Aaron Judge hit two more home runs to become the fifth player in MLB history with three seasons of 50 or more, and the New York Yankees went deep five times in all en route to a 10-3 rout of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Judge connected on a two-run homer in the first inning to join Babe Ruth (four times), Mark McGwire (four), Sammy Sosa (four) and Alex Rodriguez (three) as the only players with three 50-homer seasons. The American League MVP front-runner added a solo shot in the seventh, one of three consecutive homers that helped the Yankees earn their fourth win in five games and extend their lead to 1 1/2 games over the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East.

Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres also homered for New York. All three finished with two hits, with Torres driving in four runs on the day and Soto two.

Judge's 50th homer came with Torres aboard and erased an early 1-0 deficit after Colorado scratched home a run in the top of the first. Charlie Blackmon led off the game with a walk against Marcus Stroman, advanced to third on an Ezequiel Tovar single and an error, and scored on Brenton Doyle's fielder's choice grounder.

The Yankees extended the lead to 4-1 in the second inning with four consecutive two-out singles off Colorado starter Austin Gomber, including run-scoring hits by Torres and Soto.

Drew Romo singled in Jake Cave in the fourth to allow the Rockies to close the gap, and they got within 4-3 an inning later when Doyle drew a walk against Stroman and came home on Ryan McMahon's two-out double.

The Yankees pulled away in the seventh, however, when Soto, Judge and Stanton all homered in succession off reliever Jeff Criswell.

Judge's blast was his seventh homer in six games and put him on pace for 63, one ahead of the AL-record 62 he hit during his 2022 MVP season.

Torres pushed the margin to 10-3 in the eighth when he followed singles by Alex Verdugo and DJ LeMahieu with his 11th homer of the season. 

Stroman (9-6) received the win after striking out five and allowing three runs in five innings. Gomber (4-9) lasted six innings while surrendering four runs.

Bregman, Diaz homers help Astros earn split with Orioles

The Orioles lost ground to the Yankees in the AL East race with a 6-3 defeat to the Houston Astros, who were boosted by back-to-back home runs from Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz in the seventh inning that snapped a tie game.

Bregman's two-out shot off Burch Smith broke a 3-3 deadlock, and Diaz took the Baltimore reliever deep on the very next pitch to give the AL West leaders a two-run advantage.

Zach Dezenzo added a two-run double to help Houston earn a split of this key four-game series. Dezenzo, Bregman and Mauricio Dubon all finished with two hits.

The Orioles managed just two hits on the night, though one was Ramon Urias' three-run homer that tied the game in the fifth inning.

Houston had gone up early by scoring three times in the fourth inning, all with two out. Jeremy Pena began the rally with a single and then raced all the way from first on Victor Caratini's base hit to account for the game's first run.

After Ben Gamel followed with a single, Dezenzo extended the margin to 3-0 with a double off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer.

Houston's Yusei Kukuchi didn't allow a hit until Eloy Jimenez's lead-off single in the bottom of the fifth, but the left-hander later walked Emmanuel Rivera to set the stage for Urias' game-tying homer on a 1-2 pitch.

Bregman and Diaz's power displays would put the Astros back in front in the seventh, and Houston scratched home another run in the eighth. Gamel walked before advancing to third on a Dezenzo single and an error by Urias, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Jake Meyers.

The Orioles put the lead-off man on in the ninth when Gunnar Henderson drew a walk off Josh Hader, but the veteran closer later got a game-ending double play to seal the win and notch his 28th save.

Kikuchi yielded just two hits despite surrendering three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Kremer struck out five while permitting three runs in six innings.

Diamondbacks finish sweep of Red Sox, extend win streak to six

Eugenio Suarez's go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning lifted the surging Arizona Diamondbacks to their sixth straight win, a 7-5 comeback victory over the fading Boston Red Sox.

Suarez went 4 for 4 to cap a huge series in which the third baseman drove in 10 runs to help the Diamondbacks to a three-game sweep. Geraldo Perodomo added a solo homer while knocking in a pair of runs in the finale.

With his team trailing 4-3 in the sixth, Suarez followed Pavin Smith's single and a walk to Adrian Del Castillo with a drive over the Green Monster in left field off Boston starter Tanner Houck that put Arizona ahead.

Perdomo provided some insurance with a solo homer in the top of the ninth. Justin Martinez gave up Tyler O'Neill's solo shot in the bottom of the inning that brought Boston within 7-5, but retired the next three men he faced to record his sixth save.

The Red Sox fell to 6-11 over their last 17 games despite building a 4-0 lead after four innings, with Triston Casas quickly putting them ahead with a solo homer off Merrill Kellly in the first.

Casas and Wilyer Abreu singled in the fourth to put two on for Rafael Devers, who crushed Kelly's pitch over the center field wall for his 200th career homer.

Houck (8-9) held the Diamondbacks scoreless through four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, as he walked two batters around a Suarez single to load the bases with none out.

Arizona proceeded to manufacture two runs on a Perdomo groundout and Corbin Carroll's sacrifice fly, and another on Jake McCarthy's RBI single which cut the lead to 4-3.

Kelly moved to 4-0 on the season despite permitting four runs with five strikeouts in six innings. Houck was tagged for six runs on seven hits and walked four over six innings.

Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and struck out 12 in a dominant performance before the Toronto Blue Jays closed out a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.

Francis lost his bid for history when Taylor Ward drove a 3-2 fastball deep to center for a leadoff homer in the ninth. It was Ward's 17th homer of the season.

Francis walked three and hit a batter in his third consecutive win. He threw a career-high 117 pitches, 84 for strikes.

Chad Green got the final three outs for his 14th save in 14 chances.

Francis is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 27 strikeouts in his past three starts.

