Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele heaped praise on the 54,662 supporters who packed London Stadium to see his side cruise to a 9-1 victory over bitter division rivals the St Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs’ bats handed starter Steele, who struck out eight and gave up one run across six innings, a comfortable lead and were up 7-0 after four innings on a humid evening that also saw outfielder Ian Happ hit two home runs.

Saturday’s attendance exceeded the capacity of most Major League Baseball stadia, and Steele delighted in how strongly the fans – or in some cases the baseball-curious wearing blue – got behind his team.

He said: “It’s something I’ll never forget. Truly special. It felt like everybody was on the mound there with me, really exciting energy. It was really cool to cap it off like that, punch out the side, it was really cool, and I just can’t say enough about the atmosphere.”

Steele’s comments will be music to the ears of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who on Friday said positive player experiences in series like these will be central to whether or not the league returns to places like London following their final scheduled contest on these shores in 2026.

That is the same year the MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires, with international series once again set to be one of the topics on the table with the players’ association.

The pace of this London Series opener was likely a relief to fans and organisers alike after the first-ever MLB game in London, 2019’s 17-13 slugfest between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, lasted a near record-breaking four hours and 42 minutes.

Outfield fences were pushed further back for this contest, which ended after a comparatively brief two hours and 40 minutes, capped off for the Cubs by shortstop Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made history in London by becoming the first player in MLB history to play in five different countries, and also ended the evening the lone Card to have picked up a run batted in (RBI) in England.

Cubs manager David Ross admitted there was uncertainty about how the effects of crossing the pond would affect his team, and was delighted by their efforts on unfamiliar turf.

He said: “I think some of the nerves are gone from the group, especially from my seat where you’re not sure how guys are going to feel with all the travel and everything.

“They go out there and the bats did what they did, I thought it was a really nice performance top to bottom from our line-up, they did a phenomenal job. Happer getting us started off with a homer just kind of lets everybody relax a little bit and still be great.”

Ross’ side remain in third place in the division, so they will be eagerly eyeing up a chance to sweep the division’s bottom-dwelling Cardinals when the series concludes on Sunday.

He is also looking forward to the unique experience of hearing ‘go Cubs go’ chanted in England for a second successive day.

“That sounded good,” he enthusiastically agreed. “That’s the first thing that stood out to me. It was nice and loud. I hope someday I’ll get to watch that on video somewhere tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll hear it again tomorrow.”

Aaron Judge’s return to the New York Yankees’ lineup may be further away than previously thought.

Just two days after the Yankees said the reigning American League MVP would be resuming baseball activities this weekend, Judge tempered expectations of an imminent return and said he is dealing with a torn ligament in his right great toe.

“I'm not giving you any timeline,” Judge said before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers. “There's no need. I've just got to get better and then I'll be out there.”

Judge told reporters Saturday that the uncommon nature of the injury makes it difficult to predict when he will be back on the field.

“I don’t think too many people have torn a ligament in their toe,” Judge said. “If it was a quad we’d have a better answer. If it’s an oblique or hamstring we got timelines for that. With how unique this injury is and it being my back foot which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”

Judge injured his toe on June 3 while crashing into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium after catching a fly ball.

The AL home run king worked out in a pool this week and had inquired about on-field work, leading to the club’s optimism.

“It’s something I mentioned to the training staff: I want to test it out a little bit,” Judge said. “Maybe play catch, maybe take some dry swings. I just kind of see where it’s at.

“I really wouldn’t say it’s me running on the field and or doing a lot of baseball activity. It’s more me being passive saying, `We’ve done a lot of stuff in here. We’re making some great progress. Let’s test with what I’m going to be actually doing on the field.'”

Judge slugged an American League-record 62 home runs in 2022, the first season of a nine-year, $360million contract. His 19 home runs this season were one short of the major league lead when he was injured.

Judge, a four-time All-Star, leads baseball with 235 home runs since his first full season in the majors in 2017.

New York is 16-26 over the last two seasons when Judge is on the injured list.

