MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Steven Kwan homered on the second pitch of the game and Bo Naylor also went deep for the Cleveland Guardians in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night that stopped their season-long seven-game losing streak and created some space in the narrowing AL Central race.
Cleveland lengthened the lead on defending division champion Minnesota to 2 1/2 games by ending its longest skid since April 22-28, 2022.
Gavin Williams (2-4) gave the Guardians six strong innings on just the right night, allowing one run on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts in the best of his eight starts this year.
Kwan, the All-Star left fielder who has been a consistent catalyst in the leadoff spot, smacked a fastball from Simeon Woods Richardson into the seats above right-center field for his 11th home run that matches his combined total from his first two seasons in the major leagues .
Woods Richardson (3-3) was just as good as Williams, logging a career-high seven innings and allowing only two other baserunners — both singles — beyond the homers. The rookie threw only 89 pitches.
YANKEES 8, RANGERS 0, 1st game
RANGERS 9, YANKEES 4, 2nd game
NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Rodón scattered three hits over 5 2/3 innings and Austin Wells drove in four runs as New York beat Texas in the first game of a doubleheader.
Corey Seager homered and rookie Cody Bradford pitched five strong innings in the second game as Texas beat New York to earn a doubleheader split.
Rookie Wyatt Langford had two hits and stole a base, and Adolis García finished the doubleheader with five hits and an RBI as Texas snapped a three-game skid.
In the opener, Carlos Rodón scattered three hits over 5 2/3 innings and Austin Wells drove in four runs in the Yankees’ 8-0 win. Aaron Judge drove in his major league-leading 105th run and reached base four times. Adolis García and Josh Jung had two hits apiece for Texas.
The victory in Game 2 was the fourth in 14 games for the Rangers, who are six games behind AL West frontrunners Houston and Seattle. The Astros defeated the Red Sox 5-4, and and Seattle hosts the Mets later Saturday.
Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisolm Jr. homered in the second game for New York, which slipped a half-game behind Baltimore in the American League East and for the best record in AL. The Orioles take on Tampa Bay later Saturday. Chisolm made a costly mental mistake at third base in the loss.
ATHLETICS 1, BLUE JAYS 0
TORONTO (AP) — Osvaldo Bido and three relievers combined on a two-hitter, Brent Rooker hit his 29th home run and Oakland beat Toronto for their ninth shutout of the season.
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to 22 games and matching the longest streak of his career. Guerrero also had a 22-game hitting streak in 2022. His current streak is the longest active streak in the major leagues.
Guerrero went 1 for 4. He struck out swinging in the ninth with the tying run at first base.
Bido (3-3) allowed two hits, both singles, in six innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Left-hander Scott Alexander pitched the seventh, righty Tyler Ferguson worked the eighth and Mason Miller finished for his 17th save in 19 chances.
Toronto was blanked for the fifth time. The Blue Jays are 15-20 in one-run games.
GIANTS 3, TIGERS 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brett Wisely hit a two-run double in the fifth inning and San Francisco rebounded after being no-hit for four innings, beating Detroit.
After being held without a hit for four innings by Detroit’s Alex Faedo and Brant Hurter (0-1), the Giants opened the fifth with consecutive singles by Mike Yastrzemski and Jerar Encarnacion before Wisely drove in two runs with a double down the right-field line. Heliot Ramos followed with an RBI single, scoring Wisely.
Giants right-hander Logan Webb (10-8) tossed seven sharp innings and won his third straight start. Webb allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight. He lowered his ERA to 3.32.
Ryan Walker earned the save in his first opportunity since the Giants demoted closer Camilo Doval to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.
Parker Meadows tripled in the fifth inning and scored Detroit’s run on a fielder’s choice by Dillon Dingler.
ASTROS 5, RED SOX 4
BOSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez belted two home runs and drove in three runs, rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 13 over seven innings and Houston beat Boston.