Dave Stieb pitched the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history at Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 27th homer as the Blue Jays won their third straight overall and sixth consecutive meeting with the Angels.

Los Angeles has scored eight runs during a four-game skid.

Realmuto’s blasts power Phillies

J.T. Realmuto homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs and Bryson Stott went 4 for 4 to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals.

After a pair of Royals defensive misadventures put runners at the corners to open the sixth, Realmuto hammered Brady Singer’s 100th pitch above left-field bullpen for a 5-1 lead.

Realmuto hit a 424-foot shot into the fountains in left-center during a five-run eighth inning and added an RBI grounder in the ninth.

Ranger Suarez pitched five effective innings in his return from the injured list. He allowed a run on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts for his first win since June 8.

The Phillies matched a season high with 18 hits, including a season-best nine for extra bases.

Gallen pitches surging Diamondbacks past Red Sox

Zac Gallen pitched two-hit ball over six innings and struck out nine as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth straight, 4-1 over the Boston Red Sox.

Gallen worked around four walks to end a three-start winless streak as Boston went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before Connor Wong dropped a single into right field.

Ryan Thompson and A.J. Puk each worked a scoreless inning before Paul Sewald gave up Masataka Yoshida’s RBI double in the ninth.

The Diamondbacks have won 23 of their last 29 games to take hold of the top NL wild-card spot.

Arizona managed just one hit – and a lone baserunner – against Kutter Crawford through three innings before Joc Pederson hit a long flyball toward left field with one out in the fourth. Boston center fielder Jarren Duran crashed into the Green Monster trying to catch it, but it went off his glove for a double.

Josh Bell walked, and one out later, Eugenio Suárez doubled off the left-field wall to make it 2-0.

The Diamondbacks scored two more runs in the seventh without a hit when Lucas Sims walked two, then Brennan Bernardino walked two more and threw a wild pitch that brought in another run.

Shohei Ohtani hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam to become the fastest player in major league history to join the 40-40 club as the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3 on Friday night.

Ohtani is the first Dodger to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season and the sixth ever. He broke the record held by Alfonso Soriano, who reached the mark in Game 148 for the Washington Nationals in 2006.

Ohtani, who stole his 40th base in the fourth inning, did it in the Dodgers' 129th game.

The other 40-40 members are Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023).

Will Smith was hit by Manuel Rodriguez leading off the ninth and Tommy Edman followed with a single. Smith and Edman moved up on Miguel Rojas’ sacrifice. Colin Poche came in and walked Max Muncy to set up Ohtani’s 389-foot slam to center.

Kike Hernandez accounted for all the Dodgers’ offence before Ohtani’s blast with a tying three-run homer in the fifth off starter Tyler Alexander.

Los Angeles has won five straight and 11 of 14 to remain four games ahead of Arizona in the NL West.

Junior Caminero and Christopher Morel went deep for the Rays, who dropped their second in a row.

Mariners rally to win Wilson’s debut

Leo Rivas singled home Dylan More in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners erased a four-run deficit for a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Dan Wilson’s managerial debut.

Seattle scored four times in the eighth inning to pull even at 5-5, then saw Rivas come through in the 10th.

Pinch-runner Moore stole third base with one out and Rivas lined a 2-2 pitch from Erik Miller into center field to set off a celebration as Seattle won for just the second time in the 10 games.

Wilson was named manager of the Mariners on Thursday after Scott Servais was fired.

Luke Raley homered for Seattle, but it was a big eighth-inning rally that gave the Mariners a chance. They sent nine batters to the plate and scored four times with six consecutive singles off reliever Tyler Rogers. Justin Turner, Josh Rojas, Rivas and Raley all had RBI singles that helped make it 5-5.

LaMonte Wade Jr., Heliot Ramos and Michael Conforto homered for the Giants, who lost their second straight after winning three in a row.

Judge homers again as Yankees win

Aaron Judge homered for the fourth straight game with his major league-leading 49th and Carlos Rodon pitched six innings in the New York Yankees’ 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Judge homered for the fourth straight game, sending a 388-foot shot to left-center off Kyle Freeland in the sixth inning.

Judge has eight homers in his last 11 games and 17 homers in his last 34. He is one home run shy of becoming just the fifth player in history to record three 50-homer seasons. Judge is on pace to match the 62 homers he hit in 2022, when he broke the American League record set in 1961 by late Yankees slugger Roger Maris.

Judge is hitting .381 with 43 homers and 101 RBIs in 94 games since his average dipped to .197 on May 2.

Rodon (14-8) moved into a tie for the major league lead in wins, allowing four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes have combined to toss 19 straight scoreless innings in the Yankees’ last three games.

 New York won its third straight to remain 1 ½ games ahead of Baltimore in the AL East.

Aaron Judge continued his torrid home run pace with his major league-leading 48th and Gerrit Cole allowed one hit over six innings as the New York Yankees rolled to a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.

Judge homered for the third straight game and is on pace to finish with 61, two years after hitting 62 to break Roger Maris’ single-season AL record. Judge homered for the sixth time in seven games, seventh time in 10 games and 13th time in 23 games.

Judge had 49 homers through his first 128 games in 2022 and is the only Yankee with at least 48 through that point in multiple seasons. He joined Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001) and Mark McGwire (1998, 1999) as the third player in baseball history with at least 48 homers through 128 games in multiple seasons.

Cole allowed a single to Steven Kwan on his second pitch and tied a career worst with five walks. He struck out two and got eight outs on the ground, including a double play by rookie Jhonkensy Noel to end the sixth.

Cole became the fourth active pitcher to reach 150 wins, joining Justin Verlander (260), Max Scherzer (216) and Clayton Kershaw (212).

Giancarlo Stanton added a three-run homer for the Yankees, who moved 1 ½ games ahead of Baltimore for the AL East lead.