Ian Happ hit two home runs as the Chicago Cubs cruised to a 9-1 win over rivals the St Louis Cardinals on Major League Baseball’s return to the London Stadium.

Happ twice tested out the dimensions of West Ham’s home ground, where a full-scale conversion for two games this weekend saw blowing bubbles and beer replaced by hot dogs and peanuts for the first time since 2019, and Dansby Swanson added a late two-run shot to underline the Cubs’ dominance.

The manner in which the Cubs powered their way to an early lead, up 7-0 after four innings, took the jeopardy out of the game but did not dampen the enthusiasm of 54,662 paying punters keen to see American’s pastime back on British shores.

Four years on from two sold-out contests between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and three years behind schedule following the pandemic, the Cubs and Cardinals played out their fierce National League Central rivalry in east London.

But, given the Cardinals’ deficiencies this season, it quickly turned into one-way traffic.

Much has changed in baseball since 2019 with the introduction of the pitch clock designed to speed up play, and both teams got down to business much more efficiently than New York and Boston four years ago.

Back then, the opening inning of what turned into an epic 17-13 scoring fest, won by the Yankees, took two minutes short of an hour.

But this entire contest would be over in less than three as the Cubs continued the hot run of form which has made them relevant again in a poor division, this their ninth win in 10 as they improved to 37-38, the Cardinals slumping at 31-45 as the 162-game regular season approaches the midway point.

The scoring started at the top of the second inning as the Cubs wasted little time in getting to the Cardinals’ veteran starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.

Cubs outfielder Happ hit a solo home run straight over the centrefield wall, some 392 feet from the home plate, and they doubled their lead when third baseman Nick Madrigal’s single brought Cody Bellinger home.

It got worse for St Louis in the third. With two out and two strikes against Happ, Wainwright was one pitch away from getting out of the inning but Happ again went deep with a shot to right that landed in the Cardinals’ bullpen.

The Cubs made Wainwright pay as they extended the inning. Swanson and Bellinger hit singles before Christopher Morel’s line drive to centre field allowed Swanson to score and Bellinger came home on another line drive from catcher Yan Gomes.

Back-to-back doubles from Madrigal and Mike Tauchman at the top of the fourth saw the Cubs pad their lead even further and chased Wainwright from the game.

While Wainwright took an early shower, Cubs starter Justin Steele cruised through four innings without giving up a hit.

St Louis finally found a crack in the bottom of the sixth as Tommy Edman scored on a Paul Goldschmidt ground ball into right to give the Cardinals fans something to cheer, but it was too little, too late.

Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman was on hand to lead the crowd in a rendition of ‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ during the seventh-inning stretch before another famous Cubs fan, Bill Murray, took an ovation from fans.

Murray and the rest of the Cubs on hand would have more to celebrate in the top of the ninth when Swanson launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall to put an exclamation point on their win.

Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz became the first Reds player to hit for a cycle in 34 years and Cincinnati outslugged the Atlanta Braves 11-10 for their 12th straight victory.

De La Cruz led off the second inning with a double, hit a two-run homer in the third, had a run-scoring single in the fifth and completed the cycle with a triple in the sixth for his fourth RBI of the game.

The cycle is the seventh overall in Reds’ history and the first since Eric Davis on June 2, 1989. The 21-year-old De La Cruz achieved the feat in just his 15th game – the third fewest since 1900.

Cincinnati matched the 1939 and 1957 teams for the franchise’s longest single season winning streak since 1900.

Atlanta, which had an eight-game winning streak stopped, scored five runs in the first off Luke Weaver, with Travis d’Arnaud’s three-run homer the big blow.

Cincinnati got two runs back in the second inning on Jake Fraley’s home run and pulled within 5-4 an inning later on De La Cruz’s two-run blast.

Joey Votto’s first home run of the game in the fourth inning tied it, but the Braves went back on top in the fifth as Matt Olson’s homer scored Austin Riley.

