Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 33rd home run and the New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in a game marred by a late benches-clearing incident on Friday night.

Benches cleared in the bottom of the ninth after Baltimore’s Heston Kjerstad was hit in the helmet by a pitch from closer Clay Holmes. There was some pushing and shoving, but no punches were thrown.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde walked toward the New York dugout and pointed at someone, at which point Yankees catcher Austin Wells tried to restrain Hyde.

The teams met for the first time since the Orioles took two of three in New York last month. Since then, the Yankees are 6-13 and Baltimore is 8-12.

Gerrit Cole rebounded from a poor start in his last outing by allowing one run and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver each worked one inning and Holmes pitched the ninth for his 21st save.

The Orioles had their lead in the East trimmed to one game over the Yankees as they lost their fourth straight. They have scored three runs during that skid and are 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position.

New York scored twice against rookie Cade Povich in the second.

Anthony Volpe singled and moved to third on an error by right fielder Anthony Santander. He scored on Jose Trevino’s double and Jahmai Jones singled home another run.

Judge led off the third by sending an 0-2 pitch from Povich over the wall in left field for his first RBI in nine games. Judge walked in his other four plate appearances.

Surging Mets hold off Rockies

Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader each homered twice and the New York Mets fended off the last-place Colorado Rockies, 7-6.

Mark Vientos also went deep and had an RBI double for the Mets, who are 4-0 on a six-game homestand against the struggling Nationals and Rockies heading into the All-Star break. New York has won six of seven overall and is 24-10 since it was 11 games under .500 on June 2.

Sean Manaea pitched seven effective innings, throwing a season-high 107 pitches. He allowed three runs and five hits while walking one and striking out nine.

He left with a 7-3 lead, but Charlie Blackmon homered to open the eighth and Brenton Doyle’s two-run shot later in the inning made it a one-run game.

Edwin Diaz worked around consecutive two-out walks in a hitless ninth for his 10th save.

Vientos and Iglesias hit back-to-back home runs in the second and Bader’s blast one batter later gave the Mets three homers in an inning for the first time since July 1, 2023, against San Francisco.

Hendricks pitches Cubs to 5th straight win

Kyle Hendricks pitched seven shutout innings and Nico Hoerner and David Bote each knocked in two runs as the Chicago Cubs stretched their season-best winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hendricks didn’t allow a runner to reach second base and gave up five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. He rebounded from three straight losses to improve to 14-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 27 career appearances against the Cardinals.

Chicago was coming off consecutive shutouts in Baltimore and had a scoreless streak of 32 2/3 innings snapped in the ninth on Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI single.

Hector Neris walked Nolan Arenado with two outs to load the bases before striking out Lars Nootbaar for his 13th save in 17 chances.

Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes has been chosen as the National League's starting pitcher for Major League Baseball's upcoming All-Star game, the first rookie in nearly 30 years to receive the honour.

Arizona Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo, who will manage the NL team for Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, made the announcement Friday in an interview with SiriusXM MLB Network Radio.

The No. 1 overall pick in last year's MLB draft, Skenes has immediately established himself as one of the sport's premier pitchers and bright young stars. The 22-year-old has gone 6-0 with a 1.90 earned run average through his first 11 major league starts while striking out 89 batters in 66 1/3 innings.

Skenes' most impressive peformance occurred Thursday, when he did not allow a hit over seven innings and struck out 11 Milwaukee Brewers to lead the Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the NL Central leaders.

"A few really, really good candidates dropped off due to injury or the fact they were pitching on Sunday,” Lovullo told MLB Network Radio. “The answer just became more and more clear. And then certainly what Paul did (Thursday), really, really hammered down the thought that he should be the guy.”

Skenes will be only the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game and first since the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hideo Nomo in 1995. Dave Stenhouse (1962), Mark Fidrych (1976) and Fernando Valenzuela (1981) have also accomplished the feat as rookies.

The former Louisiana State University star's 11 career MLB appearances will be the fewest for a starting pitcher in All-Star Game history, breaking the record of 13 set by Fidrych and Nomo.

Skenes will be the first Pirates pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss in 1975.

The 94th MLB All-Star Game will take place Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas at the home of the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers. 

Paul Skenes was masterful again, throwing seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start and walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90.

Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, has surrendered two runs or fewer in nine of his starts and has struck out 89 in 66 1/3 innings.

