Max Kepler came through with a clutch RBI in the 10th inning Sunday, capping an eight-run comeback as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 in Phoenix.
With one out in the 10th, Kepler plated automatic runner Jorge Barrosa against Luis Gastelum (1-1) to complete Arizona’s remarkable rally. Juan Morrillo (3-4) earned the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
The Diamondbacks found themselves down 7-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, then began chipping away with three runs in that frame. Geraldo Perdomo added a two-run inside-the-park home run in the seventh, and Nolan Arenado knotted the score with a two-run blast in the eighth to force extras.
For St. Louis, Blaze Jordan finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. The Cardinals had jumped out to their big lead by scoring five runs against Eduardo Rodriguez in the third inning.
Brewers 3, Marlins 1
William Contreras launched a three-run walk-off home run with one out in the ninth inning, lifting Milwaukee to a victory over visiting Miami and completing a three-game series sweep.
The Brewers managed just two hits through eight innings before rallying against Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks (3-4). Jackson Chourio singled to lead off the ninth, and Brice Turang drew a walk. Following a strikeout, Contreras crushed a 1-2 cutter 411 feet to center field for his 10th homer of the season. Robert Gasser gave up one run on three hits over five innings, and Grant Anderson (3-3) tossed a scoreless ninth to earn the win.
Miami’s Eury Perez was dominant but had nothing to show for it, surrendering just one hit across six innings while striking out nine, walking three and hitting one batter in a 93-pitch outing. Esteury Ruiz hit the Marlins’ only run on a third-inning homer off Gasser.
Padres 19, Royals 2
Jackson Merrill, Ty France and Fernando Tatis Jr. combined for five home runs and 13 RBIs as San Diego avoided a series sweep by routing host Kansas City.
Merrill went 4-for-6 with two homers and four RBIs, while Tatis added a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored. Both of France’s hits left the yard — a grand slam in the eighth inning and a solo shot in the ninth — accounting for five RBIs.
With the game well out of hand, Royals position player Tyler Tolbert took the mound in the ninth and surrendered six runs, including two home runs. Jac Caglianone homered and doubled for Kansas City, which had won four consecutive home games entering Sunday.
White Sox 3, Blue Jays 0
Sean Burke held Toronto to two hits and a walk while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings as visiting Chicago shut out the Blue Jays.
Colson Montgomery went 2-for-4 and belted a solo home run for the White Sox in the deciding game of the three-game series. Grant Taylor allowed an infield single by Ernie Clement and a bunt single by Nathan Lukes to open the ninth but escaped the jam on a lineout and a double-play grounder to secure his fifth save of the season. Lukes finished with two of Toronto’s four hits.
Braves 8, Rangers 5
Austin Riley and Drake Baldwin each went deep twice as Atlanta topped visiting Texas.
Riley finished 3-for-4, connecting for his 11th and 12th home runs of the year while driving in four and scoring twice. Baldwin had a career-best 5-for-5 day, hitting his 17th and 18th homers with two RBIs and a stolen base. Atlanta starter Grant Holmes (6-4) worked five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. The Braves totaled 14 hits, with Matt Olson, Michael Harris II and Brewer Hicklen each contributing two.
Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (9-8) lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on six hits — three of them home runs. Wyatt Langford went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs, including a homer, while Nicky Lopez also had three hits for the Rangers.
Red Sox 6, Rays 1
Sonny Gray delivered six innings of one-run pitching and Willson Contreras added a two-run home run as Boston completed a four-game sweep of visiting Tampa Bay.
The victory pushed the Red Sox’s winning streak to 13 consecutive games. Gray (12-1) scattered five hits for his ninth straight quality start and has now allowed one run or fewer in five straight outings. Tampa Bay went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Chandler Simpson (2-for-4) was the only Rays batter with multiple hits. Shane McClanahan (8-6) surrendered six runs — four earned — on five hits over five innings.
Mets 6, Phillies 1
Nolan McLean fanned 10 over six scoreless innings as New York beat host Philadelphia in the deciding game of their weekend series.
Francisco Lindor went 3-for-3 with a walk twice, a long home run and three RBIs. That was more than enough backing for McLean (7-6), who yielded just two hits and two walks while lowering his ERA to 0.75 across his last four starts. Philadelphia starter Alan Rangel (0-3) lasted four innings, giving up five runs, seven hits and three walks. Alec Bohm’s home run accounted for the Phillies’ lone run.
Dodgers 8, Yankees 2 (Game 1)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a complete-game four-hitter as Los Angeles scored three times off Cam Schlittler before pulling away late in the opener of a day-night doubleheader against host New York.