The Reds went ahead for good with four runs in their half of the fifth. De La Cruz singled in a run and Votto delivered a three-run homer.

Atlanta got solo home runs from Ronald Acuna, Jr., Riley and Olson again in the eighth but was unable to push across the tying run in just its third loss in 18 games.

Ohtani hits MLB-best 25th home run in Angels’ loss

Shohei Ohtani extended his major league lead with his 25th home run and fell a triple shy of the cycle in the Los Angles Angels’ 7-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Ohtani homered off starter Kyle Freeland in the fifth inning and Mike Trout followed with his 16th home run to give the Angels a 4-2 lead.

Ohtani has at least one extra-base hit in 10 straight road games, a franchise record and the longest such streak in the majors since 2009.

Colorado, which had lost eight in a row, went ahead in the eighth on Elias Diaz’s grand slam.

Conforto leads Giants past Diamondbacks in NL West matchup

Michael Conforto had three hits and four RBIs to lead the San Francisco Giants to an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a battle between the top teams in the NL West.

Conforto had a two-run double in San Francisco’s three-run third inning and came through with another two-run double as part of a four-run fifth. Patrick Bailey capped the uprising with a two-run homer.

The Giants have won 11 of 12 to get within 2 ½ games of NL West-leading Arizona.

Major League Baseball’s second series in London is no holiday for Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad and his touring team-mates.

The 162-game regular season is only just approaching its halfway point, but this weekend’s two games against bitter National League Central rivals the St Louis Cardinals could still prove critical to the Cubs’ playoff ambitions.

So while the travelling pack from Illinois did briefly marvel at Westminster Abbey and other highlights of the capital, it became business as usual once workout day started at London Stadium.

“When we get the chance to explore and visit we definitely will do it and enjoy it and get to talk to the fans and get to know the area, but when it comes time to play we’re looking to have the same result and getting the victory and staying focused,” the right-hander told the PA news agency.

If the season ended today, the 2016 World Series winners would miss the playoffs as they currently sit third place in their division and three places out of the NL wild card spot.

Last season saw the Cubs finish 19 games behind the division-winning Cardinals, but the standings so far this campaign look very different.

With 74 games behind them, the Cubs sit just 3.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds while the Cardinals are bottom of the division after getting off to a terrible start.

Still, St Louis have won four of their last five games heading into the London Series which gets under way on Saturday.

Mexico-born Assad, 25, grins when he admits he is a huge Manchester City fan.

But it was memories of a former Manchester United and West Ham player that made the trip to this particular ground extra-special for the Tijuana native.

“It’s incredible,” said Assad. “Especially being Mexican, seeing ‘Chicharito’ (Javier) Hernandez having played here, it’s really, really cool to be sharing this field in this stadium as well. So it’s just incredible.”

Like his compatriot Hernandez, Assad has represented his country, most recently in the World Baseball Classic, the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

The 2023 edition was a historic moment for Great Britain, who qualified a team for the first time – and performed well enough to earn a berth for the next edition and a shout-out from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in Friday’s press conference.

Assad agreed that baseball being seen solely as an American pastime was hugely inaccurate and hopes events like the London Series and MLB’s Parisian debut in 2025 will help grow interest globally and shift those perceptions.

“It’s definitely a worldwide sport,” he added. “There’s a lot of talent in different countries, worldwide. It’s just incredible.”

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who made his debut with the Cubs in 2016 before signing a five-year deal with St Louis in December, said his side was taking the London Series just as seriously as his old club.

He said: “I didn’t realise when I signed with the Cardinals that we were coming out here, so I was excited. I’m really thankful to be here with the Cardinals and to be in London, out of Venezuela.

“I never expected to be here to be honest. I think we’ve come here to do business. My main thing is to go do business the same way I go about playing in the USA. I don’t care who we’re facing, I don’t care about them.”

Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred emphasised the league’s commitment to playing games in London as he announced the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will face off in the third MLB London Series next summer.

