Though the Philadelphia Phillies currently hold a comfortable lead atop the National League East, they'll have to make do without two of their most important hitters for at least some period of time.
The Phillies placed first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber on the 10-day injured list Friday, one day after both were hurt in the team's 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins.
Harper, named to his eighth career All-Star Game as the NL's leading vote-getter prior to Thursday's contest, strained his left hamstring while running out a ground ball for the final out of the game.
Schwarber, the 2022 NL home run champion, exited in the eighth inning after straining his left groin while making a throw from the outfield to first base.
Both players are undergoing additional testing, though Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Friday the team believes the two sluggers may be out for only 10-to-14 days and each has a chance to return before the All-Star break, which begins July 15.
Harper, the NL MVP in 2015 and 2021, is in the midst of another outstanding season. The 31-year-old currently ranks third in the NL with 20 home runs and fourth in runs batted in (58) to go along with a .303 batting average in 76 games. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a run-scoring double in the first inning of Thursday's loss.
Schwarber, whose 110 home runs since the start of 2022 trails only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge for the most in the majors, is hitting .250 with 17 homers, 49 runs batted in and an NL-leading 59 walks in 79 games.
The two-time All-Star was making only his third start in the outfield this season in Thursday's game.
Kody Clemens is expected to fill in for Harper at first base after being activated from the injured list Friday. The son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens batted .256 with three home runs and 10 RBIs over 17 games before landing on the IL with back spasms earlier this month.
The Phillies own MLB's best record this season at 53-28 despite injuries to other key members of the lineup. Shortstop Trea Turner missed more than six weeks with a strained hamstring before returning on June 17, while catcher J.T. Realmuto is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month.
MLB: Machado hits 2 home runs as surging Padres rout Red Sox
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.
MLB: Surging Mets cool Astros to move over .500
Jeff McNeil hit a three-run homer and Pete Alonso and Tyrone Taylor added solo shots to lead the surging New York Mets to a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Friday night.
The Mets (40-39) have won four straight and 12 of 14 to move over .500 for the first time since May 2. They are 18-6 since May 30 – the day after players held a team meeting following a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers.
New York scored four runs in the sixth off Ronel Blanco to snap a 2-2 tie.
Alonso hit a home run with one out before Francisco Alvarez doubled. One out later, Mark Vientos reached on an error by third baseman Alex Bregman and McNeil followed with his fourth home run.
McNeil had been 12 for 83 (.145) since his previous homer against Cleveland on May 22. He finished 3 for 4 in his first three-hit game since May 7.
Jose Altuve homered and Yordan Alvarez had three hits for the Astros (40-41), who went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 14 runners on base.
Houston failed to move over .500 for the first time this season.
Chourio’s slam lifts hot Brewers
Jackson Chourio became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a grand slam and the Milwaukee Brewers won their fifth straight, 4-2 over the Chicago Cubs.
The Brewers loaded the bases in the fourth against Jameson Taillon on a walk, catcher’s interference and Rhys Hoskins’ single off Taillon’s glove. Chourio then connected on a 1-2 sweeper for his ninth home run and second in two games.
It was the second straight game that Milwaukee went deep with the bases loaded after Jake Bauers’ slam on Wednesday against Texas.
At 20 years and 109 days, Chourio is the youngest player in the majors with a grand slam since Jose Reyes at 20 years and four days on June 15, 2003, for the New York Mets.
The Brewers have won six straight at home and are 16-3 in their last 19 there.
Wisely’s walk-off homer lifts Giants
Brett Wisely belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 5-3 victory, snapping the Los Angeles Dodgers’ four-game winning streak.
After the Dodgers tied the game in the top half of the ninth on Jason Heyward’s sacrifice fly, Luis Matos opened the bottom half with a walk against Blake Treinen. Wisely then drilled a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right field for his third home run.
Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a walk, ending his franchise-record 10-game streak with at least one RBI.
The Giants took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Matt Chapman’s two-run homer after Matos’ blast an inning earlier drew San Francisco within 2-1.
MLB: Phillies star Harper injures hamstring in loss
Bryce Harper limped off the field with a hamstring injury after making the final out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
Harper reached for his left hamstring after crossing first base and hobbled toward the dugout after grounding out to second.
“I felt my lower hammy, just a little bit. We’re going to get an image tomorrow and see what that looks like,” Harper said. “See how I feel tomorrow and go from there.”
Earlier in the day, the slugger was selected by fans to start at first base for the National League in the July 16 All-Star Game at Texas.
The Phillies also lost slugger Kyle Schwarber, who exited in the ninth after experiencing left groin tightness. Schwarber, normally a designated hitter, started in left field – just his third game in the field all season.
Jake Burger hit a go-ahead solo homer for Miami in the eighth after Bryan De La Cruz tied the score at 3 with a three-run double in the seventh.
Burger added an RBI single in the ninth to close the scoring.
Orioles slug 4 homers in rout of Rangers
Heston Kjerstad hit one of the Orioles’ four home runs and drove in three to back Corbin Burnes’ stellar start to lead Baltimore to an 11-2 rout of the Texas Rangers in the teams’ first matchup since last season’s American League Division Series.
Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman also went deep for the homer-happy Orioles, who have won two straight following a season-high five-game skid.
Baltimore leads the majors with 136 home runs with a franchise-record 57 coming in June. Only the Atlanta Braves (61 in 20023) and the Yankees (58 in 2022) have hit more in June in major league history.
Burnes scattered nine hits over seven innings and allowed one run in his 13th quality start this season. He joined teammate Grayson Rodriguez as nine-game winners.
The four-game series is a rematch of the 2023 ALDS, in which the Rangers pulled off a three-game sweep.
Jon Gray was tagged for eight runs and nine hits in five innings.
Adolis Garcia homered for the Rangers (37-44), who lost their fourth straight overall and seventh in a row on the road.
Springer’s blasts propel Blue Jays
George Springer hit a pair of three-run homers and Jose Berrios pitched seven strong innings to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-2 win over the struggling New York Yankees.
Springer entered batting just .196 with six home runs, two of which he hit on the first two days of the season. But the veteran outfielder drilled a 391-foot drive into the second deck in Toronto’s five-run first inning against Carlos Rodon, then added a 434-foot shot to center in the second to make it 8-0.
Springer’s second homer was the 250th of his career and gave him 22 multihomer games.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo homer as Toronto won its second straight following a seven-game skid.
The Yankees opened June with five consecutive wins, capping an eight-game streak, but are 7-12 since, including a season-worst four straight losses.
Berrios allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and fanned a season-best eight.
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