Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres headline the starters for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.

The starters for the upcoming All-Star Game, scheduled for July 13 at Coors Field – home of the Colorado Rockies, were revealed after two rounds of fan voting on Thursday.

Guerrero (aged 22 years and 119 days) will be the youngest Blue Jays player to start an All-Star Game, while he is also the youngest player to start at first base since George Scott in 1966.

Son of an MLB Hall of Famer, Guerrero is only second to Ohtani (28) for home runs this season with 26, while he leads the majors in RBI (66), on-base percentage (.442), OPS (1.117) and three-plus hit games (11 – level with Trea Turner).

Ohtani, 26, is set to become the first Japanese-born player to start an All-Star Game since Ichiro Suzuki in 2010.

The Angels' Ohtani has the most homers this season, while he owns a 3.60 ERA and 83 strikeouts across 60 innings on the mound.

As for Tatis, the 22-year-old shortstop will be the youngest player to start for the Padres in an All-Star Game.

Tatis entered Thursday's action leading MLB with an incredible .705 slugging percentage, while leading the National League (NL) in homers.

Elsewhere, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers will become the first shortstop/third base combo in Boston Red Sox history to start the All-Star Game.

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. will join Eddie Matthews as the player in franchise history to start multiple All-Star Games before turning 24, while Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker will give the Cincinnati Reds multiple outfield starters for the first time since 1956.

All-Star Game starters:

American League

C: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)
2B: Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B: Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)
SS: Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) 
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays) 

National League

C: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
1B: Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
2B: Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B: Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals)
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
OF: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds)
OF: Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds)

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. 

Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs to seize the MLB lead, but the Los Angeles Angels still lost 11-5 to the New York Yankees.

After drilling the hardest-hit home run by an Angels player record by Statcast on Monday, two-way star Ohtani was at it again with a two-homer display at Yankee Stadium 24 hours later.

Ohtani homered in the third and fifth innings as he improved his season tally to 28 home runs, ahead of Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Japanese star's performance on Tuesday drew praise from Yankees counterpart and slugger Aaron Judge, who said: "He's a generational talent.

"To see what he's doing this year is pretty impressive. It feels like any pitch that's over the plate is going to get hit. And it's going to get hit hard."

Ohtani (2021 and 2018) is only the third player with multiple 10-strikeout games and multiple two-homer games in a season since 1901 after Rick Wise (1971) and Jack Harshman (1958), according to Stats Perform.

Judge and Gary Sanchez both homered to help the slumping Yankees snap a four-game skid.

Marquez flirts with no-hitter

Colorado Rockies pitcher German Marquez flirted with history in the team's 8-0 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field. Marquez threw eight hitless innings until Ka'ai Tom led off the ninth inning with a single into right field. Marquez completed a one-hitter, while striking out five batters. According to Stats Perform, he is the first pitcher to throw a Maddux while having two extra-base hits himself since pitches started being tracked in 1988 (A Maddux is a complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches).

Robbie Ray tied Roger Clemens (1997) for the most strikeouts by a Blue Jays pitcher in the first 15 starts of a season after reaching 113 on Tuesday. Ray finished with 10 strikeouts, five hits, three runs and a homer in 6.0 innings as Toronto topped the Seattle Mariners 9-3.

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to five games after defeating the high-flying San Francisco Giants 3-1. The Dodgers are now one and a half games adrift in the National League (NL) West.

Orioles get on top of Garcia

The Houston Astros were crushed 13-3 by the Baltimore Orioles. Robel Garcia was tagged for four runs on two-run homers in his first career pitching performance in the ninth inning. Ramon Urias and Austin Wynns homered off Garcia, who gave up five hits in 1.0 innings.

Schwarber stays hot

Kyler Schwarber celebrated his 12th homer in 10 games to help the Washington Nationals past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3. Schwarber led off the first inning with a home run. He tied Albert Belle (1995) for the most homers over a 10-game span since at least 1901.

Tuesday's results

New York Yankees 11-5 Los Angeles Angels
Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals 4-3 Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox 7-6 Kansas City Royals
San Diego Padres 5-4 Cincinnati Reds
New York Mets 4-3 Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles 13-3 Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox 7-6 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 3-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies 8-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Texas Rangers 5-4 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 San Francisco Giants
Detroit Tigers-Cleveland Indians (postponed)

Angels at Yankees

The Angels (38-41) and Yankees (41-38) will continue their battle at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Red-hot Ohtani will start on the mound for the Angels, while the Yankees counter with Domingo German.

Shohei Ohtani dazzled again as the two-way star fuelled the Los Angeles Angels' 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in MLB action on Sunday.

Ohtani led the way with a double, triple, a home run and three RBIs as the Angels topped the Rays in the series finale at Tropicana Field.

