Framber Valdez put together an outstanding evening on the mound Thursday, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball to guide the Detroit Tigers past the visiting Athletics by a score of 4-1.
Valdez, who improved to 5-6 on the season, was untouchable early — retiring the first 11 batters he faced. He surrendered only three hits, fanned nine, and did not issue a single walk. Jake Rogers, Zach McKinstry, and Eduardo Valencia each went deep for Detroit, which has now won five games in a row and completed a series sweep over Oakland. The A’s have now dropped six consecutive contests.
Valencia’s home run carried a special significance. Called up to provide catching depth while starter Dillon Dingler nurses a right-hand contusion, Valencia entered as a pinch hitter for Kerry Carpenter in the seventh inning. The 26-year-old Venezuelan launched a shot to center field off Hogan Harris — making him the 10th player in Tigers history to hit a home run in his very first major league at-bat.
For Oakland, Jacob Wilson went 2-for-4, and all five of the Athletics’ hits were singles. Jack Perkins dropped to 2-5 after serving as the bulk reliever on a scheduled bullpen day, giving up three runs across three innings.
Rangers 7, Angels 6
Wyatt Langford singled home Alejandro Osuna with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting Texas to a walk-off win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels and moving the Rangers into first place in the American League West. The victory came in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Langford had been activated off the injured list earlier that day following a stint on the shelf with a hamstring strain. He lined a 1-1 fastball from Angels reliever Kirby Yates — who fell to 0-4 — over the head of left fielder Jose Siri to plate Osuna. Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored, Justin Foscue homered and doubled with two RBIs, and Ezequiel Duran added a two-run blast for Texas.
Nolan Schanuel was 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored for Los Angeles, while Wade Meckler contributed two hits, two runs, and an RBI. The Angels have now lost eight of their last nine games.
Braves 10, Pirates 5
Mike Yastrzemski crushed his third career grand slam in the ninth inning to blow the game open and secure Atlanta’s first series victory in Pittsburgh in four years.
Rookie Jim Jarvis went 3-for-5 and hit the first home run of his career, while Matt Olson added a solo shot for the Braves. Dylan Dodd improved to 2-0 after throwing a perfect fifth inning in relief of starter Bryce Elder, who gave up four hits and four runs — three earned — in four innings.
Jake Mangum collected four hits including a homer and drove in three runs for Pittsburgh. Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez hit back-to-back solo home runs in the third inning. Pirates starter Mitch Keller fell to 6-7 after lasting just three innings — a season-low — while allowing three runs on four hits.
Red Sox 2, White Sox 1
Caleb Durbin belted a two-run homer and Patrick Sandoval pitched well in his first major league appearance in two years as Boston extended its winning streak to eight games and swept the host Chicago White Sox.
Sandoval had been sidelined by Tommy John surgery and additional injuries since June 21, 2024. Making his Red Sox debut, he scattered five hits and one run over 4 1/3 innings. Tyron Guerrero improved to 1-1 by recording five outs in relief, and Aroldis Chapman earned his 19th save. Boston managed just four hits, with Willson Contreras sitting out to begin serving a five-game suspension.
White Sox starter Anthony Kay dropped to 6-4 after allowing two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Colson Montgomery had two of Chicago’s seven hits. The White Sox made history in an unwanted way — becoming the first MLB team this season to go an entire three-game series without recording an extra-base hit.
Mets 7, Royals 3
Rookie Carson Benge and Francisco Alvarez each drove in runs with singles during a five-run fifth inning, Sean Manaea went a season-high seven innings, and the host New York Mets beat Kansas City to claim their first series win since mid-June.
Tyrone Taylor sparked the big inning with a tying home run to left field. Juan Soto also homered and reached base three times for New York. Manaea improved to 2-4, giving up three runs — two earned — on six hits. His seven-inning outing was his longest since the 2024 NLDS against Philadelphia.
Lane Thomas hit a leadoff homer and Bobby Witt Jr. also went deep for Kansas City. Starter Michael Wacha fell to 5-7 after turning in his worst outing of the season — 4 2/3 innings, six runs allowed on six hits — dropping the Royals to 4-10 over their last 14 games.