Cleveland lost for the fifth time in six games. The Guardians scored once and had five hits in the final two games of the series after scoring six times in the 12th in a 9-5 win on Tuesday.

Braves take series from Phillies

Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach retired 19 straight batters and Adam Duvall went 3 for 3 with a home run as the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 to take two of three in the series.

After Schwellenbach surrendered a one-out single to Bryce Harper in the first, he didn't allow another hitter to reach safely until Bryson Stott's infield hit off the pitcher's glove with two outs in the seventh.

 J.T. Realmuto followed with a run-scoring double to the gap in right-center, cutting into Atlanta's 3-1 lead and ending Schwellenbach’s night. Pierce Johnson struck out Brandon Marsh to end the threat and worked around two walks in the eighth, retiring Trea Turner on an inning-ending double play.

Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 28th save in 30 chances.

Schwellenbach gave up two runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts – all swinging.

Duvall hit his 11th home run leading off the sixth to extend Atlanta’s lead to 3-1. His three-hit night came after he entered the game mired in a 1-for-29 slump.

Arrighetti pitches Astros to 9th straight road win

Spencer Arrighetti pitched three-hit ball over six scoreless innings and the Houston Astros extended their lead in the AL West to a season-high 5 ½ games with a 6-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Arrighetti walked one and struck out six before departing after throwing 94 pitches. He outpitched Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, who allowed five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Ben Gamel drove in two runs in his Astros debut as they won their ninth straight road game, Houston’s longest run since an 11-game streak in 2018.

Gamel, acquired off waivers from the New York Mets, delivered RBI singles in the fourth and sixth, when Houston did all its scoring. The Astros are 62-39 since their 7-19 start, and they've opened a comfortable lead over second-place Seattle in the AL West. Houston was 10 games behind after losing to the Chicago White Sox on June 18.

The Orioles have lost five of seven to fall 1 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees.

The slumping Seattle Mariners are firing manager Scott Servais following a disastrous 1-8 road trip that has seen the club fall back in the American League West race, The Athletic reported Thursday.

According to the report, former Mariners' catcher Dan WIlson will take over the team for the remainder of the season, with an official announcement to come later Thursday.

Servais was in his ninth season with Seattle and led the Mariners to their first postseason appearance in 21 years in 2022, but the team has been mired in an extended slump as its once-sizeable lead atop the AL West has evaporated over the last two months.

The Mariners owned a 10-game advantage atop the division on June 18 but have gone 20-33 since, and now trail the resurgent Houston Astros by five games for first place.

A lack of offence has been the root cause of Seattle's downfall. The Mariners rank 27th in Major League Baseball in runs scored, last in batting average (.216) and 29th out of 30 teams in slugging percentage (.365).

Servais compiled a 680-642 record since taking over the Mariners in 2016, including a 64-64 mark this season, and ended the franchise's lengthy postseason drought by guiding the 2022 team to a 90-72 record and an AL wild-card berth. Seattle then swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-three Wild Card Round before being swept by the eventual World Series champion Astros in the AL Division Series. 

The Mariners fell one game short of a playoff spot after going 88-74 last season, however, and this year's team has gone 12-21 since July 12 to seal Servais' fate. 

Seattle will now attempt to salvage its season under Wilson, a popular former player with no managerial or coaching experience at the major league level. The 55-year-old had been serving as a special assignment coordinator with the Mariners after previously working as the organisation's minor league catching coordinator.

Wilson played 12 seasons for the Mariners from 1994-2005 and was named an All-Star in 1996. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2012.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 46th and 47th home runs and Juan Soto also went deep and drove in five runs as the New York Yankees snapped a three-game skid with an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

Judge hit a two-run homer in the third and added a solo shot in the seventh to give him six home runs in his last nine games and 12 in his last 23. He is on pace to hit 60 home runs.

Soto hit his career-high 36th homer on rookie Joey Cantillo’s sixth pitch, a 2-2 offering he sent onto the netting above Monument Park in center field. He eclipsed his career best set last season with San Diego.

Soto homered for the eighth time in nine games, a stretch that began with his three-homer game last week in Chicago against the White Sox.

Judge and Soto homered in the same contest for the second straight game and 11th time overall. The Yankees improved to 9-2 this season when the powerful duo go deep in the same game.

Nestor Cortes pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Rookie Jhonkensy Noel homered for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who have lost four of five.

Mets walk-off Orioles again

Pinch-hitter Jesse Winker opened the ninth inning with his first home run for the New York Mets to give them a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

After Francisco Alvarez took Seranthony Dominguez deep for a walk-off 4-3 win on Monday, Winker fought back from an 0-2 count to a full count against the Baltimore reliever and drove a 98 mph fastball the other way to left-center for his second walk-off homer in the majors.

His 12th home run of the season was his second as a pinch hitter and the sixth of his career.

Mets starter Sean Manaea retired his first 17 batters and Mark Vientos put New York ahead 3-2 with a solo homer in the seventh.

Francisco Lindor also went deep and J.D. Martinez drove in a run with a grounder to help the Mets take two of three in the series.

The Orioles managed just three hits, including a tying two-run homer by Austin Slater.

Arenado’s walk-off slam cools Brewers

Nolan Arenado hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning and the St. Louis Cardinals scored six unanswered runs to end the Milwaukee Brewers’ six-game winning streak, 10-6.

Arenado’s fifth career walk-off homer and sixth career grand slam gave the Cardinals their second win in their last eight games.

The Brewers led 6-4 after Joey Ortiz’s two-run double in the eighth inning, but St. Louis scored twice in the ninth against Devin Williams, who issued bases-loaded walks to Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham.

Jackson Chourio had a career-high four hits and Ortiz finished with three RBIs for NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which still has an 11-game lead in the division.