The combined no-hit bid ended when Jake Bauers opened the eighth with a single off Colin Holderman. The Brewers loaded the bases with two outs in the inning, but Holderman escaped the jam by striking out William Contreras.

Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his fourth save, finishing a two-hitter.

Aaron Civale was the tough-luck loser for Milwaukee, as he pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning.

Pittsburgh scored the game’s lone run in the seventh. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a leadoff single, but he was erased when Jack Suwinski hit into a fielder’s choice.

Yasmani Grandal then doubled into the gap in right-center and Suwinski scored from first with a headfirst slide.

The Brewers lost for the fifth time in seven games, while the Pirates have won three of four.

Here are all 11 strikeouts by Paul Sꓘenes in case you missed it.

Play of the Day presented by @STIHLUSA pic.twitter.com/inUgh4YsN7

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 11, 2024

Phillies finish sweep of Dodgers

Aaron Nola pitched six strong innings and was backed by three home runs as the major league-leading Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-1 victory.

Nola became the majors’ fourth 11-game winner after allowing four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado each pitched one inning to finish the five-hitter.

Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh hit solo homers for the Phillies, who swept the Dodgers for the first time since 2011 – and first at home since 2008.

Philadelphia led every inning of the series except the first one on Tuesday, which ended with both teams scoreless.

Turner’s shot in the first inning off Anthony Banda opened the scoring, and he added an infield single in the fourth.

In the 21 games since he returned to the lineup following a 38-game stint on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, Turner is batting .356 with 11 multi-hit games.

Gavin Lux homered for the Dodgers, who have scored seven runs during a four-game skid.

Astros win 9th straight home game

Six different players drove in a run and the Houston Astros won their ninth straight at home, 6-3 over the Miami Marlins to complete a three-game sweep.

Jake Meyers doubled home a run, Jeremy Pena had a run-scoring single and Jon Singleton and Joey Loperfido added sacrifice flies to help the Astros win their ninth in 12 games.

Jake Bloss allowed two runs and four hits over four innings in his second major league start, while Tayler Scott got the final two outs of the sixth for the win.

Josh Hader struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 17th save.

Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit solo homers for the National League-worst Marlins, who have lost eight of 10.  

Kyle Schwarber hit another leadoff home run and All-Star Matt Strahm struck out Shohei Ohtani in a key spot as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for their major league-leading 60th win on Wednesday night. 

The Phillies have won the first two games of this three-game series between division leaders. At 60-32, only the 1976 team (88 games) reached the 60-win mark faster in a season in franchise history.

Philadelphia won without All-Star slugger Bryce Harper, who sat out with a bruised left hand after he returned for Tureday’s10-1 win following a nine-game absence. Harper was hurt at an unspecified point, through he clearly grabbed his hand and hunched over in pain on a second-inning chopper by Miguel Rojas.

Strahm entered with one out in the seventh and the Phillies holding a 4-2 lead. With runners at the corners, he struck out Ohtani and retired Teoscar Hernandez on a fly out to escape the jam.

The Dodgers scored a run in the eighth on Rojas’ RBI single, but Jeff Hoffman tossed a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.

Schwarber’s homer off Gavin Stone was his 39th career leadoff homer and 18th overall this season.

Valdez pitches Astros past Marlins

Framber Valdez struck out a season-high 10 over seven stellar innings and rookie Joey Loperfido homered and tripled to propel the Houston Astros to their eighth straight home win, 9-1 over the Miami Marlins.

Valdez allowed six hits – all singles – and walked one to win his third straight decision.

Loperfido hit a two-run homer to highlight a four-run second off Bryan Hoeing and had his first career triple in the fourth.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs for the Astros (48-44), who have won eight of 11 to match a season high at four games over .500.

Perez’s home runs help Royals sweep

Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez hit a solo shot in the nightcap as the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of their day-night doubleheader.

Garrett Hampson had two-run double to back a strong start by Alec Marsh in the Royals’ 6-4 victory in the early game.

Kyle Isbel homered in the second game and James McArthur pitched the ninth for his second save of the day and 17th of the season.

Kansas City notched its 50th and 51st wins of the season after it totaled just 56 victories all last season.

Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt homered in the opener for the Cardinals, while Lars Nootbaar went deep in the nightcap. St. Louis entered the day having won four of five.