This weekend’s two games between the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at London Stadium mark MLB’s delayed return to Britain following its 2019 debut after a planned 2020 series was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Manfred has been impressed by the sport’s reception in the UK, which will host again in 2026, viewing the country as critical to the sport’s global growth.

He said: “To us London is a really important part of our international strategy. We have seen great growth in baseball. Since we were here in 2019 the number of people in Britain that identify as fans has doubled.

“We are committed to London as part of our programme, and I’m happy to announce we will be back next year with the Mets and Phillies.

“London is a great sports town, and I think because there’s sort of a natural affinity for sport here in London it’s a great place to gain a foothold into Europe.

“Secondly I do think, just for historical reasons, there’s a special affinity between Great Britain and the United States. We understand baseball is a uniquely American phenomenon in some ways, but if you are trying to internationalise starting in friendly territory seems like a good plan.”

A Paris series is also planned for 2025.

Manfred was not keen to speculate beyond 2026, when MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires.

Any future series in London or elsewhere would fall under the next deal, part of the reason the commissioner believes player satisfaction is critical to ensuring teams want to make the trip across the pond in the middle of gruelling 162-game seasons.

Manfred said: “I will say this. The players who came in 2019 found the event, the experience to be a really positive one, and the key to making London a recurring part of the event is making sure that the players have a great trip, that they enjoy themselves while they are here, and we’re working very hard to make sure that happens this time around.”

The two clubhouse dressing rooms for this series will become a permanent fixture at West Ham’s Premier League home and will feature as part of stadium tours.

MLB has retained its “old rivalry, new ground” motto for this year’s series, a concept Manfred says is critical to drawing British crowds.

He said: “We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show fans the very best form of baseball.”

Chase Utley won the World Series with Philadelphia in 2008, and since last summer has lived in London as an “ambassador” for MLB.

While the Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies and Mets might not have the immediate brand recognition of 2019 opponents the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, Utley promised British fans would be just as captivated.

He said: “Obviously it’s lasted a long time, and I think we’ve just had some really good teams at the same time, so we were always fighting for the postseason.

“It’s an intense crowd when you’re in New York, and when you’re in Philadelphia you definitely know where you are. Fantastic players over the years.

“It’s a true rivalry. It doesn’t get much better.”

Marcell Ozuna's two-run homer capped a five-run 10th inning as the surging Atlanta Braves extended their winning streak to eight games with a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Austin Riley also drove in two runs in the 10th with a line drive that Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber misplayed and was ruled a double, helping the Braves sweep the rain-shortened two-game series and match their longest winning streak of the season.

Atlanta, which is now 15-2 since June 3, also won eight in a row from April 10-18.

After neither team scored through regulation, Michael Harris put Atlanta on the board with a one-out single that scored automatic runner Sam Hilliard before stealing second and taking third on Ronald Acuna Jr.'s single.

Philadelphia's Junior Marte then struck out Ozzie Albies and appeared to get out of the inning allowing only one run, but Schwarber botched Riley's liner to left as both runners scored for a 3-0 lead. Ozuna followed with his 14th homer of the season to extend the margin.

Braves starter Bryce Elder held the Phillies to three hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings, while Philadelphia's Aaron Nola yielded just two hits and two walks in six shutout innings.

Padres roll to end Giants’ streak

Manny Machado and Gary Sanchez belted three-run homers and the San Diego Padres cruised to a 10-0 victory to end the San Francisco Giants’ 10-game winning streak.

Those home runs were more than enough offense for red-hot Blake Snell, who allowed three singles in six innings and struck out 11 to stretch his scoreless streak to 18 innings. He is 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA with 50 strikeouts in his last five starts.

Ha-Seong King also went deep, and the Padres were 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position after they went 4 for 29 in the first three games of the series.

Alex Wood was tagged for six runs and four hits with four walks in 3 1/3 innings.

Rays ace McClanahan injured in loss

Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan was bidding to become the majors’ first 12-game winner before exiting early with mid-back tightness in a 6-5 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals.

