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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All-Star Game starters:

American League

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

National League

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marquez flirts with no-hitter

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

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

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

Orioles get on top of Garcia

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

Schwarber stays hot

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

Tuesday's results

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

Angels at Yankees

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

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani continued his red-hot form with his 26th homer of the season in a 5-3 win over the slumping New York Yankees.

Ohtani moved into a tie with Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the most home runs this MLB season on Monday.

After going 0 for nine in his previous appearances at Yankee Stadium, Ohtani recorded his first career hit at the venue thanks to his powerful opening-inning homer.

Ohtani – who is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday – now has nine homers in his last 12 games.

"That definitely sent a message," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "He's so easy to speak to during the game. He never gets upset. He never loses focus.

"He's able to turn the page to the next one. But yeah, that was just the right way to start his trip to New York, with him hitting a home run."

The loss condemned the Yankees to a fourth consecutive defeat following their series sweep at the hands of bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox.

Schwarber's historic night

The Washington Nationals topped the New York Mets 8-4 thanks to Kyle Schwarber, who homered twice. He became the first player in MLB history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, according to Stats Perform.

Schwarber and Trea Turner went back-to-back to open the game for the Nationals. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy did the same thing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 3-2 win over rivals the San Francisco Giants. According to Stats Perform, it is the first time in major league history that two teams have started a game with back-to-back home runs on the same day.

Manning mauled in Cleveland

Matt Manning was rocked for nine runs in the Detroit Tigers' 13-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers pitcher allowed nine hits and two home runs across 3.2 innings, while striking out just two batters.

As the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated a sixth successive win, the Chicago Cubs were left to pick up the pieces following a 14-4 demolition. The Cubs allowed 10 runs in the eighth inning. Trevor Megill was tagged for a three-run homer in the outburst. He gave up four hits, six runs, two homers and two walks in less than an inning.

Castellanos slam

The Cincinnati Reds crushed the Philadelphia Phillies 12-4. Nick Castellanos hit a grand slam in the seventh inning. He finished with three hits and a career-high seven RBIs. Tyler Naquin, Jesse Winker and Castellanos have all had six-plus RBI in a game for the Reds this season. Cincinnati are the first MLB team ever to have three different outfielders with a six-RBI game before the All-Star break, according to Stats Perform.

Monday's results

Colorado Rockies 2-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Cincinnati Reds 12-4 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Angels 5-3 New York Yankees
Washington Nationals 8-4 New York Mets
Cleveland Indians 13-5 Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox 6-5 Kansas City Royals
Baltimore Orioles 9-7 Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers 14-4 Chicago Cubs
St Louis Cardinals 7-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 San Francisco Giants
Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox (postponed)

Twins at White Sox

After Monday's game was postponed, the White Sox (45-32) will host the Twins (33-43) in Tuesday's all-American League (AL) Central clash. Lucas Giolito starts for the White Sox as the Twins counter with Kenta Maeda.

Shohei Ohtani's superb MLB season continued as he hit his 25th home run of the campaign for Los Angeles Angels to follow in the footsteps of all-time great Babe Ruth.

Ohtani led from the front in a 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday with a double, triple, a home run and three RBIs as the Angels won the series finale at Tropicana Field.

The 26-year-old from Japan improved his season tally to 25 homers - becoming the fastest Angels hitter ever to reach the milestone in a season after 77 games.

He also has 11 stolen bases for the Angels in 2021, and recorded 82 strikeouts as a pitcher.

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

It left his opponents and team-mates alike in awe of Ohtani's all-round prowess.

"He's special,” said Rays catcher Mike Zunino told a media conference.

"There's no hiding his ability, his talent. Being able to see him three days in a row, hitting-wise is impressive, then knowing every fifth or sixth day he's on the mound throwing 100 [mph]. An unbelievable talent."

Angels skipper Joe Maddon added: "Beyond everything you're seeing, this guy really likes to compete.

"He really likes the moment. There's all this ubiquitous talent that he's got, but he loves to compete, and he plays the game."

