Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes came tantalizingly close to his second straight no-hit bid, carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning before surrendering just two hits across eight shutout frames in the Pirates’ 3-1 triumph over Colorado on Tuesday night.
The defending National League Cy Young Award recipient (6-2) kept the Rockies off the basepaths entirely through 6⅓ innings until Mickey Moniak broke up the bid with a soft liner that fell just beyond the outstretched glove of diving center fielder Oneil Cruz.
This marked Skenes’ second consecutive eight-inning, two-hit shutout performance. The dominant right-hander has surrendered zero runs in four of his last five outings, dropping his earned run average to 1.98 while extending his streak of starts without issuing a walk to five games. He fanned 10 Colorado batters on the evening.
Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen (2-5) struggled in comparison, surrendering two earned runs on five hits and two free passes while striking out five across five innings of work.
Pittsburgh received offensive contributions from Nick Gonzales, who collected two hits and drove in one run, while Spencer Horwitz also managed two base hits. Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds each contributed RBI singles to provide Skenes with sufficient run support.
In other Tuesday action around the majors:
Rays 7, Blue Jays 6 (10 innings)
Jonathan Aranda’s sacrifice fly capped Tampa Bay’s extra-inning victory as the Rays maintained their perfect 5-0 record against Toronto this season. Taylor Walls delivered the go-ahead RBI single against Braydon Fisher (2-1) before Aranda’s fly ball provided insurance. Ian Seymour (2-0) tossed a clean ninth inning for Tampa Bay, which had blown a five-run advantage by allowing five two-out tallies in the seventh.
Braves 5, Cubs 2
Mike Yastrzemski launched his first home run as a Brave and drove in three runs, while Austin Riley also went deep and Dominic Smith collected four hits to power Atlanta past Chicago. The victory improved the Braves’ major league-best record to 29-13. Yastrzemski’s three-run blast broke a 2-2 deadlock during a four-run sixth inning. Didier Fuentes (2-0) threw three hitless relief innings before Raisel Iglesias completed the combined one-hitter with a perfect ninth.
Twins 3, Marlins 0
Bailey Ober delivered a complete-game shutout, striking out seven while walking none to guide Minnesota past Miami. Byron Buxton stole home plate and Ryan Jeffers belted a two-run homer to provide the offense. Ober (4-2) earned his first career complete-game shutout in his 124th major league start, throwing 64 strikes among his 89 total pitches.
Guardians 3, Angels 2
Angel Martinez homered and Patrick Bailey drove in his first run since joining Cleveland via trade to help the Guardians continue their dominance over Los Angeles. The Angels fell to 4-29 in Cleveland since 2015, the most lopsided venue record in baseball during that span. Hunter Gaddis (1-1) earned the victory with 1⅓ scoreless innings, while Cade Smith notched his 12th save.
Nationals 10, Reds 4
Daylen Lile and Luis Garcia Jr. each launched two home runs as Washington blasted six long balls total to overwhelm Cincinnati. Lile, a Louisville native, hit a solo shot in the fourth and a three-run blast in the fifth for his first career multi-homer game. Garcia contributed two solo homers as both players recorded three hits apiece.
Yankees 6, Orioles 2
Paul Goldschmidt and Trent Grisham homered as New York snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory in Baltimore. Grisham’s three-run blast highlighted a five-run third inning. Will Warren (5-1) carried a shutout into the sixth inning, ultimately allowing two runs on four hits.
Mets 10, Tigers 2
A.J. Ewing scored twice and drove in two runs in his major league debut, sparking New York’s rout of Detroit. Ewing collected an RBI triple and drew three walks in his first big league appearance. Freddy Peralta (3-3) allowed two runs while striking out seven over six innings for the victory.
Phillies 2, Red Sox 1
Kyle Schwarber tied a franchise record by homering for the fifth straight game, while Zack Wheeler pitched into the eighth inning to lift Philadelphia past Boston. Schwarber’s first-inning blast off Jovani Moran (0-1) gave him six homers in five games and 17 total to lead the majors. Wheeler (2-0) allowed one run on six hits before departing with one out in the eighth.
White Sox 6, Royals 5
Derek Hill delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning to help Chicago extend its winning streak to three games despite being outhit 11-7. Chase Meidroth and Drew Romo also went deep for the White Sox. Kansas City got solo homers from Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez in the first inning.
Brewers 6, Padres 4
Brandon Sproat earned his first career victory by pitching effectively into the sixth inning, while Joey Ortiz homered for the first time since July to lead Milwaukee past San Diego. The Brewers extended their winning streak to five games and moved seven games above .500 for the first time this season by overcoming a 2-1 deficit with five fourth-inning runs.
Rangers 7, Diamondbacks 4
MacKenzie Gore allowed just one run on three hits over a season-high eight innings as Texas defeated Arizona. Joc Pederson and Ezequiel Duran homered while Brandon Nimmo and Jake Burger each collected three hits. Gore (3-3) had entered with an 0-3 record and 6.85 ERA since April 8.
Mariners 10, Astros 2
Dominic Canzone belted his first career grand slam and Randy Arozarena produced four hits and three RBIs to support Bryan Woo as Seattle routed Houston. Canzone’s fourth-inning slam broke a 2-2 tie after Tatsuya Imai (1-1) loaded the bases with nobody out. Woo (3-2) struck out nine while retiring the final 11 batters he faced.
Cardinals 6, Athletics 4
JJ Wetherholt smacked a two-run homer and Jose Fermin added a two-run double to lead St. Louis past Oakland in West Sacramento. Ivan Herrera joined Wetherholt with two hits as the Cardinals ended a two-game skid. Andre Pallante (4-3) allowed three runs over five innings for the victory.
Giants 6, Dodgers 2
Eric Haase hit two home runs and Harrison Bader added another as San Francisco improved to 4-1 against Los Angeles this season. Adrian Houser (1-4) earned his first win as a Giant by allowing two runs over 5⅔ innings. The loss extended the Dodgers’ losing streak to four games, matching their season high.
