Paul Skenes struck out the first seven batters and finished with 11 as part of six no-hit innings in his second major league start, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Skenes allowed just one baserunner – Michael Busch’s full-count walk in the fifth – in a dominant performance to earn his first victory. He struck out the side in the first and fanned Mike Tauchman on a 100-mph fastball on his 100th and final pitch – his 12th to reach triple digits.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 amateur draft became the third rookie with seven strikeouts to start a game, joining Jacob deGrom on Sept. 15, 2014, and Jim Deshaies on Sept. 23, 1986. He also became the first rookie with an outing of at least six no-hit innings and 10-plus strikeouts since Chris Heston threw a no-hitter for San Francisco against the Mets on June 9, 2015.
The Cubs didn’t get their first hit until Christopher Morel singled against Carmen Mlodzinski with two outs in the seventh.
Andrew McCutchen and Jared Triolo homered for the Pirates, who have won the first two games of this series after losing seven of nine.
Kyle Hendricks allowed season highs of eight runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings in his second start since returning from a lower back strain.
Rays’ Alexander flirts with perfection
Tyler Alexander took a perfect game into the 8th inning before Danny Jansen blooped an opposite-field, one-out single and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Alexander retired his first 22 batters, but Jansen dropped a 1-0 changeup between right fielder Josh Lowe and second baseman Richie Palacios.
Davis Schneider homered two pitches later to draw the Blue Jays within 4-2.
Alexander allowed three runs on three hits without a walk and struck out four. He threw 105 pitches, three more than his previous career high.
Pete Fairbanks pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in five chances.
Palacios hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Chris Bassitt as Tampa Bay won for the 10th time in 14 games.
Streaking Astros edge Brewers
Jake Meyers hit a two-run homer and Jeremy Pena added a three-run shot to lift the Houston Astros to their sixth consecutive win, 5-4 over the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was the eighth win in nine games for the Astros, who moved into third place in the AL West.
Jake Bauers homered and Joey Ortiz added three hits, including a three-run home run for the Brewers, who went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
MLB: Guardians, Cardinals extend streaks
Jose Ramirez broke a tie with a solo home run in the sixth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians record a sixth consecutive win with Monday's 3-2 victory over the suddenly slumping Baltimore Orioles.
Ramirez had a run-scoring single earlier in the game in support of Tanner Bibee, who tossed six solid innings before three Cleveland relievers protected the one-run lead and send the Orioles to a season-high fourth straight loss.
Bibee (6-2) struck out seven while allowing two runs - one earned - on five hits to win his second straight start.
After Ramirez's 431-foot blast off Cade Povich gave the Guardians a 3-2 edge, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis threw a scoreless inning each before Scott Barlow struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth for his second save of the season.
The Guardians grabbed an early 1-0 edge as their first three hitters reached base off Povich. Steven Kwan led off the game with a single and Andres Gimenez drew a walk before Ramirez brought in the first run with a base hit.
Baltimore countered in its half of the first when Gunnar Henderson stroked a lead-off double and crossed the plate on Ryan O'Hearn's one-out single.
Back-to-back doubles by Gabriel Arias and Bo Naylor in the top of the second put Cleveland back ahead, but the Orioles tied it in the third with an unearned run.
After Adley Rutschman reached base with a double, the standout catcher advanced to third on a fielding error by Guardians' first baseman Josh Naylor before scoring on Anthony Santander's sacrifice fly.
Povich (0-2) took the loss after surrendering three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Lynn, Donovan help Cardinals stay hot
Lance Lynn yielded one run over 6 2/3 strong innings and Brendan Donovan collected three hits as the surging St. Louis Cardinals ran their winning streak to four games with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
The Cardinals have now won nine of 12 after taking the opener of this three-game series, though they had to hang on after Atlanta scored twice off star closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning.
St. Louis had built a seemingly comfortable lead by scoring four runs off Atlanta starter Spencer Schwellenbach in the third inning, all coming with two out.
Alec Burleson began the rally with a double that brought in Michael Siani with the game's first run. Willson Contreras, activated from the injured list prior to the game, then plated Burleson with a single in front of another base hit by Nolan Gorman. Donovan then singled to right to score Contreras for a 3-0 advantage.
Donovan was later thrown out trying to steal second, though Gorman would cross the plate before the tag was made for the Cardinals' fourth run.
