MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS

SALVADOR PEREZ BREAKS ROYALS’ ALL-TIME HOMERS RECORD

Nick Loftin hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth, Salvador Perez set the franchise home run record and the visiting Kansas City Royals squeaked by the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Saturday.

Perez’s seventh-inning blast was his 318th career homer, surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett on the franchise’s all-time list. It was also Perez’s 31st homer against the Tigers.

Loftin broke a 2-2 deadlock when he pulled an 0-2 pitch from Jacob Waguespack (0-1) over the left field wall. Riley Greene led off the bottom of the ninth with a single but the Tigers failed to plate the tying run, resulting in their three-game win streak getting snapped.

Hao-Yu Lee drove in both Detroit runs with a double and a solo homer. Tigers starter Casey Mize gave up one run and three hits in six innings. Royals starter Michael Wacha lasted seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits.

Padres 7, Marlins 2

Ty France drove in three runs to help visiting San Diego hand Miami its franchise-record-tying 11th straight loss in the middle game of their three-game series.

Jackson Merrill had two doubles, a single and scored two runs, and Jake Cronenworth had a single, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored for the Padres. San Diego opener Randy Vasquez and bulk reliever JP Sears (3-3) combined to allow one run on two hits over six innings.

Esteury Ruiz had two hits and scored both of the Marlins’ runs. Eury Perez (5-8) went seven innings, allowing three runs and seven hits before Dax Fulton was tagged for four runs over the final two innings. Miami has dropped 11 in a row three other times in team history, most recently in June of 2011.

Yankees 3, Phillies 1

Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez homered and Ryan Weathers worked into the sixth as New York continued host Philadelphia’s post-All-Star break swoon.

Cody Bellinger knocked in the go-ahead run for the Yankees, who have won five of their last six games. Weathers (4-7) allowed one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven. He surrendered a run in the first after hitting Trea Turner, giving up a double to Kyle Schwarber, then yielding Bryce Harper’s sacrifice fly before stranding Schwarber on third.

Philadelphia got two scoreless innings out of opener Tim Mayza before 32-year-old Brian Keller made his major league debut, allowing one run over three innings. In all, seven pitchers took the mound for the Phillies, who fell to 2-6 since the All-Star break.

Dodgers 4, Mets 3

Kyle Tucker homered for a second straight game and Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just a run over six innings for Los Angeles, which won its fourth straight game by beating host New York.

The Dodgers outfielder, who on Friday went deep for the first time since June 27, led off the third with a 392-foot shot off Nolan McLean (7-7) that hit the right field foul pole. Bo Bichette went 2-for-5, and Tyrone Taylor hit a pinch-hit, two-run double for the Mets.

Yamamoto (11-6) could not match his last start, a complete-game victory last Sunday against the New York Yankees. Still, he was able to secure his eighth win in his last 10 starts. The right-hander struck out five against five hits and three walks.

Nationals 5, Diamondbacks 3

CJ Abrams had three hits including a home run, Foster Griffin pitched into the seventh inning and Washington ended visiting Arizona’s four-game winning streak.

Abrams tied the game with a two-run double in the third and hit his 25th home run in the fifth, giving him a major league-leading 79 RBIs. He also singled and stole his 17th base.

Griffin (12-2), a free agent at the end of the season, may have been making his final start for Washington with the trade deadline approaching. Griffin, who struck out two and walked one, allowed three runs on six hits after giving up exactly one run in each of his last eight starts. Clayton Beeter pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his ninth save.

Giants 9, Angels 2

Jung Hoo Lee lifted a three-run home run as part of a five-run third inning, Rafael Devers homered for the second consecutive day and host San Francisco made it two straight over Los Angeles.

Robbie Ray (9-6) threw six shutout innings for the Giants, who followed up a walk-off win by scoring nine runs in the rematch’s first four innings. Lee’s homer capped a lead-creating third that began with by Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos, followed by RBI singles from Devers and Casey Schmitt. Arraez also singled in the fourth before Devers launched a three-run shot that made it 9-0.

Angels starter Ryan Johnson (2-5) was pulled one out into the fourth, eventually charged with eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Los Angeles avoided a shutout in the seventh when Mike Trout, who had two earlier singles, grounded into a bases-loaded double play, scoring Jose Siri.

Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 0

Dylan Cease threw a one-hitter and George Springer hit a three-run home run as visiting Toronto beat Boston. The teams will play the rubber match of the series on Sunday. Boston is 11-2 in its last 13 games against the American League East and has won 16 of its last 18.

Cease (7-5), who took a no-hitter into the ninth against the San Francisco Giants on July 8, only allowed four Red Sox hitters to reach base. He was perfect until walking Caleb Durbin with two outs in the fifth and didn’t allow a hit through five innings.

Boston starter Sonny Gray (12-2) gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings. The right-hander didn’t walk anyone and struck out three on 75 pitches.

Orioles 3, Braves 2

Dylan Beavers singled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as Baltimore beat visiting Atlanta.

Gunnar Henderson added his 18th homer to help the Orioles even the series at one game apiece after failing to hold a late-game lead for the second straight day. Brandon Young allowed one run on four hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Ozzie Albies homered for the Braves, who lost for only the third time in their last 10 games as Didier Fuentes (4-1) took his first loss of the season in his 35th appearance.

Cubs 11, Pirates 0

Pete Crow-Armstrong filled the box score, going 4-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, a two-run home run, three RBIs and a stolen base to power Chicago to a runaway victory over host Pittsburgh.

Dansby Swanson added two hits, two runs and an RBI, while Miguel Amaya scored twice and drove in two runs. Michael Busch went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, and Seiya Suzuki also drove in two runs in the Cubs’ 16-hit attack.

That was well more than needed for Shota Imanaga (7-8), who threw six shutout innings and allowed four hits. Javier Assad earned his first save with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while walking none and striking out three. Pirates starter Paul Skenes (9-9) gave up five runs on six hits, walked two and struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings.

Rays 3, Guardians 0

Nick Martinez tossed six shutout innings and Yandy Diaz recorded his 1,000th career hit with Tampa Bay as the Rays shut out Cleveland in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Martinez (10-2) allowed four singles with no walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.45, second-best in the American League. Bryan Baker worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his 27th save. Diaz lined a leadoff single to right field in the first inning against Tanner Bibee (4-10) to become the fourth player in franchise history to record 1,000 hits with the team.

The Guardians lost their fourth straight game and have scored a total of four runs in their last three. Bibee yielded three runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out five while throwing a season-high 107 pitches.

Brewers 8, Rockies 5

Rookie Cooper Pratt homered and drove in three runs, Robert Gasser tossed six solid innings and host Milwaukee beat Colorado.

Luis Lara had two hits and also drove in three runs, Jake Bauers contributed two hits and scored three times and Brice Turang added two hits for the Brewers. Gasser (3-4) allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

Jake McCarthy extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a single and Kyle Karros had two hits for the Rockies.

Astros 4, White Sox 1

Hunter Brown allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and Isaac Paredes drove in three runs to lead Houston to a win over host Chicago.

Jeremy Pena was 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Astros, who have won five straight. Houston broke the game open with a three-run sixth behind Paredes’ RBI single which was made worse by Braden Montgomery’s fielding error. Brown (2-1) retired the final 12 batters he faced, and Josh Hader recorded the final two outs for his 12th save.

The White Sox, who managed five hits and scraped across their only run in the ninth on Colson Montgomery’s RBI single, have lost three of their last four. Sean Burke (7-5) worked five scoreless innings before surrendering three runs (two earned) in his sixth and final frame.

Twins 2, Athletics 0

Alan Roden delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning, and that was all Minnesota needed for a low-scoring win over the Athletics in Minneapolis.

Ryan Kreidler doubled and stole a base for Minnesota, which evened the series at one win apiece. Twins left-hander Taylor Rogers (6-3) earned the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Rogers followed starter Kendrys Rojas, who allowed one hit in four scoreless innings.

Jeff McNeil accounted for two of the Athletics’ three hits with a pair of doubles. Bulk reliever Mason Barnett (1-1) gave up the two runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings.

Rangers 7, Mariners 1

Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven strong innings as Texas defeated Seattle in Arlington, Texas, and increased its lead over the defending American League West champion to 2 1/2 games.

