first career complete game. He struck out seven and walked none to improve to 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his last 11 starts.

Los Angeles (51-31) won its fourth straight and has won eight of 10 to move a season-best 20 games over .500.

The major league-worst White Sox (21-61) have lost seven of eight to fall 40 games under .500. They were shut out for the 12th time this season and were 1 for 21 with runners in scoring position while totalling three runs and 17 hits in the three-game series.

Streaking Astros roll Rockies

Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 10 over seven scoreless innings and was backed by Yainer Diaz’s three hits as the Houston Astros won their season-high seventh straight, 7-1 over the Colorado Rockies.

Arrighetti limited the Rockies to three hits and didn’t walk a batter for the first time in the longest start of his rookie season.

Houston (40-40), which opened 7-19, reached .500 for the first time this season and is batting .320 while averaging 6.9 runs during the seven-game streak.

The Astros broke open the game with a four-run seventh to take a 6-0 lead. Cesar Salazar had a sacrifice fly before Jose Altuve hit a soft grounder to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and his throw home was high, allowing another run to score.

Alex Bregman then grounded into a forceout, but a throwing error by second baseman Brendan Rogers sent another run home. Yordan Alvarez hit a ground-rule double and Diaz’s single stretched the lead to 6-0.

The Rockies are 0-4 against the Astros this season and have dropped 11 in a row at Minute Maid Park, dating to Aug. 15, 2018.

Orioles end skid, cool Guardians

Cedric Mullins snapped a tie with a seventh-inning home run and Gunnar Henderson belted his 26th of the season as the Baltimore Orioles snapped the Cleveland Guardians’ seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory.

Ryan O’Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who had lost five in a row since a 17-5 pounding of the Yankees on June 20. It was their longest losing streak since May 2022.

Mullins connected off Xzavion Curry to lead off the seventh, putting Baltimore ahead 3-2.

Grayson Rodriguez surrendered solo home runs to Jhonkensy Noel and Gabriel Arias but not much else. He gave up three other hits over seven innings without a walk and struck out four.

Cionel Perez pitched a perfect eighth and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save and 434th of his career.

Noel was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and became the fourth Cleveland player to homer in his first major league at-bat. The last Cleveland player to go deep in his first at-bat in the majors was Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006.

Corbin Carroll had a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Slade Cecconi pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fourth straight, 5-4 over the reeling Cincinnati Reds.

Joc Pederson homered in the first inning and finished with three hits for Arizona, which got RBIs from five different players.

Spencer Steer’s two-run single in the seventh completed Cincinnati’s comeback from a 4-1 deficit, but the Reds lost their eighth in a row, a stretch during which they scored just 17 runs.

Cincinnati has lost 11 of 13 to drop a season-high five games under .500 (16-21).

Cecconi gave up three hits with two strikeouts before Logan Allen allowed three runs over the next 1 1/3 innings. Paul Seward struck out two in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Twins rough up Gilbert in rout of Mariners

Manny Margot highlighted a five-run first inning with a three-run double off Mariners ace Logan Gilbert and the Minnesota Twins rolled to an 11-1 win over Seattle.

Pablo Lopez struck out 10 and allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings to win his third straight start.

Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler each homered and knocked in two runs for the Twins, who have won 15 of 17 to move a season-best seven games over .500 (22-15).

Minnesota has averaged 6.6 runs and 10.1 hits over that 17-game span.

Gilbert failed to pitch into the sixth for the first time in eight starts this season and surrendered eight runs on nine hits with two walks in five innings. His AL-leading 1.69 ERA increased to 2.94.

Astros avoid season sweep to Yankees

Yordan Alvarez and Jon Singleton homered in the first inning and the Houston Astros held on for a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees.

Alvarez hit a two-out shot off Marcus Stroman and Singleton followed Jeremy Pena’s walk for a 3-0 lead.

Pena added a fifth-inning RBI single for the Astros, who were outscored 40-18 in the first six games this season – all losses – against the Yankees.

Ronel Blanco allowed two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings and Josh Hader got the final four outs for his fourth save.

Anthony Volpe had a two-run homer and Aaron Judge belted a 473-foot shot in the eighth, but New York had a five-game winning streak snapped.

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.

Shohei Ohtani homered to tie for the most by a Japan-born player, but Jackson Merrill singled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning to lift the San Diego Padres to an 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Ohtani took Michael King deep with one out in the first inning for his fourth home run of the season and 175th of his career, tying him with Hideki Matsui, who played 10 seasons in the majors from 2003-12.

Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez also homered for the Dodgers, who squandered a 7-3 lead after five innings.

