The Chicago White Sox tied an American League record with their 21st consecutive loss after being handed a 5-1 defeat by the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

Chicago mustered just one run and three hits through seven innings against A's starter JP Sears to match the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the second-longest losing streak in Major League Baseball since 1900. The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies own the longest skid in the modern era with 23 straight losses.

Max Schuemann snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run single in the fourth inning to help support Sears (9-8), who retired the final 10 batters he faced after surrendering Andrew Benintendi's run-scoring single in the top of the fourth to improve to 5-1 over his last six starts.

Benintendi's hit brought home Andrew Vaughn, who doubled earlier in the inning, to knot the score at 1-1 before the A's answered with two runs in their half of the fourth.

Oakland loaded the bases when White Sox starter Ky Bush hit Darrell Hernaiz with a pitch after giving up a double to JJ Bleday and walking Zack Gelof. Schuemann then delivered a single to left to drive in two runners and provide Sears with a 3-1 advantage.

Oakland increased its lead on Lawrence Butler's solo homer in the sixth inning, then tacked on another run in the eighth when Gelof scored from third on a pitch that got past White Sox catcher Korey Lee as Schuemann struck out.

Bush, called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, allowed just two hits over four innings in his MLB debut, but issued five walks and permitted three runs.

The rookie left-hander walked three batters to load the bases in the first inning, which led to the A's first run when Tyler Nevin plated Daz Cameron with a sacrifice fly. 

Ohtani's homer helps Dodgers down Phillies in Freeman's return

Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 34th home run of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers made Freddie Freeman's return to the lineup a winning one with Monday's 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Teoscar Hernandez added a two-run homer in Freeman's first game since July 25. The All-Star first baseman had been away from the Dodgers for 10 days to attend to his 3-year-old son, who had been hospitalized with an autoimmune condition before being released Sunday.

Ohtani also drove in a pair of runs while finishing 2 for 3 to help Los Angeles win the opener of this marquee three-game series between the NL's top two teams.

The Dodgers also received a solid start from Tyler Glasnow (9-6), who struck out nine over six innings while allowing three runs. Three Los Angeles relievers then finished off the victory, with Daniel Hudson tossing a scoreless ninth to earn his eighth save.

Aaron Nola (11-5) worked six innings for the slumping Phillies but was touched for four runs, all of which came in the third inning as Los Angeles erased an early 2-0 deficit.

Philadelphia has now lost seven of its last eight games and is just a half-game ahead of the Dodgers in the race for the NL's best record.

Nola cruised through the first two innings but quickly ran into trouble in the third, as Jason Heyward and Andy Pages delivered back-to-back doubles to get the Dodgers on the board. After Pages advanced to third on Nick Ahmed's infield single, Ohtani lifted a long sacrifice fly to right field that tied the contest at 2-2.

Hernandez followed with a line drive into the seats in left to put Los Angeles ahead with his 24th homer of the season.

Glasnow kept it a 4-2 lead until the sixth, when Kyle Schwarber singled and reached third on Bryce Harper's one-out double before scoring on a groundout off the bat of Alec Bohm.

Ohtani restored the Dodgers' two-run advantage, however, with a solo homer off Tanner Banks to open the bottom of the eighth.

The Phillies reached Glasnow for two second-inning runs with the help of a misplay by Pages, who couldn't come down with Nick Castellanos' long fly ball to center field that resulted in a two-out triple.

Bryson Stott then plated Castellanos with an infield single, and Austin Hays followed with a base hit to advance Stott to third. Stott would score on a wild pitch uncorked by Glasnow to give the Phillies a 2-0 edge.

Rangers shock Astros on Smith's homer in 10th

Josh Smith came through with a game-winning two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to a stunning 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros in the opener of a key three-game series between AL West contenders.

Smith's blast off Caleb Ferguson sent slumping Houston to a third straight loss and prevented the Astros from moving within a half-game of the first-place Seattle Mariners in the division standings.

The defending World Series champion Rangers are now five games behind Seattle after winning for just the third time in 10 games.

After the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th when Texas closer Kirby Yates hit consecutive batters with pitches to force in a run, Ferguson entered the game and struck out the first two men he faced with a designated runner on second base.

Ferguson fell behind in the count to Smith, however, and the utility player sent a 3-1 fastball deep into the right field seats to end the game.

The Rangers opted to intentionally walk Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez in the top of the 10th to put two runners on base, but the strategy backfired when Yates hit Yainer Diaz in the hand and then plunked Jeremy Pena with the bases loaded to put the Astros ahead.

Texas had tied the game on Corey Seager's solo homer off Ryan Pressly in the bottom of the eighth, erasing a 2-1 lead the Astros had taken in the top of the inning when Jose Altuve singled, took second on a wild pitch from Rangers reliever David Robertson and later scored on Pena's infield single.