McClanahan allowed two runs and four hits before he was forced to leave with two outs in the fourth inning after throwing 66 pitches with the game tied at 2.

Maikel Garcia walked to open the ninth inning, stole second and third – giving Kansas City seven steals in the game – and scored on MJ Melendez’s infield single to put the last-place Royals ahead 6-5.

Tampa Bay has lost four of five but is still a major league-best 52-26.

The sizzling Cincinnati Reds are now on their longest winning streak in 66 years after rallying for a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Jake Fraley's tie-breaking two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Reds to their 11th consecutive win, the franchise's longest streak since a 12-game run from April 30-May 12. The streak is also the longest by a National League team this season, surpassed only by the Tampa Bay Rays winning 13 in a row to start the campaign.

Colorado, which has now lost eight straight, took a 3-0 lead after four innings on solo home runs by Brenton Doyle, Elehuris Montero and Randal Grichuk off Reds rookie Andrew Abbott. Cincinnati responded by scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth, with Luke Maile contributing a two-run single and TJ Freidl following with an RBI single that tied the gae at 3-3.

After Fraley followed Elly De La Cruz's double in the eighth with his ninth homer of the season, Buck Farmer pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.

Abbott allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high 10 in his fourth major league start.

The NL West cellar-dwelling Rockies have now lost eight in a row for the second time this season, previously doing so from April 11-19. 

Sean Hjelle pitched four scoreless innings and the San Francisco Giants turned four double plays to beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 and extend their winning streak to 10 games.

The Giants did all their scoring in the fifth inning against Yu Darvish, as Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski and J.D. Davis delivered RBI singles.

After Ryan Walker worked one scoreless inning, Hjelle allowed three hits with five strikeouts and Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

San Francisco, which moved a season-high 10 games over .500 at 42-32, have won 10 in a row for the first time since 2004.

Shohei Ohtani struck out 12 over seven stellar innings but Freddie Freeman and Miguel Vargas homered to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani’s only mistake was serving up Freeman’s 14th home run in the fourth inning in the tough-luck loss. The Japanese superstar allowed five hits with two walks and went hitless in three plate appearances with a walk.

Vargas extended the lead with a ninth-inning home run and Evan Phillips closed it out to give the Dodgers their second straight 2-0 win and a sweep of the two-game Freeway Series.

As long as the Los Angeles Angels are in contention for a playoff spot, the team’s front office has no intention of trading two-way star Shohei Ohtani in the final year of his contract.

 Angels general manager Perry Minasian fielded questions Tuesday about whether the club would consider trading Ohtani this summer for a hefty return to avoid watching the 2021 American League MVP walk away in free agency in the offseason.

“I think anybody who has watched us play or looked where we’re at in the standings, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we like him and we hope he’s here a long time,” Minasian said. “It’s pretty self-explanatory with where we’re at.”

The Angels opened play Tuesday with a 41-33 record and in second place in the AL West. The club is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought.

Ohtani is in his sixth season with the Angels and will make $30million this year, his last before having the chance to be a free agent.

While Ohtani could eventually sign a new contract to stay in Anaheim, his agent Naz Balelo indicated in February that Ohtani will not sign an extension during the season, allowing him to hear offers from other teams this winter.

If Ohtani chooses to sign with another team, the Angels would receive only compensatory draft picks in return for his departure.

Ohtani leads the major leagues with 24 home runs this season while batting .300 in 323 plate appearances.

On the mound, the Japan-born superstar has a 6-2 record with a 3.29 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 14 starts.

Joey Votto had a home run and three RBIs in a triumphant return from a 10-month absence, and the Cincinnati Reds remained Major League Baseball's hottest team with Monday's 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The resurgent Reds posted their ninth consecutive victory, the franchise's longest winning streak since a 10-game run in July 2012, and moved a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central following the Brewers' 9-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

Votto gave Cincinnati a 3-1 lead with a solo homer off Colorado starter Austin Gomber in the fifth inning, then put the Reds back ahead with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth after the Rockies scored three times in the top of the inning to take a 4-3 edge.