Yamamoto (10-6) allowed two runs in what was his first career regular-season complete game, following back-to-back complete games last postseason. He struck out seven without issuing a walk, throwing first-pitch strikes to 21 of 30 batters. A five-run eighth inning against the Yankees’ bullpen sealed the outcome. Trent Grisham homered and Anthony Volpe had an RBI single for New York, which has gone 18-21 since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib. Schlittler (9-6) allowed three runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out eight but needing 98 pitches to record 13 outs.
Pirates 7, Guardians 1
Billy Cook had three hits and drove in his first two runs of the season as visiting Pittsburgh topped Cleveland.
Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez provided a cushion with a two-run homer in the ninth inning. Pirates ace Paul Skenes (9-8) won his third straight start, with the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner allowing one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts across seven innings. Jared Triolo, Jake Mangum and Nick Gonzales each contributed two of Pittsburgh’s 11 hits. Cleveland’s Steven Kwan had two hits, including an RBI bunt single in the third inning. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo (8-5) was charged with four runs on seven hits in five-plus innings.
Orioles 5, Astros 2
Brandon Young pitched seven strong innings, Leody Taveras delivered a clutch two-run, two-out single and visiting Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of Houston.
The Orioles stretched their season-best winning streak to seven games and have now won 10 of their last 13. Young (8-2) recorded his eighth quality start, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven. Houston’s Hunter Brown (1-1) struggled in his sixth start since returning from a two-plus-month stint on the injured list, giving up four runs on three hits and a career-high six walks over 4 2/3 innings. Brown has walked 15 batters over his last three outings.
Cubs 10, Twins 1
Nico Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a triple and four RBIs as Chicago rolled past visiting Minnesota.
Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who claimed the rubber match of the three-game series. Michael Busch went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, and Pedro Ramirez added a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI. Left-hander Shota Imanaga (6-8) held the Twins to six hits over seven scoreless innings. Minnesota’s Zebby Matthews (4-7) surrendered 10 runs — eight earned — on nine hits in just over three innings. Royce Lewis went 1-for-3 with a double, the Twins’ only extra-base hit.
Angels 3, Tigers 2
Rookie Ryan Johnson allowed one run on two hits over five innings and Oswald Peraza went 2-for-4 with an RBI as Los Angeles salvaged the final game of a three-game series against Detroit in Anaheim, Calif.
Nolan Schanuel had three hits and Vaughn Grissom chipped in two hits, including a double, helping the Angels snap a four-game skid. Johnson (2-4) walked three and struck out five before Ryan Zeferjahn closed it out for the save. Kevin McGonigle and Riley Greene each homered for the Tigers, who suffered just their fourth loss in their last 15 games.
Nationals 5, Athletics 2
Foster Griffin tossed seven innings of one-run ball and home runs by CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews powered Washington past the host Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Griffin (11-2) struck out just two but generated 12 groundball outs, two of which resulted in double plays, helping him limit the damage from the eight hits he allowed. Curtis Mead and Harry Ford drove in the other runs for Washington. Shea Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a double for the A’s, while Alika Williams hit two doubles batting ninth. Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson each had an RBI for Oakland, which out-hit Washington 11-7 but still lost. Jacob Lopez (4-4) allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Reds 9, Rockies 6
Tyler Stephenson belted two home runs, Sal Stewart and Nathaniel Lowe each hit three-run shots and Cincinnati held off Hunter Goodman’s three-homer day to beat Colorado in Denver.
Hunter Greene (2-1) allowed three runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over six innings to help the Reds take the rubber match of the series. Stephenson hit a two-run homer in the first, a solo shot in the fifth and a double in the seventh. Goodman homered three times in a game for the second time this season and drove in five runs for Colorado, which has lost four of its last five. Willi Castro added a solo homer in the ninth. Cincinnati scored five runs on four hits in the opening inning off Rockies starter Ryan Feltner (3-4).
Mariners 6, Giants 3
Pinch hitter Luke Raley hit a go-ahead home run and Cole Young followed with a two-run shot as Seattle returned to the .500 mark with a win over visiting San Francisco in the rubber match of their interleague series.
Logan Gilbert (8-6) delivered six quality innings for the Mariners, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out 10. Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz combined for three scoreless innings of one-hit relief with six more strikeouts. Josh Naylor and Weston Wilson added RBI singles for Seattle. Bryce Eldridge got San Francisco on the board with a solo homer in the first inning, and Luis Arraez — who struck out twice for the first time this season — gave the Giants a 3-2 lead with an RBI double in the sixth. Giants starter Robbie Ray lasted four-plus innings, allowing three runs — one earned — on seven hits. Adrian Houser (2-7) surrendered the final three runs.