David Fry highlighted a six-run 12th inning with a three-run triple and the Cleveland Guardians snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over the New York Yankees in a matchup of division leaders on Tuesday night in the longest major league game this season.

Pinch-hitter Lane Thomas delivered a go-ahead double to ignite the big 12th and Jose Ramirez had an RBI single before a walk to Tyler Freeman loaded the bases. Fry’s triple was just out of the reach of right fielder Juan Soto and made it 8-3.

Guardians rookie Jhonkensey Noel added an RBI infield single when Michael Tonkin was slow to cover first base.

Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase pitched two innings for the first time this season and retired Alex Verdugo with two on to the end the 10th. Tim Herrin was aided by Daniel Schneemann’s leaping catch in right field on Austin Wells and stranded two in the 11th.

Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Yankees, who have lost three in a row after three consecutive wins.

New York used all eight of its relievers after rookie starter Luis Gil exited in the fourth because of back tightness. The Yankees issued 14 walks for the first time since allowing a team-record 15 at Milwaukee on Sept. 15, 1993.

The game lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes – the longest in the big leagues this season.

Montas pitches streaking Brewers past Cardinals

Frankie Montas allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings and Devin Williams escaped a jam in the ninth as the Milwaukee Brewers won their sixth straight, 3-2 over the reeling St. Louis Cardinals.

Montas allowed his only hit on a single by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning, struck out three and walked one.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Williams struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman - both swinging - for his fifth save.

William Contreras had three hits for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who are cruising to the division title with an 11 ½ games lead over the Cubs.

Sal Frelick drove in Willy Adames with a two-out single in the second and also tripled and scored on Joey Ortiz's single in the fifth.

Matt Carpenter homered for St. Louis in its seventh loss in eight games.

Profar’s late home run rallies Padres

Jurickson Profar belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to rally the San Diego Padres to a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in a matchup of playoff contenders.

Manny Machado also homered and Xander Bogaerts added an RBI double as the Padres improved to 22-5 in their last 27 games. They have won nine of their last 10 series.

The Padres trailed 5-3 before Profar drove a low slider from Steven Okert deep to left. Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez singled ahead of Profar's 20th homer.

Ryan Jeffers homered for the Twins, who lost their third in a row.

Francisco Alvarez's solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the New York Mets to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Monday's opener of an important three-game series for both teams.

With one out and the game tied at 3-3, Alvarez crushed a 3-0 fastball from Seranthony Dominguez well clear of the wall in left center field to allow the Mets to close the gap in the National League wild card race and knock the Orioles out of first place in the American League East.

J.D. Martinez had a two-run homer in the first inning for New York, which moved within 1 1/2 games of the Atlanta Braves for the NL's final wild card spot with its third win in four games.

The Orioles have now lost three of four and dropped a half-game back of the idle New York Yankees for the AL's top spot.

Baltimore made it interesting, however, by scoring twice in the seventh inning to erase a 3-1 deficit.

Ryan Mountcastle began the rally with a lead-off double and took third on a groundout before being forced home when Mets starter David Peterson was called for a balk. Ramon Urias then followed with a solo home run to knot the score at 3-3.

Peterson had been cruising up until that point and departed after allowing three runs - two earned - while striking out eight through seven innings.

Martinez followed a first-inning single by Mark Vientos with his 13th homer of the season to give the Mets an early advantage. They increased the margin to 3-0 in the fourth when Pete Alonso doubled and later crossed the plate on Tyrone Taylor's two-out single.

The Orioles answered in the fifth with the help of an error by Peterson, who threw errantly on a pickoff attempt to send Urias to third after the infielder reached on a double. Urias would then score on a groundout by Jackson Holliday.

Urias and Mountcastle each finished with two hits for the Orioles, while Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers struck out five while permitting three runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Diaz's homer in ninth caps rally, keeps Astros hot

The Houston Astros also earned a key win via a walk-off home run, as Yainer Diaz's ninth-inning blast gave the AL West leaders a 5-4 comeback victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Houston scored once in each of the final two innings to rally for its 11th win in 12 games, with Diaz delivering the final blow by launching Kenley Jansen's pitch well over the left field wall with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

The Astros tied the game at 4-4 with a two-out rally an inning earlier, as Chas McCormick singled off reliever Lucas Sims and stole second before racing home on Mauricio Dubon's clutch single.

Yordan Alvarez and Victor Caratini each collected three hits to help Houston increase its lead over the second-place Seattle Mariners to five games in the division.

The slumping Red Sox lost for the eighth time in 12 games despite taking a 4-2 lead on Masataka Yoshida's pinch-hit two-run homer off reliever Tayler Scott in the top of the sixth inning. Romy Gonzalez was aboard for the blast after reaching on an error by Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, one of a season-high four miscues for the Astros.

Houston got closer in its half of the sixth, however. Back-to-back singles by Jeremy Pena and Caratini put runners on first and third for Jon Singleton, who drove in Pena with a sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 4-3. 

Astros starter Yusei Kikuchi struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, one earned, though his night began ominously when Boston's Jarren Duran connected on his 16th homer of the season on the game's first pitch.

Rob Refsnyder and Rafael Devers each singled later in the first inning before another Houston error - a misplay by rookie third baseman Shay Whitcomb - enabled another run to score.

The Astros were held scoreless by Tanner Houck through the first three innings before breaking through in the bottom of the fourth, which Alvarez began with a double and Diaz followed with a single. Alvarez was later thrown out at home on a fielder's choice grounder, but Caratini singled in Diaz and Pena also scored on the play on an errant throw by Boston catcher Danny Jansen.

Houck worked six innings and struck out eight while surrendering three runs - two earned.