The top three batters in the Rangers’ order — Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran — went a combined 8-for-13 with three doubles, a triple, three RBIs and four runs. Eovaldi (10-8) allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out eight.

Texas scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (7-7), whose road woes continued. Woo gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. He dropped to 1-7 in away games this season with a 6.52 ERA.

Cardinals 7, Reds 0

St. Louis broke open a pitcher’s duel with a six-run sixth inning to support right-hander Andre Pallante in a shutout victory against visiting Cincinnati.

Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera and Blaze Jordan all had key hits for the Cardinals, who came in having dropped seven of nine. Pallante (11-6) allowed two hits in seven innings and finished with eight strikeouts, just one shy of his career best.

The Cardinals scored an unearned run against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene in the bottom of the first inning, but poured it on in the sixth, tagging him for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. Cincinnati loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth but came up empty thanks to two strikeouts and a groundout.

#####

REPORTS: RED SOX TRADING LHP CONNELLY EARLY FOR INF CURTIS MEAD

The Boston Red Sox are trading rookie left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, according to multiple reports on Saturday night.

The Red Sox reportedly are seeking help at shortstop ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline and were looking at Mead’s teammate, All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams. Boston’s Trevor Story, out since May 14, has played only 41 games because of a  sports hernia.

Early, 24, hasn’t pitched since June 30, going on the injured list July 1 due to left elbow inflammation. The starting pitcher is expected to return in August.

Boston selected Early in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia.

Early is 7-5 this season with a 3.44 ERA, 34 walks and 93 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings over 17 starts. He appeared in four games (all starts) last season and went 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 innings.

Mead, a 25-year-old native of Australia, is batting .254 with a .352 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage after going 0-for-3 with two walks and one run after playing third base in Washington’s 5-3 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. He has 17 home runs and 48 RBIs in 87 games.

Mead, who has played first, second and third base as well as designated hitter this season, is a career .244 hitter with 22 homers and 79 RBIs in 239 games for the Tampa Bay Rays (2023-25), Chicago White Sox (2025) and Nationals (2026).

He signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 and was traded to the Rays in November 2019 for left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, who was selected to his second All-Star Game this season.

#####

RANGERS PLACE 3B JOSH JUNG ON INJURED LIST WITH CALF STRAIN, RECALL INF JOSH SMITH

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, with a left calf strain.

Infielder Josh Smith was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.

Jung is the team’s leading hitter and tied for third in the American League with a .294 average. He left Tuesday night’s win over the Chicago White Sox early. After the game, Jung said he wanted to play through it, but Rangers manager Skip Schumaker took him out.

Jung was in Schumaker’s original lineup on Friday night for the first of four games against Seattle, but was scratched after Schumaker saw him run at only about half speed earlier in the day. That was also the case early Saturday, Schumaker said, resulting in the IL designation.

Smith has hit .230 with one home run and eight RBIs in 40 games for Texas this season. This is his third stint with the Rangers this season, his active time interrupted by multiple trips to the IL. That included being out from early May to early June after being diagnosed with viral meningitis.

#####

METS SLUGGER JUAN SOTO GOES ON 10-DAY INJURED LIST WITH LEFT CALF STRAIN

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets slugger Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of a left calf strain.

Soto walked twice against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in Friday night’s 4-2 loss at Citi Field before being replaced by pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.

After the game, Mets interim manager Andy Green said Soto felt discomfort pushing off when running to second base. He had been nursing the nagging injury since returning from the All-Star break last week.

Soto is hitting .283 with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and an NL-best .947 OPS in 84 games this season. He missed 15 games from April 4-21 with a right calf strain, and the Mets went 3-12 without him — losing their last 12 games during that stretch.

Soto sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee but was back in the lineup Friday after the Mets had a day off.

The lone All-Star for the last-place Mets this year, Soto exited the team’s first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia. New York was off the following day, and he returned to the lineup as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies. He played left field Monday in Milwaukee and was the DH on Tuesday.

To replace Soto on the active roster, the Mets recalled corner infielder and outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Wagaman was hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 major league games this season.

About The Author

troyderengowski61@gmail.com

See author's posts