The Japanese sensation improved his season tally to 25 homers and 11 stolen bases for the Angels in 2021, while he has also recorded 82 strikeouts as a pitcher.

According to Stats Perform, only two players in American League (AL) history have had 25-plus home runs, 10-plus stolen bases and 75-pitching strikeouts in their careers – Hall of Famer and all-time great Babe Ruth and Ohtani (reached all three already this season).

Ohtani is also the fastest Angels hitter ever to reach 25 home runs in a season after 77 games.

Red Sox sweep Yankees

New day and same story for the Boston Red Sox, who made light work of bitter rivals the New York Yankees 9-2. The Red Sox swept the Yankees in a three-game series for the second time in a span of three weeks.

Max Kranick enjoyed a perfect debut as he helped the Pittsburgh Pirates take down the slumping St Louis Cardinals 7-2. Kranick retired the side in the fifth inning, pitching five perfect innings in his major league debut before a rain delay forced him from the game. The 23-year-old struck out three on a memorable day.

Cole Irvin remains unbeaten after striking out eight batters in eight innings as the Oakland Athletics avoided a sweep by upstaging the San Francisco Giants 6-2.

The Toronto Blue Jays took down the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 for their seventh victory in eight games. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. improved his league-leading RBI total to 66 after driving in two runs.

Santiago MLB's first victim

Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago was ejected in the fifth inning of the team's 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox as part of MLB's crackdown in foreign substances. Since June 21, MLB has enhanced its enforcement of the rules that prohibit applying foreign substances to baseballs, with pitchers subjected to random checks and could face ejections, fines and suspensions of 10 games. Santiago had his glove inspected and confiscated in the opening game of the doubleheader, though the veteran insisted he only used rosin.

"[Umpire Phil Cuzzi] said he felt some sticky stuff on the inside of the glove," Santiago said after becoming the first pitcher to be ejected as part of the crackdown. "All I used was rosin. I used it on both sides, trying to keep that sweat from dripping down to the hands."

Kershaw at this best

It was a vintage Clayton Kershaw performance as World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers crushed the Chicago Cubs 7-1. The Dodgers ace struck out a season-high 13 batters over eight dominant innings.

Sunday's results

Seattle Mariners 3-2 Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox 7-5 Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Baltimore Orioles
Los Angeles Angels 6-4 Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves 4-0 Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers 2-1 Houston Astros
Boston Red Sox 9-2 New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 New York Mets
Washington Nationals 5-1 Miami Marlins
Minnesota Twins 8-2 Cleveland Indians
Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 Colorado Rockies
Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 St Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers 4-1 Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics 6-2 San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres 5-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 Chicago Cubs
 

Giants at Dodgers

It will be a clash of the titans when the Giants (50-27) visit the Dodgers (47-31) in an all-National League (NL) West showdown on Monday. Anthony DeSclafani starts for the Giants – who own the best record in baseball – as the Dodgers send Trevor Bauer to the mound.

The Boston Red Sox survived a late scare to remain unbeaten this season against the rival New York Yankees, prevailing 4-2 at Fenway Park. 

Boston held a 4-0 lead heading to the eighth inning after a dominant start by Nathan Eovaldi, who had not allowed a run to that point. After he retired the first two batters of the frame, DJ LeMahieu homered to end his night, with Hirokazu Sawamura coming out of the bullpen. 

The reliever then walked Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton to load the bases before former Yankee Adam Ottavino came on to get Luke Voit to ground out and end the threat. 

Ottavino allowed another New York run in the ninth before striking out Judge with two men on to end the game. 

Boston have now won all five games against New York this season and six in a row dating to their final meeting last September. Prior to this run, the Yankees had won 12 in a row in the series. 

Arizona finally win on the road

Eduardo Escobar went four-for-five with a double and his 17th home run as the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned the San Diego Padres 10-1 for their first win away from home since April 25 after a record 24 straight road losses. Arizona scored more than nine runs in a game for the first time since May 15 as they ended San Diego's eight-game winning streak.  

Cody Bellinger's home run with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger did not start the game, coming on as part of a double switch in the seventh inning. 

The New York Mets had a somewhat less dramatic 4-3 walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies, tying the game in the ninth on a bases-loaded walk by Luis Guillorme before Michael Conforto's sacrifice fly brought home Billy McKinney with the winning run. 

The San Francisco Giants scored two runs in the bottom of the10th inning to beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5. 

Rays get to Cobb again

Los Angeles Angels starter Alex Cobb has two losses in the last two months - both to his original MLB team. The Tampa Bay Rays put up six runs against Cobb on the way to a 13-3 rout of the Angels at Tropicana Field. 

The Colorado Rockies' bullpen blew a chance for a rare road win as Carlos Estevez and Ben Bowden allowed six Milwaukee Brewers runs in the eighth inning of a 10-4 loss. The Rockies are now 6-30 away from Coors Field. 