The Angels are next in action against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

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

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

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

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

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

Red Sox sweep Yankees

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

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

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

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

Santiago MLB's first victim

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

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

Kershaw at this best

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

Sunday's results

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

Giants at Dodgers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Tatis show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martin struggles

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

Arenado milestone

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

Friday's results

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

Astros at Tigers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tatis' replacement lifts Padres

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

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

Orioles collapse despite long-ball heroics

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

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

Adames lights up Rockies

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

Saturday's results

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

White Sox at Astros

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

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

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

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

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

Pirates snap skid

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

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

New day, same story for Arizona

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

Yordan wins it for Houston

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

Friday's results

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

White Sox at Astros

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

Jacob deGrom starred again but exited the game early injured as the New York Mets edged the San Diego Padres 3-2 in the MLB on Friday.

DeGrom entered the game having not allowed more than one earned run in any of his previous nine starts this season, holding the best ERA in MLB at 0.62. The marked the lowest run since ERA became official more than 100 years ago.

The Mets pitcher maintained that form too, striking out Padres home-run machine Fernando Tatis Jr with the 95 mph slider in the first inning.

DeGrom struck out Tatis again in the fourth inning with a slider, while he also pinch hitted with the bat, driving in two runs in the fifth inning.

But the right-hander left the game early after six innings with tightness in his left elbow, after 10 strikeouts, although he was hopeful post-game that it was only minor.

DeGrom's ERA drops to 0.56 which is the lowest ever in MLB history across the first 10 starts of a season, pipping Juan Marichal's 1966 mark of 0.59, with records dating back to 1913. He also has more RBI (five) than earned runs allowed (four) this season.

Rizzo's memorable moment, Ohtani shakes off injury

With Wrigley Field back at full capacity on a sunny afternoon, Anthony Rizzo had a moment to cherish with a home run in the Chicago Cubs' 8-5 win over the St Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo homered in the sixth inning after 14 pitches, ushering in wild celebrations, to square the game at 5-5.

"It was one of my most memorable bats," Rizzo said. "It was a really good moment."

Joc Pederson almost homered in the seventh, but his outfield hit brought in two runs for the Cubs.

Shohei Ohtani had an injury scare, painfully fouling into his right knee, as the Los Angeles Angels won 6-5 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ohtani played on after the early concern, tossing down eight strikeouts across five innings, and bringing in one after lacing a hit out to center field.

With Arizona down 5-4 at the bottom of the ninth inning, Eduardo Escobar homered for the 15th time this season to send the game to extras, but the Angels got up.

After denying Albert Pujols last week, Mike Tauchman plucked another catch on the wall to deny Juan Soto a home run in the San Francisco Giants' 1-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Nats pitcher Max Scherzer left the game early after feeling discomfort in his groin, while Buster Posey scored the game's only run, a fourth-inning home run.

With the game on the line, Tauchman made his crucial intervention to deny Soto and the Nats.

Rough Rangers

The Texas Rangers are having a tough time lately and they conceded six runs in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers, eventually losing 12-1. Max Munsy and Gavin Lux both homered early, with pitcher Mike Foltynewicz unable to come up with any answers. The Rangers rotated five pitchers on the hill.

Red-hot Reds

The Cincinnati Reds made franchise history by hitting home runs in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth inning for the first time. The Reds cruised to an 11-5 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Friday's results

Chicago Cubs 8-5 St Louis Cardinals
San Francisco Giants 1-0 Washington Nationals 
Boston Red Sox 6-5 Toronto Blue Jays
Cincinnati Reds 11-5 Colorado Rockies
Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 Baltimore Orioles
Miami Marlins 4-3 Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox 5-4 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 3-2 San Diego Padres
Cleveland Indians 7-0 Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros 6-4 Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Angels 6-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Oakland Athletics 4-3 Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers 12-1 Texas Rangers

Cardinals at Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have won three in a row and are currently 36-27, having won the first game of their series against the 32-31 St Louis Cardinals who need a victory after winning one of their past eight. They resume their National League Central series on Saturday.

