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• MLB: White Sox snap AL record-tying 21-game losing streak

  Jonathan Cannon pitched six strong innings and Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer as the Chicago White Sox ended an American League record-tying 21-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

  The White Sox won for the first time since July 10 after their 21-game skid matched the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the longest in AL history. They avoided the major league record of 23 straight losses set by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies.

  Cannon allowed his only run on Zack Gelof’s home run and five other hits with two walks and five strikeouts for his second major league win.

  Dominic Leone, Chad Kuhl and John Brebbia finished with three hitless innings.

  The White Sox took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Benintendi’s home run off Ross Stripling scored Luis Robert Jr., who had singled.

  Gelof’s 14th homer in the bottom half cut Oakland’s deficit in half, but Chicago extended to a 4-1 lead in the sixth on Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single and a wild pitch by Michel Otanez.

   

  Astros’ Valdez falls just short of history

  Framber Valdez came up one out shy of his second career no-hitter, allowing a two-run homer to Corey Seager, before the Houston Astros held on for a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.

  Needing three outs for his second no-hitter in just over a year, Valdez walked Robbie Grossman to open the ninth before Ezequiel Duran grounded into a double play. After Josh Smith walked, Seager blasted the first pitch he saw into the right-field seats to get the Rangers within 4-2.

  Josh Hader replaced Valdez and walked Marcus Semien but got Josh Jung to fly to the wall in right for his 23rd save.

  Valdez had a perfect game through five innings and faced the minimum of 18 batters through six.  He won his third straight start and sixth consecutive decision, allowing one hit and three walks with five strikeouts.

  The left-hander threw his first career no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cleveland on Aug. 1, 2023. Teammate Ronel Blanco pitched the 17th no-hitter in franchise history against Toronto on April 1.

  Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the ninth that ended up being the difference.

   

  Surging Red Sox edge Royals

  Dominic Smith scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning on a call that was overturned on a challenge, and the Boston Red Sox held on for a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.

  Smith doubled to open the sixth and moved to third on a single by Eric Sogard. After David Hamilton struck out, Smith charged home on a pitch by Seth Lugo that bounced in front of the plate and got away from catcher Salvador Perez. Perez chased the ball to the backstop, wheeled and threw to Lugo, who appeared to tag Smith for an apparent out.

  The Red Sox challenged the call, which was overturned on review.

  Masataka Yoshida added a two-run single later in the inning and Kenley Jansen got the final four outs for his 21st save.

  Boston has won three straight and five of six to pull within one-half game of Kansas City for the final AL wild card.

   

• White Sox lose 21st straight, tie AL record

  The Chicago White Sox tied an American League record with their 21st consecutive loss after being handed a 5-1 defeat by the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

  Chicago mustered just one run and three hits through seven innings against A's starter JP Sears to match the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the second-longest losing streak in Major League Baseball since 1900. The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies own the longest skid in the modern era with 23 straight losses.

  Max Schuemann snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run single in the fourth inning to help support Sears (9-8), who retired the final 10 batters he faced after surrendering Andrew Benintendi's run-scoring single in the top of the fourth to improve to 5-1 over his last six starts.

  Benintendi's hit brought home Andrew Vaughn, who doubled earlier in the inning, to knot the score at 1-1 before the A's answered with two runs in their half of the fourth.

  Oakland loaded the bases when White Sox starter Ky Bush hit Darrell Hernaiz with a pitch after giving up a double to JJ Bleday and walking Zack Gelof. Schuemann then delivered a single to left to drive in two runners and provide Sears with a 3-1 advantage.

  Oakland increased its lead on Lawrence Butler's solo homer in the sixth inning, then tacked on another run in the eighth when Gelof scored from third on a pitch that got past White Sox catcher Korey Lee as Schuemann struck out.

  Bush, called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, allowed just two hits over four innings in his MLB debut, but issued five walks and permitted three runs.

  The rookie left-hander walked three batters to load the bases in the first inning, which led to the A's first run when Tyler Nevin plated Daz Cameron with a sacrifice fly. 

  Ohtani's homer helps Dodgers down Phillies in Freeman's return

  Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 34th home run of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers made Freddie Freeman's return to the lineup a winning one with Monday's 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

  Teoscar Hernandez added a two-run homer in Freeman's first game since July 25. The All-Star first baseman had been away from the Dodgers for 10 days to attend to his 3-year-old son, who had been hospitalized with an autoimmune condition before being released Sunday.

  Ohtani also drove in a pair of runs while finishing 2 for 3 to help Los Angeles win the opener of this marquee three-game series between the NL's top two teams.

  The Dodgers also received a solid start from Tyler Glasnow (9-6), who struck out nine over six innings while allowing three runs. Three Los Angeles relievers then finished off the victory, with Daniel Hudson tossing a scoreless ninth to earn his eighth save.