Goldie goes deep

Paul Goldschmidt highlighted the St Louis Cardinals' 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates with a towering home run in the fifth inning that traveled an estimated 470 feet, tied for the fifth-longest MLB homer this year. 

Saturday's results

Detroit Tigers 3-1 Houston Astros
Houston Astros 3-2 Detroit Tigers 
Milwaukee Brewers 10-4 Colorado Rockies
New York Mets 4-3 Philadelphia Phillies
Toronto Blue Jays 12-4 Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays 13-3 Los Angeles Angels
Cincinnati Reds 4-1 Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox 4-2 New York Yankees
Miami Marlins 3-2 Washington Nationals
Texas Rangers 8-0 Kansas City Royals
St Louis Cardinals 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants 6-5 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 10-1 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners 0-0 Chicago White Sox (suspended)
Minnesota Twins-Cleveland Indians (postponed)

Athletics at Giants

Bay Area rivals the Athletics (46-33) and Giants (49-26) close out the first of their two series this season as Cole Irvin pitches for Oakland and Sammy Long gets the start for hosts San Francisco. 

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola tied a 51-year-old strikeout record in MLB on Friday.

Nola matched Tom Seaver's strikeout record after striking out 10 consecutive batters in the Phillies' 2-1 loss to the New York Mets in game one of a doubleheader.

While the Phillies went on to lose, Nola joined Seaver (1970) as the only pitchers in baseball history to accomplish the feat.

"It's pretty cool being in a category with Tom," Nola said.

Nola finished with a career-high 12 strikeouts, but the Phillies still lost, though they bounced back 2-1 in the second game.

"It was tough," Nola said about the loss. "I mean, yeah, it's a cool accomplishment. But winning's cooler, in my opinion."

As for the Mets, they have allowed three runs or fewer in 21 of their last 22 home games. According to Stats Perform, they are the first team to do so in any span of 22 home games since the 1917 White Sox, who went on to win the World Series.

The Tatis show

Fernando Tatis Jr. recorded his first career three-homer game as the San Diego Padres crushed the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5. Tatis took his tally to 25 home runs for the season, moving level with Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Los Angeles Angels fell 4-3 to the high-flying Tampa Bay Rays but two-way star Shohei Ohtani hit a 453-foot home run. It was his seventh homer in nine games and 24th of the season.

Johnny Cueto pitched seven shut-out innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 2-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. Cueto struck out six batters while allowing just five hits and one walk.

The Baltimore Orioles snapped their 20-game road skid after rallying past the Blue Jays 6-5 in 10 innings. An away drought tied for the second-longest in American League (AL) history came to an end thanks to a four-run eighth inning. Guerrero's home run had helped the Blue Jays take a 5-1 lead before their five-game winning streak was halted.

The Boston Red Sox made it four straight wins after upstaging bitter rivals the New York Yankees 5-3.

Luis Torrens homered twice to help the surging Seattle Mariners trump the Chicago White Sox 9-3. Seattle have won nine of their last 11 games.

A.J. Pollock, Max Muncy and Zach McKinstry homered in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-2 victory at home to the Chicago Cubs.

Martin struggles

The less said about Corbin Martin's performance, the better. In just 0.1 innings, Diamondbacks pitcher Martin gave up three hits, four runs, two homers and two walks without a strikeout. He finished with a 10.69 ERA. Arizona team-mate Riley Smith did not fare much better after allowing three hits, four runs and three homers in 3.2 innings.

Arenado milestone

The slumping St Louis Cardinals lost 5-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates but it was a memorable outing for Nolan Arenado, who hit his 250th career homer in the third inning.

Friday's results

Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 Colorado Rockies
New York Mets 2-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 New York Mets
Baltimore Orioles 6-5 Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Los Angeles Angels
Atlanta Braves 3-2 Cincinnati Reds
Boston Red Sox 5-3 New York Yankees
Miami Marlins 11-2 Washington Nationals
Texas Rangers 9-4 Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins 8-7 Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners 9-3 Chicago White Sox
Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 St Louis Cardinals
San Francisco Giants 2-0 Oakland Athletics
San Diego Padres 11-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros-Detroit Tigers (postponed)

Astros at Tigers

The Astros (47-28) and Tigers (32-43) will clash in a doubleheader after Friday's game was washed out. Houston are riding an 11-game winning streak and will send Framber Valdez to the mound in game one, while Casey Mize starts for the Tigers.

Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel combined for a no-hitter as the Chicago Cubs blanked World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

The Cubs threw the seventh no-hitter of the 2021 season – tying a modern era record for most in a campaign – while making history of their own against the Dodgers on Thursday.