The six-time All-Star first baseman was making his first MLB appearance since August after spending the season's first two-plus months rehabbing from left shoulder surgery. 

Kevin Newman and Nick Senzel also homered to help the Reds extend Colorado's losing streak to six games. 

Giants rally late to stun Padres, earn eighth straight win

The San Francisco Giants kept their own long winning streak alive when Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning produced a dramatic 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres.

San Francisco trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth but scored twice to force extra innings, and after putting two on with one out in the 10th, Yastrzemski launched a 3-1 pitch from Ray Kerr into McCovey Cove for his second homer of the night to give the Giants their eighth consecutive win.

Yastrzemski had a solo homer in the sixth inning and singled and scored during the ninth-inning rally while ending the night 3 for 5 with four RBIs and three runs scored.

Keaton Winn aided the Giants' comeback by allowing just one run in five innings of relief.

The Padres had built a 4-1 lead after 4 1/2 innings on a pair of Juan Soto solo homers and a two-run single from Ha-Seong Kim, who went 3 for 4 in the loss.

San Diego starter Michael Wacha surrendered just four hits, including solo homers by Yastrzemski and David Villar, in six innings of work.

Lindor, Scherzer help Mets extend Astros' skid to five

Francisco Lindor homered and drove in five runs to back a splendid start from Max Scherzer as the New York Mets extended the Houston Astros' June swoon with an 11-1 rout of the defending World Series champions. 

Scherzer bounced back from two straight subpar starts by yielding just one run and four hits while striking out eight over a season-high eight innings. The three-time Cy Young Award winner got all the support he needed from Lindor's three-run homer off Hunter Brown in the third inning and a solo shot from Daniel Vogelbach earlier in the frame.

Vogelbach finished with two hits and three RBIs as the Mets ended a seven-game overall losing streak to the Astros and an eight-game skid at Houston's Minute Maid Park, where their last victory occurred in May 2011.

Houston has now lost a season-high five straight and is 3-10 since June 6. Yainer Diaz accounted for the Astros' lone run with a solo homer off Scherzer in the seventh inning.

The San Francisco Giants recorded their first sweep of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium in over a decade with Sunday's 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Logan Webb threw seven effective innings and LaMonte Wade Jr. and Luis Matos each had two RBIs as the surging Giants swept a three-game series from their storied rivals on the road for the first time since Aug. 20-22, 2012.

San Francisco has now won seven in a row overall and is 22-9 since May 15, the best record in the major leagues over that span. The Giants have also won nine straight on the road for the first time since April 23-May 15, 1966.

Webb won his second straight start by allowing two runs while scattering eight hits and two walks.

The slumping Dodgers left 11 on base and finished 2 of 13 with runners in scoring position in their fourth loss in five games. Tony Gonsolin struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings for Los Angeles but was tagged for seven runs. 

Resurgent Reds finish sweep of Astros, extend win streak to eight

The upstart Cincinnati Reds continued an impressive run of their own with Sunday's 9-7, 10-inning win over the Houston Astros that completed a three-game series sweep of the defending World Series champions.

Cincinnati scored three times in the top of the 10th en route to its eighth consecutive victory, the team's longest winning streak since a 10-game surge in July 2012.

Jake Fraley led the Reds' offensively by going 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Spencer Steer added a two-run homer and Jonathan India had a solo shot for CIncinnati, which is now 13-2 on the road since May 26.

Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz each went 3 for 5 with an RBI in the struggling Astros' ninth loss in 12 games.

Red Sox sweep doubleheader, series from rival Yankees

Brayan Bello struck out a career-high eight over seven outstanding innings to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees that completed a doubleheader and series sweep of their longtime rivals.

In Sunday's opener, Connor Wong and Alex Verdugo had consecutive two-out RBI doubles during a three-run sixth inning that lifted Boston to a 6-2 victory. Verdugo added two hits and two runs scored in the nightcap, with one of those runs coming on a catchers' interference call in the fourth inning.

