MLB ROUNDUP: WHITE SOX HALT BLUE JAYS’ 10-GAME WINNING STREAK
Adrian Houser allowed one run over seven innings to help the Chicago White Sox end the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 10-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory in the finale of a three-game series Wednesday afternoon.
Houser (5-2) scattered seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Grant Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth and Jordan Leasure closed the ninth for his second save in his fifth opportunity this season.
Edgar Quero doubled twice, drove in a run and scored for the White Sox, who ended a three-game skid.
Bo Bichette went 3-for-3 and Nathan Lukes and Will Wagner each had two singles for the Blue Jays, who were unable to tie the franchise record 11-game winning streak. Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer (4-2) allowed two runs and four hits in four innings.
Yankees 9, Mariners 6
Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice and Cam Schlittler pitched 5 1/3 solid innings in his major league debut as New York recorded a victory over visiting Seattle.
Chisholm hit his ninth and 10th homers since returning from an oblique injury on June 3 — a stretch of 31 games — to help the Yankees win three straight for the first time since a three-game sweep June 10-12 in Kansas City. Jasson Dominguez collected three hits and Aaron Judge had a two-run double.
The 24-year-old Schlittler (1-0) allowed three runs, including solo homers to J.P Crawford and Jorge Polanco. Cole Young also belted his first career homer for the Mariners. Logan Evans (3-3) gave up six runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Brewers 3, Dodgers 2 (10 innings)
Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single to left field gave Milwaukee a three-game series sweep against visiting Los Angeles.
After William Contreras’ fly ball to center moved automatic runner Sal Frelick to third, Chourio grounded Kirby Yates’ pitch into left for his first career walk-off hit and a four-game winning streak. Trevor Megill (2-2) pitched a scoreless 10th with three strikeouts for Milwaukee.
Miguel Rojas had two hits with a walk and two runs scored for the Dodgers, who are on a season-long six-game losing streak. Los Angeles right-hander Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) returned from more than two months on the injured list to allow an unearned run over five innings. Yates (4-3) suffered the loss as the fifth pitcher of the day.
Reds 7, Marlins 2
All-Star Andrew Abbott carried a shutout into the eighth inning for host Cincinnati, which topped Miami following back-to-back losses to begin the four-game set.
Fellow All-Star Elly De La Cruz had a pair of RBI doubles for the Reds, who snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided falling under .500 for the first time since June 7. Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer to spark a three-run fourth and Will Benson added a solo shot in the eighth.
Heriberto Hernandez spoiled Abbott’s shutout bid with an RBI single for the Marlins, who lost for just the fourth time in 16 games. Connor Norby homered in the ninth.
Phillies 13, Giants 0
Bryce Harper became the first MLB player since Vladimir Guerrero last July to produce three doubles and one homer in the same game as Philadelphia salvaged a win from its three-game series in San Francisco.
Jesus Luzardo (8-5) scattered three singles and one walk over seven innings before Seth Johnson and Joe Ross wrapped up the shutout. Kyle Schwarber capped a seven-run eighth with a three-run homer while J.T. Realmuto added three hits, two runs and two RBIs as the Phillies piled up 17 hits and tied their season high for runs.
Justin Verlander (0-7) allowed seven hits and four runs (two earned) over six innings. Wilmer Flores contributed two of the Giants’ four singles.
Rays 7, Tigers 3
Ha-Seong Kim and Danny Jansen cracked RBI doubles during a four-run sixth as visiting Tampa Bay snapped Detroit’s five-game winning streak.
Junior Caminero hit his 22nd homer and Jonathan Aranda went 3-for-4 as the Rays produced 16 hits. Zack Littell (8-7) gave up six hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings.
Zach McKinstry, added to the American League’s All-Star team during the game, posted two doubles and one RBI for the Tigers. Starter Reese Olson allowed two runs and six hits in five innings before Brant Hurter and Chase Lee (4-1) gave up the four runs in the sixth.