  Aaron Nola (11-5) worked six innings for the slumping Phillies but was touched for four runs, all of which came in the third inning as Los Angeles erased an early 2-0 deficit.

  Philadelphia has now lost seven of its last eight games and is just a half-game ahead of the Dodgers in the race for the NL's best record.

  Nola cruised through the first two innings but quickly ran into trouble in the third, as Jason Heyward and Andy Pages delivered back-to-back doubles to get the Dodgers on the board. After Pages advanced to third on Nick Ahmed's infield single, Ohtani lifted a long sacrifice fly to right field that tied the contest at 2-2.

  Hernandez followed with a line drive into the seats in left to put Los Angeles ahead with his 24th homer of the season.

  Glasnow kept it a 4-2 lead until the sixth, when Kyle Schwarber singled and reached third on Bryce Harper's one-out double before scoring on a groundout off the bat of Alec Bohm.

  Ohtani restored the Dodgers' two-run advantage, however, with a solo homer off Tanner Banks to open the bottom of the eighth.

  The Phillies reached Glasnow for two second-inning runs with the help of a misplay by Pages, who couldn't come down with Nick Castellanos' long fly ball to center field that resulted in a two-out triple.

  Bryson Stott then plated Castellanos with an infield single, and Austin Hays followed with a base hit to advance Stott to third. Stott would score on a wild pitch uncorked by Glasnow to give the Phillies a 2-0 edge.

  Rangers shock Astros on Smith's homer in 10th

  Josh Smith came through with a game-winning two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to a stunning 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros in the opener of a key three-game series between AL West contenders.

  Smith's blast off Caleb Ferguson sent slumping Houston to a third straight loss and prevented the Astros from moving within a half-game of the first-place Seattle Mariners in the division standings.

  The defending World Series champion Rangers are now five games behind Seattle after winning for just the third time in 10 games.

  After the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th when Texas closer Kirby Yates hit consecutive batters with pitches to force in a run, Ferguson entered the game and struck out the first two men he faced with a designated runner on second base.

  Ferguson fell behind in the count to Smith, however, and the utility player sent a 3-1 fastball deep into the right field seats to end the game.

  The Rangers opted to intentionally walk Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez in the top of the 10th to put two runners on base, but the strategy backfired when Yates hit Yainer Diaz in the hand and then plunked Jeremy Pena with the bases loaded to put the Astros ahead.

  Texas had tied the game on Corey Seager's solo homer off Ryan Pressly in the bottom of the eighth, erasing a 2-1 lead the Astros had taken in the top of the inning when Jose Altuve singled, took second on a wild pitch from Rangers reliever David Robertson and later scored on Pena's infield single.

  Alex Bregman gave Houston an early 1-0 advantage with a solo homer in the third inning off Andrew Heaney, the only hit the Rangers' starter allowed in six innings of work.

  Texas pulled even in the fifth when Nathaniel Lowe drew a walk against Houston starter Hunter Brown, advanced to third on Adolis Garcia's single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras.

  Brown yielded just one run and three hits over six innings.

   

• MLB: Woeful White Sox lose 20th straight

  The Chicago White Sox are now Major League Baseball's first team in 36 years to lose 20 consecutive games in a season following Sunday's 13-7 defeat to the Minnesota Twins.

  Royce Lewis and Willi Castro each drove in three runs and helped the Twins build an early 8-0 lead en route to extending the White Sox's epic losing streak, which is now one game short of tying an American League record. The Baltimore Orioles own that dubious mark after dropping their first 21 games of the 1988 season.

  Chicago, which last won on July 10 and owns the worst record in the majors at 27-87, next heads to Oakland for a three-game series beginning Monday. The Athletics have the second-worst record in the AL at 46-67.

  Lewis had a three-run homer among his two hits and scored three times in Minnesota's fourth straight win. Castro and Jose Miranda each collected three hits as the Twins remained a half-game ahead of Kansas City for the AL's second wild-card spot. The Royals rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

  The Twins quickly jumped ahead with two first-inning runs aided by an error by Chicago second baseman Brooks Baldwin, whose miscue allowed Byron Buxton to score with two out. Both Buxton and Lewis had reached base by drawing walks off White Sox starter Chris Flexen.

  Miranda followed with a single that drove in Lewis for a 2-0 lead. 

  Flexen also walked Austin Martin to begin the bottom of the second, setting the stage for a six-run inning for Minnesota. Castro delivered a run-scoring double two batters later and scored on Trevor Larnach's single for a 4-0 advantage.