Yankees 12, Rays 4
Ben Rice slugged two home runs and finished with five RBIs and three runs scored as New York hammered Tampa Bay to split a four-game series in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Rice’s first blast came during a six-run Yankees third inning. Austin Wells chipped in a solo homer, and Ryan McMahon contributed two doubles and two RBIs. It marked the first time in 21 games that New York had scored at least six runs.
For Tampa Bay, Junior Caminero homered for the 12th time in 16 games. Chandler Simpson hit two triples, and Ben Williamson and Jonathan Aranda each had a pair of hits.
Orioles 3, Cubs 2
Jeremiah Jackson delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth inning to put Baltimore ahead, helping the Orioles avoid a three-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over Chicago.
Tyler O’Neill, who had homered in each of his two at-bats the previous day after entering in the seventh inning, went deep again in the second inning Thursday — his sixth homer of the season, coming in three consecutive at-bats. Starter Trevor Rogers held the Cubs to one run on five hits over six innings.
Seiya Suzuki accounted for both of Chicago’s RBIs, homering in the sixth and delivering a go-ahead double in the eighth. Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong also had doubles for the Cubs, who out-hit Baltimore nine to three. David Peterson limited the Orioles to one run on two hits over five innings before Tyler Ferguson dropped to 0-1 after surrendering two runs in a third of an inning.
Guardians 5, Twins 2
Gavin Williams matched his season best with 11 strikeouts and Cleveland hit three solo home runs in a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Williams improved to 10-4, allowing two runs on three hits over seven innings to snap a five-start stretch without a win. Gabriel Arias homered in the second, rookie Chase DeLauter hit the go-ahead shot in the sixth, and Patrick Bailey went deep in the ninth. Cleveland’s six hits consisted entirely of three home runs and three doubles.
For Minnesota, Royce Lewis scored on Tristan Gray’s RBI single in the fifth and led off the seventh with a home run. Lewis went 2-for-3, accounting for two of the Twins’ three total hits.
Marlins 8, Mariners 4
Janson Junk took the mound for the first time since May 25 and delivered five solid innings, leading a surging Miami squad to a win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.
Miami has now won six games in a row — matching its best winning streak of the season — and has also won 16 of its last 18 home games. Griffin Conine homered and finished with three hits as the Marlins provided Junk with plenty of run support. Junk gave up just one earned run on three hits.
Seattle received home runs from Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone but still dropped their third straight game. Bryce Miller fell to 4-3 as his ERA climbed from 1.71 to 2.18 after setting season-high marks across the board — nine hits, four walks, and six runs allowed in five innings.
Phillies 1, Reds 0
Justin Crawford plated pinch runner Derek Hill for the game’s lone run, backing seven masterful innings from Jesus Luzardo as visiting Philadelphia took the rubber game against Cincinnati.
Luzardo improved to 8-4, besting Reds starter Brady Singer — who dropped to 3-9 — and running his road record to 6-0 in 11 starts away from home this season. Jonathan Bowlan threw a perfect eighth inning and Jhoan Duran closed it out for his 23rd save in 24 opportunities.
Luzardo was lifted after seven innings having allowed just two hits, with 11 strikeouts and two walks. His road ERA now stands at 1.38. Singer was sharp as well, going a season-high 7 1/3 innings while allowing four hits, one walk, and striking out five.
Brewers 8, Cardinals 4
Jake Bauers and Brice Turang both went deep for Milwaukee as the Brewers capped a lengthy road trip in St. Louis by beating the Cardinals and winning four of the five games in the series.
Turang went 2-for-5 and Bauers went 2-for-4, joined by Jackson Chourio (2-for-5), Sal Frelick (2-for-4), and Cooper Pratt (2-for-3) in an 11-hit offensive effort. Bauers launched a three-run homer — his 17th of the year — to cap a four-run third inning. Turang hit his 13th home run of the season leading off the seventh, driving in two.
Jordan Walker homered for St. Louis, which managed just five hits and has now lost five of its last six games. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante dropped to 10-6 after surrendering six runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings.
