The Houston Astros enacted a measure of revenge against the Kansas City Royals.

Yordan Alvarez hit a pair of home runs and the Astros beat the Royals 7-2 on Sunday to cap a four-game sweep.

Houston's first-ever four-game sweep of Kansas City came after the Royals swept a three-game series from the Astros back in April.

Jon Singleton hit a two-run homer and Jeremy Peña added a two-run single for the AL West-leading Astros (75-62), who have won five in a row to move six games ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners.

The Royals (75-63), meanwhile, have lost a season-high five straight games to drop 3 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.

Bobby Witt Jr. reached the 30-homer mark for the second straight season by homering in the second straight game. He now has five home runs in his last nine games.

Alvarez also hit his 30th homer with his second multi-homer game of the week. The Astros have won the last six games Alvarez has homered and are 19-4 this season in games when he hits at least one home run.

Ronel Blanco won for the first time since July 9, allowing three hits and four walks over five innings.

Cubs pound Nationals to extend win streak to six games

The Chicago Cubs scored seven runs in the ninth inning to finish off a 14-1 rout of the Washington Nationals and push their winning streak to a season-high six games.

The Cubs have remained in the NL wild-card race, thanks to a 9-1 stretch that has been fueled by an offence that is suddenly surging.

Chicago has plated 99 runs with 14 homers and 33 doubles in its last 10 games.

In the series finale at Washington, Seiya Suzuki hit a pair of doubles and Dansby Swanson had one double among his four hits. Isaac Paredes drove in three runs, while Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner and Miguel Amaya each had two RBIs for a Cubs team that pounded out 18 hits.

Jordan Wicks earned the win, yielding one run and four hits in his return from the 60-day injured list after being side-lined since June 14 with a right oblique strain.

Despite Chicago's recent tear, the Cubs (71-66) are still three games back of the Atlanta Braves for the NL's last wild-card spot.

The Nationals (61-76) finished with five hits as they were swept for the eighth time this season and dropped a season-worst 15 games under .500.

White Sox suffer franchise-worst 107th loss

Garrett Crochet was brilliant early for the Chicago White Sox but their series finale with the New York Mets ended like so many other of their games this season - with a loss.

Crochet tied an American League record by striking out the first seven batters but the White Sox ended up getting swept in the three-game series with a 2-0 loss to the Mets.

The loss was the 107th of the season for Chicago, as it broke the franchise record for losses set by the 1970 team.

With just 31 wins, the White Sox need to go 12-12 the rest of the season to avoid matching the 1962 expansion Mets for the most losses by a team since 1900.

The White Sox managed just two hits in finishing off the first 0-10 home-stand in club history. This marks the third losing streak of the season of at least 10 games for Chicago, which also has a 14-game skid and a franchise-worst 21-game slide.

Francisco Lindor hit his 29th home run and Sean Manaea permitted two hits over seven innings to help New York (73-64) win its fourth straight game. The Mets have moved within one game of the Braves for the last play-off spot.

Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman began the game with consecutive home runs, an unprecedented feat in Los Angeles Dodgers' history, and the National League leaders scored twice in the ninth inning to come through with an 8-6 victory over the rival Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Tommy Edman's two-run single in the top of the ninth snapped a 6-6 tie and helped Los Angeles expand its lead over Arizona and the San Diego Padres to six games in the division standings.

Ohtani added a sacrifice fly in addition to his NL-leading 44th homer of the season, which came on Arizona starter Merrill Kelly's eighth pitch of the night. Freeman finished 3 for 5 and also knocked in two runs to lead a 16-hit attack which propelled the Dodgers to a fourth straight victory and 10th in 12 games.

Betts followed Ohtani's game-opening blast with a shot over the left field wall, and Freeman connected on Kelly's very next pitch to give Los Angeles a quick 3-0 lead and mark the first time in the franchise's 141-year history it has started a game with three consecutive home runs.

The Diamondbacks answered with four runs in the bottom of the first, however, with Corbin Carroll beginning the rally with a lead-off inside-the-park homer off Gavin Stone.