Chris Sale pitched into the sixth inning for his major league-leading 12th win and Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer to lead the Atlanta Braves to their fourth straight win, 6-2 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Sale (12-3) allowed two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings while walking three and striking out nine. He was replaced by Jesse Chavez after throwing 100 pitches.

Sale, who has surrendered two runs or fewer in six consecutive starts, has bounced back from several injury-riddled seasons to be one of baseball’s best pitchers this year.

Chavez fanned three in 2 2/3 scoreless innings and A.J. Minter needed just three pitches to get three outs in the ninth.

Atlanta scored twice in the second off Zac Gallen on Sean Murphy’s RBI groundout and an error by All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.

Duvall followed Matt Olson’s double and Marcell Ozuna’s single in the sixth with a 441-foot blast over the left-field wall for his eighth home run and a 5-0 lead.

Gallen was reached for five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Phillies get healthy, rout Dodgers

Trea Turner hit a grand slam and All-Star Zach Wheeler pitched five strong innings before leaving with low back tightness as the Philadelphia Phillies rolled to a 10-1 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup of division leaders.

Wheeler earned his 10th win, throwing 76 pitches on a steamy night before leaving with a 9-1 lead. He gave up one run and three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Wheeler joined Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez as 10-game winners, giving the Phillies three before the All-Star break for the first time in franchise history.

The major league-leading Phillies welcomed back Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber from injuries before the game.

Schwarber delivered a two-run single in the second inning to put Philadelphia ahead 3-0 and the Phillies scored six more in the fourth.

Turner – a former Dodger - drove an 86-mph slider from Bobby Miller into the left field seats for his sixth career grand slam and Bryson Stott added a solo shot for his first home run since May 18 for a 9-0 advantage.

Brandon Marsh also homered for the major league-leading Phillies, who went 5-4 while Harper and Schwarber were sidelined.

Harper went 0 for 4 after he strained his left hamstring running the bases on June 27. In that same game, Schwaber strained his left groin while making a throw from left field.

Cavan Biggio’s homer was the lone run for the Dodgers, who have lost four of six.

Bello, Devers keep Red Sox surging

Brayan Bello struck out a career-high 11 – getting each of the first 10 outs by strikeout – and Wilyer Abreu and Dominic Smith homered on consecutive pitches during an eight-run second inning to lead the red-hot Boston Red Sox to a 12-9 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Bello is only the third major league pitcher since 1961 to record his first 10 outs by strikeout. He allowed five runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings but struck out the side in each of the first three innings and fanned Lawrence Butler to open the fourth.

Rafael Devers had two and three RBIs on the day he was scratched from the All-Star Game with a sore shoulder.

The Red Sox (50-40) scored eight runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit bater in the second and won for the seventh time in eight games. Boston moved a season-high 10 games over .500 and has pulled within 3 ½ games of the second-place Yankees in the AL East.

After Sean Murphy tied the game with a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, the Atlanta Braves scored once in the 11th to rally for a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in a clash of 2023 National League play-off teams.

Marcell Ozuna drove in the eventual winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 11th that plated designated runner Austin Riley, who had advanced from second to third on an infield single by Matt Olson.

Riley homered earlier in the game and Murphy went 2 for 4 as the Braves took the opener of this four-game series and won their third consecutive contest.

Atlanta's bats were largely quiet for much of the night thanks to an impressive MLB debut by Arizona starter Yilber Diaz, but came alive against struggling closer Paul Sewald with the Braves trailing 3-1 in the ninth.

Sewald retired the first two hitters in the inning before Eddie Rosario extended Atlanta's chances with a single. Murphy then drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right center field to hand Sewald a third blown save in his last three appearances.

Diaz was in line for the victory after allowing just one run on four hits through six innings.

Both teams scored once in the 10th, with the Braves getting a sacrifice fly from Ozzie Albies and the Diamondbacks the same from Luis Perdomo.

Ozuna's fly ball in the 11th put Atlanta back ahead, and Joe Jimenez stranded the tying run in the bottom of the inning to record his second save of the season. 

Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias earned the win after working two innings and permitting one unearned run.

Riley's 12th homer of the season gave the Braves an early edge in the first inning, and the Diamondbacks were held scoreless by Bryce Elder through the first five innings before breaking through in the sixth.

Perdomo led off the bottom of the sixth with a bloop single and took second when Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia mishandled the ball on the play, then scored on Corbin Carroll's single to tie the game at 1-1.