Stone, Muncy propel Dodgers over Mariners in Turner's Los Angeles return

Gavin Stone racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings, Max Muncy homered in his first game back from the injured list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers spoiled Justin Tuner's return to Dodger Stadium with a 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Muncy, sidelined since May 16 by a right oblique strain, came through with a two-run homer in the seventh inning to back Stone's superb start and help the Dodgers win the opener of this three-game series between playoff hopefuls.

Gavin Lux homered earlier in the seventh to break a scoreless deadlock and a terrific pitching duel between Stone and Bryan Woo, who had allowed just one hit until Lux drove a pitch over the wall in center field.

Woo (5-2) then hit Will Smith with a pitch and was removed in favour of Yimi Garcia, who was greeted by Muncy's towering drive to right that quickly made the lead 3-0.

Stone (11-5) yielded just two hits and two walks before departing, with Joe Kelly pitching a scoreless eighth before Evan Phillips retired the side in order in the ninth to notch his 16th save.

Woo was charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings in slumping Seattle's sixth loss in seven games. The defeat dropped the Mariners five games back of first-place Houston in the AL West.

Turner went 1 for 3 in his first appearance at Dodger Stadium in nearly two years. The 39-year-old infielder made two NL All-Star teams during a successful nine-year tenure with the Dodgers from 2014-22. 

Collin Rea and two Milwaukee relievers teamed up on a two-hit shutout as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with Sunday's 2-0 win.

Rea (11-4) did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and surrendered just two over seven dominant frames while also hitting a pair of batters. Bryan Hudson and Jared Koenig followed with one perfect inning each to finish off the National League Central-leading Brewers' fifth consecutive win, tying a season high.

Despite Sunday's outcome, the Guardians maintained a two-game advantage over second-place Minnesota in the American Central race after the Twins lost in 10 innings to the Texas Rangers later in the day. 

Milwaukee scored all of its runs in the first and second innings to give Rea all the support he would need. Brice Turang delivered an early spark with a lead-off triple in the bottom of the first before crossing the plate on Willy Adames' two-out single off Ben Lively to quickly put the Brewers ahead.

The Brewers threatened again an inning later when back-to-back singles by Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz put runners at first and third with one out. Eric Haase then brought in Frelick with a groundout to increase the lead to 2-0.

Lively (10-8) kept Milwaukee scoreless over the remainder of his six-inning stint and yielded five hits while striking out five.

Rays cap sweep of Diamondbacks with 12-inning win

Dylan Carlson's run-scoring single in the 12th inning lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a wild 8-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks and a three-game sweep of one of baseball's hottest teams coming into the series.

The defending NL champion Diamondbacks entered St. Petersburg with wins in 18 of their previous 21 games, but left with a third straight loss despite erasing a 6-0 deficit after six innings.

Arizona may also have lost one of its top players for a period of time after All-Star Ketel Marte had to be helped off the field in the ninth inning after aggravating a left ankle sprain. The second baseman missed three games with the injury before returning to the lineup Saturday.

Shortly after Marte's exit, the Diamondbacks forced extra innings when rookie Adrian Del Castillo belted a three-run homer off Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks with one out in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 6-6.

Joc Pederson's two-out run-scoring single in the top of the 10th gave Arizona its lone lead of the day, which was short-lived as Taylor Walls delivered an RBI single in the Rays' half of the inning to extend the contest.

It remained a 7-7 tie until the bottom of the 12th. After Tampa's Jonny Deluca sacrificed the designated runner to third and Walls drew a walk, Carlson ended the game with a single off Justin Martinez (5-4) that gave Rays reliever Edwin Uceta his first major league win.

Uceta (1-0) held the Diamondbacks scoreless in the top of the 12th despite Arizona bringing the go-ahead run to third with none out.

Brandon Lowe and Christopher Morel each went 2 for 4 for Tampa Bay and were responsible for the game's first runs, as Morel doubled in the third and Lowe followed by homering in his second straight game.

The Rays then tagged Arizona starter Merrill Kelly for three more runs in the fifth.

Morel and Lowe each singled in front of Jose Caballero's two-run double that extended the lead to 4-0, and Caballero later scored on Junior Caminero's infield single.

Tampa Bay turned three walks and a wild pitch into another run in the sixth before the Diamondbacks began their rally an inning later.

Jake McCarthy's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh finally got Arizona on the board, and Corbin Carroll got the Diamondbacks within 6-3 with a two-run homer off Tyler Alexander in the eighth.

McCarthy later opened the ninth with a single before Pederson, who entered following Marte's injury, drew a walk off Fairbanks. Two batters later, Del Castillo sent a pitch into the right field seats to erase Tampa Bay's lead.

Ohtani's 39th homer backs Kershaw's gem as Dodgers edge Cardinals

Shohei Ohtani increased his NL home run lead with his 39th of the season, while Clayton Kershaw delivered his best start since returning from injury to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the struggling St. Louis Cardinals.

In his fifth start back from off-season shoulder surgery, Kershaw (2-2) scattered four hits and one walk over six shutout innings to help the Dodgers to a seventh win in 10 games. The victory also gave Los Angeles some breathing room atop the NL West, as second-place San Diego fell to three games behind the Dodgers after losing 3-2 to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have now lost six of seven and fell further behind in the NL wild card race. St. Louis now trails the Atlanta Braves by five games for the final playoff spot.

Kershaw left with a 2-0 lead after the Dodgers scored twice off St. Louis ace Sonny Gray in the fifth inning. Ohtani broke a scoreless tie when he launched the first pitch he saw in the fifth over the right field wall to move one short of his third career 40-homer season as an MLB player.

Mookie Betts followed Ohtani's blast with a walk before moving to third on Gavin Lux's single. Two batters later, Miguel Rojas singled in Betts to increase the margin.

Both Lux and Rojas finished with three hits.