Jake McCarthy and Joc Pederson then singled before Lourdes Gurriel drove in both with a double to tie the contest. Gurriel later scored on Eugenio Suarez's sac fly for a 4–3 Diamondbacks' advantage.

The Dodgers went back ahead in the second, though. After loading the bases on singles by Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas and a fielding error by Kelly, Ohtani plated Muncy with a sac fly and Freeman got Rojas home with a single for a 5-4 edge.

Gurriel's solo homer in the third knotted the score again, but the Dodgers retook the lead when Gavin Lux doubled in the fifth and crossed the plate on Muncy's single.

Arizona pulled back even by manufacturing a run in the seventh. Luis Guillorme drew a walk before advancing to third on a sacrifice and a wild pitch by reliever Brent Honeywell, then came home on Carroll's sacrifice fly.

It remained a 6-6 game into the ninth, which Will Smith and Lux opened with singles off Ryan Thompson (7-4) before both Dodger runners were moved up a base on a bunt. Two batters later, Edman delivered a two-out single off Justin Martinez to bring home each.

Evan Phillips then retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to give Ben Casparius a win in his MLB debut after the rookie threw a scoreless eighth inning.

Phillies' Wheeler dominates Braves for 100th win

Zack Wheeler earned his 100th career win with seven superb innings as the Philadelphia Phillies extended their lead atop the NL East with a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Wheeler (13-6) yielded just four singles and struck out seven to put the Phillies in position for a sixth win in eight games. Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez finished off the shutout with an inning each as Philadelphia increased its margin over the second-place Braves to six games in the division standings.

Edmundo Sosa knocked in two runs for the Phillies on a double and a homer, a solo shot off Max Fried in the third inning that broke a scoreless tie.

Trea Turner made it 2-0 with a solo homer off Fried in the sixth. One inning later, Weston Wilson drew a walk in front of Sosa's RBI double that gave Wheeler more breathing room.

The Phillies nearly had another home run after Austin Hays drove a pitch deep to center field to start the bottom of the seventh, but Atlanta's Michael Harris climbed the wall to make a leaping catch and prevent the ball from landing in the Philadelphia bullpen.

Fried (8-8) allowed all three Philadelphia runs while permitting five hits and four walks in seven innings.

Atlanta has now lost two of the first three matchups of this key four-game set after entering the series having won nine of its previous 11 games.

Kukuchi fans 12 as Astros continue Royals' struggles

Yusei Kikuchi racked up 12 strikeouts over seven outstanding innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win over the suddenly slumping Kansas City Royals in a matchup of American League playoff contenders.

Kikuchi (7-9) allowed just one run on five hits to improve to 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in six starts since being acquired by the Astros from the Toronto Blue Jays in late July.

The left-hander duelled with Kansas City starter Cole Ragans through 5 1/2 scoreless innings before the Astros broke out with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Ragans was cruising along before giving up a single to Ben Gamel to begin the big inning. He then hit Jose Altuve with a pitch and walked Yordan Alvarez as Houston loaded the bases with none out.

Yainer Diaz then delivered a two-run single to break the scoreless tie, and Jeremy Pena followed with a triple to knock in two more runs for a 4-0 lead. Pena scored the Astros' final run on a wild pitch thrown by reliever Steven Cruz.

Pena finished 2 for 4 in Houston's fourth consecutive victory, which moved the Astros five games clear of second-place Seattle in the AL West after the Mariners lost to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.

The Royals finally got on the board when Freddy Fermin singled in the seventh, advanced to third on MJ Melendez's base hit and scored on Nick Loftin's fielder's choice groundout.

Bobby Witt's 29th homer of the season got Kansas City within 5-2 in the eighth, but Ryan Pressly kept the Royals scoreless in the ninth to record his third save of the season.

Kansas City has now dropped four straight following a stretch of 10 wins in 13 games.

Ragans (10-9) struck out 10 in five-plus innings but was charged with five runs despite permitting just four hits.

