NL-best Pirates win 7th straight for best start in 31 years
Sun, Apr 23, 2023
MLB News (AP)
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Vince Velasquez struck out 10 in seven innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates blanked the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 on Sunday for their seventh consecutive victory.
The surprising Pirates moved into first place in the NL Central and improved to 16-7 - the top record in the National League - for the franchise's best start since its last division title in 1992.
It was the most strikeouts for Velasquez (3-2) since May 10, 2018, when he had 12 for the Phillies against the Giants. He allowed two hits and walked two.
David Bednar struck out two in the ninth for his eighth save, finishing a four-hitter.
Hunter Greene (0-1) pitched six innings of one-run ball for the Reds, who have dropped six in a row.
RED SOX 12, BREWERS 5
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Masataka Yoshida homered twice during Boston's nine-run outburst in the eighth inning against Milwaukee.
Justin Turner and Yoshida started the eighth with back-to-back homers off Matt Bush (0-1) that gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead. Yoshida then capped the inning with a grand slam off Javy Guerra.
Yoshida also had a sacrifice fly in the first and finished with six RBIs. He became the fifth Red Sox player to homer twice in one inning, and first since Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz in August 2008.
MLB
Yoshida is the fourth rookie in major league history to hit two home runs in an inning and the first since Joe Pepitone for the New York Yankees in 1962, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Boston bounced back after blowing an early 3-0 lead to move above .500 and win the weekend series. Kaleb Ort (1-0) got the victory.
Brian Anderson went deep twice for the Brewers.
RAYS 4, WHITE SOX 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Zach Eflin pitched five effective innings in his return from the injured list and Tampa Bay hit two more home runs, beating slumping Chicago for its 13th consecutive home win to begin the season.
Tampa Bay (19-3) tied the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-longest home winning streak to start a season since 1901. The 1907 New York Giants opened with 15 straight wins at home.
Luke Raley and Harold Ramirez went deep for the Rays, who have homered in each of their first 22 games - extending their major league record. Tampa Bay has 48 home runs, second-most in big league history through 22 games behind the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (52).
Eflin (3-0) allowed one run and three hits in a game that took only 2 hours, 2 minutes. Yonny Chirinos followed with three perfect innings. Peter Fairbanks worked a 1-2-3 ninth to get his third save and run his team-record scoreless streak to 29 innings.
Eloy Jimenez had an RBI double for the White Sox, who have lost nine of 11 and are 7-15 overall. Lucas Giolito (1-2) gave up four runs in seven innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 1
NEW YORK (AP) - Kevin Gausman struck out 11 in seven shutout innings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho hit back-to-back homers following an error by rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe, and Toronto handed New York its first series loss this season.
The Blue Jays won for the 12th time in 18 games, taking two of three in the Bronx. The Yankees had won or split their first six series, their longest streak to start a season since 2003.
New York had been 11-0 when facing a series loss and was the only major league team that hadn't dropped a series this year.
Gausman (2-2) bounced back nicely from allowing eight runs Monday at Houston and held the Yankees to three hits.
Guerrero hit a two-run drive in the sixth off Clarke Schmidt (0-2) for his second homer of the series.
Anthony Rizzo homered in the ninth as the Yankees avoided being shut out for the first time this year.
RANGERS 5, ATHLETICS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jacob deGrom struck out 11 in six innings, showing no ill effects from the right wrist soreness that forced an early exit from his prior start, as AL West-leading Texas beat major league-worst Oakland.
Robbie Grossman hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs.
DeGrom (2-0) allowed three hits and walked none, giving up a two-run homer to Shea Langeliers. Will Smith worked a scoreless ninth to complete the five-hitter and earn his second save.
Kyle Muller (0-2) gave up four runs in five innings.
ASTROS 5, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) - Yordan Alvarez tied the game with a two-run single in the eighth inning, pinch-hitter Corey Julks had a go-ahead single in the ninth and Houston won its fourth straight.
Atlanta's skid reached four games for the first time since August 2021.
Alvarez's two-out, bases-loaded hit off A.J. Minter (1-2) made it 2-all. Julks singled to left-center off Minter in the ninth.
Hector Neris (2-1) worked a scoreless eighth and Bryan Abreu pitched the ninth for his second save.
PHILLIES 9, ROCKIES 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Trea Turner hit one of Philadelphia's four home runs and Zack Wheeler struck out 11 in six innings to lead Philadelphia over Colorado.
Turner and Kody Clemens each had a solo homer. Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh connected for two-run shots.
The Phillies took the final three games of a four-game series and have won six of eight overall. Wheeler (2-1) finished with his 17th career double-digit strikeout game and ninth with the Phillies.
Rockies starter Jose Urena (0-4) gave up four runs and walked four without a strikeout in 3 2/3 innings.
GUARDIANS 7, MARLINS 4
CLEVELAND (AP) - Logan Allen struck out eight over six innings in his major league debut and his Cleveland teammates helped him get the win over Miami.
The 24-year-old lefty, called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, allowed five hits and walked one. He gave up a solo homer to Jon Berti in the third.
Amed Rosario went 4 for 5 with a triple and a double while scoring three runs for the Guardians. Jose Ramirez had four RBIs, and he and Josh Bell hit back-to-back homers in the third.
Jesus Luzardo (2-1) took the loss. Avisail Garcia hit a three-run homer for the Marlins.
DODGERS 7, CUBS 3
CHICAGO (AP) - Mookie Betts homered and drove in four runs in his first career start at shortstop, leading Los Angeles past Chicago.
Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez also connected as the Dodgers took three of four in the series at Wrigley Field. Clayton Kershaw (4-1) pitched six innings of three-hit ball in career win No. 201.
Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner in right field who made his big league debut in 2014, hit a tying, two-run shot off Marcus Stroman (2-2) in the third inning. He also lined a two-run double to left in the ninth.
Yan Gomes hit a solo homer for the Cubs, who won two of three at Dodger Stadium last weekend. Cody Bellinger collected two more hits against his former team, including a run-scoring single.
Brusdar Graterol pitched two innings for his first save.
ORIOLES 2, TIGERS 1, 10 INNINGS
BALTIMORE (AP) - Adam Frazier dashed home on a wild pitch by Mason Englert (0-1) in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Baltimore over Detroit for its sixth straight victory.
The Orioles won for the 10th time in 12 games, this time on a day when Detroit lefty Eduardo Rodriguez retired the first 20 Baltimore hitters. Keegan Akin (1-1) kept the Tigers off the scoreboard in the top of 10th.
The Tigers left 13 runners on base, including three in the 10th.
Rodriguez's bid for a perfect game was broken up by Ryan Mountcastle's two-out single in the seventh, but that was the only baserunner he allowed in seven innings.
Spencer Torkelson hit a sacrifice fly for the Tigers in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Anthony Santander doubled home a run to tie it in the bottom half.
TWINS 3, NATIONALS 1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jorge Polanco homered and Bailey Ober pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning as Minnesota defeated Washington.
Michael A. Taylor also connected for the Twins, who won for just the second time in eight games after a 10-4 start. Polanco had three hits, while Ryan Jeffers and Jose Miranda each had two.
The Nationals finished with three hits after getting 15 in Saturday's 10-4 win. Keibert Ruiz had an RBI double in the first.
Ober (1-0) struck out four and walked three in 5 2/3 innings. Jhoan Duran worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.
Patrick Corbin (1-3) permitted three runs in six innings.
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