Zack Greinke produced a complete game to inspire the Houston Astros' 13-1 demolition of the Toronto Blue Jays in MLB action on Friday.

Astros ace Greinke threw his first complete game since 2017 and the 17th of his career to lead the Astros to a crushing victory over the Blue Jays.

Greinke – a six-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger – turned back the clock, the 37-year-old pitcher giving up six hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

"This was one of the first times where I felt really strong at the end," the 2009 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner said.

"Most games I feel a little tired later on. Today it felt just as good, if not better, in the last inning, as it did in the first inning."

Astros team-mate Carlos Correa also homered twice in Buffalo, where Martin Maldonado hit a grand slam as Houston won for the fifth time in six games.

Ohtani show continues, Snell flirts with no-no

Shohei Ohtani tied a season high with 10 strikeouts as the Los Angeles Angels edged the Seattle Mariners 3-2. The two-way star did not walk a batter for the first time in his 20 career starts. He allowed two runs on four hits across six innings. Since 1900, Ohtani is the only player with 15-plus home runs in a season and at least one 10-strikeout game that year, having also achieved the feat in 2018.

The San Diego Padres blanked the New York Mets 2-0 behind ace Blake Snell, who was scoreless across seven innings. He allowed just one hit while striking out 10.

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first MLB team to have an 11-run inning in one game and then an eight-run inning in their next outing since the Astros in 1969, according to Stats Perform. The Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-5 thanks to an eight-run fifth inning.

Per Stats Perform, Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals became the first player to have two hits, a homer and a stolen base in the opening inning of a game since Oakland's Rickey Henderson in 1980. The Royals blitzed the Minnesota Twins 14-5.

Ryu fades

Toronto ace Ryu Hyun-jin had a game to forget after a promising start. Usually the Blue Jays' most reliable pitcher, Ryu allowed seven runs on seven hits, two homers and three walks in 5.2 innings, having retired his first seven batters.

That walk-off feeling

Yermin Mercedes hit a game-ending single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 9-8 walk-off victory over the Detroit Tigers. Mercedes snapped a 0-for-22 skid entering the game.

Friday's results

Boston Red Sox 5-2 New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles 3-1 Cleveland Indians
Pittsburgh Pirates 9-2 Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals 2-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros 13-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 Atlanta Braves
Texas Rangers 5-4 Tampa Bay Rays
Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox 9-8 Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals 14-5 Minnesota Twins
Cincinnati Reds 6-4 St Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics 9-5 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants 8-5 Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres 2-0 New York Mets

Mets at Padres

Star pitcher Jacob deGrom will take to the mound as the Mets look to bounce back from back-to-back defeats to the Padres in the third meeting of a four-game series on Friday. Joe Musgrove starts for the Padres.

The Tampa Bay Rays' 11-game winning streak ended as they went down 2-1 to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday in the MLB.

With veteran Rich Hill on the mound, the Rays were exceptional in the outfield in the early innings with Austin Meadows and Kevin Kiermaier pulling off spectacular catches from Andrew Benintendi.

Hill, at the cherry ripe age of 41, tossed down 13 strikeouts across seven innings for the Rays.

But the Royals got their go-ahead run in the sixth inning when Cam Gallagher touched down from Salvador Perez's hit.

Shohei Ohtani hit his 15th homerun of the season, a 117 mph rocket, as the Los Angeles Angels won 11-5 over the Texas Rangers, while the San Diego Padres made it 10 wins from their past 11 with a 7-1 victory at the Milwaukee Brewers.

Guerrero moves to 16, DeGrom returns

Vladimir Guerrero moved into the outright lead for most homeruns this season in the Toronto Blue Jays' 6-2 win over the New York Yankees.

Guerrero hit his 16th homer of the 2021 MLB season in the third inning, as Yankees pitcher Corey Kluber started for the first time since last week's no-hitter.

Kluber only sent down 58 pitches across three innings, allowing his first hit in 39 batters, before being hastily replaced by Michael King, with fears of a shoulder injury.