Jake Cronenworth’s solo home run in the sixth drew the Padres within 7-4 and San Diego scored three in the seventh on a run-scoring groundout before Fernando Tatis Jr.’s two-run blast off Ryan Brasier tied it.

Manny Machado and Ha-Seong Kim homered as the Padres got back to .500 (8-8) with their third win in four games.

The Dodgers failed to score in the 10th and 11th innings, with Betts flying out to center with the tying run at third in the 11th.

De La Cruz homers again as Reds cruise

Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer for his fourth longball in his last four games to back a strong start by Andrew Abbott in the Cincinnati Reds’ 11-1 rout of the Chicago White Sox.

Tyler Stephenson also went deep and Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Santiago Espinal each added two hits and three RBIs for the Reds.

De La Cruz singled in the second inning to reach safely for the 18th straight game dating to last season.

He hit his fourth home run of the season in the third after he had an inside-the-park homer and 450-foot drive during a 10-8 win over Milwaukee on Monday before going deep again in a 7-2 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday.

De La Cruz is 8 for 15 with four home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs in his last four games.

Rangers drop Astros 7 under .500

Jonah Heim homered and had four RBIs and Evan Carter added three hits to help the Texas Rangers to a 12-8 victory that dropped the Houston Astros seven games under .500 for the first time in eight years.

Houston, which has lost four straight and allowed 36 runs in its last three games, fell to 4-11. The Astros are seven below .500 for the first time since they were 22-29 before a Memorial Day win in 2016, a season in which they dropped to 20-29 before a five-game winning streak.

Texas extended its lead to 12-3 with four runs in the sixth, as Adolis Garcia singled home a run before Heim had a run-scoring groundout and Jared Walsh stroked a two-run single.

Kyle Tucker homered twice, and Jake Meyers drove in three runs for the Astros.

Bobby Witt homered to cap a nine-run first inning and finished with four hits, two home runs and five RBIs as the Kansas City Royals routed the Houston Astros 12-3 for their seventh consecutive victory on Thursday.

Vinnie Pasquantino added three hits and three RBIs and Maikel Garcia knocked in two runs for the Royals, who completed a perfect seven-game homestand. It’s just the third time in franchise history they’ve played at least seven games on a homestand without a loss. The other two came in 1988 and 1985.

Kansas City sent 15 men to the plate in the first inning and tied a club record with 11 hits. The Royals batted around in an inning for the second straight game.

Hunter Brown recorded just two outs and allowed nine runs and 11 hits.

Houston gave up 24 runs in the final two games of the series and dropped to 4-10. It is the Astros’ worst 14-game start since also opening 4-10 in 2013.

Sears, Athletics 1-hit Rangers

JP Sears pitched no-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics combined on a 1-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Sears allowed leadoff walks in the first, second and fifth innings before Adolis Garcia ended his no-hit bid with a one-out single in the seventh on an 0-2 pitch.

Sears struck out five, including 2023 World Series MVP Corey Seager three times.

Austin Adams got the final two outs of the seventh and Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller each worked one inning to finish the one-hitter.

Cowser hits 2 homers as Orioles sweep

Rookie Colton Cowser capped a stellar series with his first two career home runs and four RBIs as the Baltimore Orioles rallied for a 9-4 win in 10 innings to complete a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

Gunnar Henderson opened the 10th with a two-run homer off Isaiah Campbell and Cedric Mullins singled home a run before Cowser drilled a 3-0 pitch over the wall in right field for a three-run shot.

Cowser, who hit his first career homer in the fifth inning, went 6 for 13 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in the three-game set.

Orioles prospect Jackson Holliday scored two runs but went 0 for 4 for the second straight game.

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. 

The Houston Astros have signed All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve to a five-year, $125million contract extension, keeping one of the franchise's iconic players inked through 2030.

Altuve had been entering the final year of his previous deal.

Houston announced the deal on social media on Tuesday, declaring Altuve to be “an Astro for life.”

Only three players have ever played more games in an Astros uniform, and Altuve has been a cornerstone of Houston’s seven straight trips to the American League Championship Series, helping them win the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

“He's a franchise-type player; one of the best in Houston history,” owner Jim Crane said last November at the annual owners’ meetings. “And we hope someday he's a Hall of Famer.”

Altuve also became a lightning rod for opposing fans and media during the team’s sign-stealing scandal in recent years.

Standing just 5-foot-6, Altuve beat the odds just to be signed out of Venezuela in 2007.

Altuve, 33, has been selected as an All-Star eight times and was the AL’s Most Valuable Player in 2017, when he won his third batting title in four years.

