Houston pitcher Spencer Arrighetti came tantalizingly close to baseball perfection Friday night, taking a no-hitter deep into the eighth inning before the Astros defeated the Texas Rangers 2-0 in the opening game of their three-game series.
The right-hander Arrighetti (5-1) delivered a masterful performance on the mound, establishing his dominance early in the contest.
Following a two-out walk to Brandon Nimmo in the opening frame, Arrighetti mowed down 11 straight Rangers hitters. His no-hit bid remained intact until Kyle Higashioka flew out to left field in the eighth inning, but Justin Foscue then delivered a crisp single to left field that shattered Arrighetti’s dreams of a no-hitter and brought his night to an end. The Houston starter finished with 102 pitches – just one short of his personal best – allowing only one hit and four walks while striking out five batters across 7 1/3 innings.
Texas starter Jack Leiter (1-4) nearly kept pace with Arrighetti’s dominance. Isaac Paredes’ fourth home run of the season provided the only offensive breakthrough against Leiter, who gave up just one run on three hits during his seven-inning outing.
Reds 7, Guardians 6
Matt McClain launched a home run and collected three RBIs as Cincinnati held off Cleveland for the victory on the road.
J.J. Bleday contributed a 3-for-5 performance with two runs and one RBI for the Reds, who captured their second consecutive win. Winning pitcher Andrew Abbott (3-2) surrendered one run on four hits across five-plus innings, extending his scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings.
Jose Ramirez went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Cleveland, which saw its three-game win streak come to an end. Losing pitcher Tanner Bibee (0-6) lasted 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. The Guardians have dropped nine of his 10 starts.
Phillies 11, Pirates 9 (10 innings)
Bryce Harper recorded four hits, including a game-tying single in the ninth inning, while Brandon Marsh knocked in the decisive run in the 10th as Philadelphia mounted a comeback victory over Pittsburgh on the road.
Kyle Schwarber connected for two home runs for the Phillies, bringing his major-league-leading total to 20 for the season, with nine coming in his last eight contests. He drove in five runs to help Philadelphia improve to 13-4 under interim manager Don Mattingly.
Brandon Lowe notched his third multi-homer performance of the year for Pittsburgh, which held a 6-0 advantage after three innings and led 8-5 in the ninth. Oneil Cruz and Marcell Ozuna each contributed two RBIs for the Pirates.
Padres 2, Mariners 0
Randy Vasquez tossed six shutout innings as San Diego secured the Vedder Cup with a blanking of Seattle at home.
The Padres moved to 4-0 in their six-game season series against the Mariners, with whom they share spring training facilities in Peoria, Ariz. The Vedder Cup honors Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder, who maintains connections to both San Diego and Seattle. Vasquez (5-1) scattered four hits in his winning effort.
Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock (3-2) delivered a quality start, surrendering one run on five hits over six innings.
Cubs 10, White Sox 5
Carson Kelly posted a 3-for-5 night with four RBIs, including a go-ahead single in the seventh and a two-run double in the eighth, leading the Cubs to victory over the White Sox on the road.
The Cubs ended their crosstown rivals’ five-game winning streak behind a 14-hit offensive explosion that featured two-hit performances from Alex Bregman, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki.
Chicago pitching weathered solo homers from Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas and Jarred Kelenic. Drew Romo, Montgomery and Vargas each collected two hits for the White Sox.
Cardinals 5, Royals 4 (11 innings)
Pinch hitter Yohel Pozo delivered a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the 11th inning to lift St. Louis past Kansas City at home.
After trailing by one in the 10th, the Cardinals plated a run in each of the final two frames to earn their third victory in four games. Jordan Walker finished 3-for-5 with a two-run homer.
In the top of the 10th, Bobby Witt Jr.’s double put the Royals ahead 4-3. Witt and Carter Jensen each recorded two hits and an RBI for Kansas City, which suffered its fifth straight loss.
Dodgers 6, Angels 0
Andy Pages and Max Muncy connected for consecutive home runs to spark a four-run fourth inning, while eight pitchers combined for a two-hitter as the Dodgers shut out the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and collected two hits for the Dodgers, who ended a seven-game losing streak against their Southern California rivals. Edgardo Henriquez (2-0) pitched a hitless inning of relief for the Dodgers, who used a bullpen approach after Blake Snell was placed on the injured list before the game.