That was enough for Lynn (3-3), who gave up a solo homer to Austin Riley in the fifth inning but just three other hits over his outing. The veteran right-hander struck out five without a walk.
Helsley converted his 27th straight save opportunity to begin the season, though it didn't come easy as he walked Marcell Ozuna to begin the ninth before allowing a single to Matt Olson. Another walk would load the bases with one out to set up Ramon Laureano's run-scoring single that cut the lead to 4-2.
Olson scored on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud to get the Braves within a run, though Hesley would strike out Zack Short to end the game.
Schwellenbach (1-3) struck out six over five innings but permitted all four St. Louis runs on eight hits.
Phillies turn rare triple play in rout of Tigers
Bryce Harper went 3 for 5 with a homer and five RBIs and was part of a rare triple play turned by the Philadelphia Phillies in an 8-1 rout of the Detroit Tigers.
The Phillies also got a very good start from Aaron Nola (9-3) en route to their third straight win. The right-hander held the Tigers to one run and six hits while striking out six without a walk over seven innings.
Nola also snared a line drive off the bat of Matt Vierling with the Tigers threatening in the third inning, then threw the ball to Harper at first base to double off a runner for another out. Detroit's Zach McKinstry was also running from third on the play and was thrown out as well when Harper relayed the ball to third baseman Alec Bohm to complete the triple play.
According to Major League Baseball, it was the first 1-3-5 triple-play (pitcher-to-first base-to-third base) in an MLB game since 1929.
The Phillies had a 4-0 lead at that point thanks to a big first inning that began when Kyle Schwarber reached on a fielding error by shortstop McKinstry. Trea Turner then doubled before Harper sent both runners home with a double of his own to open the scoring.
Bohm then drilled a pitch from Casey Mize over the left field wall for his first of four hits on the night, with the two-run homer giving Philadelphia a 4-0 advantage.
Detroit got on the board in the fifth when McKinstry doubled and scored on Carson Kelly's single, but Harper's three-run homer off Tyler Holton in the sixth increased the Phillies' lead to 7-1.
Harper also scored Philadelphia's final run in the eighth by coming home on a double from Bohm, who finished 4 for 5 with three runs batted in.
Mize (1-6) registered a career-high 10 strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings, but was tagged for nine hits while surrendering four runs - three earned.
MLB: Rangers' Scherzer wins in return
Max Scherzer allowed one hit over five scoreless innings in a triumphant return to the mound as the Texas Rangers earned a 4-0 win over the sputtering Kansas City Royals on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep.
Scherzer retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced in a dominant delayed season debut. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was making his first appearance in a major league game since last year's World Series after recovering from back surgery and a nerve issue in his right arm.
The 39-year-old set down the first 13 Kansas City hitters before surrendering a ground-rule double to MJ Melendez with one out in the fifth inning.
Leody Taveras led Texas offensively by going 2 for 4 and delivering a two-run single as the Rangers scored three times in the fourth inning to break a 0-0 deadlock.
Adolis Garcia led off the inning by drawing a walk against Alec Marsh and Nathaniel Lowe followed with an infield single to put two on for Wyatt Langford, who drilled a double to center to plate Garcia with the game's first run.
Marsh got the next two hitters out but couldn't retire Taveras, who blooped a ball into left field that fell in to extend Texas' lead to 3-0.
The Royals managed just two hits on the day and lost for the 11th time in 14 games. Jose Urena relieved Scherzer and gave up one hit over the final four innings to record his first save of the season and close out the Rangers' fourth straight win.
Josh Smith accounted for Texas' final run with a solo homer in the seventh inning.
Marsh (5-5) worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits.
Lopez fans 14 in eight scoreless innings in Twins' win
Pablo Lopez also came through with a masterful pitching performance Sunday, as the Minnesota ace struck out 14 Oakland Athletics hitters over eight shutout innings in the Twins' 3-0 win.
Lopez (7-6) retired the first 17 Oakland hitters before Lawrence Butler broke up the perfect-game bid with a clean single with two out in the sixth inning. The 2023 All-Star yielded just one other hit and a walk while matching a career high for strikeouts.
Byron Buxton supplied the offence for Minnesota, which took two of three games in the series, by going 2 for 3 with a homer and two runs batted in.
Buxton's solo homer off Hogan Harris in the second inning staked the Twins to a 1-0 lead. Harris held Minnesota scoreless over the next four innings, but ran into trouble in the seventh.