Framber Valdez pitched seven no-hit innings, but the Houston Astros needed Jose Altuve’s walk-off double to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Friday night.

The game was tied 2-2 when Jake Meyers singled off James McArthur with one out in the ninth. With two outs, Altuve bounced his double off the wall in left field to send Meyers home and set off a wild celebration.

The Royals didn’t get their first hit until the eighth and trailed 2-0 in the ninth when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on an error by shortstop Jeremy Peña. With one out, Paul DeJong sent a slider from closer Josh Hader into the Crawford Boxes in left field to tie it.

Valdez was pulled after throwing 98 pitches, 60 for strikes, with seven strikeouts, three walks and a hit batter.

Bryan Abreu took over to start the eighth and Michael Massey was retired on a fly ball before pinch-hitter MJ Melendez grounded out. Pinch-hitter Kyle Isbel then grounded a single to left field for the Royals' first hit.

Valdez threw a no-hitter against Cleveland on Aug. 1, 2023. He nearly had a second one earlier this month before Corey Seager homered with two outs in the ninth inning of a 4-2 win over Texas on Aug. 6.

Ben Gamel led off Houston’s third with his first home run this season and Victor Caratini doubled home a run in the eighth.

The Royals lost their third straight and dropped 2 ½ games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland.

Dodgers beat Diamondbacks in NL West showdown

Freddie Freeman hit an early two-run homer, Will Smith added a three-run shot and Shohei Ohtani had his 43rd of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 10-9 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a key four-game series.

With their third straight win and ninth in 11 games, the Dodgers opened a five-game lead over Arizona and San Diego in the West.

Ohtani stole his 43rd base in the second inning and homered to make it 10-5 in the eighth. He is the first player in history with at least 43 homers and 43 steals in a single season.

The Dodgers took a 10-5 lead to the bottom of the ninth, but the Diamondbacks made it a one-run game against Anthony Banda on Jake McCarthy’s two-run single and Eugenio Suarez’s two-run homer. Banda then got Corbin Carroll to foul out and retired Luis Guillorme on a fly to left.

Freeman’s blast in the first off Zac Gallen came after Ohtani led off the game with a double.

The Dodgers extended to a 5-0 advantage with three runs in the second. Miguel Rojas singled home a run, Mookie Betts had a sacrifice fly and Freeman’s groundout plated another run.

Carroll homered for the fourth time in four games for Arizona, which has lost three of four following six consecutive wins.

Los Angeles left-hander Clayton Kershaw left his start in the second inning after suffering pain in his left big toe.

Arcia’s blasts power Braves

Orlando Arcia hit a pair of solo homers, the first one as part of back-to-back shots with Sean Murphy in the third inning, to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

While both teams are virtual locks to reach the playoffs, a split of the first two games of a four-game weekend set between the NL East rivals moved the Braves within five games of the division-leading Phillies with 27 games left in the season.

Reynaldo López won his second straight start and has seemingly rebounded from an 0-3 June. He gave up one run and tossed four-hit ball over six innings with six strikeouts.

He lowered his ERA against the Phillies this season to 1.06 over three starts and 17 innings.

Bryce Harper doubled twice off López - giving him 33 this season - and singled but while wearing a black sleeve on his right arm. A two-time NL MVP, Harper said ahead of the game he’s battled nagging wrist and elbow issues.

Aaron Civale and Aaron Ashby combined for a two-hitter, Garrett Mitchell had a home run, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Thursday to add to their hot month of August.

Civale struck out seven and allowed two hits and two walks over seven innings, his longest outing of the season. Ashby was perfect in his two innings with three strikeouts.

Mitchell’s two-run homer in the second opened the scoring for the Brewers, who improved to 16-9 since the calendar turned to August.

Jackson Chourio had a pair of RBIs, while William Contreras reached base safely three times and stole home plate.

After going 11-13 in July, Milwaukee (77-56) has built their NL Central lead to 9 ½ games over the Chicago Cubs.

Milwaukee’s success this season has largely been fuelled by an unsung pitching staff whose 3.70 ERA ranks third in the majors this season.