It was the Cubs' first combined no-hitter in franchise history after Kimbrel completed the job away to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Cubs starter Davies went six innings without allowing a hit, striking out four batters.

The Cubs also became the first team in MLB history to throw a no-hitter (solo or combined) against a franchise with three former MVP winners in the starting line-up – Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Albert Pujols, according to Stats Perform.

Vladdy hits the front in homer race, Astros win again

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reclaimed the lead for the most home runs this season after helping the Toronto Blue Jays crush the Baltimore Orioles 9-0. Guerrero homered for the 24th time in 2021 – a 438-foot moonshot guiding the Blue Jays to a fifth consecutive win after Lourdes Gurriel Jr's first career grand slam.

The Houston Astros extended their winning streak to 11 games after easing past the Detroit Tigers 12-3. During their winning streak, Houston have scored 93 runs and allowed just 24. According to Stats Perform, they are the first MLB team to score 90-plus runs while allowing less than 25 over an 11-game span since the Pirates in 1911.

Kyle Schwarber fuelled the Washington Nationals' 7-3 victory against the Miami Marlins. Schwarber homered twice for the Nationals. It is the fourth time in his last 11 games that Schwarber had at least two home runs and four RBI. According to Stats Perform, he is the first MLB player to achieve the feat four times in an 11-game span since RBI became an official stat in 1920.

Kremer crushed in Buffalo

Dean Kremer had a game to forget against the Blue Jays. The Orioles pitcher gave up six runs, two hits and a career-high five walks in the opening inning as Baltimore suffered their 20th straight road loss.

Rays in wild walk-off win

The Tampa Bay Rays reclaimed the lead in the American League (AL) East thanks to a dramatic finish in their 1-0 walk-off victory against the Boston Red Sox. With two outs in the ninth inning, the Rays prevailed after Manuel Margot scored from third base on a wild pitch by Red Sox closer Matt Barnes.

Thursday's results

New York Yankees 8-1 Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics 5-1 Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays 9-0 Baltimore Orioles
Cincinnati Reds 5-3 Atlanta Braves
Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 Boston Red Sox
Houston Astros 12-3 Detroit Tigers
Washington Nationals 7-3 Miami Marlins
Cleveland Indians 4-1 Minnesota Twins
Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 St Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs 4-0 Los Angeles Dodgers

Yankees at Red Sox

The blockbuster rivalry resumes as the New York Yankees (40-34) visit the Red Sox (44-31) for the series opener on Friday. Martin Perez starts for the Red Sox as the Yankees counter with Domingo German.

The tension continued as the Washington Nationals edged a high-scoring 13-12 thriller over the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB on Wednesday.

The slugfest included both sides scoring grand slams, along with a three-run homer for the first time in MLB history.

It also came after things got heated on Tuesday when Phillies manager Joe Gerardi got ejected after a dispute with Nats pitcher Max Scherzer.

Scherzer did not play this time around, with Kyle Schwarber taking center stage for the Nats, with a three-run homer, his 19th home run of the season. It was also his 10th in 12 games.

Andrew McCutchen had hit a grand slam for the Phillies but Josh Bell responded with one of his own to put the Nats up 11-9.

"We had leads and we gave them away by issuing so many bases on balls and you can’t do that," Girardi said. "We have to be better."

Lucky 13 for Giants

The San Francisco Giants piled on seven runs in an incredible 13th inning as they won 9-3 over the Los Angeles Angels.

Shohei Ohtani, who went 0-3 with the bat, sent down nine strikeouts across six innings, only allowing one run, before the late drama.

Giants pitcher Kevin Gausman also yielded four hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings.

The Angels were not helped by injuries, with left-fielder Taylor Ward drafted in as catcher and pitcher Griffin Canning required at left field.

Steven Duggar helped the Giants blow it open in the 13th inning after an RBI double in the 12th, as Angels pitcher Alex Claudio walked three straight.

Brandon Lowe, Mike Zunino and Austin Meadows hit homers as the Tampa Bay Rays got back to winning ways, ending their seven-game losing run with an 8-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Trevor Bauer had 10 strikeouts across six innings but the San Diego Padres got up over the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 with Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado homering in the first inning.

No respite for struggling Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks ended their franchise-worst 17-game losing run earlier this week against the Milwaukee Brewers but that has not fixed their issues. The Diamondbacks succumbed to a 3-2 loss to the Brewers, meaning they have lost 19 of their past 20 games.

Skyrocketing Astros

The Houston Astros claimed their 10th straight win, crushing the Baltimore Orioles 13-0. Houston has the second best differential across a 10-game span since 2000, behind the 2019 Astros. The Astros have scored 21 home runs in that streak, allowing only 21 runs at the same time and are now 17-4 for June.