Elder then walked the next two batters to load the bases before being relieved by Grant Holmes, who walked Christian Walker on four pitches to give Arizona the lead. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly to provide the Diamondbacks a two-run cushion.

Elder was charged with three runs allowed on four hits over five-plus innings.

Late error allows Tigers to edge Guardians

Jake Rogers scored the game's lone run on a Cleveland error in the eighth inning as the suddenly surging Detroit Tigers came through with a 1-0 victory over the American League Central-leading Guardians to open a four-game series.

Rogers greeted reliever Scott Barlow with a double to open the eighth and took third on Wenceel Perez's second hit of the night. Two batter later, Mark Canha hit a grounder that eluded the glove of Guardians' shortstop Brayan Roccio to allow the Detroit catcher to cross the plate and break the scoreless tie.

The Guardians couldn't mount a baserunner after the seventh inning, as Tyler Holton retired all five batters he faced to record the win and Shelby Miller threw a perfect ninth to close out the Tigers' fourth consecutive victory.

Detroit went 8-18 from June 5-July 4 before sweeping a three-game series on the road from the Cincinnati Reds this past weekend.

The game featured a strong duel between starting pitchers that didn't factor in the decision. Detroit's Keider Montero allowed just three hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his third career major league start, while Cleveland's Gavin Williams struck out five over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his second start back from an elbow injury that had sidelined him since spring training.

Cardinals stay hot with shutout of Nationals

Alec Burleson homered and drove in three runs to back a sharp start from Miles Mikolas as the St. Louis Cardinals recorded a series-clinching 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Paul Goldschmidt added a solo homer among his two hits to help the Cardinals take three of four meetings of the wraparound series. St. Louis improved to 33-18 since May 12, the best record in the National League over that stretch.

MIkolas (7-7) scattered six hits without a walk over 6 1/3 innings before relievers Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero finished the shutout by working 1 1/3 innings each.

Washington starter Mitchell Parker (5-5) was hung with the loss despite yielding two runs - one earned - and striking out six over seven innings.

The Cardinals' first run off Parker came courtesy of an error by Washington shortstop CJ Abrams, who threw wildly to first base on a double-play attempt to allow Nolan Gorman to score from second in the third inning. Gorman and Michael Siani had opened the frame with back-to-back infield singles.

Goldschmidt's homer off Parker in the fourth extended the lead to 2-0, and Burleson increased it further with a solo shot off Jacob Barnes in the eighth. Goldschmidt reached on an error later in the inning and came home on Brendan Donovan's two-out double for a 4-0 St. Louis advantage.

Donovan finished 2 for 4 and extended his streak of reaching base safely to 21 straight games.

The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the ninth when Gorman and Siani each singled before both later scored on Burleson's base hit.

Rafael Devers hit home runs in the seventh and ninth innings, Kutter Crawford needed just 68 pitches to get through seven innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-0 on Sunday.

New York managed just four hits and were handed a 15th loss in their last 20 games.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have fought their way back into contention in a competitive AL East by winning 16 of their last 22 games.

Devers, whose seventh-inning solo shot off Luis Gil broke a scoreless tie, has hit seven home runs in his last 11 games and is batting .405 over that stretch.

Boston’s other run came on an eighth-inning homer by Ceddanne Rafaela.

Crawford was efficient in collecting his third win in his last four starts, throwing 54 of his 68 pitches for strikes.

New York’s offence wasted a quality start from Gil, who allowed four hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine.

Three of the Yankees’ four hits came from batters in the seventh, eighth and ninth spots in the order.

Braves bash 4 HRs to back Lopez

Reynaldo Lopez pitched six scoreless innings, and the Atlanta Braves hit four home runs en route to a 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Playing for his fourth team in two seasons, Lopez improved to 7-2 and lowered his ERA to 1.71.

The Braves jumped on Phillies starting pitcher Michael Mercado early, with Jarred Kelenic, Matt Olson and Adam Duvall each homering in the second inning to build a 5-0 lead.

Eli White added an insurance run by hitting a solo shot in the sixth inning.

The Phillies had five hits – including Alec Bohm’s 30th double of the season – and three walks but were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Atlanta took two of three in the series but still trail Philadelphia by eight games in the NL East.

Guardians top Giants to continue home dominance

Bo Naylor launched a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the sixth inning to take the lead, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 to continue their dominant play at Progressive Field.