Red Sox 10, Rockies 2
Carlos Narvaez, Wilyer Abreu, Romy Gonzalez and Jarren Duran each homered and Lucas Giolito pitched six scoreless innings to help Boston complete a three-game sweep of visiting Colorado.
Giolito (6-1) surrendered four hits and struck out six without a walk. He has allowed three earned runs in his last six starts (38 2/3 innings) and pitched at least six innings in each of those outings.
Senzatela (3-13) was pulled after five innings. He gave up four runs on eight hits. Kyle Farmer’s two-run home run in the eighth was the highlight for the Colorado offense.
Angels 11, Rangers 8
Jorge Soler hit a two-run go-ahead homer in the bottom of the eighth and Mike Trout belted two home runs and drove in three runs to power Los Angeles past Texas in Anaheim, Calif.
It was the 29th multi-homer game of Trout’s career and third of the season. Travis d’Arnaud also homered and had two hits and two runs scored in the win. Jose Fermin (2-0) picked up the victory with a hitless inning of relief and Kenley Jansen notched his 16th save with a scoreless ninth.
Marcus Semien homered and drove in four runs, while Kyle Higashioka homered and had two hits and two RBIs for Texas, which lost for the third time in four games. Luke Jackson (2-5) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in an inning of relief.
Diamondbacks 8, Padres 2
Geraldo Perdomo hit a grand slam and Brandon Pfaadt sailed through the longest start of his career as visiting Arizona cruised to a win over San Diego.
Pfaadt (9-6) looked nothing like a pitcher who entered the night with a 5.42 earned run average, going eight innings while allowing two runs on four hits. Perdomo blew open a 2-0 game in the top of the fifth, lining his 10th homer of the year and Arizona’s MLB-high ninth slam of the season into the right field seats. It was the longest of four homers for Arizona.
Dylan Cease (3-9) suffered his third straight loss, bitten by three long balls and three walks. Cease worked six innings and permitted six runs off five hits while striking out eight. Two of those free passes scored on Perdomo’s slam.
Braves 9, Athletics 2
Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to the lineup to smack two homers and Drake Baldwin hit a three-run blast to lead Atlanta to a victory over the Athletics in Sacramento, Calif.
Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna also went deep as the Braves socked five homers off Athletics starter Mitch Spence. Acuna’s power display came one night after he was a late scratch due to lower-back tightness. Bryce Elder (3-6) gave up two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Braves snapped a five-game losing streak.
Gio Urshela and Lawrence Butler had RBIs for the Athletics, who lost for the fourth time in the past six games.
Royals 4, Pirates 3
Salvador Perez went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs to propel Kansas City to a victory over visiting Pittsburgh.
Perez’s second homer broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning, helping the Royals complete the three-game sweep and extend the club’s winning streak to four. Kris Bubic allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings for Kansas City. Rookie Jac Caglianone demolished a two-run homer to center field in the win. Lucas Erceg (4-2) threw a perfect eighth for Kansas City, while closer Carlos Estevez worked around a one-out single in the ninth to seal the win and earn his 25th save of the season.
Bailey Falter allowed three runs and six hits in his 4 2/3-inning stint for Pittsburgh. Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in a pair of runs and Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 for the Pirates, who dropped their sixth straight game. Isaac Mattson (2-1) surrendered two hits — including Perez’s eighth-inning homer — and a walk.
Twins 4, Cubs 2
Matt Wallner had a pair of hits, including a home run, and Carlos Correa had an RBI double as Minnesota earned a win over Chicago in Minneapolis.
Wallner was 2-for-3 and Correa finished 2-for-4 for the Twins, who collected their second win in as many nights over the Cubs. Righty David Festa (3-3) allowed two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings, while closer Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect ninth to collect his 14th save of the season.
Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner responded with the RBIs for Chicago, which has dropped three of the last four outings. Cade Horton (3-3) gave up four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Guardians 4, Astros 2
Angel Martinez and Jose Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning in support of right-hander Slade Cecconi, who recorded a career-high nine strikeouts to lead Cleveland past host Houston for a three-game series sweep.
