The Atlanta Braves have under-achieved all season, but they unleashed some frustration on Wednesday in a 20-2 demolition of the New York Mets.
After falling behind immediately on Pete Alonso's two-run homer in the top of the first inning, the Braves tied it up in the bottom half on a Ronald Acuna Jr. home run and an Ozzie Albies single and never looked back.
The game turned into a runaway in the fourth, when Atlanta sent 12 men to the plate and scored seven times to take an 11-2 lead.
The Braves tacked on six more in the eighth, capped by Albies' second home run of the night and 15th of the season.
It was the 17th time Acuna and Albies have homered in the same game, which is the most all-time by team-mates 24 or younger according to Stats Perform.
Impressive as Atlanta's offensive outburst was, this was not their largest margin of victory this season, but this game and the Braves' 20-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 21 make them the first National League team to win multiple games by at least 18 runs in a season since the 1901 Brooklyn Superbas.
Angels stun Yankees with late rally
Shohei Ohtani's highly anticipated first start on the mound at Yankee Stadium did not go according to plan, as New York drove the Los Angeles Angels star from the game with seven first-inning runs. But Ohtani's team-mates waited out a two-hour, 13-minute rain delay, then scored seven runs in the top of the ninth after Aroldis Chapman walked the bases loaded to claim a stunning 11-8 victory with Jared Walsh's game-tying grand slam the big blow.
Trent Grisham had two homers, including a grand slam, and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 26th of the season as the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 in a rain-shortened game.
The Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Indians in Cleveland for the first time since September 1977 as Miguel Cabrera capped off the second game with his 494th career home run, moving him into 28th on the all-time list.
Cubs collapse quickly after hot start
The Chicago Cubs scored seven runs in the top of the first inning but trailed 14-7 by the end of the fourth in a 15-7 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. According to Stats Perform, it's the first time in MLB's modern era (since 1900) that both teams have held leads of at least seven runs in the first four innings of a game.
The Houston Astros saw their American League (AL) West lead cut to a half-game after falling 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep at home by the Baltimore Orioles, who still have the worst record in the AL.
Turner's happy birthday
Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals celebrated his 28th birthday in style, collecting a single, double, home run and triple in the first six innings of a 15-6 defeat of the Tampa Bay Rays to hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. He is the fifth player in MLB history to do that, joining John Reilley, Bob Meusel, Babe Herman and Adrian Beltre.
Wednesday's results
Los Angeles Angels 11-8 New York Yankees
Detroit Tigers 9-4 Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers 7-1 Cleveland Indians
Miami Marlins 11-6 Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals 15-6 Tampa Bay Rays
Seattle Mariners 9-7 Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox 6-2 Kansas City Royals
San Diego Padres 7-5 Cincinnati Reds
Atlanta Braves 20-2 New York Mets
Baltimore Orioles 5-2 Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers 15-7 Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox 13-3 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 7-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies 6-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Oakland Athletics 3-1 Texas Rangers
Mets at Braves
The New York Mets (41-35) are not likely to surrender 20 runs again with Jacob deGrom on the mound as they face Ian Anderson and the Braves (38-41) in Atlanta.
MLB: Paddack pitches Twins to 11th straight victory
Chris Paddack pitched two-hit ball over six scoreless innings and Edouard Julien and Ryan Jeffers each drove in two runs to lead the Minnesota Twins to their 11th straight win, 5-2 over the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
The Twins matched win streaks in 2003 and 2006 for their third-longest ever, trailing the club record of 15 straight during their last World Series championship season in 1991. They also won 12 in a row in 1980.
Paddack walked one and struck out six to win his third consecutive start. Jhoan Duran fanned two in the ninth for his second save.
The Red Sox struck out 13 times and lost their second straight following a four-game win streak.
The Twins opened the scoring in the third on Julien’s RBI single and extended to a 5-0 lead with four runs in the seventh.
A throwing error by catcher Reese McGuire scored a run, Julien walked with the bases loaded and Jeffers followed with a two-run double.
Bohm, Marsh lead surging Phillies
Alec Bohm had an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 16 games and Brandon Marsh drove in two runs as the Philadelphia Phillies remained hot with a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Trea Turner added a pair of hits and scored from second on a passed ball for the Phillies, who have won 14 of 17 and lead the majors with 22 victories.
Turner injured his left hamstring running the bases between third and home. He will have further tests on Saturday but said he expects to miss at least a couple of days.
Philadelphia took the lead for good with three runs in the third against Jordan Hicks on Bohm’s RBI single and Marsh’s two-run hit.
Bohm is 30 for 60 with three home runs, 10 doubles and 21 RBIs during his hitting streak.
Sears pitches Athletics to fifth straight victory
JP Sears pitched into the seventh inning and Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer to propel the surprising Oakland Athletics to their fifth consecutive win, 3-1 over the Miami Marlins.
Sears allowed four hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts. Austin Adams and Michael Kelly each got two outs before Lucas Erceg gave up one run over the final 1 1/3 innings for the save.
Oakland improved to 16-17 after it didn’t pick up its 16th win last season until June 10 in the 66th game.