Phillies rally past Braves, expand division lead

Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos hit key home runs to fuel the Philadelphia Phillies’ 5-4 comeback win over the Atlanta Braves.

With the Phillies trailing 4-0, Marsh hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning, then Castellanos’ two-run blast in the seventh put Philly in the lead.

With the win, Philadelphia improved to 79-55 and expanded their NL East lead over the Braves to six games.

First-time All-Star Cristopher Sanchez got the start for the Phils, working around traffic to allow four runs (two unearned) and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman were nearly perfect over the last 3 1/3 innings, with Hoffman collecting his 10th save of the season.

The Braves wasted a sterling night from Matt Olson, who clubbed his 24th and 25th home runs of the season.

Atlanta (73-61) has trailed Philadelphia all year but entered Thursday’s game having won 9 of their last 11 games.

Astros use 4-run 8th to top sloppy Royals

Zach Dezenzo drew a key, bases-loaded walk and the Houston Astros capitalised on two late errors to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3.

The Astros entered the eighth inning trailing 3-2 before Jose Altuve scored the tying run from second after pitcher Lucas Erceg’s throwing error on a Yainer Diaz grounder.

After the Royals intentionally walked the bases loaded, Dezenzo drew a base on balls from John Schreiber, plating Diaz as the go-ahead run. Mauricio Dubon added an RBI single, and Jeremy Pena scored on a fielding error by MJ Melendez to cap a four-run eighth.

Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to shut the door and earn his 29th save of the season.

The Astros got a boost from starter Hunter Brown, who allowed two hits and two runs (both unearned) in 6 2/3 innings.

The win gave Houston (72-62) a four-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

The Royals (75-60) have dropped two in a row but only trail the Cleveland Guardians by 1 1/2 games in the AL Central.

Spencer Arrighetti took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Yordan Alvarez had his third career three-homer game as the Houston Astros rolled to a 10-0 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Arrighetti lost his no-hitter in the eighth inning when leadoff hitter Austin Hays reached on an infield single. Third baseman Shay Whitcomb just missed gloving the ball, and shortstop Jeremy Peña couldn’t throw out Hays after fielding the ball deep in the hole at shortstop.

Whitcomb entered as a defensive replacement after Alex Bregman was hit in the head by an 88-mph pitch from Michael Mercado in the seventh inning.

Arrighetti was lifted with two outs in the eighth, finishing with 11 strikeouts and four walks while allowing two hits in his longest outing as a professional in either the majors or minors. He was trying to become the fourth pitcher in the big leagues to toss a no-hitter this season, joining teammate Ronel Blanco, who no-hit Toronto on April 1.

Alvarez hit the first of his three homers in the fourth inning off Taijuan Walker, a two-run, opposite-field shot. He took Michael Mercado out of the park in the seventh and eighth innings to finish with four hits and four RBIs.

Chas McCormick also went deep for the AL West-leading Astros, who avoided a three-game sweep while winning for just the third time in nine games. Houston matched its season high with 18 hits.

Cubs stage improbable rally for sweep

Christian Bethancourt drove in a career-high seven runs, including a go-ahead two-run single in the ninth, and the Cubs erased a seven-run deficit for a 14-10 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates to sweep the three-game series.

The Cubs trailed by seven through six innings before taking advantage of another shaky performance by Pittsburgh's bullpen.

Bethancourt hit a two-run homer in the seventh to start Chicago's surge. The catcher added a two-run double in the eighth and laced a sharp bases-loaded single to left against Pirates closer David Bednar to complete the comeback.

Bethancourt, whose previous career high was three RBIs, is hitting .423 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 11 games with Chicago.

Ian Happ added three hits for the Cubs, who scored 41 runs across three games at PNC Park to improve to 17-8 over their last 25 games to move two games above .500 (68-66) for the first time since May 25 and stay on the fringe of contention for a wild-card playoff spot.

Bryan Reynolds and Connor Joe both homered and finished with three hits for Pittsburgh. Rowdy Tellez also had three hits for the Pirates, who dropped to 6-17 in their last 23 games.