The Cardinals cut into their deficit on Lars Nootbaar's pinch-hit homer off Daniel Hudson in the eighth inning. Michael Kopech protected Los Angeles' lead with a scoreless ninth, however, to record his second save of the series.

Gray (11-8) struck out six over five innings while allowing two runs and seven hits.

Dairon Blanco homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to power the Kansas City Royals to a 13-1 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

Blanco, who wielded a bat painted to look like a yellow crayon, hit a two-run homer deep to center field on the first pitch he saw from Reds starter Nick Lodolo in the second inning.

Then the 31-year-old Cuban cleared the loaded bases with a shot deep into the left-field seats in the third and drove in another run with a single in the fourth. He came into the game with just one homer and five RBIs this season.

Vinnie Pasquantino and Hunter Renfroe each added three hits for the Royals, who finished with 16 and won their third straight.

Michael Wacha benefited from the big offensive night. He limited the Reds to four hits over six scoreless innings with one walk and a season-high nine strikeouts.

Lodolo was roughed up for eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Jeimer Candelario hit his 20th home run for the Reds, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Sale beats Angels for 14th win

Chris Sale struck out 10 over six innings to tie for the major league wins lead and Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 3 with an early three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Sale allowed two runs and six hits with two walks to end a four-start winless streak. He leads the National League with 14 wins and tied Detroit’s Tarik Skubal for most in the majors.

Sale improved to 8-0 in 11 appearances against the Angels with a 1.24 ERA – his lowest versus any team he’s faced at least 10 times.

Michael Harris led off the game against Griffin Canning with a double and Austin Riley singled before Ozuna connected for his 36th home run and a 3-0 lead.

Atlanta broke the game open with a five-run fifth and knocked out Canning.

Whit Merrifield opened the inning with a homer and Travis d’Arnaud had a two-run double before Ramon Laureano’s two-run shot made it 9-0.

Severino goes distance for Mets

Luis Severino pitched his first complete game in over six years and was backed by home runs from Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso as the New York Mets defeated the last-place Miami Marlins, 4-0.

Severino allowed four hits with one walk and struck out eight to end a personal three-game losing streak. He threw a season-high 113 pitches and recorded his second career complete game and first since May 2, 2018, at Houston for the Yankees.

The shutout was the first by a Mets starter since Jacob deGrom blanked Washington on April 23, 2021.

Lindor led off the bottom of the first against Max Meyer with his 24th home run and Alonso did the same in the second, his 27th.

New York extended its lead in the third on Jesse Winker’s RBI single and Mark Vientos doubled home Lindor in the fourth.

The Mets scored once in each of the first four innings for the first time since May 26, 1995, against San Francisco.

Aaron Civale pitched six stellar innings and Willy Adames hit a three-run homer in the first inning as the Milwaukee Brewers ended the Cleveland Guardians’ five-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory in a matchup of division leaders on Friday night.

Civale, who began his career with Cleveland in 2019, gave up four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

After going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his first five appearances with Milwaukee, he’s 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his last two starts.

The Brewers jumped on Gavin Williams for three runs in the first.

Ty Black reached on a fielder’s choice with one out and William Conteras walked before Adames sent a 431-foot drive over the wall in right-center.

It was Adames’ franchise record 10th three-run homer – the most in the majors this season.

Jose Ramirez and David Fry homered in the eighth to draw the Guardians within 5-3, but Joel Payamps retired the side in order in the ninth for his sixth save with regular closer Devin Williams unavailable.

Lowly White Sox end Astros’ win streak

Luis Robert Jr. had two home runs among his four hits and drove in four runs as the major league-worst Chicago White Sox snapped the Houston Astros’ eight-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory.

Robert hit a two-run homer in the third and added a solo shot in the fifth as the White Sox built a 4-1 lead. It’s the seventh career two-homer game for Robert and his first since March 30 against Detroit.

Jake Meyers and Jon Singleton homered for the Astros, who struck out a season-high 16 times in their first loss since Aug. 5.

The White Sox (30-93) are 3-5 in their last eight games following 21 consecutive losses.

Garrett Crochet allowed one run on four hits over four innings with nine strikeouts. Chad Kuhl gave up Singleton’s homer in the ninth but fanned Jose Altuve for his first save of the season.

Witt continues surge as Royals win

Bobby Witt Jr. homered, doubled and singled to raise his major league-leading average to .352 and Michael Lorenzen pitched into the sixth inning to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 7-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Witt hit a four-seam fastball from Nick Martinez 430 feet into the upper deck for his 25th homer in the fourth inning. He doubled and scored on a fielder’s choice in the sixth and had an infield single in the seventh.

The Reds intentionally walked him with two outs in the ninth, just before he scored on Vinnie Pasquantino's 18th homer.

Witt is batting .422 (27 for 64) with seven homers and 19 RBIs in his last 16 games. He became the third Royals player to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in consecutive seasons.

Lorenzen, acquired by the Royals from Texas on July 29, allowed a run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings and left after 83 pitches.

Salvador Perez, Adam Frazier and Freddie Fermin also drove in runs for Kansas City, helping snap Cincinnati's four-game win streak.

Rookie Weston Wilson became the ninth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle and Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to power the Philadelphia Phillies to a 13-3 drubbing of the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.

Wilson tripled and singled in the fourth, homered in the seventh and then doubled to right in the eighth, with Alex Call failing on a diving attempt.

Wilson had the 10th cycle in Phillies history - Chuck Klein did it twice - and he was the first home player to accomplish the feat at Citizens Bank Park since David Bell in 2004.

Wilson had just 16 at-bats and 22 plate appearances last season, officially making him the first rookie in Phillies history to hit for the cycle.

Philadelphia jumped on Mitchell Parker for four first-inning runs, with Bohm hitting a three-run shot and Castellanos following with 16th of the season.