The result ended the Blue Jays' six-game losing streak too.

Jacob deGrom returned for his first game since April 28 with ride side tightness and pitched five innings with nine strikeouts as the New York Mets won 3-1 over the Colorado Rockies.

It was not a perfect return for deGrom, allowing only his third homerun of the season, when Ryan McMahon homered in the second inning. It was the first he has allowed in the strike zone too.

Right-hander Edwin Diaz stepped up to finish the job for the Mets with three strikeouts, sending down a 100 mph pitch on the corner to end the game.

Max Scherzer was on song for the Washington Nationals but it was not enough for victory as the Cincinnati Reds triumphed 2-1 with Kyle Farmer and Eugenio Suarez homeruns.

Scherzer pitched seven innings and had nine strikeouts, including eight out of the strike zone.

Jack's rough high school reunion

Harvard-Westlake pals Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito reunited in the Chicago White Sox's 8-3 win over the St Louis Cardinals. Flaherty had started with an 8-0 record in his first eight appearances for the Cardinals but that came to an end in a hard day, including a wild pitch to Yermin Mercedes which allowed Nick Madrigal to score. Jose Abreu also returned to form with a homer off Flaherty.

Greinke vs Kershaw in Houston

Star pitchers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw faced off with the latter getting the upper hand as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 9-2 at the Houston Astros. Kershaw sent down 81 pitches with 57 strikes and six Ks. He only gave up one run and did not walk anybody.

Tuesday's results

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

Padres at Brewers

Fernando Tatis Jr and the San Diego Padres  continue their enthralling series away to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Fernando Tatis Jr returned for the first time since May 9 with a bang as the San Diego Padres won 3-0 against the Colorado Rockies in MLB on Wednesday.

Tatis had been absent following a positive coronavirus test earlier in the month but picked up where he left off with four hits including a home run.

The 22-year-old hit a single down the middle with his first bat back, before showing off a little yoga after stealing second base.

At the bottom of the fourth with two outs, Tatis hit a homer from Chi Chi Gonzalez to put the Padres up 1-0.

He almost completed the cycle, needing a triple in the eighth, but he had to settle for a base hit.

San Diego also welcomed back Eric Hosmer, while Wil Myers is expected to return this weekend.

The win means the Padres have won six in a row and nine of their past 10 games.

The year of the no-hitter

Corey Kluber tossed down his career-first no-hitter as the New York Yankees eclipsed the Texas Rangers 2-0.

Kluber, who moved from the Rangers to the Yankees in the off-season, struck out nine batters across nine innings in a remarkable display.

Willie Calhoun hit a ground ball to Gleyber Torres at second who threw to first to complete Kluber's maiden no-no.

The no-hitter comes only 24 hours after Spencer Turnbull's for the Detroit Tigers, marking the first time no-hitters have occurred on consecutive days since 1969. The 35-year-old right-hander, who has battled injury over the past two years, becomes the first Yankee to toss down a no-hitter since David Cone in 1999.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said: "We're excited for him and his story and what he's been through. Tonight we celebate Corey Kluber and a masterful performance."

Kluber's feat continues a trend in the season dubbed 'The Year of the No-No' as the sixth no-hitter in MLB this year. The season record is seven no-hitters.

Shohei Ohtani was pulled as the Los Angeles Angels slipped to 18-24 with a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Ohtani, who was hitting and pitching in the same game for the fourth time, started well but was pulled after Jake Bauers homered in the fifth.

Randy Arozarena pulled off a spectacular outfield catch in the Tampa Bay Rays' 9-7 victory at the Baltimore Orioles, which improves their record to 25-19.

Juan Soto hit a spectacular home run with a moon shot on one knee in the Washington Nationals' 4-3 win at the Chicago Cubs.

More Twins woes

After conceding 16 runs a few days earlier to the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins hit back with a win in their series on Tuesday, before a 2-1 loss on Wednesday. The Twins tidied things up, only giving up one run, but still suffered their 11th loss from their past 14.