Carroll hits slam, solo shot for Diamondbacks

Corbin Carroll hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning off Edwin Díaz, part of a two-homer night that lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Mets 8-5.

The Diamondbacks trailed 5-4 heading into the eighth but pulled off a two-out rally against the Mets' closer. Díaz entered with a runner on first and promptly walked Pavin Smith and Geraldo Perdomo before Carroll smacked his second homer of the game into the right-field seats.

The Diamondbacks have won 21 of 27 to keep pace in a torrid NL West race that includes the Dodgers and Padres.

Harrison Bader hit a tying two-run homer for the Mets, who overcame an early four-run deficit but fell four games behind Atlanta for the final NL wild card.

Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Kansas City’s bullpen allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings as the Royals moved into a tie for the AL Central lead with a 6-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.

The Royals, who lost 106 games last season, improved to a league-best 23-13 since the All-Star break, when they trailed the Guardians by seven games.

Cleveland had been sitting alone in first place in the division since April 14 before dropping the first three games in this series. The Guardians have lost nine of 12 and are 17-21 since the break.

DeJong connected in the second inning off Gavin Williams, and the Royals tacked on three runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey, to go along with a wild pitch.

James McArthur struck out four in two innings, and the Royals' bullpen closed with five perfect innings in the combined three-hitter.

Royals starter Michael Lorenzen was forced to leave in the second inning after straining his left hamstring while covering first base.

Urias lifts Orioles over Dodgers

Ramon Urias hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Baltimore’s bullpen worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ryan O’Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who moved within one game of the AL East-leading Yankees.

Cole Irvin allowed two runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings before Matt Bowman retired all five batters he faced.

Cionel Perez pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings and Yennier Cano got the next two outs – both on strikeouts - before Seranthony Dominguez earned his sixth save by getting Chris Taylor to fly out with two runners on.

Urias took former teammate Jack Flaherty deep in the fifth after Jackson Holliday’s one-out single to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead.

Miguel Rojas had a sacrifice fly and Teoscar Hernandez singled home a run for the Dodgers, who had won six of seven.

Nola shuts down Astros

Aaron Nola pitched seven stellar innings and was backed by Nick Casellanos’ three-run homer as the Philadelphia Phillies won their fourth straight, 5-0 over the Houston Astros.

Nola ended a seven-start winless streak, a span that included five no-decisions and two losses. The right-hander allowed four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

He notched his 56th career win at Citizens Bank Park, tying him with former Phillies ace Cole Hamels for most in the 21 seasons at the ballpark.

Philadelphia has won eight of 13 games and maintained its healthy lead in the NL East.

Nola had the run support he needed after the Phillies scored four times off Justin Verlander in the third inning.

Trea Turner poked a single to right that scored Austin Hays, who opened with a leadoff double. A night after his RBI single in the 10th inning off Houston closer Josh Hader won the game, Bryce Harper sliced a single to left that set the stage for Castellanos. Castellanos hit a curveball into the left field seats for his 18th homer of the year and a 4-0 lead.

AL West-leading Houston has lost four of five.

Salvador Perez drove in a career-high six runs on a pair of homers, including a grand slam, as the Kansas City Royals moved within a game of the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central with Monday's 9-4 victory that capped a doubleheader sweep.

The surging Royals, winners of nine of their last 12 games, won the opener by a 4-3 score on Bobby Witt Jr.'s tie-breaking solo homer in the eighth inning.

Kansas City trailed 3-0 early in the nightcap but battled back to take a 5-4 lead on Perez's first homer of the game, a solo blast off Cleveland starter Logan Allen in the fifth inning. The All-Star catcher put the contest out of reach an inning later with a grand slam off Tim Herrin that marked his 17th career multi-homer outing, tied with Hall of Famer George Brett for the most in Royals' history.

Perez, who went 3 for 3 in the opener, also knocked in a run with a third-inning groundout that plated Maikel Garcia, who led off with a single and took third on a double by Witt.