Trea Turner had three hits and two RBIs and Johan Rojas drove in three runs for the Phillies, who collected 17 hits in their second straight win following a four-game skid.

Zack Wheeler allowed two runs and three hits over six innings for his 12th win, one off the National League lead.

Keibert Ruiz hit a pair of homers as Washington dropped to 1-6 this season against Philadelphia.

Baez lifts Tigers to sweep

Javier Baez hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers allowed one hit and rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners to complete a three-game sweep.

Detroit trailed 1-0 in the eighth after Seattle got seven two-hit innings from Bryce Miller, but Yimi Garcia walked Parker Meadows, who stole second. After Zack McKinstry popped out and Akil Baddoo grounded out, Andres Munoz relieved and hung a 2-1 slider that Baez lined over the fence in left field.

Munoz hadn’t allowed a hit in a franchise-record 12 consecutive outings.

The Mariners scored four runs in the three-game series and dropped three games behind AL West-leading Houston.

Kenta Maeda pitched one-hit ball over 5 1/3 innings, Shelby Miller earned the win with 1 1/3 innings before Jason Foley worked the ninth for his 16th save to preserve Detroit’s fourth straight win.

Brewers rally past Dodgers for split

Jackson Chourio and Wiliam Contreras homered in the first inning and scored again in an eighth-inning comeback as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup of division leaders.

Milwaukee trailed 4-3 in the eighth before loading the bases on Chourio’s double, a walk to Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras’ infield single.

Willie Adames singled home Chourio to tie it and Tyler Black’s grounder sent Mitchell home. Contreras scored an insurance run from third when Rhys Hoskins grounded out with a batted ball that hit pitcher Daniel Hudson’s leg.

Devin Williams earned his third save in as many opportunities and ended the game by striking out Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. That save came one day after Williams preserved a 5-4 victory by retiring Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman in order.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Dodgers rallied to take a 4-3 lead when Kike Hernández greeted Elvis Peguero with a tiebreaking two-out single in the sixth inning.

Aaron Judge became the fastest in major league history to hit 300 home runs, reaching the milestone with a three-run shot in the eighth inning in the New York Yankees’ 10-2 rout of the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Judge hit his major league-leading 43rd home run on a 3-0 up-and-in sinker from Chad Kuhl to extend the lead to 9-2.

Chicago had intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring up Judge, who had not homered on a 3-0 pitch since 2021.

Judge hit that mark in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat. Ralph Kiner reached 300 homers in his 1,087th game and Babe Ruth did it in his 3,831st at-bat.

Soto also went deep after hitting three home runs in a 4-1 win over the White Sox on Tuesday. He has 34 this season and six in his past four games.

Austin Wells had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs for the Yankees, who moved back atop the AL East with a one-half game lead over Baltimore.

The White Sox lost for the 26th time in 28 games and have dropped 12 consecutive series. They are on pace to finish 39-123, which would be the most losses since the 1889 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134.

Streaking Astros sweep Rays

Maurico Dubon delivered a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning and Josh Hader pitched two hitless innings as the Houston Astros won their season-high eighth straight game, 2-1 over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Automatic runner Pedro Leon moved to third on Jeremy Pena’s deep fly to center and after Zach Dezenso struck out and Jake Meyers walked, Dubon’s single to center gave the Astros the lead.

Houston was hitless until Peña homered for the second straight game, leading off the fifth against Zack Littell with his 12th of the season.

Ronel Blanco limited the Rays to two hits over six scoreless innings and Hader struck out three for the win.

The Astros have outscored opponents 44-20 during the eight-game run with their pitchers posting a 2.34 ERA.

Tampa Bay has scored two or fewer runs in nine of its last 13 games.

Sizzling Diamondbacks roll over Rockies

Eugenio Suarez hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to their season-high sixth straight victory, 11-4 over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Joc Pederson had two RBIs as the Diamondbacks finished a three-game sweep and improved to 18-3 in their last 21 games. Following a 6-1 homestand, the defending NL champions go on a nine-game trip to Tampa Bay, Miami and Boston.

Arizona has totalled 46 runs during the six-game streak while batting .329.

Suarez had three hits, driving the first pitch he saw from Riley Pint into the left-center seats for a 10-3 lead in the sixth and his fourth career slam.

Jordan Montgomery allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings with a season-high eight strikeouts.

The last-place Rockies, who lost for the eighth time in 11 games, committed three errors and hit four batters. Colorado fell to an NL-worst 17-46 on the road.

Juan Soto hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, Nestor Cortes spun seven shutout innings and the New York Yankees bounced back from an embarrassing loss to beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Tuesday.

A night after the White Sox beat the Yankees 12-2, Soto’s two-run shot in the third gave New York the lead. He followed with solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings to extend the lead to 4-0.

Soto had 22 multi-homer games in his career entering Tuesday but had never before gone deep three times in a game. He finished 3 for 4 with a walk.

Cortes had one of the best outings of his season, allowing just three hits in seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. The left-hander is 2-1 in his last three starts after going 0-4 over his previous six outings.

Aaron Judge reached base four times but did not leave the yard as his career home run total stayed at 299.

The Yankees (71-50) pulled into the AL East lead with the win after the Baltimore Orioles (70-50) lost to the Washington Nationals.

Luis Robert Jr. provided Chicago’s only run with an RBI single in the eighth.

Ohtani hits NL-leading 37th HR in win over Brewers

Shohei Ohtani extended his National League home run lead with his 37th blast of the season, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won a matchup of division leaders, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2.

Ohtani’s solo shot with two outs in the third inning expanded his lead for the NL home run crown over the Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna (35).

Gavin Lux and Andy Pages each hit two-run homers, and Will Smith added a solo shot as the Dodgers tied the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in baseball at 71-49.