The win gave the Guardians a league-leading 30-11 home record, and Cleveland are yet to lose a series at home this season.

Naylor’s clutch home run came with two outs and after falling behind in the count, 0-2. After working the count, Naylor sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall for his first career pinch-hit home run.

Naylor’s older brother Josh, who was named to his first All-Star team on Sunday, had an RBI single in the fourth.

Josh Naylor will be joined at the All-Star Game by teammates Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, David Fry and Emmanuel Clase. Cleveland’s five selections were the most of any American League team.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes reached another milestone in his meteoric rise Sunday, when MLB announced the rookie sensation was selected as an All-Star less than two months after his big-league debut.

Skenes, 22, has used his 100-mph fastball to dazzle fans and frustrate hitters, just 10 starts into his MLB career.

The 2023 top overall draft pick is 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA and has 78 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings pitched.

The Philadelphia Phillies had a league-high and franchise-record seven players selected to the All-Star Game, which will be played on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Texas.

The Phillies will send pitchers Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm to the Midsummer Classic. Position players Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were voted by fans as starters, although Harper remains on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had six players selected, including injured shortstop Mookie Betts, who got the nod for the eighth straight season. Freddy Freeman was named an All-Star for the sixth year in a row (eight total selections), while Shohei Ohtani will make his fourth consecutive appearance.

The Cleveland Guardians had five players named to the All-Star roster, the most in the American League. Jose Ramirez and MLB batting leader Steven Kwan were voted in by the fans and will be joined by Emmanuel Clase, David Fry and Josh Naylor.

This year’s game will feature 32 players who are first-time All-Stars. San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar got the nod for the first time during his 11th MLB season.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve were each selected for the ninth time, the most of any player on this year’s rosters.

Ben Rice became the first Yankees rookie to hit three home runs in a game and had a career-high seven RBIs in New York’s 14-4 drubbing of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Rice led off the bottom of the first with a long homer off Josh Winckowski, added a three-run shot off Chase Anderson during a seven-run fifth and took Anderson deep again in the seventh for another three-run blast.

Rice entered the game with one home run in his first 46 major league at-bats.

The Yankees snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the fourth time in 16 games.

The 14-hit attack bailed out Gerrit Cole, who allowed seven hits and four runs over 4 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Rafael Devers homered off Cole and had an RBI single in the third for his 1,000th career hit.

Boston was bidding for a season-high sixth straight win.

Twins’ Miranda ties record with hits in 12 straight at-bats

Jose Miranda tied a major league record with hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances and the Minnesota Twins got home runs from Byron Buxton and Brooks Lee in a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

Miranda entered with the team record of hits in 10 straight at-bats and was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance. He then singled in his first two official at-bats to match the MLB record set by the Chicago Cubs’ Johnny King (1902) and matched by Boston’s Pinky Higgins (1938) and Detroit’s Walt Dropo (1952).

Miranda’s streak ended in the sixth inning on a routine flyout to left field.

Willi Castro added three hits for the Twins, who have won seven of 10.

Every Minnesota starter had at least one hit by the fourth inning. Lee hit a two-run homer for the first of his major league career in the third to put the Twins up 7-1.

Jon Singleton belted a three-run homer for Houston, which lost for only the third time in 16 games.

Wood’s big day powers Nationals to rout

Top prospect James Wood hit his first major league home run and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Washington Nationals to a 14-6 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wood hit a 383-foot, three-run opposite field homer in the second inning to put the Nationals ahead 7-0. He added a two-run double in the third for his fifth RBI, tied for second all-time for a Washington rookie. Danny Espinosa had six RBIs on Sept. 6, 201.

Wood has reached based in all six games as a National, tied with Ian Desmond (2009) for second overall in club history.

The homer and double were his first extra-base hits at the major league level.

Keibert Ruiz and CJ Abrams also homered for Washington, which scored a season high in runs on 15 hits with three homers and four doubles to win for the third time in four games.

Lance Lynn was rocked for a career worst 11 runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Masataka Yoshida hit a game-tying, two-run home run with two outs in the ninth, Ceddane Rafaela went deep to open the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to stun the New York Yankees 5-3 on Friday.

The Boston victory kept the two AL East rivals on their recent paths, with the Red Sox winning 15 of their last 20 games and the Yankees falling to 3-12 in their last 15.