The Red Sox rolled to a 15-5 rout in Friday's series opener and have now taken five of six meetings from the Yankees this season. Boston went 6-13 against New York in 2022 and last swept a three-game series between the two AL East foes in June 2021.

Bello held the Yankees to one run on four hits while walking three, while Kenley Jansen fanned two in a scoreless ninth to record his 15th save.

Gleyber Torres accounted for all of New York's scoring in the opener with a two-run homer in the first inning. The Yankees have lost four in a row and are 4-8 since 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge hurt his toe on June 3 and subsequently went on the injured list. 

The scuffling New York Mets received a big boost Sunday as slugger Pete Alonso came off the injured list less than two weeks after being diagnosed with a left wrist sprain and bone bruise.

Alonso sustained the injury on a hit by pitch at the Atlanta Braves on June 7 and was expected to be out for at least three-to-four weeks.

Instead, he is in the lineup Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alonso enters Sunday’s action leading the National League with 22 home runs while ranking second with 49 RBIs in 62 games.

The Mets are in fourth place in the NL East with a 33-37 record after increasing their spending this past offseason to a luxury tax payroll record of roughly $430 million.

The Cincinnati Reds can stake their claim as the hottest team in baseball after Jonathan India and Will Benson led them to a 10-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

It was the seventh straight win for the surprising Reds, their longest streak since June 2018 and the longest active run in the majors.

Cincinnati, which lost 100 games last season, moved one game over .500 for the first time since it was 3-2 in early April.  

India opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-run homer – his third in seven games -  off Brandon Bielak and Benson led off the fourth with a triple and scored on Curt Casali’s sacrifice bunt.

Benson greeted reliever Phil Maton with a two-run single in the fifth inning to make it 5-1.

That was more than enough offense for Hunter Greene, who allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. He won for the second time in four starts after opening the season without a victory in his first 10.

Tyler Stephenson singled home another run in the seventh and pinch-hitter Kevin Newman drove in two in Cincinnati’s four-run ninth.

Jose Altuve matched a career best with four hits, including a homer and two doubles. His 35th career four-hit game moved him past Hall of Famer Craig Biggio for the most in Astros history.

Streaking Giants pound rival Dodgers

J.D. Davis had a pinch-hit grand slam and LaMonte Wade Jr. added a three-run homer to lift the San Francisco Giants to their sixth consecutive win, a 15-0 drubbing of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Alex Wood and rookie Bobby Miller exchanged zeroes until the Giants broke through with four runs off Miller in the fifth inning on Brandon Crawford’s RBI single and Wade’s ninth home run of the season.

San Francisco extended its advantage to 9-0 an inning later. Crawford delivered another RBI single before Davis connected off reliever Alex Vesia with the bases loaded for his second grand slam this season and third of his career.

Davis closed the scoring with his fifth RBI in San Francisco’s three-run ninth.

Royals erase big deficit to snap 10-game losing streak

Samad Taylor delivered a walk-off single in his major league debut and the Kansas City Royals ended a 10-game skid by rallying for a 10-9 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Faced with an 8-2 deficit in the seventh inning, the Royals scored three runs in the frame and tied it with three more in the eighth. Bobby Witt Jr. had a two-run double in the seventh and singled home another two in the eighth.

The Angels went back on top in the ninth on Mike Trout’s RBI single, but the Royals walked it off in the bottom half as Maikel Garcia singled home a run before scoring on Taylor’s single to deep centre.

Brandon Drury homered twice and Shohei Ohtani took over the major league lead with his 23rd home run, his eighth in his last 12 games.

Justin Turner homered twice and tied a career high with six RBIs and Masataka Yoshida had two of Boston’s eight doubles as the Red Sox pounded the rival New York Yankees 15-5 on Friday.

Turner’s two-run homer off Domingo German in the second inning extended Boston’s lead to 4-1 and he capped a six-run third with a grand slam - a 429-foot blast to center - to make it 10-1.