Wednesday's results

Chicago White Sox 4-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals 13-12 Philadelphia Phillies
Detroit Tigers 6-2 St Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants 9-3 Los Angeles Angels
Colorado Rockies 5-2 Seattle Mariners
New York Yankees 6-5 Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros 13-0 Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Miami Marlins
New York Mets 7-3 Atlanta Braves
Tampa Bay Rays 8-2 Boston Red Sox
Texas Rangers 5-3 Oakland Athletics
San Diego Padres 5-3 Los Angeles Dodgers

Red Sox at Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays (44-31) have snapped their losing run and will round out their series against the Boston Red Sox (44-30).

Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals prevailed 3-2 in a contentious matchup with the rival Phillies that saw Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi ejected from the game after a dispute with the Washington pitcher. 

Girardi took advantage of the MLB's new provision cracking down on pitchers for use unlawful substances that help improve grip and spin on the ball, requesting that the three-time Cy Young Award winner be checked by the umpires during the fourth inning after he already had been examined and cleared after the first and third innings. 

The final check infuriated Scherzer, who threw his hat and glove to the ground and began to unbuckle his belt before being declared clean again.

"I'll take off all my clothes if you want to see me," Scherzer told reporters afterward. "I've got nothing on me."

After striking out J.T. Realmuto to end the fifth inning, Scherzer stared into the Phillies' dugout as he walked off the field and Girardi emerged from the dugout to shout at the veteran pitcher, leading to his immediate ejection. 

That was also the end of the night for Scherzer thanks to his high pitch count (106), but he looked strong in his first appearance since leaving a June 11 start early with a groin injury.

Scherzer allowed just two hits, one of them a long solo home run by Bryce Harper that accounted for Philadelphia's only scoring against the Nationals ace. 

Red Sox top Franco, Rays

The Boston Red Sox spoiled the MLB debut of top prospect Wander Franco and handed the Tampa Bay Rays their seventh straight loss in a 9-5 victory at Tropicana Field. The 20-year-old Franco was impressive, tying the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning with a three-run homer for his first major league hit, but the Rays surrendered four runs in the 11th to lose at home to their rivals. According to Stats Perform, Franco is the second player in history to hit a game-tying three-run homer or grand slam in his MLB debut, after Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs did it in 2008.

The San Diego Padres got home runs from Jake Cronenworth and pinch-hitter Kim Ha-seong to beat Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 for their sixth consecutive win. 

Zack Greinke led the Houston Astros to their ninth straight win, 3-1 over the Baltimore Orioles, to maintain a one-game division lead over the Oakland Athletics. 

Mets lose Stroman, game

The New York Mets managed only two hits while striking out 12 times in a 3-0 loss to Charlie Morton and the Atlanta Braves and saw starting pitcher Marcus Stroman depart at the start of the second inning with hip soreness. 

A day after breaking their 17-game losing streak, the Arizona Diamondbacks reverted to form, collecting just two hits in a 5-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

HR champ Voit is back

Luke Voit returned from the injured list with a bang, as the 2020 MLB home run leader hit a monster 423-foot blast on the first pitch he saw since May 25 after being sidelined with an oblique injury in a 6-5 New York Yankees loss to the Kansas City Royals. 

Tuesday's results

Atlanta Braves 3-0 New York Mets
Houston Astros 3-1 Baltimore Orioles
Chicago Cubs 7-1 Cleveland Indians 
Oakland Athletics 13-6 Texas Rangers
Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds 10-7 Minnesota Twins
Seattle Mariners 2-1 Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers 8-2 St Louis Cardinals
Washington Nationals 3-2 Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals 6-5 New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox 9-5 Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Miami Marlins
San Francisco Giants 5-0 Los Angeles Angels

Giants at Angels

Shohei Ohtani will face MLB's best team as he takes the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against Kevin Gausman and the San Francisco Giants.

The Arizona Diamondbacks ended a 17-game losing streak after upstaging the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in MLB on Monday.

After almost a month, the Diamondbacks returned to winning ways behind Merrill Kelly's solid pitching display at home to the Brewers.

Kelly only gave up one run, five hits and a walk with five strikeouts as the Diamondbacks celebrated a victory for the first time since June 1.

"It's definitely more fun winning than losing," Kelly said afterwards in Phoenix, with the Diamondbacks bottom of the National League (NL) West standings with the MLB's worst record (21-53).

Padres' Darvish makes history

Yu Darvish became the fastest pitcher to 1,500 strikeouts in fewer than 200 games. Darvish reached the milestone in the sixth inning of his 197th MLB game, surpassing Randy Johnson – who needed 206 appearances. Darvish allowed one run and two hits as the San Diego Padres trumped NL rivals and World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2.

Jacob deGrom produced a trademark performance as the New York Mets topped the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in their opening game. DeGrom retired the first eight batters he faced – the Mets ace finishing with five shut-out innings. The two-time Cy Young award winner extended his scoreless streak to 30 innings, while lowering his MLB-leading ERA to 0.50.