New York’s Clay Holmes was one out away from a save in the ninth before pinch-hitter Dominic Smith singled. Yoshida fought back from an 0-2 hole before driving a full-count pitch over Yankee Stadium’s famous right field wall.

Tommy Kahle pitched the 10th for the Yankees, with Rafaela taking him deep on his second pitch and driving in automatic runner David Hamilton.

The bullpen collapse spoilt a strong start from Nestor Cortes, who allowed three hits and one run in six innings with eight strikeouts.

New York’s big bats remained mostly quiet, with AL MVP favourite Aaron Judge going 0 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Dodgers C Smith bashes trio of homers in win

Will Smith went deep three times, including a game-tying shot in the 7th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5 in a matchup of NL division leaders.

Smith, who walked in his other two plate appearances, became just the fourth Dodgers catcher to hit three home runs in a game, joining Yasmani Grandal (2016), Mike Piazza (1996) and Roy Campanella (1950).

On a night when Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 5, the Los Angeles offence was powered by Smith and Miguel Vargas, who was 2 for 3 with a walk and a two-run home run. Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez had clutch RBIs in the eighth to give the Dodgers the late lead.

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow cruised through the first three innings but gave up two singles and two walks in the fourth before Rhys Hoskins put the Brewers ahead with a grand slam.

Glasnow allowed three hits and five runs over six innings in the no-decision.

Pirates’ 7 HRs back Skenes in blowout of Mets

Rookie sensation Paul Skenes threw seven strong innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates tied a club record by hitting seven home runs in a 14-2 rout of the New York Mets.

Skenes, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, continued the dominant start to his career. The 6-foot-6 flamethrower improved to 5-0 after allowing four hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out eight.

Bryan Reynold and Rowdy Tellez each had two home runs, including a grand slam each, as the pair combined for 11 RBIs.

Jack Suwinski, Yasmani Grandal and Michael A. Taylor also went yard for the Pirates in front of a sell-out crowd at PNC Park.

The Mets’ Luis Severino was tagged for seven runs in six innings, while Ty Adcock gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings as the Mets lost their third straight game.

Christian Walker continued his Dodger Stadium rampage with two more home runs and Joc Pederson added a blast against his former team to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

Walker went deep in his first two at-bats for his 18th and 19th home runs in 42 career games at the ballpark. He has homered in five straight games at the third-oldest park in the majors, tying the longest single-season streak at Dodger Stadium with Pederson, who did it in 2015 with Los Angeles.

Walker hit five home runs in the three-game series, and he has nine this season against the Dodgers and 22 overall.

Pederson and Walker went back-to-back with two outs in the first inning off rookie Landon Knack. Pederson walked with two outs in the third and Walker followed with a two-run shot to extend Arizona's lead to 4-0.

Justin Martinez struck out five over three scoreless innings for the win.

Gabriel Moreno had three hits, including a two-run double in the ninth, as the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in five games.

Dodgers' stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman struck out three times each.

Reds sweep struggling Yankees

Nick Martini, Jonathan India and Spencer Steer homered to back Frankie Montas' triumphant return to Yankee Stadium as the Cincinnati Reds defeated reeling New York 8-4 to complete a three-game sweep.

Steer's three-run shot in the fifth inning off Marcus Stroman extended Cincinnati's lead to 5-0, and Jake Fraley made it 8-2 with a bases-loaded triple in the seventh.

The Reds became the first NL team to sweep a regular-season interleague series in the Bronx.

Montas took a shutout into the fifth and allowed two runs, four hits and three walks in five-plus innings to end a four-start winless streak. He struggled to a 6.35 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees in 2022.

Ben Rice hit his first career home run, Austin Well also went deep and Juan Soto added his 21st of the season for the Yankees, who have lost 13 of 17 and 14 of 19 after a 49-21 start.

Irvin, Nationals 1-hit Mets

Jake Irvin pitched one-hit ball over a career-high eight innings and Jesse Winker hit a pinch-hit home run to lift the Washington Nationals to a 1-0 victory over the New York Mets.

Irvin struck out eight, walked one and threw 99 pitches. He gave up his only hit on Jeff McNeil's third-inning single.

Derek Law pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

Winker hit a curveball from reliever Adrian Houser 407 feet to right-center field for his fifth career pinch-hit home run and his 10th of any kind this season.

Jose Quintana nearly matched Irvin, allowing four hits over seven scoreless innings.

