Junior Caminero turned in the best offensive performance of his career Thursday afternoon, slugging three home runs to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a lopsided 13-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals in St. Petersburg, Fla. — a game that nearly featured a combined no-hitter.
Opener Casey Legumina got things started by handling the first 1 1/3 innings before Ian Seymour took over and dominated, striking out seven and walking just one across 6 2/3 innings. Seymour improved to 4-1 on the season. The no-hit bid remained intact heading into the ninth, but Craig Kimbrel surrendered a two-run home run to Carter Jensen with one out, ending the drama.
Caminero launched home runs in the first, fifth, and eighth innings, driving in six runs total as Tampa Bay racked up 15 hits and split the four-game series. Seth Lugo took the loss for Kansas City, dropping to 3-5 after giving up seven runs on seven hits in five innings. Jonathan Aranda contributed three hits and scored twice for the Rays. The franchise still has just one official no-hitter in its history — thrown by Matt Garza in a 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on July 26, 2010.
Phillies 10, Nationals 5
Bryce Harper delivered a go-ahead two-run home run to spark a five-run ninth inning as Philadelphia came from behind for the third consecutive day to defeat Washington. J.T. Realmuto added an RBI double during the surge, and Derek Hill capped the rally with a two-run shot into the left field seats. Orion Kerkering earned the win, improving to 5-0 after throwing a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Cristopher Sanchez, who had allowed five runs and seven hits across five innings. Curtis Mead homered for Washington, and Jacob Young drove in two runs for the Nationals.
Pirates 5, Mariners 1
Henry Davis and Brandon Lowe each went deep and finished with two hits and two RBIs as Pittsburgh beat Seattle at home. Bubba Chandler started strong for the Pirates, going 5 1/3 innings while allowing just one run on five hits with four strikeouts. Pittsburgh’s bullpen then combined for 3 2/3 scoreless frames to close it out. Seattle starter Bryce Miller struck out 11 without issuing a walk but still took the loss, falling to 3-2 after giving up three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. J.P. Crawford accounted for the Mariners’ only run.
Athletics 9, Giants 6
Oakland overcame a four-run deficit by scoring the game’s final seven runs, capped by a four-run ninth inning that lifted the visiting Athletics past San Francisco and avoided a three-game sweep. Jonah Heim tied the game with a single, Lawrence Butler drove in the go-ahead run with a hit, and Max Muncy added a two-run single for insurance. San Francisco had built a 6-2 advantage in the sixth thanks to a bases-clearing triple by Jung Hoo Lee and a two-run homer by Victor Bericoto. Oakland chipped away with a two-run single from Shea Langeliers in the seventh and an RBI single by Jeff McNeil in the eighth to pull within 6-5. Henry Bolte started the ninth-inning comeback with an infield single off Giants right-hander Caleb Kilian, who dropped to 2-4. Geoff Hartlieb earned the victory, tossing two scoreless innings — his first major league decision since 2020 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Astros 2, Tigers 1
Tatsuya Imai was brilliant in the series opener, shutting out Detroit across six innings as Houston edged the host Tigers. Imai, now 5-3, allowed just two hits, struck out 10, and walked one, improving to 3-0 for the month. AJ Blubaugh followed with two scoreless innings before Enyel De Los Santos closed out the ninth for his fifth save of the season, though he allowed one run. Taylor Trammell homered and Jeremy Pena had two of Houston’s 10 hits and scored a run. The Astros have now won three straight. Detroit’s Troy Melton took the loss despite a strong outing, falling to 4-1 after allowing just one run and one hit over six innings with six strikeouts and no walks on 88 pitches.
Rangers 6, Blue Jays 5
Wyatt Langford crushed a three-run home run, MacKenzie Gore worked seven solid innings, and Texas built a 6-0 lead before holding on to beat Toronto at home. Gore improved to 5-6, giving up three runs, four hits, and one walk while striking out five. Jacob Latz earned his 15th save despite a shaky ninth in which he allowed two runs. Jake Burger and Joc Pederson also went deep for Texas. Kazuma Okamoto had two hits for Toronto, including a two-run homer in the ninth. The Blue Jays have now dropped three in a row. Kevin Gausman fell to 4-6 after surrendering six runs on 10 hits over six innings.
Red Sox 6, Yankees 3
Caleb Durbin launched a two-run home run and Connelly Early fanned nine batters across six innings as Boston capitalized on four New York errors to score six unearned runs and beat the Yankees at home. Durbin’s blast came against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler in the fifth inning, snapping a 2-2 tie and igniting a four-run frame. Early improved to 7-5, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk. Jose Caballero hit a solo home run for New York, which had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth before Aroldis Chapman retired Ben Rice on a groundball back to the mound for his 15th save. Schlittler dropped to 8-4 despite striking out nine in five innings.
Cubs 4, Mets 3 (10 innings)
Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered the decisive hit in the 10th inning to complete a four-game sweep of New York as Chicago visited Citi Field. Crow-Armstrong, who went 2-for-5 on the day, doubled home automatic runner Matt Shaw in the 10th to break the tie. The outfielder now has a 14-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 27 straight games — both career bests. Michael Conforto, Alex Bregman, and Ian Happ each had run-scoring hits in the sixth inning for the Cubs, who have won six of their last seven. For the Mets, Eric Wagaman delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth and Jared Young went deep to lead off the seventh. New York has now lost six straight and stands at 8-14 this month.