Acuna's walk-off home run

Ronald Acuna keeps on producing heroics with a walk-off home run, his 13th homer of the 2021 MLB season, clinching the Atlanta Braves a 5-4 win over the New York Mets.

Wednesday's results

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

Red Sox at Blue Jays

American League East leaders the Boston Red Sox (26-18) will continue their series away to the Toronto Blue Jays (23-18) in Dunedin.

The Chicago White Sox further enhanced their MLB World Series potential after pounding the Minnesota Twins 16-4.

Having made no secret of their World Series aspirations at the start of the season, the White Sox continue to impress following Monday's crushing win over the Twins.

American League (AL) Central leaders the White Sox – who have won nine of their past 11 games – posted season highs in hits (18) and runs.

Nick Madrigal had three hits, including his maiden MLB homer and White Sox team-mate Danny Mendick launched his first career grand slam in Minneapolis.

For the ninth time in White Sox history, a player hit their first career homer and first career grand slam, however, Monday was the first time it was achieved by two different players.

Yasmani Grandal became the first player in White Sox history with three four-plus walk games in a season, while team-mate Yermin Mercedes is the first player in franchise history to homer off a position player pitcher since 1955.

White Sox ace Dallas Keuchel pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits against the hapless Twins.

Meanwhile, two-way star Shohei Ohtani was at it again as the Los Angeles Angels took down the Cleveland Indians 7-4.

Ohtani hit his MLB-leading 13th home run of the season – a three-run homer in the second inning.

Cole makes history

The New York Yankees were beaten 5-2 by the Texas Rangers but it was a memorable outing for ace Gerrit Cole, who recorded the most strikeouts without a walk (61) in any stretch of a season since 1983, eclipsing the 58 tallied by Corbin Burnes earlier this season. The Rangers snapped a six-game skid in the victory.

The San Francisco Giants trumped the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 behind six shut-out innings from Logan Webb, who gave up six hits, struck out four and walked a batter.

Pillar left bloodied in scary incident

The New York Mets topped the Atlanta Braves 3-1 but it came at a cost. Right fielder Kevin Pillar was hit in the nose by a pitch from Atlanta's Jacob Webb in the seventh inning. Pillar fell straight to the ground as blood poured from his nose. The incident left Mets and Braves players shaken in Atlanta.

Angels star Mike Trout exited in the first inning of the team's victory. Trout walked and reached second base before sustaining a right calf strain.

Pujols makes immediate impact

Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, following his exit from city rivals the Angels. The 41-year-old slugger – a two-time World Series champion, three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star – made his first appearance for the Dodgers that day, his first hit an RBI single. It brought in star Mookie Betts to score in the World Series champions' 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Monday's results

San Francisco Giants 6-3 Cincinnati Reds
New York Mets 3-1 Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox 16-4 Minnesota Twins
Chicago Cubs 7-3 Washington Nationals
Texas Rangers 5-2 New York Yankees
Los Angeles Angels 7-4 Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres 7-0 Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers 4-1 Seattle Mariners

Red Sox at Blue Jays

AL East leaders the Boston Red Sox (25-17) will travel to Dunedin for their series opener against division rivals the Toronto Blue Jays (22-17) on Tuesday. Blue Jays ace Ryu Hyun-jin takes to the mound, while the Red Sox counter with Eduardo Rodriguez.

Shohei Ohtani has been hailed as the "most physically gifted baseball player ever" by Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes after inspiring the Los Angeles Angels to a dramatic victory at Fenway Park.

Two-way star Ohtani hit a two-out, two-run drive in the ninth inning of Sunday's MLB showdown as the Angels beat the Red Sox 6-5 in the series finale to snap a four-game losing run.

Ohtani entered the frame in the final inning along with Mike Trout and, after the latter hit a bloop single to keep the game alive, Ohtani smashed a home run off Barnes for his second homer of the series.

In doing so, Ohtani denied Barnes his 10th save of the season - only four others currently have more than nine - and the Red Sox closer was impressed by what he saw.

