MLB ROUNDUP: CUBS BLAST TEAM-RECORD 8 HRS TO BEAT CARDS
The Chicago Cubs set a franchise record by bashing eight home runs in a single game on their way to an Independence Day annihilation of the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, winning 11-3 on Friday.
Michael Busch enjoyed his first career three-homer game, and Pete Crow-Armstrong provided his 22nd and 23rd dingers of the season. Dansby Swanson and Busch went back-to-back off reliever John King in the seventh inning to break the team record.
The Cubs raced out to a 7-0 lead with six home runs in the first three innings. Seiya Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong both went yard in the first inning, Busch and Carson Kelly took a turn in the second for a 4-0 advantage, and Crow-Armstrong and Busch pummeled pitches 414 and 428 feet, respectively, in the third.
Miles Mikolas (4-6) served up those six home runs on his way to a forgettable Fourth of July. He stayed in for six innings, yielding eight runs on 10 hits without a walk. The veteran right-hander had never given up more than four homers in a game.
The run support was a welcome sight for Colin Rea (6-3), the Cubs starter whose only hit allowed over 6 2/3 innings was a fourth-inning solo shot by Brendan Donovan. Rea struck out four and walked two.
Red Sox 11, Nationals 2
Trevor Story homered among four hits, Lucas Giolito pitched into the eighth inning, and visiting Boston routed Washington.
Story added three singles, drove in four runs and scored three for Boston, which won for the third time in four games. Jarren Duran had two hits and three RBIs for the Red Sox, who collected four hits on the day.
Michael Soroka (3-6) was charged with seven runs on nine hits in four-plus innings for the Nationals. Washington’s Daylen Lile extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth-inning RBI double.
Reds 9, Phillies 6
Spencer Steer reached base four times, drove in two runs and scored twice as visiting Cincinnati topped Philadelphia in a matinee.
Steer’s two hits and two walks highlighted a productive offensive day for Cincinnati, which has won back-to-back games after losing four of its previous six contests. Elly Da La Cruz added two hits and two RBIs for the Reds, while Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl each notched a pair of hits.
The Phillies jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first inning against Reds starter Andrew Abbott. Alec Bohm’s sacrifice fly opened the scoring before Castellanos delivered a two-run homer.
However, Cincinnati responded with a run in the second, followed by a five-run rally in the third inning.
Mets 6, Yankees 5
Juan Soto went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Mets, who rallied past the visiting Yankees in the opener of a three-game Subway Series.
Trailing by one in the seventh and with Pete Alonso on, Jeff McNeil mashed a changeup into the second deck in right field off reliever Luke Weaver (1-3) to put the Mets in front 6-5. Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban (4-2) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win, and Reed Garrett did the same in the eighth and ninth for the save
Jasson Dominguez homered twice and Marcus Stroman allowed three runs on seven hits across five innings for the Yankees, who have lost five straight.
Twins 4, Rays 3
Harrison Bader hit two home runs, including a walk-off blast to lead off the bottom of the ninth, to lift Minnesota to a win over Tampa Bay in Minneapolis.
Bader belted the first pitch he saw in the ninth to clinch the win for the Twins, who scored the final three runs of the game. Byron Buxton doubled and drove in a run for Minnesota.
Josh Lowe and Junior Caminero each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Tampa Bay. Yandy Diaz doubled and drove in a run.
Mariners 6, Pirates 0
Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, his major league-leading 34th and 35th of the season, as Seattle defeated visiting Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Randy Arozarena and Dylan Moore also went deep and Bryan Woo (8-4) pitched six scoreless innings for Seattle, which snapped the Pirates’ six-game winning streak. Raleigh tied the franchise record for most before the All-Star break, established by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998.
Pirates starter Bailey Falter (6-4) allowed just three hits over 5 2/3 innings, but all of them cleared the outfield fence. Falter gave up four runs (three earned). The Pirates’ pitching staff, which shut out St. Louis in each of the previous three games, had a 31-inning scoreless streak snapped.
Orioles 3, Braves 2
Jordan Westburg returned from a lingering hand injury to hit a home run, leading visiting Baltimore to a win over Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series.
Baltimore starter Charlie Morton (5-7), who missed his previous turn in the rotation because of elbow tendinitis, returned to face his former team. The veteran pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits. Morton has won five consecutive decisions.
Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (3-7) went six-plus innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He has lost his past two outings despite making quality starts each time.
Tigers 2, Guardians 1
Wenceel Perez and Zach McKinstry hit solo home runs and four Detroit pitchers combined for a nine-hitter in a victory over free-falling host Cleveland.
Perez went deep in the third and McKinstry cleared the fence in the fourth, both off Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (3-4) in the series opener. Tyler Holton (4-3) earned the win with 2 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief and Will Vest pitched the final four outs for his 14th save in 17 opportunities.