After Rooker’s two-run shot in the fourth inning opened the scoring, Max Schuemann led off the fifth with a double and scored on Esteury Ruiz’s single.
The Marlins, who dropped to 9-25, are working to trade second baseman and reigning NL batting champion Luis Arrez to the San Diego Padres.
Luton Town 1-1 Everton: Hatters squander opportunity to climb out of relegation zone
Luton Town missed an inviting chance to escape the Premier League's bottom three after Friday's hard-fought 1-1 draw with Everton at Kenilworth Road.
Rob Edwards' side would have leapfrogged 17th-placed Nottingham Forest – who visit Sheffield United on Saturday – with a victory, but were instead left level on points with Nuno Espirito Santo's team.
The fit-again Elijah Adebayo cancelled out Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 24th-minute penalty in an entertaining first half, though neither side could find a winner in an end-to-end second period.
Despite an encouraging performance, Luton – who almost snatched a late victory – stay 18th and below Forest on goal difference, while Everton remain 15th in the table.
A tense opening offered few opportunities as Dwight McNeil's left-wing cross deflected off Teden Mengi and forced Thomas Kaminski into a smart reflex stop, but Everton hit the front soon after.
VAR David Coote recommended a pitch-side review before referee Tim Robinson awarded a penalty for a needless Mengi pull on Jarrad Branthwaite's shirt from McNeil's corner, with Calvert-Lewin squeezing his spot-kick under Kaminski.
Yet Luton responded after 31 minutes when Adebayo ushered Ashley Young out of the way from Albert Sambi Lokonga's hanging delivery before swivelling to finish into the bottom-left corner.
Clear-cut chances remained sparse before Carlton Morris' looping header from Alfie Doughty's pinpoint back-post delivery was headed off the line by Ben Godfrey on the stroke of half-time.
Gabriel Osho curled a bending effort narrowly wide of Jordan Pickford's left-hand post shortly after the interval, while former Toffee Ross Barkley headed over from Tahith Chong's left-wing centre.
Jack Harrison's deflected effort almost caught Luton off-guard, though, as Kaminski produced an eye-catching stop before denying a thumping Calvert-Lewin header.
Luton laid siege to Everton's area in stoppage time, but the Toffees clung on, Pickford turning Luke Berry's header wide before a heroic Branthwaite block denied Andros Townsend a last-gasp winner against his former club.
Luton entertain without victory
Prior to Friday's match, Luton had won just one of their last 14 Premier League games (three draws, 10 defeats), with no side picking up fewer points than the Hatters since the start of this run (six).
Edwards' winless misery was further compounded when Mengi's mindless foul on Branthwaite afforded Everton their opener, yet Luton responded to keep their hopes of Premier League safety alive and cement their status among the competition's entertainers.
Luton have both scored and conceded in 29 of their 36 Premier League games this season, a joint-record by any side in a single campaign in the competition, along with Swindon Town in 1993-94 and Southampton in 1994-95.
Everton not resting on laurels
Everton could have been forgiven for letting this game pass them by, having already secured their top-flight status with three straight victories over Forest, Liverpool and Brentford.
Yet the Toffees started well and were good value for their lead as Calvert-Lewin scored his fourth goal in his last five Premier League appearances, as many as he managed in his previous 38.
Some disappointing defending for Adebayo's leveller may frustrate Sean Dyche, but his side still made it four games unbeaten since their 6-0 hammering at Chelsea in the middle of April.
Pochettino laments 'stupid rumours' over future as Chelsea speculation persists
Mauricio Pochettino blasted "stupid rumours" as speculation continues over his future at Chelsea.
Pochettino oversaw a 2-0 win over former employers Tottenham on Thursday, becoming the first manager to complete a Premier League double after previously managing them in the competition.
Yet a longer-term view on the plans under Pochettino remain unclear, with reports linking Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi to Stamford Bridge should the Chelsea manager be moved on.
That comes after another heavy-spending season under the Todd Boehly-led ownership at Chelsea, who splashed once more on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku.
Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson were among the other arrivals amid another chaotic transfer window in west London, with Pochettino battling injury issues and managing a large squad.
Whether Chelsea pull the trigger for another manager may depend on how the Blues finish the season, with Pochettino's side eighth but just three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United.
A place in Europe could be the decisive factor, though Pochettino vented his frustration at the situation in an honest assessment of the media reports questioning his job safety.
"I wanted to say that it is enough with this type of rumours, that if I have one year more [under] contract here and no one says nothing [to me], [I] suppose I'm going to be here," Pochettino said.
"Only if then, the season finishes and someone says to me 'ciao'... Because we don't know at the moment.
"I suppose that I have one more year contract and that I am going to be here. Enough about the stupid rumours.
"You need to ask the club if they want me to keep going or not, not to write things that have no sense."
Pochettino has not been distracted by those rumours, though, with Chelsea winning eight of their last 10 home Premier League games (D1 L1), after managing just one win from the 14 before that (D7 L6).
The Blues will hope to continue that imperious run of form when they host London rivals West Ham on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