Zach Dezenzo hit his first major-league homer and Alex Bregman added a solo shot for the AL West-leading Astros, who won their second straight over Boston and fourth straight overall.
Danny Jansen and Masataka Yoshida each had a solo homer for the Red Sox, who lost a series for the first time in their last four.
In recording his 19th career multi-homer game, Alvarez improved his lofty career numbers in Fenway Park, where he’s batting .463 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. He entered the day leading all AL hitters with a .354 average in road games.
His second shot came off a slider from Brad Keller (0-3) and traveled an estimated 422 feet into the right-field seats.
PADRES 9, MARLINS 8, 10 INNINGS
MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez had two hits and drove in three runs, including a go-ahead RBI groundout in the 10th inning, and San Diego beat Miami.
David Peralta singled twice and doubled for the Padres, who have won 16 of their last 18 games.
Ha-Seong Kim drew a leadoff walk against reliever John McMillon (0-1) to start the winning rally. Kyle Higashioka’s sacrifice bunt advanced Kim and automatic runner Tyler Wade before Luis Arraez hit a soft grounder to first baseman Jonah Bride that scored Wade.
Robert Suarez (7-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win, with 11 of his 15 pitches reaching 100 mph.
Miami’s Derek Hill reached on a leadoff bunt single against reliever Tanner Scott in the bottom of the 10th, advancing automatic runner Vidal Bruján to third. After pinch hitter Cristian Pache popped out, Xavier Edwards hit a grounder to third baseman Manny Machado, who threw Bruján out at home. Acquired from Miami at the trade deadline, Scott struck out Jake Burger for his 19th save.
BREWERS 1, REDS 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rhys Hoskins hit a 405-foot home run in the eighth inning to lift Milwaukee to their fifth straight win and their ninth straight series win over Cincinnati.
Hoskins’ 20th homer came off reliever Tony Santillan (0-1), giving him a career-high 14-game hitting streak.
Milwaukee rookie Tobias Myers gave up three hits over 7 1/3 innings and struck out a career-high nine batters. Seven of his strikeouts were against the first three batters in the Reds order, Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson.
Cincinnati’s Nick Martinez gave up one hit and struck out seven in seven innings, his longest outing of the season. He pitched five shutout innings in his previous start, at Miami, his eighth start of the season.
Both starters had a no-hitter until giving up a two-out single in the fourth inning. Neither allowed a runner past first base.
NATIONALS 5, ANGELS 4, 10 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — José Tena hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning hours after being called up from the minor leagues, and Washington defeated Los Angeles to earn their second walk-off victory in as many days.
James Wood homered and Alex Call had his fifth consecutive multi-hit game for Washington, which has won back-to-back games since sinking to a season-high 12 games under .500 on Thursday.
It was the Nationals’ third walk-off victory and 31st come-from-behind victory of the year.
Zach Neto smashed his 17th home run of the season as part of a three-hit night for the Angels.
CJ Abrams, serving as the automatic runner while pinch-running for catcher Keibert Ruiz, moved up to third on the first pitch from Roansy Contreras (2-2). Tena, who Washington acquired from Cleveland on July 29 and was making his debut with the Nationals, then ripped the next pitch off the wall in left-center to win it.
ROYALS 8, CARDINALS 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. drove in three runs and Michael Wacha struck out six in seven innings to lead Kansas City to a win over St. Louis.
Maikel Garcia had an RBI single, Witt added an RBI triple and Salvador Perez hit a two-run, opposite field homer to right in the Royals’ four-run seventh inning.
The victory clinched the season season for Kansas City for the first time since 2016. The teams split the two-game series.
Wacha (9-6) gave up two runs on five hits with two walks. He has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts at Kauffman Stadium this season. Lucas Erceg recorded his fourth save.
Garcia gave the Royals a 3-2 lead in the seventh. Kyle Isbel gave Kansas City an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI triple. Freddy Fermin drove in his 31st run of the season.