All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez homered in the first for defending AL Central champion Cleveland, which lost its eighth straight and is 1-9 since June 23. The Guardians matched their longest skid since 2021. Ramirez homered in the first to put Cleveland ahead 1-0, snapping an 0-for-21 streak that equaled the longest of his career.
Brewers 6, Marlins 5
Jackson Chourio stroked a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning, leading visiting Milwaukee past Miami in the opener of a three-game set.
No. 8 hitter Caleb Durbin had a strong game for the Brewers, going 2-for-3 with two steals, two runs, one RBI and one walk.
Otto Lopez homered and drove in three runs to lead Miami, which has lost two out of three following an eight-game winning streak.
Padres 3, Rangers 2 (10 innings)
Jake Cronenworth delivered an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as San Diego rallied for a win over visiting Texas.
Manny Machado homered for the Padres, and he and teammates Luis Arraez, Gavin Sheets and Trenton Brooks each had two hits. Adrian Morejon (5-3) pitched the top of the 10th to earn the win over Robert Garcia (1-4).
Marcus Semien hit a two-run double for the Rangers, whose two-game winning streak ended.
Blue Jays 4, Angels 3 (10 innings)
A throwing error on Ernie Clement’s 10th-inning bunt allowed the winning run to score as Toronto defeated visiting Los Angeles for their sixth straight victory.
After Nathan Lukes led off the 10th with a walk, Clement dropped a bunt. Angels reliever Sam Bachman (1-2) threw wildly to first, and automatic runner Myles Straw scored.
The Blue Jays extended their lead in the American League East to two games over both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jo Adell had a three-run homer and a double to extend his hit streak to 15 games for the Angels, who have alternated wins and losses for eight games.
White Sox 3, Rockies 2
Adrian Houser tossed a season-high eight innings, Edgar Quero hit his first major league home run, and Chicago beat Colorado in Denver.
Houser (4-2) allowed two runs, both unearned, and struck out six. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings.
Mike Tauchman had two hits against his former team, Miguel Vargas also contributed two hits and Grant Taylor got the final three outs for his third save for Chicago. The White Sox snapped a three-game skid.
GUARDIANS’ LUIS ORTIZ SUBJECT OF MLB GAMBLING INVESTIGATION, PLACED ON LEAVE, AP SOURCES SAY
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation.
The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.
ESPN reported the firm IC360 recently also sent an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz.
The Athletic was the first to report that Ortiz’s suspension was related to gambling.
MLB said Ortiz’s paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night’s game at the Chicago Cubs that the team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can’t enter any of the Guardians’ facilities. Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday night.
Ortiz was slated to be the starting pitcher for Thursday night’s series finale. Instead, left-hander Joey Cantillo was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
“We learned very little last night, but knew we needed to get someone here today to start today’s game, and that really was our focus,” Antonetti said. “A lot has come out today, and that’s far more information than we have.
“Our focus is we’ll let the investigative process play out. To the extent Major League Baseball or anyone needs our support in that, we will obviously cooperate. But beyond that, there’s really not much we can do.”
Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the team about Ortiz’s situation and tried to answer questions the best they could.
It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.
“Honestly, when I got the news yesterday I didn’t know how to feel,” Vogt said. “There’s so much unknowns with this, but you know what? Every team goes through adversity, maybe different kinds, but this is a resilient group. I’ve been through situations similar to this before in my career as a player, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I want the manager to have reacted, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
The 26-year old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. The nine losses are tied for the most in the American League.
In four big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save.
The investigation into Ortiz comes a little more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.
Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers — San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions.
Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.
RANGERS REINSTATE CARTER FROM BEREAVEMENT LIST, DESIGNATE MCKINNEY FOR ASSIGNMENT
The Texas Rangers reinstated outfielder Evan Carter from the bereavement list before Friday’s series opener against the San Diego Padres and designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment.
Carter started in center field and batted fifth against the Padres.
He was placed on the bereavement list prior to Tuesday’s game against Baltimore, although he missed Monday’s game as well. He last played on Sunday against Seattle, when he went 3 for 4 with two stolen bases and a run scored. The 22-year-old is hitting .283 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and eight steals in 32 games.
The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright McKinney to the minor leagues. He went 1 for 7 with a walk in two games after having his contract selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.
YANKEES PITCHER CLARKE SCHMIDT GOES ON INJURED LIST AND HEADS FOR SCAN OF FOREARM
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 15-day injured list because of right forearm soreness on Friday, one day after his start at Toronto was cut short following three innings.
A 29-year-old right-hander, Schmidt was set to have an MRI on Friday.
New York also recalled right-hander Scott Effross and left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Right-hander Clayton Beeter had been optioned to the RailRiders after replacing Schmidt on Thursday night and taking the loss in the 8-5 defeat as the Yankees were swept in a four-game series against the Blue Jays and dropped out of the AL East lead.