Akin struggles against Astros

The Baltimore Orioles were routed 10-2 by the high-flying Houston Astros, who got on top of Keegan Akin. The Orioles pitcher was tagged with the loss after giving up six hits, five runs – all earned, four walks and a homer in just four innings.

Braves star Acuna at it again for

Ronald Acuna became the second player in MLB history to homer for the only run in a 1-0 victory on back-to-back days, according to Stats Perform. His lead-off shot in the fifth inning secured a 1-0 win over the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader.

Monday's results

New York Mets 4-2 Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves 1-0 New York Mets
Houston Astros 10-2 Baltimore Orioles
Cleveland Indians 4-0 Chicago Cubs
Texas Rangers 8-3 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 Milwaukee Brewers
San Diego Padres 6-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins 7-5 Cincinnati Reds

Red Sox at Rays

It will be a clash of the best two teams in the American League (AL) East when the Boston Red Sox (43-29) open their series at the Tampa Bay Rays (43-30). Boston lead the AL East by a half-game. Andrew Kittredge starts for the Rays, while the Red Sox send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound.

Kyle Schwarber equalled an MLB record after homering three times in the Washington Nationals' 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Sunday.

Schwarber hit a lead-off home run to start the game, adding further homers in the fifth and the seventh innings.

The trio of homers means Schwarzer has hit five home runs in his past two appearances, tying the major league record over a two-game span.

Schwarber also set a franchise record with nine homers in a 10-game span, moving up to 18 for the season.

"To be honest with you, I don't know what's going on,'' Schwarber said.

He added: "I'm a big believer that hitting is a feeling. Don't get me wrong, there's mechanical, there's approach, things like that but when you step in the box and everything feels right, you already have a big advantage.''

Acuna reaches century

Ronald Acuna Jr. also reached rare territory as the Atlanta Braves bounced back with a 1-0 win over the St Louis Cardinals in the second game of their doubleheader. After losing the opener 9-1, Acuna – who turns 24 in December – hit the decisive homer in the third inning of the second game, registering the 100th in his career. He joins an exclusive list of players who have hit 100 homers and 70 stolen bases before the age of 24 in the modern era, alongside Mike Trout, Alex Rodriguez, Andruw Jones and Ken Griffey Jr.

Shohei Ohtani homered again to move into the joint lead for the most home runs this season, alongside Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with the 23rd of the campaign. The Los Angeles Angels still lost 5-3 to the Detroit Tigers.

Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols hit the 673rd homer of his career in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 9-8 triumph at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Houston Astros made it seven consecutive wins with their 8-2 victory over the high-flying Chicago White Sox, while the Colorado Rockies hit four homers in one inning but lost 7-6 to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Shed Long hit a rare walk-off grand slam as the Seattle Mariners beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 and completed a sweep over the defending American League (AL) champions.

Padres sweating on Tatis injury

The National League's home run leader Fernando Tatis Jr. exited early after an injury to his left shoulder as the San Diego Padres completed a sweep over the Cincinnati Reds with a 3-2 win –the team's first four-game sweep of any franchise since 2011. Tatis hurt the shoulder, the same one which troubled him in spring training, while diving in the field.

Yankees' triple-play to clinch win

The New York Yankees finished their 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics in style with a triple play. It was a record-tying third triple play for the Yankees this season, with Sean Murphy hitting straight to third to initiate the trio of outs. A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I've never seen a game end like that before."

Sunday's results

Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 Baltimore Orioles
New York Yankees 2-1 Oakland Athletics
Cleveland Indians 2-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals 5-2 New York Mets
Kansas City Royals 7-3 Boston Red Sox
Houston Astros 8-2 Chicago White Sox
St Louis Cardinals 9-1 Atlanta Braves
Chicago Cubs 2-0 Miami Marlins
Minnesota Twins 4-2 Texas Rangers
Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 Colorado Rockies
Philadelphia Phillies 11-2 San Francisco Giants
Detroit Tigers 5-3 Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-8 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres 3-2 Cincinnati Reds
Seattle Mariners 6-2 Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves 1-0 St Louis Cardinals

Dodgers at Padres

The in-form Dodgers (44-27) make the short trip to take on the Padres (42-32), who swept their four-game series against the Reds but have dropped five of their past 10 games and may be without Tatis.

The Boston Red Sox have returned to the top of the American League (AL) East division. 

Boston defeated Kansas City 7-1 Saturday as Martin Perez and three relievers shut down the Royals' hitters while J.D. Martinez and Bobby Dalbec each hit two-run homers for the Red Sox. 

That win on the road coupled with the Tampa Bay Rays' 6-5 extra-inning loss at the Seattle Mariners later in the evening put the Red Sox alone atop the division for the first time since May 22. 