CUBS 3, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Amaya delivered a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning, Dansby Swanson had two hits hours after his wife won an Olympic gold medal , and the Chicago Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox to complete a two-game sweep.
Nico Hoerner walked leading off the eighth against Chad Kuhl (0-2) and took second on Swanson’s single. Pete Crow-Armstrong moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, and Amaya lined a two-run single, giving the Cubs a 3-1 lead and sending them to their eighth win in 10 games.
Swanson capped an unforgettable day by singling twice, giving him 1,001 career hits, and scoring a run. He did it hours after his wife, Mallory, scored the lone goal as the U.S. women’s national team beat Brazil for the Olympic gold medal.
Justin Steele tossed six innings, allowing one unearned run and six hits. The left-hander struck out eight and walked two.
Porter Hodge (1-1) retired all three batters in the seventh. Jorge López pitched around a single and a walk in the eighth, striking out Korey Lee and Corey Julks to end that threat.
ORIOLES 7, RAYS 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ramón Urías hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, Ryan Mountcastle drove in three runs and AL East-leading Baltimore beat Tampa Bay.
Baltimore took a one-game lead over the Yankees in the division after New York split a doubleheader with Texas.
The Orioles are 8-1 against the Rays this season.
Baltimore raced to a 4-0 lead after two inning, but squandered that advantage. Urías hit a two-run homer off Colin Poche (1-2) in a three-run eighth inning that put the Orioles up 7-4. Poche left after Mountcastle’s RBI single went off his leg.
Pinch-hitter Jose Siri cut the Rays’ deficit to 7-5 with a two-out, base-loaded walk off Cionel Pérez in the eighth. The reliever then got a fly ball from José Caballero to end the inning.
DIAMONDBACKS 11, PHILLIES 1
PHOENIX (AP) — Jake McCarthy hit two home runs, Ketel Marte got his 30th of the season before leaving with a left ankle contusion and Arizona beat Philadelphia.
Corbin Carroll also homered for Arizona, which has won 14 of its last 17 games to move into a wild-card spot and within range of the Dodgers in the National League West.
Arizona starter Zac Gallen also departed early after moving awkwardly in attempting to field a ground ball in the fifth inning. There was no immediate word on his injury, but the ace right-hander missed a month earlier this season with a right hamstring injury.
Marte came out of the game in the fourth inning. Philadelphia catcher Garrett Stubbs lined a hit off third baseman Eugenio Suárez’s glove and stretched it into a double. The throw to Marte covering second was late and Stubbs’ head-first slide landed him on the back of Marte’s left leg as the fielder was on his knee, and he fell to the ground in pain. The All-Star second baseman eventually left the field under his own power with a trainer and was replaced by Kevin Newman.
McCarthy hit a pair of two-run homers, giving him six for the season and his first career multi-home run game. Marte homered in the first off Aaron Nola to reach the 30 mark for the second time in his career. He hit 32 homers in 2019.
BRAVES 11, ROCKIES 8
DENVER (AP) — Matt Olson had two homers and a career-high six RBIs, Marcell Ozuna and Jorge Soler homered, and Atlanta broke a six-game losing streak with a victory over Colorado.
Olson hit a two-run homer off Angel Chivilli (0-1) to break an 8-8 tie in the seventh inning and Soler added a solo shot in the eighth to help the Braves avoid their longest losing streak in nearly eight years (Aug. 13-20, 2016).
Sam Hilliard had a homer, two doubles and a career-high five RBIs for the Rockies, who have lost 10 of the last 11 against the Braves at Coors Field.
Ozuna homered for the third straight game, and Olson had his second two-homer game in 10 games after hitting two against Milwaukee on July 31. Soler had three hits and three RBIs and has homered in two straight.
Brendan Rodgers and Brenton Doyle had two hits for Colorado, and Ezequiel Tovar had a two-run double in a three-run sixth that tied the back-and-forth game at 8-8.
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