Turner fell a triple shy of the cycle and drove in six runs for the second time in his career, also done against the Atlanta Braves while with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 7, 2019.

Yoshida put Boston ahead to stay with a two-run double in the first inning, singled in the six-run third and doubled again and scored in the sixth. The Japanese rookie had his first four-hit game in the majors. 

The Red Sox tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Connor Wong and an RBI hit by Pablo Reyes.

Josh Donaldson homered and Anthony Rizzo knocked in three runs for New York.

There was a scary incident in the fifth inning when Boston starter Tanner Houck was struck on the face with a line drive off the bat of Kyle Higashioka. Houck immediately went to the ground and stayed down for a few minutes but was able to leave the field under his own power with a towel covering his cheek.

The Red Sox later announced that Houck received stitches and was checked out at a hospital.

Rays’ McClanahan first in majors to 11 wins

Shane McClanahan became the first pitcher in the major leagues to win 11 games, pitching into the seventh inning in the Tampa Bay Rays’ 6-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

McClanahan, who entered as the only MLB pitcher with 10 wins, held the Padres to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. He won his third consecutive start and lowered his ERA to 2.12.

Isaac Paredes hit a solo home run and Randy Arozarena added a three-run shot and four RBIs to help major league-leading Tampa Bay win its third straight.

Arraez goes 5 for 5 with home run in Marlins’ win

Luis Arraez ended an 0-for-15 slump with a 5-for-5 performance that included a home run and three RBIs as the Miami Marlins topped the Washington Nationals 6-5.

Arraez had four singles and his first home run since April 11, ending a 52-game stretch without one. The five hits matched his career high, set June 3 against Oakland.

The Marlins won for the 10th time in 13 games to improve to 39-31, their best 70-game start since they went 42-28 in 1997, when they won the World Series.

Shohei Ohtani pitched six strong innings and continued his home run barrage with his 22nd of the season in the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

The Japanese superstar held the AL West-leading Rangers to two runs and six hits in six innings and belted a two-run homer off reliever Brock Burke in the eighth inning to extend the Angels’ lead to 5-2.

Ohtani tied Pete Alonso of the New York Mets for the major league home run lead with his seventh in 10 games. He is batting .489 (22 of 45) with 16 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak.

Chad Wallach homered in the second inning and Mickey Moniak snapped a seventh-inning tie with a blast off Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi to put the Angels on top to stay.

Angels closer Carlos Estevez walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and had to be replaced by Jacob Webb, who got the first two outs before walking in a run. Webb then struck out Adolis Garcia to end it, giving Los Angeles its ninth win in 11 games.

In a marquee pitching matchup, both Ohtani and Eovaldi didn’t disappoint.

Eovaldi was bidding to become the second 10-game winner in the majors, but instead lost for the first time since April 12. He surrendered three runs and five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out nine.

Phillies edge Diamondbacks to move over .500

The defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies went back over the .500 mark for the first time in more than a month with a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bryson Stott hit his second home run in three games to back 6 2/3 strong innings from Aaron Nola to help Philadelphia win for the 10th time in 12 games and improve to 35-34.

Arizona scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead, but the Phillies went ahead for good in the fourth on run-scoring hits from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.

Every Philadelphia starter had at least one hit, with two each from Stott, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm.

Rays beat Athletics to reach 50 wins

Luke Raley hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Oakland Athletics 4-3 to become the first team to win 50 games.

Manuel Margot also went deep, and rookie Taj Bradley struck out the first six Oakland batters and 11 in all as Tampa Bay gained a split of the four-game series.

The Athletics loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but Jake Diekman got Seth Brown to ground into a double play and struck out Brent Rooker to keep the game tied at 3.

Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed into law Thursday a $380 million public financing package to help build a stadium for the Athletics on the Las Vegas strip. The team said in a statement the Nevada governor’s signing of the funding package was “a significant step forward in securing a new home for the Athletics.”