In 1,668 career games – all with the Astros – Altuve has a .307 batting average and .834 OPS with 209 home runs and 293 stolen bases.

Some of Altuve’s most memorable moments, however, have come during Houston’s recent play-off runs.

Altuve’s 27 career post-season home runs and 89 runs scored both rank second all-time.

Altuve will be 39 when his new extension runs out, at which point he will be the first second baseman to make over $300million in career salary, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

Joe Espada will reportedly become the next manager of the Houston Astros.

Multiple news outlets reported the hiring on Sunday and the Astros have a news conference scheduled for Monday, and Espada will be introduced then.

The 48-year-old Espada spent the last six seasons as Houston's bench coach and this will be his first managerial position.

Many had considered Espada to be the favourite to become the Astros' manager after the 74-year-old Dusty Baker retired last month.

Baker had managed the Astros since 2020, and led Houston to the 2022 World Series title. He retired last month after the team was eliminated by the Texas Rangers in the American League championship series - Houston's seventh straight trip to the ALCS.

Espada played nine seasons of minor league baseball from 1996-2006, before pursuing a career in coaching.

After retiring as a player, he worked as a coach for the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees before joining the Astros' staff.

Last season, Espada was reportedly a finalist for Miami's open managerial job - a position that went to Skip Schumaker.

The Texas Rangers are through to their first World Series since 2011 with an 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros in game seven of the American League Championship Series.

The Rangers will come up against either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Arizona Diamondbacks, who face off for a place in the final in their deciding game seven on Tuesday.

Corey Seager’s early home run helped Texas grab the initiative straight away as they raced into a commanding lead.

Rangers led 4-2 in the third innings and they hammered in four more runs in the top of the fourth to secure a comfortable triumph as Houston were denied a third-successive World Series appearance.

Texas are the oldest club in Major League Baseball to not have a World Series to their name but will have the opportunity to get their first by playing four of the seven games at their home stadium in Arlington.

Adolis Garcia homered twice and drove in five runs to set an MLB post-season record for RBIs in a series, and the Texas Rangers rolled to an 11-4 victory over the rival Houston Astros in Monday's Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to secure their first World Series appearance since 2011.

Garcia went 4 for 5 to cap a sensational ALCS in which he amassed 15 RBIs, the most by any player in a play-off series in MLB history. The Cuban slugger homered in each of the final four games and was an obvious choice for series MVP.

Corey Seager and Nathaniel Lowe also homered and rookie Evan Carter had a two-run double for Texas, which won Games 6 and 7 in Houston to improve to 8-0 on the road in these playoffs, tying an MLB record for consecutive away wins to begin a single post-season set by the 1996 New York Yankees.

Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy made history as well by becoming the first manager to win a League Championship Series with three different teams. The 68-year-old previously guided the San Francisco Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and led the San Diego Padres to the 1998 Fall Classic.

He'll now try to end the Rangers' 61-year drought without a World Series title, the longest of the six current MLB franchises that have never won one. Texas lost to Bochy's Giants in the 2010 World Series and to the St. Louis Cardinals the following year in their lone other previous appearance.

The defending World Series champion Astros were bidding to become the first team to win three consecutive league pennants since the Yankees did so in four straight seasons from 1998-2001.

They fell behind early, however, as Texas scored three times off Cristian Javier in the first inning.

Seager started the scoring with a one-out homer and Carter singled and stole second before coming home on Garcia's base hit for a quick 2-0 lead. Garcia then stole second and came around on a single by Mitch Garver.

Javier was pulled after recording just one out and allowing three runs on four hits. The right-hander entered Game 7 with a 1.69 ERA while winning both of his two previous starts in this post-season.

The Astros got a run back in the bottom of the first when Jose Altuve doubled off Max Scherzer and later scored on Jose Abreu's single, but Garcia's first homer of the night restored Texas' three-run advantage in the third.

Alex Bregman got Houston back within two with a solo homer off Scherzer in the bottom of the third, but the Rangers scored four times off J.P. France in the fourth to break the game open.

After loading the bases with one out on two singles and a walk, Carter doubled to right to bring in two runs and Garcia drove in two more with a single that pushed the lead to 8-2.

Scherzer permitted two runs in 2 2/3 innings before being removed in favour of Jordan Montgomery, who tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his second win of the ALCS.

Lowe's two-run homer in the sixth stretched Texas' lead to 10-2. The Astros got a run back on Yordan Alvarez's RBI single in the seventh before Garcia went deep again in the eighth for the Rangers' final run.