  After Buxton doubled to send Larnach to third, Lewis launched his 13th homer of the season to pad the margin to 7-0. Miranda later singled and Matt Wallner followed with a triple to cap the big inning.

  Flexen (2-11) lasted just 1 2/3 innings and was tagged for eight runs - six earned - on seven hits.

  Andrew Vaughn doubled in Baldwin in the third to get the White Sox on the board, then scored on a Lenyn Sosa single for Chicago's second run. The White Sox got a bit closer in the fourth when Baldwin's run-scoring single cut the lead to 8-3.

  Chicago trimmed its deficit further on Andrew Benintendi's two-run homer in the top of the seventh, but the Twins responded with a pair of runs in their half of the inning.

  After loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single, Minnesota got a run back on a passed ball by White Sox catcher Korey Lee and another on Ryan Jeffers' sacrifice fly.

  The White Sox did answer in the top of the eighth, as Luis Robert doubled in a run and crossed the plate on Vaughn's double to pull Chicago within 10-7. However, the Twins scored three times in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach.

  A Lewis single and a Miranda double helped load the bases before Chicago reliever Steven Wilson forced in a run with a walk. Castro then knocked in Minnesota's final two runs with a single to center.

   

  Wheeler, Phillies get back on track with shutout of Mariners

  Zack Wheeler yielded just two hits over eight dominant innings and the Philadelphia Phillies socked four home runs to pull away for a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners that halted the National League leaders' season-high six-game losing streak.

  Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott all went deep during a five-run eighth inning to help Philadelphia avoid being swept in the three-game series.

  Wheeler (11-5) recorded nine strikeouts and bounced back strongly from a rough previous start, a loss to the New York Yankees on Monday in which he permitted seven runs in five innings. The All-Star retired the final 15 hitters he faced after issuing a walk to Cal Raleigh to start the bottom of the fourth.

  The right-hander's gem helped pin a tough-luck loss on AL All-Star Logan Gilbert (6-8), who surrendered just three hits following Schwarber's early homer and fanned seven over six innings.

  Gilbert's effort helped keep Seattle close until the eighth, which Stott opened with a homer off Yimi Garcia to increase the Phillies' lead to 2-0. Garcia retired the next two hitters before walking Trea Turner and giving way to Taylor Saucedo, whom Harper greeted with a homer to right for a 4-0 advantage.

  Bohm then sent Saucedo's next pitch into the left field stands to provide Wheeler with some further insurance.

  The Mariners were able to keep their slim one-game lead over second-place Houston in the AL West after the Astros were dealt a 1-0 loss by the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. 

   

  Henderson, Holliday homers help Orioles earn split with Guardians

  Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday had home runs to help power a 15-hit attack that carried the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians in a clash of AL division leaders.

  Henderson and Eloy Jimenez each finished with three hits, while Adley Rutschman went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs as the Orioles earned a split of this key four-game series. The Orioles also remained tied with the New York Yankees, who defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in 10 innings Sunday, for first place in the AL East.

  Colton Cowser added two hits and scored three times to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, tied for the longest by a rookie in Orioles history.

  Josh Naylor had a three-run homer for the Guardians, but Cleveland starter Gavin Williams was rocked for six runs and eight hits despite registering eight strikeouts in four innings.

  Henderson got his day started with a first-inning single before scoring on Ryan O'Hearn's double that gave Baltimore an early 1-0 lead. 

  The Orioles extended the margin in the third after loading the bases when Williams (1-4) walked Cowser and Henderson in between an Anthony Santander double. Rutschman followed with a sacrifice fly and Jimenez then drove in Santander with a single for a 3-0 advantage.

  Cleveland did answer with a pair of runs off Corbin Burnes in their half of the third. Daniel Schneemann singled, stole second and scored on a Steven Kwan single to get the Guardians on the board, and a throwing error by Burnes on Jose Ramirez's infield single later enabled Kwan to cross the plate and trim the Orioles' lead to one.

  Holliday's second career homer, a solo shot in the fourth, gave Baltimore some breathing room, and Henderson launched his 29th homer of the season with Cowser aboard later in the inning to put the Orioles up 6-2.

  The Guardians again battled back courtesy of Naylor's homer off Burnes in the fifth, which came after both Kwan and Ramirez had reached base on singles.

  Burnes (12-4) allowed five runs - four earned - in five innings but was able to obtain his 12th win of the season thanks to the Baltimore bullpen, which held Cleveland scoreless over the final four innings while using five relievers.

  The Orioles' offence continued to produce, however, as Cowser and Henderson each singled in the sixth in front of Ryan Mountcastle's run-scoring base hit that stretched the lead to 7-5. Rutschman then brought in Henderson with a double to give Baltimore a three-run cushion.

  Rutschman drove in another run in the eighth with a single that plated Santander.