Schmidt allowed three runs, four hits that included George Springer’s two-run homer and two walks. He said he’s been dealing with soreness in his arm since his June 4 outing against Cleveland.
“Earlier on in the game it felt OK,” Schmidt said. “As the game progressed it sort of tightened up a little bit on me. … Just pitch to pitch I didn’t feel 100%. I felt like the whole night I was kind of guarding it a little bit on the breaking balls, really not ripping them or trying to get a lot behind them.”
Schmidt had Tommy John surgery in May 2017, a month before the Yankees selected him with the 16th overall pick in the amateur draft. In his sixth major league season, he is is 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts.
Schmidt left a June 21 start against Baltimore after a career-high 103 pitches in seven hitless innings, part of a streak of 28 1/3 scoreless innings.
“Any time you’re getting an MRI on your forearm, or whatever the body part is, you’re not feeling happy about it,” Schmidt said. “I’m praying everything is going to be clean and minor. We’ll see what happens.”
Right-hander Luis Gil, sidelined since straining his right lat during spring training, will throw either a third batting practice session on Tuesday or Wednesday, or start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment.
Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, threw to hitters on June 21 for the first time since getting hurt. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the 27-year-old right-hander will throw 45-50 pitches.
“I’m not sure if it’s a three-up live because sometimes we like them to get to that number in a more controlled environment just so we don’t have to pull a plug,” Boone said.
Right-hander Ryan Yarbrough, out since June because of a strained right oblique, has not started throwing.
“I think he’s getting close to playing catch, but he has not started playing catch yet,” Boone said.
ORIOLES OF TYLER O’NEILL (SHOULDER) REINSTATED FROM IL
The Baltimore Orioles reinstated outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the 10-day injured list on Friday.
O’Neill, whose last at-bat was May 15, has been limited to 24 games this season due to neck inflammation and more recently a left shoulder impingement.
The 30-year-old is batting .188 with two home runs and 10 RBIs this season. He signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles in December after spending the 2024 campaign with the American League East rival Red Sox. He hit .241 with 31 home runs and 61 RBIs in his lone season in Boston.
In 614 games with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018-23), Red Sox and Orioles, O’Neill, 30, has 111 homers to go along with 288 RBIs. He is a career .244 hitter and has is a two-time Gold Glove recipient.
On Thursday, the Orioles optioned Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk. Carlson, 26, was batting .234 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 41 games.
IN six seasons, Carlson has a career batting average of .237 with 41 homers and 187 RBIs in 525 games with the Cardinals (2020-24), Tampa Bay Rays (2024) and Orioles.
Baltimore opens a three-game series against the Braves on Friday in Atlanta.
METS ADD RELIEVER JOSE BUTTO (ILLNESS) TO LENGTHY INJURED LIST
The New York Mets placed right-hander Jose Butto on the 15-day injured list Friday due to an unspecified illness.
The move is retroactive to Tuesday for the 27-year-old reliever, who is 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 31 relief appearances.
He joins a crowded injured list that already includes 12 other Mets pitchers, including Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea.
Butto is 10-8 with a 3.13 ERA and four saves in 71 career games (15 starts) since making his debut with New York in 2022.
The Mets recalled right-hander Chris Devenski from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place on the 26-man roster.
Devenski, 34, has no decisions and a 3.60 ERA in four relief appearances this season, his first with the Mets and 10th in the major leagues.
CUBS PLACE RHP JAMESON TAILLON (CALF) ON INJURED LIST
The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Jameson Taillon on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right calf strain.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters he expects Taillon to be sidelined for more than a month for an injury that occurred during a between-start workout.
The IL designation is retroactive to Tuesday.
Taillon, 33, is 0-3 with a 10.66 ERA in his last three starts, allowing six home runs in 12 2/3 innings. For the season, Taillon is 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 17 starts.
Chicago recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.
Wicks, 25, made two appearances out of the Cubs’ bullpen in April and went 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA. He made 11 of his 12 appearances at Iowa as a starter, going 1-3 with a 4.06 ERA.
REDS ACTIVATE 3B NOELVI MARTE, RHP GRAHAM ASHCRAFT
The Cincinnati Reds activated third baseman Noelvi Marte and reliever Graham Ashcraft from the injured list Friday.
Marte, 23, has been on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain sustained in early May. He batted .294 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games before the injury.
Marte started at third base and batted seventh in Friday afternoon’s game at Philadelphia.
Ashcraft, 27, was on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain and hasn’t pitched since June 15. The right-hander is 5-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 29 relief appearances this season.
In corresponding transactions, the Reds optioned infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade and right-hander Sam Benschoter to Triple-A Louisville.