The loss was Tampa Bay's season-high fifth in a row, and the third in that stretch to come via a walk-off win by their opponent, as Mitch Haniger's 10th-inning single scored J.P. Crawford for the victory. 

Crawford had hit a grand slam in the second inning to give Seattle a 5-2 lead but Tampa Bay came back to tie it on solo homers from Mike Zunino, Manuel Margot and Brandon Lowe. 

Tatis' replacement lifts Padres

After replacing the injured Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fifth inning, Kim Ha-seong hit a two-run homer in the eight to give the San Diego Padres a 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Tatis is day-to-day after hurting his left shoulder while diving for a ball hit by Tyler Naquin. 

Walker Buehler struck out 11 and had a no-hitter through seven innings in a 9-3 Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Orioles collapse despite long-ball heroics

The Baltimore Orioles' first six hits of Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays were home runs -- a franchise first, according to Stats Perform -- but the O's still managed to lose 10-7 after the Blue Jays scored six in the ninth inning. 

The Chicago Cubs managed only three hits in an 11-1 loss to the Miami Marlins as they fell into a share of the National League (NL) Central lead with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Adames lights up Rockies

The Brewers prevailed over the Colorado Rockies thanks in large part to Willy Adames, whose two-run homer in the ninth provided the winning margin in a 6-5 victory. Adames also had three doubles, becoming just the fifth player in club history to record at least four extra-base hits in a game. 

Saturday's results

Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 Cleveland Indians
New York Mets 5-1 Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals 6-2 New York Mets
New York Yankees 7-5 Oakland Athletics
Toronto Blue Jays 10-7 Baltimore Orioles
Miami Marlins 11-1 Chicago Cubs
Minnesota Twins 3-2 Texas Rangers
Boston Red Sox 7-1 Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros 7-3 Chicago White Sox
Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels 8-3 Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3 Arizona Diamondbacks
Philadelphia Phillies 13-6 San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres 7-5 Cincinnati Reds
Seattle Mariners 6-5 Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves-St Louis Cardinals (postponed)

White Sox at Astros

The Houston Astros (42-28) look for a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox (43-28) and their seventh win in a row as they send Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound against former team-mate Dallas Keuchel. 

Shohei Ohtani put on a show with a pair of home runs as the Los Angeles Angels crushed the Detroit Tigers 11-3 in MLB action on Friday.

On the same day Ohtani announced his participation in next month's annual Home Run Derby, the two-way Angels star hit his 20th and 21st homers of the season to sink the Tigers.

Ohtani, who will be the first Japanese-born player to feature in the Home Run Derby – scheduled for July 12 in Denver, went long in a three-homer fifth inning for the Angels in Anaheim.

Angels sensation Ohtani then homered again in the eighth inning to become the second Japanese-born player with multiple 20-homer seasons, joining Hideki Matsui, who achieved the feat five times.

Pirates snap skid

The Pittsburgh Pirates prevailed 11-10 against the Cleveland Indians. According to Stats Perform, they became the second team in the modern era to allow 10-plus runs in a game in which they ended a double-digit losing streak, joining the Chicago Cubs (1982).

The Washington Nationals won their fifth consecutive game via a 1-0 victory over the New York Mets. Per Stats Perform, Washington have allowed seven total runs across their last eight games combined – the fewest over any eight-game span in franchise history (including Expos years).

New day, same story for Arizona

The Arizona Diamondbacks were blanked 3-0 by World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers as they fell to their franchise-record 15th straight defeat.

Yordan wins it for Houston

Yordan Alvarez produced his first walk-off hit as the Houston Astros edged the Chicago White Sox 2-1. His shot gave Yuli Gurriel enough time to dash to home plate for the winning run.

Friday's results

Pittsburgh Pirates 11-10 Cleveland Indians
Washington Nationals 1-0 New York Mets
Oakland Athletics 5-3 New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles 7-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Atlanta Braves 9-1 St Louis Cardinals
Miami Marlins 10-2 Chicago Cubs
Minnesota Twins 7-5 Texas Rangers
Kansas City Royals 5-3 Boston Red Sox
Houston Astros 2-1 Chicago White Sox
Colorado Rockies 6-5 Milwaukee Brewers
Los Angeles Angels 11-3 Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants 5-3 Philadelphia Phillies
San Diego Padres 9-2 Cincinnati Reds
Seattle Mariners 5-1 Tampa Bay Rays

White Sox at Astros

The Astros can claim their series against the White Sox on Saturday. Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros as the White Sox counter with Lance Lynn in Houston.

The New York Yankees achieved a franchise first after rallying to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays on the road in MLB.

On Thursday, the Yankees overcame a deficit in the seventh inning to top the slumping Blue Jays 8-4 in the American League (AL) East showdown.