"I personally think he's the most physically gifted baseball player that we've ever seen," Barnes said in his post-game interview. "I don't know that you're ever going to see someone who can throw 100-101 (mph) and hit the ball 600 feet. 

"He's a special player and incredibly talented. Hopefully, he stays healthy and has a long career."

Ohtani now has 12 homers this season, which is the joint-most in MLB alongside Mitch Haniger, Aaron Judge and Ronald Acuna Jr.

After his inspired display against the Red Sox, the 26-year-old's RBI count stands at 29 - the joint-12th best in the division - and his batting average .262.

"Coming off a losing streak and the first two games of the series, the way we lost, it wasn't a good way to lose," Ohtani said through a translator.

"So, it was huge for us and the team to come up with this. We showed that we can beat any team."

The Los Angeles Angels emerged from the jaws of defeat to stun the Boston Red Sox 6-5 thanks to two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani hit a two-out, two-run homer to lift the Angels past the Red Sox in the ninth inning in MLB action on Sunday.

The Angels were on the verge of losing their fifth consecutive game before star pair Mike Trout and Ohtani entered the frame in the final inning of the series finale at Fenway Park.

After Trout hit a bloop single to keep the game alive with two outs, Ohtani smashed a home run off Matt Barnes to snap the Angels' four-game skid.

"Coming off a losing streak and the first two games of the series, the way we lost, it wasn't a good way to lose," Ohtani, who is now tied for the MLB lead in homers with 12, said through a team translator. "So, it was huge for us and the team to come up with this. We showed that we can beat any team."

Wild walk-off win for White Sox, Duvall sinks Dodgers

Jose Abreu dashed home with the game-winning run as the high-flying Chicago White Sox walked off 4-3 against the Kansas City Royals. The American League (AL) Central-leading White Sox rallied from a 3-2 deficit as Abreu scored on a wild Wade Davis pitch.

The Houston Astros celebrated their sixth straight win by defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2. Lance McCullers Jr. pitched six scoreless innings for the Astros, scattering five hits and striking out five.

Adam Duvall delivered for the Miami Marlins, who topped World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 behind his three-run homer in the fifth inning. The Marlins avoided a series sweep.

Maikel Franco homered and drove in three runs for the Baltimore Orioles, who avoided a three-game sweep by rallying past the New York Yankees 10-6. Aaron Judge homered for the third successive game, but it was not enough for the Yankees.

Alex Wood kept his perfect record intact after the San Francisco Giants accounted for the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1. Wood – who improved to 5-0 this season – gave up one run and eight hits. The Giants pitcher struck out six batters and walked one for the National League (NL) West leaders.

The Chicago Cubs were 5-1 winners over the Detroit Tigers as Kyle Hendricks carried a shutout into the ninth inning. Hendricks allowed eight hits and struck out a season-high eight batters in just over eight innings without allowing a walk.

Stroman struggles

New York Mets ace Marcus Stroman was off the pace in the team's 7-1 rout at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Stroman gave up homers to Manuel Margot, Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe. Stroman – who dropped to 0-4 in his last five starts – gave up five runs and six hits in six innings.

Vladdy hits longest homer of his career

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was at it again in the Toronto Blue Jays' thrilling 10-8 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. Guerrero hit his 11th homer of the season, a 465-foot solo drive in the eighth inning – the longest home run of his career.

Sunday's results

Baltimore Orioles 10-6 New York Yankees
San Francisco Giants 4-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 10-8 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Angels 6-5 Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs 5-1 Detroit Tigers
Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 New York Mets
Milwaukee Brewers 10-9 Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox 4-3 Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics 7-6 Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros 6-2 Texas Rangers
Cincinnati Reds 7-6 Colorado Rockies
Seattle Mariners 3-2 Cleveland Indians
Miami Marlins 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Washington Nationals 3-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres 5-3 St Louis Cardinals

Diamondbacks at Dodgers

It will be an all-NL West clash when the Diamondbacks and Dodgers open their series on Monday. Both teams are coming off losses as Walker Buehler starts for the Dodgers, while Diamondbacks ace Madison Bumgarner takes to the mound.