Alex Bregman gave Houston an early 1-0 advantage with a solo homer in the third inning off Andrew Heaney, the only hit the Rangers' starter allowed in six innings of work.

Texas pulled even in the fifth when Nathaniel Lowe drew a walk against Houston starter Hunter Brown, advanced to third on Adolis Garcia's single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras.

Brown yielded just one run and three hits over six innings.

Seiya Suzuki drove in three runs and the Chicago Cubs scored five times in the second inning before holding on for a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Friday's opener of a three-game series.

Michael Busch, acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason, had a solo homer against his former team to help Chicago to its fifth consecutive win. Dansby Swanson also homered for the Cubs and Ian Happ contributed a two-run triple.

The Dodgers had a four-game winning streak snapped despite Shohei Ohtani connecting for his second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Teoscar Hernandez went 3 for 4 with four RBIs for Los Angeles.

After Hernandez's two-run single in the first inning gave the Dodgers an early lead, the Cubs answered and then some against Los Angeles starter Bobby Miller in the second.

Swanson got Chicago on the board with a one-out solo homer and Miller walked Busch before yielding back-to-back singles to Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal, the last of which plated Busch. Happ later walked to load the bases and Hoerner scored on Miller's wild pitch for a 3-2 Cubs lead.

Suzuki then doubled to right to knock in two more runs and extend the margin and chase Miller, who was tagged for five runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

Busch homered in the third to put Chicago up 6-2, but Ohtani followed Mookie Betts' single in the fifth with a blast into the right-field seats off Cubs' starter Kyle Hendricks to close the gap. Hendricks then walked Freddie Freeman before giving up a double to Will Smith that cut Los Angeles' deficit to 6-5.

Hendricks was charged with five runs on eight hits over four-plus innings.

Happ brought in Hoerner and Yan Gomes with a triple in the sixth to give Chicago some breathing room, then scored on Suzuki's sacrifice fly for a 9-5 lead.

Hernandez plated Freeman and Smith with a single in the seventh to get the Dodgers closer, but relievers Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay shut Los Angeles out over the final two innings to protect the lead.

Rangers roll past Astros in ALCS rematch

Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien each belted three-run homers as the Texas Rangers cruised to a 10-2 rout over the Houston Astros in the American League West rivals' first meeting since last season's League Championship Series.

Garcia also had an RBI single to back 7 2/3 outstanding innings from Cory Bradford as the Rangers took the opener of this four-game Lone Star series. 

Bradford yielded just one run and two hits with no walks to help Texas end a run of eight consecutive Houston wins at the Rangers' Globe Life Park, including three during the 2023 ALCS that Texas won in seven games before later capturing the franchise's first World Series title.

The Rangers went up big early in the rematch, scoring five two-out runs off Houston starter Hunter Brown in the second inning.

Singles by Josh Smith and Semien put two runners on before Corey Seager drove in Texas' first run with a double. Semien then scored on Wyatt Langford's infield single before Garcia launched a three-run homer for a 5-0 advantage.

Smith's RBI double in the fourth and Garcia's run-scoring single in the fifth increased the margin further, and Semien made it a 10-0 lead when he homered off Brandon Bielak with two aboard in the sixth.

Bradford was removed after giving up a two-out single to Jeremy Pena in the eighth. Jake Meyers then greeted reliever Yerry Rodriguez with a two-run homer to end Texas' shutout bid.

Brown lasted just three innings and was tagged for five runs and eight hits while walking four.

Clement's homer helps Blue Jays spoil Yankees' home opener

Ernie Clement broke a scoreless tie with a pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning, and five Toronto Blue Jays pitchers combined on a six-hitter to spoil the New York Yankees' home opener with a 3-0 victory.

Clement sent a pitch from Yankees reliever Caleb Ferguson into the left-field seats to help Toronto take the opener of this three-game series.

The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth before ex-Yankee Chad Green worked around a pair of hits in the bottom of the inning to finish off the shutout and earn his first save of the season.

New York was dealt just its second loss in eight games this season despite an outstanding start from former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman, who yielded just three hits and struck out six in six scoreless innings.

Yusei Kikuchi was just as good for Toronto, as the left-hander permitted just four hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.

Alejandro Kirk had three hits for the Blue Jays, including a single in the ninth that was followed by a base hit from Daulton Varsho. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then drew a walk to load the bases before New York reliever Nick Burdi threw a wild pitch that allowed pinch-runner Brian Serven to score for a 2-0 lead.

Burdi uncorked another wild pitch later in the inning that enabled Varsho to score Toronto's final run.