Washington won their second straight and sent New York to their seventh shutout of the season.

Christian Walker continued his Dodger Stadium rampage with two more home runs and Joc Pederson added a blast against his former team to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

Walker went deep in his first two at-bats for his 18th and 19th home runs in 42 career games at the ballpark. He has homered in five straight games at the third-oldest park in the majors, tying the longest single-season streak at Dodger Stadium with Pederson, who did it in 2015 with Los Angeles.

Walker hit five home runs in the three-game series, and he has nine this season against the Dodgers and 22 overall.

Pederson and Walker went back-to-back with two outs in the first inning off rookie Landon Knack. Pederson walked with two outs in the third and Walker followed with a two-run shot to extend Arizona’s lead to 4-0.

Justin Martinez struck out five over three scoreless innings for the win.

Gabriel Moreno had three hits, including a two-run double in the ninth, as the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in five games.

Dodgers’ stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman struck out three times each.

Reds sweep struggling Yankees

Nick Martini, Jonathan India and Spencer Steer homered to back Frankie Montas’ triumphant return to Yankee Stadium as the Cincinnati Reds defeated reeling New York 8-4 to complete a three-game sweep.

Steer’s three-run shot in the fifth inning off Marcus Stroman extended Cincinnati’s lead to 5-0, and Jake Fraley made it 8-2 with a bases-loaded triple in the seventh.

The Reds became the first NL team to sweep a regular-season interleague series in the Bronx.

Montas took a shutout into the fifth and allowed two runs, four hits and three walks in five-plus innings to end a four-start winless streak. He struggled to a 6.35 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees in 2022.

Ben Rice hit his first career home run, Austin Well also went deep and Juan Soto added his 21st of the season for the Yankees, who have lost 13 of 17 and 14 of 19 after a 49-21 start.

Irvin, Nationals 1-hit Mets

Jake Irvin pitched one-hit ball over a career-high eight innings and Jesse Winker hit a pinch-hit home run to lift the Washington Nationals to a 1-0 victory over the New York Mets.

Irvin struck out eight, walked one and threw 99 pitches. He gave up his only hit on Jeff McNeil’s third-inning single.

Derek Law pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

Winker hit a curveball from reliever Adrian Houser 407 feet to right-center field for his fifth career pinch-hit home run and his 10th of any kind this season.

Jose Quintana nearly matched Irvin, allowing four hits over seven scoreless innings.

Washington won its second straight and sent New York to its seventh shutout of the season.

Chris Sale pitched six strong innings to become the second 11-game winner in the majors and Austin Riley had a two-run double to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Sale allowed three hits and struck out nine with two walks to join Kansas City’s Seth Lugo as 11-game winners.

The veteran left-hander needed only six pitchers to retire the Giants in order in the first and struck out the side in the third. He added two more strikeouts to open the fifth before Curt Casali lined a single to center for San Francisco’s first hit.

Three relievers finished the four-hitter with Raisel Iglesias working the ninth for his 21st save.

Atlanta had three straight hits to open the second and took a 1-0 lead on Adam Duvall’s run-scoring double off Jordan Hicks.

Riley’s two-run double off the right-field wall in the fifth made it 3-0.

Kremer, O’Hearn lift Orioles

Dean Kremer pitched five scoreless innings in his return and Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Kremer was excellent in his first start since May 20 due to a triceps strain. He yielded just two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Craig Kimbrel struck out two in the ninth for his 21st save of the season and 438th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list.

O’Hearn delivered a two-out, two-run double in a three-run third against Logan Gilbert and added a solo home run in the fifth.

Baltimore won for the sixth time in seven games and sent Seattle to its 10th loss in 13 contests. The Mariners’ lead in the AL West has been cut to two games over Houston.

Alvarez homers again as Astros roll

Yordan Alvarez homered for the third straight game and Jose Altuve delivered a tiebreaking single during a four-run seventh inning as the surging Houston Astros rolled to a 9-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yainer Diaz had three hits and three RBIs to help the Astros win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Alvarez doubled home a run in the third, led off the sixth with his 19th home run, scored after an intentional walk in the seventh and capped his night with an RBI double in the eighth.

Alvarez, who has seven home runs in 13 career games in Toronto, is 11 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs in his last six games overall. 

