MLB roundup: Rays take over first in the AL East

Wander Franco hit a tiebreaking RBI triple in the sixth inning, Ji-Man Choi and Francisco Mejia each had two-run homers and the Tampa Bay Rays held off the visiting Boston Red Sox for a 9-5 win on Saturday night.

Mejia (2-for-4) drove in four runs and Franco (2-for-4) had two RBIs for Tampa Bay, which moved a half-game ahead of Boston atop the American League East standings. Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge (7-1) earned the win, striking out three in a scoreless sixth inning.

Boston had held a share of first place in the division for 34 consecutive days. Tampa Bay entered the three-game series 1 1/2 games back before earning a 7-3 victory in the series opener Friday.

Xander Bogaerts and Bobby Dalbec clubbed two-run home runs for the Red Sox. J.D. Martinez also had an RBI for Boston, which has dropped three straight and four of its past five.

Indians 12, White Sox 11

Yu Chang hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple to cap a five-run sixth inning, and Cleveland held on for a win over host Chicago.

Rookie infielder Owen Miller hit his first career home run for the Indians. Amed Rosario and Austin Hedges also homered for Cleveland, which scored 12-plus runs for the third time this season.

Seby Zavala hit three home runs and drove in six runs in a breakout performance for Chicago. The 27-year-old backup catcher entered the game with no home runs and one RBI in 17 career games, and he became the first player in major league history to hit his first three home runs in the same game.

Yankees 4, Marlins 2

Anthony Rizzo, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, homered for the second game in a row, leading New York past host Miami.

Miami was without manager Don Mattingly, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and has mild symptoms. He was replaced by bench coach James Rowson.

Rizzo went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and one RBI. Reliever Lucas Luetge (4-1) earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings. Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save of the year. The loss went to David Hess (2-1), who was charged with one run in one inning.

Mets 5, Reds 4 (10)

Brandon Drury's RBI single leading off the bottom of the 10th inning capped a comeback as host New York edged Cincinnati.

The win was the eighth walk-off victory of the season for the Mets, who snapped a two-game losing streak. The Reds' four-game winning streak ended.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto came up just shy in his attempt to tie the major league record for most consecutive games with a home run. Votto, who homered in his previous seven games, was hitless in his first three at-bats before singling off the top of the right field wall in the eighth. He was trying to join Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to homer in eight consecutive games.

Blue Jays 4, Royals 0

George Springer hit two home runs, right-hander Alek Manoah allowed two hits in seven innings and Toronto defeated visiting Kansas City.

Springer had three RBIs and Marcus Semien added an RBI triple for the Blue Jays, who have won the first two games of the three-game series that marks their return to the Rogers Centre for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019.

Manoah (3-1), who had not pitched since July 9 because of a back contusion, walked one while striking out four. The seven innings matched his career best.

Angels 1, Athletics 0

Jaime Barria threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings and got a boost from the bullpen as host Los Angeles held on for a victory over Oakland.

Barria (2-0) gave up four hits and one walk before leaving the game with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh. But right-hander Steve Cishek retired Mark Canha on a fly to left to end the threat.

In the eighth, left-handed reliever Jose Quijada got Matt Olson to hit into a double play that quelled an Oakland threat. And closer Raisel Iglesias pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his 22nd save.

Giants 8, Astros 6

Brandon Crawford broke a sixth-inning tie with a two-out, RBI single and the San Francisco bullpen provided nine outs of perfect relief to close out a victory over visiting Houston.

The 21-hit affair included eight total home runs, with the score tied three times before Crawford's key hit.

The Giants received home runs from Donovan Solano in the second inning, Wilmer Flores in the third, LaMonte Wade Jr. in the fourth and Darin Ruf in the fifth before Crawford's RBI hit in a 6-all tie came after Ruf and Thairo Estrada singled.

Braves 8, Brewers 1

Dansby Swanson hit a pair of homers -- including a grand slam -- and drove in seven runs as host Atlanta ended Milwaukee's four-game winning streak.

Swanson was 3-for-4 and tied the franchise's single-season record for home runs (20) by a shortstop, matching the mark set by Denis Menke in 1964. The Atlanta bullpen put together four scoreless innings, one each from winning pitcher Jesse Chavez (2-2), Tyler Matzek, Richard Rodriguez (in his Braves debut) and Will Smith.

Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff (7-6) threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Woodruff surrendered a homer for the first time since June 23, a span of five starts.

Orioles 5, Tigers 2

John Means pitched six strong innings, Ryan Mountcastle had three hits and an RBI and Baltimore downed host Detroit.

Means (5-3) gave up one run on four hits with six strikeouts in six innings. He recorded his first victory since May 5. Means was sidelined for more than six weeks with a left shoulder strain and was making his third start since being activated.

Maikel Franco supplied a solo homer for Baltimore, while Pat Valaika contributed two hits and two RBIs. Cedric Mullins and Ramon Urias each reached base three times for the Orioles, who have won six of their past eight games.

Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 3

Justin Turner hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the seventh inning and Los Angeles won for just the fifth time in 13 games by beating Arizona in Phoenix.

Turner broke a 3-all tie by hitting the second pitch from reliever Stefan Crichton just inside the left-field foul pole. Will Smith had three hits for Los Angeles, while AJ Pollock extended his on-base streak to 19 games with two hits.

Kole Calhoun and Nick Ahmed hit home runs for the Diamondbacks, while starter Merrill Kelly (7-8) pitched into the seventh inning. Arizona third baseman Drew Ellis went hitless in his first career start. Los Angeles left-hander Alex Vesia (1-1) recorded one out in the sixth inning to earn his first major league victory.

Rangers 5, Mariners 4 (10)

Jonah Heim hit two home runs, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning, as Texas defeated visiting Seattle.

Heim's second homer led off the 10th against Mariners right-hander Diego Castillo (2-5), who was seeking his first save since being acquired from Tampa Bay on Thursday. It scored Andy Ibanez, who started the inning on second base as the automatic runner, and gave the Rangers just their second victory in their past 16 games.

Rangers right-hander Spencer Patton (1-1) got the victory after blowing a chance for his first career save when Seattle's Ty France led off the ninth with a solo homer to deep left-center field to tie the score at 3.

Pirates 3, Phillies 2

Jacob Stallings' fielder's choice RBI in the ninth inning gave host Pittsburgh the win over Philadelphia, which has lost four of five.

Against reliever Jose Alvarado (6-1) with a 2-2 tie, Bryan Reynolds led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to center. Stallings later grounded to third, and Reynolds beat Alec Bohm's throw home. Kevin Newman hit an RBI triple and Ben Gamel an RBI single for the Pirates, who have won two in a row.

Chris Stratton (4-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win. Bryce Harper hit an RBI single for the Phillies, who have lost four of five. Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola went six innings, giving up two runs and three hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. He also brought in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Twins 8, Cardinals 1

Ryan Jeffers blasted a three-run homer to power Minnesota past host St. Louis for only its fifth win 16 games.

Luis Arraez came off the 10-day injured list and drove in two runs for the Twins. He started at third base in place of Josh Donaldson, who missed his second straight game due to hamstring muscle tightness. Yadier Molina hit two singles to tie Albert Pujols for the fourth-most hits in Cardinals history with 2,073.

Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober held the Cardinals to one run on four hits in four innings while striking out six. Jorge Alcala (3-5) relieved Ober and pitched two shutout innings to earn the victory. Losing pitcher Jake Woodford (2-3) allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits while lasting just three innings.

Cubs 6, Nationals 3

Kyle Hendricks pitched seven strong innings and visiting Chicago defeated Washington, ending a four-game losing streak.

Hendricks (13-4) won his 11th straight decision and hasn't lost since May 9. He allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out three. The right-hander has given up three earned runs or fewer in 13 of his last 15 starts.

Rafael Ortega homered for the Cubs, and Andrew Romine had two hits. Kyle Ryan pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.

Rockies 5, Padres 3

Right-hander German Marquez held host San Diego to two runs over six innings and hit the second home run of his career in Colorado's victory.

Brendan Rodgers and Elias Diaz also homered off Padres starter Yu Darvish. The Rockies, who 13-39 road record is among the worst in the majors, have won two straight in San Diego and four of the last five games against the Padres in San Diego.

Marquez (9-8) gave up four hits and four walks. He struck out seven. Darvish (7-6) gave up five runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in six innings. Jake Cronenworth, who was playing short for the injured Fernando Tatis Jr., hit a two-run homer for San Diego.

--Field Level Media