Carlos Santana and Willi Castro began the inning with back-to-back singles before Buxton chased Harris with a run-scoring double. Castro then scored the Twins' final run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Kyle Farmer.
Harris (1-1) was charged with all three Minnesota runs while giving up five hits in six-plus innings.
Griffin Jax relieved Lopez to start the ninth and struck out two more A's hitters to wrap up Minnesota's eighth win in 11 games.
Valdez's gem gives Astros sweep of Orioles
Framber Valdez shut down the Baltimore Orioles' potent lineup over seven strong innings to lead the surging Houston Astros to an 8-1 win and a three-game series sweep of one of the American League's top teams.
Valdez (6-5) scattered six hits and struck out seven while permitting one run to help Houston to a fifth consecutive win. The defending AL West champions are now two games under .500 (38-40) for the first time since losing their first two contests of the season.
The Astros also received plenty of offence to become just the second team to sweep a three-game series from Baltimore this season. Yainer Diaz and Jeremy Pena each had three hits and three RBIs, Alex Bregman went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and Jose Altuve homered among his two hits.
Houston wasted no time getting on the board, as Altuve launched Orioles' starter Albert Suarez's first pitch of the game over the left field wall to ignite a four-run opening inning.
Bregman followed with a double and scored on Diaz's one-out single before Pena stroked a run-scoring double to quickly put Houston up 3-0. Mauricio Dubon then plated Pena with a single to cap the big inning.
The Astros tacked on another run off Suarez in the fourth when Cesar Salazar singled, took third on another Bregman double and scored on Diaz's sacrifice fly.
Suarez (3-2) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in five innings of work.
Jordan Westburg homered off Valdez in the top of the sixth for Baltimore's only run, but the Astros would score twice more in the bottom of the inning to pad the margin.
Bregman and Diaz each reached on singles before Pena drove in both with a double that increased the lead to 7-1.
Altuve singled in the eighth and later scored Houston's final run on Diaz's second sac fly of the game.
MLB: Judge hits MLB-best 28th HR as Yankees lose Stanton in win
Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 28th home run and Marcus Stroman pitched into the seventh inning as the New York Yankees avoided a fourth straight loss with an 8-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.
Marcell Ozuna opened the scoring with a home run off Stroman in the first inning, but Judge answered in the bottom half with a two-run shot - his 10th in the last 19 games.
Judge grounded into a double play in the third to make it 3-1, and he drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth for his MLB-leading 70th RBI.
Stroman limited the Braves to a solo homer before allowing two runs in the seventh. He gave up three runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts to win for the fifth time in six decisions.
Trent Grisham also homered and Juan Soto reached base four times on a single and three walks to help the Yankees avoid their longest losing streak of the season.
New York’s Giancarlo Stanton left due to left hamstring tightness. He doubled in the fourth and winced when he rounded third on Gleyber Torres’ double. Grisham pinch hit for Stanton leading off the sixth and the Yankees said the oft-injured slugger will have imaging Sunday.
Travis d’Arnaud went deep for the Braves, who lost for the second time in nine games.
Ohtani goes deep again in rout
Shohei Ohtani continued his torrid home run pace with a two-run shot and Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 over seven innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels for a split of the Freeway Series.
After Gavin Lux led off the bottom of the third against Zach Plesac with a home run, Cavan Biggio singled before Ohtani launched a 459-foot blast to right to put the Dodgers up 3-0.
Ohtani homered in his third straight game and has six in his last seven games to increase his NL-best total to 23.
Glasnow gave up two runs – one earned – and two hits without a walk in his second straight excellent outing.
The Dodgers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Angels.
Kwan continues surge in Guardians’ win
Red-hot Steven Kwan homered and Jose Ramirez and Bo Naylor added two-run shots as the Cleveland Guardians handled the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3.
Kwan went 2 for 4 with a double to raise his average to .390 but he doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify as the major league batting leader after he missed several weeks with a hamstring injury.
Since returning to the lineup on May 31, Kwan is batting .468 (29 for 62) with three home runs, 11 RBIs and 17 runs in 16 games. He had a 14-game hitting streak snapped Friday.
Cleveland (48-26) hit all three homers off Jose Berrios to win its fourth straight and move a season-best 22 games over .500.
Toronto has dropped five in a row, matching its longest skid of the season.
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