Last-place Toronto (39-47) has lost 11 of 15 to match a season high at eight games under .500.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 32nd home run but Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson each hit two-run shots and the Cincinnati Reds held on for a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Judge’s solo shot in the seventh off Sam Moll was his third hit of the game and pulled the Yankees within 5-4, but Fernando Cruz pitched the eighth and Alexis Diaz worked a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances.

Judge leads the majors in batting average (.321), homers and RBIs (83).

Luis Gil retired nine in a row to open the game before De La Cruz led off the fourth with his sixth triple of the season. He came home on a groundout and the Reds scored four times in the next inning to knock out Gil.

After Stuart Fairchild was hit by a pitch, Benson hit his fifth homer and first since May 28. Jonathan India was then hit near the left elbow and Caleb Ferguson relieved Gil. De La Cruz followed by sending a 2-0 fastball into the visitors' bullpen in left-center for his 15th homer and a 5-0 lead.

Graham Ashcraft held the Yankees scoreless for four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He allowed three runs and four hits over five innings with two walks and three strikeouts.

New York has lost 11 of its last 15 games.

Ohtani homers as Dodgers rally 

Teoscar Hernandez capped a two-out, ninth-inning rally with an RBI single to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Joc Pederson snapped a ninth-inning tie with a home run to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead, but the Dodgers responded with two runs in the bottom half after Paul Sewald struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani.

Will Smith doubled off the wall in center and scored on Freddie Freeman’s double into the right-center field gap. Hernandez then singled home Freeman for the game-winner.

Ohtani fell a triple shy of the cycle and homered for the 10th time in his last 14 games. He is batting .396 (21 for 53) with 20 RBIs during that stretch.

Ohtani, Smith, Freeman and Hernandez combined to go 10 for 20 with six RBIs and five runs as the Dodgers salvaged a game in which they led 2-0 and 4-3.

Christian Walker’s fourth-inning home run was his 15th at Dodger Stadium, with all coming since 2018. That is the most of any visiting player in that time.  

Twins extend home run streak in win

Manny Margot and Carlos Correa went deep and the Minnesota Twins extended their club-record home run streak to 20 games in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Byron Buxton led off the seventh with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a head-first dive into home plate.

Minnesota’s bullpen came up big with Jorge Alcala working 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Griffin Jax pitching one inning before Jhoan Duran earned his 13th save of the season.

The Twins moved a season-high 11 games over .500 with their seventh win in nine games.

The news, however, wasn’t all good as third baseman Royce Lewis left after five innings with tightness in his left groin.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 31st home run to back Gerrit Cole’s first victory of the season, and the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Sunday to salvage a split in the four-game series.

Judge’s two-run shot in the first inning gave Cole an early lead, and the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner allowed one run and struck out six over five innings.

It was Cole’s third start after missing nearly the first three months of the season with right elbow inflammation.

Judge, meanwhile, ended another strong month after getting off to a slow start to 2024.

The 32-year-old slugger was hitting .207 with six home runs and 18 RBIs at the end of April before batting .361 with 14 homers and 27 RBIs in May to earn AL Player of the Month honours.

Judge remained red-hot in June, hitting .409 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs.

Rangers rookie Langford hits for cycle against Orioles

Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit for the cycle in an 11-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

The 22-year-old Langford, selected by the Rangers with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, hit a triple in the fourth inning, doubled in the fifth, singled in the sixth and blasted a three-run homer in the eighth to complete the first cycle in the majors this season.

Langford became the 12th player in franchise history to hit for the cycle and joined Oddibe McDowell in 1985 as the only Rangers rookies to accomplish the feat.

The defending World Series champion Rangers ended a six-game losing streak and prevented the first-place Orioles from winning a fifth straight contest.

Royals right-hander Lugo beats Guardians to become first in MLB to 11 wins

Seth Lugo pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 10 to become the first 11-game winner in the major leagues as the Kansas City Royals beat the AL-leading Cleveland Guardians 6-2.

Lugo improved to 11-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts in his first season with the Royals.

The 34-year-old right-hander has already set a career high in wins after entering 2024 with a 23-17 record and 4.01 ERA in 64 lifetime starts.

Lugo spent the majority of his first seven MLB seasons as a reliever with the New York Mets before solely being a starter with the San Diego Padres last year.

Kansas City moved to 47-39 after posting the second-worst record in the majors last season at 56-106.

The Royals have not finished over .500 since winning the World Series in 2015.