Los Angeles rookie Gavin Stone got his 10th win of the season, allowing three hits and one run over five innings. Landon Knack pitched the final four innings for the Dodgers and was credited with a save.

The Brewers dropped their third straight game but still lead the NL Central by 7 ½ games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Down 2-0, Milwaukee’s William Contreras went deep off Stone in the third inning to cut the Dodgers’ lead in half, but Los Angeles responded with a five-run fourth to blow the game open.

Skubal first to 14 wins as Tigers roll

Tarik Skubal became the first pitcher in the majors to 14 wins this season, Kerry Carpenter hit two of his team’s five home runs and the Detroit Tigers routed the Seattle Mariners 15-1.

Skubal allowed a run and three hits in six innings with nine strikeouts as he added to his breakout season and built on his case for the AL Cy Young.

The left-hander’s ERA dropped to 2.53 and separated himself from four other pitchers who have 13 wins. The Kansas City Royals’ Seth Lugo is among MLB’s 13-game winners but allowed eight runs and took a loss Tuesday.

Carpenter had the fourth multi-homer game of his career after taking George Kirby deep in back-to-back innings.

Gio Urshela, Javier Baez and Jake Rogers also went deep for Detroit. Rogers hit a grand slam in the fourth inning and had a career-high seven RBIs.

The Mariners’ loss ended their four-game winning streak and dropped them to two games back of an AL wild card spot.

Mookie Betts went 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs in a dazzling return from the injured list that sparked the Los Angeles Dodgers to a key 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

In his first game since fracturing his left hand on June 16, Betts hit a two-run homer that broke a scoreless tie in the third inning and later added a run-scoring single to lead Los Angeles in the opener of this four-game series between National League division leaders.

Shohei Ohtani also had a two-run homer, his NL-leading 36th of the season, to help Clayton Kershaw earn his first win since September in the three-time Cy Young Award winner's best start of the season.

Kershaw (1-2) held the Brewers to one run and three hits through 5 2/3 innings in his fourth start since returning from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Dodgers have now won four straight and moved a half-game ahead of the East-leading Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the NL's best record. Milwaukee dropped to 2 1/2 games behind Los Angeles and has lost two in a row following a five-game winning streak.

Betts stepped to the plate with Teoscar Hernandez aboard in the third inning and drove a 2-1 pitch from Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta over the left field wall to stake Kershaw to a 2-0 lead. 

Ohtani made it 4-0 two innings later by following a Kevin Kiermaier single with an opposite-field homer off Peralta (7-7), who was tagged for four runs on five hits in six innings.

Kershaw departed with two out and a runner on in the sixth in favour of Joe Kelly, who was greeted by a home run by William Contreras that brought the Brewers within 4-2.

Betts struck again in the seventh, however, with a two-out single that plated Ohtani, who drew a walk and advanced to second with his 33rd stolen base of the season.

Three Dodger relievers then combined to keep the Brewers scoreless over the final three innings, with Daniel Hudson working a perfect ninth to notch his ninth save. 

Valdez stars again as Astros win sixth straight

Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros both extended their unbeaten runs as the American League West leaders opened a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays with a 6-1 victory.

Valdez (12-5), who lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning in his previous outing, struck out nine while yielding just one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings to improve to 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA over his last nine starts. The Astros have won all of those appearances.

Yainer Diaz supplied the big blow in Houston's sixth consecutive win with a three-run homer in the third inning. Alex Bregman added a solo shot to help the Astros move a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for sole possession of the AL West lead.

Bregman's blast off Taj Bradley in the first inning put Houston ahead quickly, and the Astros broke the game open with four runs in the third.

After Bradley walked Chas McCormick and gave up a single to Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez drove in McCormick with a two-out hit to increase the margin. Diaz then belted the first pitch he saw into the left field seats for a 5-0 advantage.

The Rays got on the board in the bottom of the third when Taylor Walls tripled and scored on Jose Caballero's sacrifice fly, but managed just two hits off Valdez and two Houston relievers the rest of the way en route to their fifth loss in seven games.

Houston tacked on one more run in the fifth as Alvarez doubled, advanced to third on Jeremy Pena's infield single and scored on a fielder's choice groundout off the bat of Jake Meyers.

Bradley (6-7) lost his third straight start after allowing six runs and eight hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Braves score in 10th to win duel of aces with Giants

Travis d'Arnaud drove in the game's lone run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as the Atlanta Braves earned a needed 1-0 win over the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a four-game series.

The game featured a matchup of standout pitchers that lived up to its advanced billing, as both Atlanta's Chris Sale and the Giants' Blake Snell turned in dominant performances despite neither factoring in the final outcome.

Sale racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts while permitting just three hits over seven scoreless innings, while the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Snell fanned 11 Braves and surrendered two hits in 6 1/3 shutout innings.

The Braves finally broke the deadlock with Orlando Arcia placed as the designated runner to start the 10th. Sean Murphy then singled off Taylor Rogers to move the go-ahead run to third before d'Arnaud's fly ball to right was deep enough to enable Arcia to score.

Raisel Iglesias was able to strand the Giants' designated runner in the bottom of the inning by recording two strikeouts before getting Patrick Bailey to fly out and end the game. The Atlanta closer also pitched a scoreless ninth to keep the contest at 0-0.

The lack of run support prevented Sale from becoming the majors' first 14-game winner this season, though his outstanding effort helped the Braves increase their lead over the rival New York Mets to one game for the NL's final wild card spot.

Atlanta entered the series having gone 7-14 over its previous 21 games to fall out of the top spot in the wild-card race.

The Giants have now dropped two straight following a 12-3 stretch that got them back into the play-off picture. San Francisco is now 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the standings.