The Yankees trailed 4-3 in the seventh but came back to win behind Giancarlo Stanton's go-ahead homer in Buffalo.

According to Stats Perform, it was the first time the Yankees have ever swept a three-plus game road series despite trailing in the seventh inning or later in every game.

Tatis doing his thing

Fernando Tatis Jr. helped the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-4. Tatis homered alongside Victor Caratini, Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. Padres star Tatis Jr. joined Cody Bellinger as the only players aged 22 or younger to hit 22 home runs through their first 53 games in a season.

Charlie Morton is the oldest Atlanta Braves pitcher to go 7.2-plus innings pitched without allowing a run since John Smoltz in 2006. The Braves blanked the St Louis Cardinals 4-0 behind Morton, who gave up just three hits while striking out seven batters. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh.

C.J. Cron's grand slam inspired the Colorado Rockies to a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sorry Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered a 23rd consecutive road defeat after going down 10-3 at the San Francisco Giants. Arizona set unwanted history following the loss, breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for longest run of away defeats.

Caratini calls game

A sell-out crowd had plenty to celebrate in San Diego, where Caratini hit a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning to sink the Reds.

Thursday's results

Cleveland Indians 10-3 Baltimore Orioles
San Francisco Giants 10-3 Arizona Diamondbacks
New York Yankees 8-4 Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs 2-0 New York Mets
Atlanta Braves 4-0 St Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros 10-2 Chicago White Sox
Seattle Mariners 6-5 Tampa Bay Rays
Los Angeles Angels 7-5 Detroit Tigers
Colorado Rockies 7-3 Milwaukee Brewers
San Diego Padres 6-4 Cincinnati Reds

Dodgers at Diamondbacks

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers (41-27) will look to inflict more pain on the Diamondbacks (20-5) when they visit on Friday. The Dodgers start with Walker Buehler, while the Diamondbacks send Matt Peacock to the mound.

Christian Arroyo's seventh-inning grand slam lifted the Boston Red Sox past the Atlanta Braves for a 10-8 victory Wednesday. 

The Red Sox (42-27) continued to gain ground on the first-place Tampa Bay Rays while digging an even deeper hole for the Braves (30-35), who are now tied with the Washington Nationals for third place in the National League (NL) East. 

Boston took an early lead and built a 6-3 edge by the fifth inning before home runs by Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman put Atlanta on top 7-6. 

But Atlanta's veteran reliever Shane Greene loaded the bases in the seventh before giving way to A.J. Minter with two outs, then watched as Minter surrendered Arroyo's 467-foot blast to left-center field. 

Altuve keeps going deep for Houston

Jose Altuve's home run swing carried over from Tuesday to Wednesday, as he opened the bottom of the first inning with a home run and added another in the eighth to lead an 8-4 Houston Astros win over the Texas Rangers. According to Stats Perform, Altuve is the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in one game and a leadoff home run in his team's next game. 

Charlie Blackmon's ninth-inning single scored Trevor Story to give the Colorado Rockies an 8-7 win and a three-game sweep over the slumping San Diego Padres. 

The St Louis Cardinals also walked off for a sweep as Yadier Molina's single down the left-field line in the ninth inning scored Paul Goldschmidt for a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. 

More injury worries for deGrom

The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 but will anxiously await word on the status of star pitcher Jacob deGrom, who left the game with right shoulder soreness after striking out eight of the nine batters he faced in an abbreviated three-inning start. 

Another road game, another road loss for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who allowed five home runs in a 13-7 defeat against the San Francisco Giants. Arizona's 22nd consecutive loss away from home tied the 1963 Mets and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for the most in modern MLB history. 

The Baltimore Orioles are right on Arizona's tail, as their 8-7 loss to the Cleveland Indians gave them 18 straight defeats away from Camden Yards. 

Baez makes it look easy

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez showed his Gold Glove form with a beautiful, sliding scoop-and-throw on a bouncer up the middle to get Mets catcher Tomas Nito at first. 

Wednesday's results

New York Mets 6-3 Chicago Cubs
Washington Nationals 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
New York Yankees 3-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Cleveland Indians 8-7 Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox 10-8 Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds 2-1 Milwaukee Brewers
Detroit Tigers 6-5 Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox 8-7 Tampa Bay Rays
Houston Astros 8-4 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 1-0 Miami Marlins
Colorado Rockies 8-7 San Diego Padres
Oakland Athletics 8-4 Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants 13-7 Arizona Diamondbacks
Minnesota Twins 7-2 Seattle Mariners
Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 Los Angeles Dodgers

Reds at Padres

Two teams headed in opposite directions square off in San Diego as the Padres (38-32), losers of nine of their last 11 games, host the Cincinnati Reds (35-31), who have won six in a row and 11 of 13.