Garcia and MJ Melendez each had three hits for Kansas City in the second game, while Paul DeJong went 2 for 4 with a solo homer.

The scuffling Guardians lost for the eighth time in 11 games despite three doubles and an RBI from Jose Ramirez in the nightcap. Daniel Schneemann had two hits for Cleveland, including a solo homer.

Cleveland is now 0-8 in doubleheader games this season.

In the opener, Witt drove a pitch from reliever Hunter Gaddis into the left field seats to give the Royals a 4-3 edge in the top of the eighth inning. John Schreiber and Lucas Erceg protected the one-run lead from there, with Schreiber earning the win and Erceg recording his eighth save with a scoreless ninth.

The Royals had taken a 3-2 lead on Melendez's three-run homer in the fourth inning, but the Guardians pulled even when Ramirez doubled in the seventh and later scored on Josh Naylor's single.

Jansen makes history, plays for the Blue Jays and Red Sox in same game

Danny Jansen became the first player in MLB history to appear for both teams in the same game when the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox completed a previously suspended contest.

Jansen was a member of the Blue Jays when a June 26 matchup with the Red Sox was suspended in the second inning due to rain. He was traded to Boston on July 27 and inserted into the Red Sox's lineup when the game resumed Monday to accomplish the unprecedented feat.

The catcher's old team got the better of his current one, however, as Toronto posted a 4-1 win in the suspended game before dealing the reeling Red Sox a 7-3 defeat in Monday's regularly scheduled contest.

George Springer homered in both games, including a three-run shot in the fifth inning that erased a 1-0 deficit for Toronto in the nightcap.

Springer followed a double by Leo Jimenez and a walk to Steward Berroa with an opposite-field blast off Brad Keller to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead. Toronto scored twice more in the fifth on an RBI single from Addison Barger and a run-scoring double by Ernie Clement.

The big inning helped Jose Berrios (13-9) win his fourth straight start after the Toronto hurler held the Red Sox to three runs - two earned - and struck out six over 7 2/3 effective innings. Brendon Little relieved Berrios and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first major league save.

Toronto has now won five straight in addition to the suspended game, while Boston has dropped four in a row along with the makeup game and is now five games out of a play-off spot in the AL.

Jarren Duran also homered in both games for Boston. The All-Star outfielder accounted for the Red Sox's lone run in the suspended game with a solo homer, then went 3 for 4 with a two-run shot in the follow-up meeting.

Springer's solo homer off Nick Pivetta in the suspended game snapped a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, and the Blue Jays scored three more times in the eighth on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s two-run double and an RBI double from Barger.

Pivetta (4-5) took the loss despite striking out 10 in six innings. The Boston right-hander allowed three runs - two earned - and just four hits.

Harper's hit in 10th puts Phillies over Astros

Bryce Harper's run-scoring single off Josh Hader in the 10th inning lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 comeback win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game interleague series between division leaders.

After Philadelphia center fielder Johan Rojas made a diving catch with a runner at third to keep the game at 2-2 in the top of the 10th, Harper stepped to the plate with runners at first and second in the bottom of the inning and sent a ground ball through the infield. Kyle Schwarber beat the throw home from Houston right fielder Ben Gamel to score the deciding run and give the National League East-leading Phillies their third straight win.

Philadelphia trailed 2-0 after four innings, but closed the gap on Brandon Marsh's solo homer in the fifth and tied it in the sixth when Harper doubled and later scored on a Nick Castellanos single.

The Astros had gone ahead with two runs in the fourth. Victor Caratini drew a walk against Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler and Gamel followed with a single, and both runners came home when Shay Whitcomb delivered a two-out double to left.

That was the only rough inning for Wheeler, who permitted two runs and struck out six over six frames.

Ronel Blanco worked 5 2/3 innings for Houston and also surrendered two runs while striking out five.

The Astros lost for the fifth time in seven games and had their lead atop the AL West shrink to 3 1/2 games after the second-place Seattle Mariners recorded a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

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.