Zach Neto singled and reached base four times for the Angels, who fell for the fourth consecutive game. Jack Kochanowicz (2-3) surrendered six runs on seven hits across six innings.
Nationals 3, Orioles 2
Daylen Lile came within a triple of hitting for the cycle, Zack Littell (2-4) threw five scoreless innings and Washington defeated Baltimore at home.
Lile has connected for four home runs in his last four contests. The Nationals carried a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning, when they required three pitchers to navigate the frame. Richard Lovelady retired only one of three batters he faced but recorded his second save.
Gunnar Henderson collected two hits and an RBI for the Orioles. Shane Baz (1-5) worked seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits.
Tigers 3, Blue Jays 2
Spencer Torkelson’s two-out RBI single delivered the winning run in the ninth inning as Detroit edged Toronto at home.
Torkelson’s opposite-field hit off Jeff Hoffman (2-3) brought home Matt Vierling, who reached on a bloop single and stole second base. Detroit had dropped eight of its previous nine contests, including three in a row.
Riley Greene contributed an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Greene owns the longest active hitting streak in the majors and has reached base safely in a career-high 25 straight games. Andres Gimenez drove in both Toronto runs with a double.
Braves 3, Red Sox 2 (10 innings)
Mike Yastrzemski’s leadoff double in the bottom of the 10th inning powered Atlanta past Boston at home.
Drake Baldwin went 2-for-4 with a home run that staked the Braves to a first-inning lead. Michael Harris II also homered before the Red Sox fought back to tie the game with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
The final pitcher among five Atlanta relievers to appear, Didier Fuentes (3-0) left two runners stranded to deliver a scoreless 10th. Marcelo Mayer hit a game-tying homer for Boston, which has dropped four of its last five games.
Brewers 3, Twins 2
Jake Bauers’ RBI double and a disputed eighth-inning call helped Milwaukee edge Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Jackson Chourio recorded two hits and scored twice while Bauers went 2-for-4. Reliever Aaron Ashby (8-0) surrendered the tying run but earned the victory after allowing four hits and one run across two innings. Trevor Megill secured his fifth save with a perfect ninth inning.
Ryan Kreidler contributed two hits for the Twins. Joe Ryan scattered four hits and one run while striking out seven over six innings.
Yankees 5, Mets 2
Cam Schlittler extended his strong beginning by surrendering one run over 6 2/3 innings for the Yankees, who defeated the Mets in the season’s first Subway Series matchup on the road.
Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered back-to-back RBI doubles during a three-run third inning for the Yankees, who won for only the third time in nine games. Spencer Jones added an RBI single in the fifth and Ben Rice homered in the ninth. Chisholm finished with three hits and a stolen base, while Rice also recorded three hits. Jones ended with two hits.
Juan Soto homered and Brett Baty collected two hits, including an RBI single, for the Mets, who saw their three-game winning streak end. Starter Clay Holmes (4-4) suffered a fractured right fibula, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters following the game.
Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 1
A six-run opening inning paved the way for Merrill Kelly’s first career complete game as Arizona rolled to victory over Colorado in Denver.
Ildemaro Vargas went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs for Arizona. Kelly (3-3) required only 100 pitches to record all 27 outs. He found his rhythm after surrendering a Hunter Goodman first-inning homer, allowing just four hits total.
Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (1-5) surrendered seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. Hunter Goodman took Kelly deep in the first for the Rockies’ only run.
Athletics 5, Giants 2
Nick Kurtz blasted a go-ahead, three-run homer to extend his on-base streak to 38 games while leading the Athletics to victory over San Francisco in West Sacramento, Calif.
Rookie Henry Bolte and veteran Jeff McNeil each recorded two hits and one RBI for the Athletics, who had lost three of their previous four contests. Aaron Civale (5-1) surrendered two runs and six hits over five innings to win his third straight start.
Luis Arraez collected four hits, including his first homer of the season, for the Giants, who dropped their third consecutive game. Harrison Bader also went deep and joined Willy Adames with two hits for San Francisco. Tyler Mahle (1-5) was hammered for five runs and 10 hits over five innings.