Cecconi (4-4) carried a shutout into the eighth inning before the Astros finally broke through. He faced the minimum number of batters in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth. Cecconi was charged with two runs on five hits over seven innings.
Martinez and Ramirez homered off Houston left-hander Brandon Walter (1-2), who was impeccable after falling into that two-run hole. He retired the final 17 batters he faced and recorded seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings.
Nationals 8, Cardinals 2
Nathaniel Lowe’s three-run home run in the top of the first inning was enough to power Washington over host St. Louis and give interim manager Miguel Cairo his first victory since replacing Dave Martinez on Monday.
Amed Rosario and James Wood added solo homers and Jacob Young had a pair of RBIs as the Nationals snapped a four-game losing skid. Starter MacKenzie Gore (4-8) surrendered one run on five hits with seven strikeouts over six innings to earn his first win since June 4.
Masyn Winn was 3-for-4 with a run batted in for the Cardinals, who dropped their sixth game in eight appearances. Andre Pallante (5-5) allowed seven runs on eight hits over six innings in the loss.
ROYALS SIGN FORMER CY YOUNG WINNER DALLAS KEUCHEL TO A MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals signed former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league deal, the team announced Wednesday, hours before they played the finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 37-year-old Keuchel worked out for the Royals last week. He will head to their training facility in Surprise, Arizona, and then is expected to spend time at Triple-A Omaha in the hopes of returning to the big leagues.
Keuchel appeared in four games for Milwaukee last season. His last appearance came on July 13, 2024.
Keuchel spent his first seven seasons with the Astros, helping them win the 2017 World Series. He was a two-time All-Star and won the Cy Young in 2015, when he went 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA and won the second of his five Gold Gloves.
Keuchel has bounced through six organizations over the past four seasons, though, going just 4-10 with a 7.59 ERA in 24 starts and 28 appearances. He has a career record of 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA.
REPORT: MLB TO USE ABS CHALLENGE SYSTEM IN ALL-STAR GAME
Major League Baseball will use the automated ball-strike challenge system (ABS) during next week’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The decision comes after the league revealed that it could begin using ABS on a full-time basis starting in 2026.
In this year’s All-Star Game, umpires will call balls and strikes. However, each team will be given two challenges via ABS; successful challenges are retained. Only pitchers, catchers, and hitters can ask for challenges.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to decide if the robotic system will be implemented next season. MLB used ABS in spring training this year after testing it in the minor leagues over the last six seasons.
“I think that teams are really positive about ABS,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in June.
The All-Star Game takes place July 15 at Truist Park.
DODGERS ACTIVATE RHP TYLER GLASNOW, MOVE RHP MICHAEL KOPECH TO 60-DAY
The Los Angeles Dodgers activated right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow from the 60-day injured list, while moving right-hander reliever Michael Kopeck to the 60-day IL with right knee inflammation.
In order to get Glasnow on the active roster to face the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon, the club optioned right-hander Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Glasnow, 31, last appeared in a major league game on April 27 and has been on the mend ever since with shoulder inflammation. He was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts before his injury. Over 10 seasons with three clubs, including six with the Tampa Bay Rays, Glasnow is 40-33 with a 3.83 ERA over 154 appearances (115 starts).
Kopech, 29, was acquired from the Chicago White Sox last season and was a key member of the bullpen in the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title last season. He started the season on the IL with elbow and shoulder injuries before not allowing a run in eight appearances this season.
Kopech received a pain-killing injection to his knee last week after going on the IL July 1 and will not be eligible to return until the end of August.
Diaz, 28, was acquired by Los Angeles in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds on May 29 but has not made an appearance with his new club. He was 18-14 with 75 saves and a 3.21 ERA in four seasons with the Reds, including an All-Star Game appearance in 2023.
In an additional move, the Dodgers traded outfielder Steward Berroa to the Brewers for cash considerations. Berroa, who had 28 games of major league experience with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, was designated for assignment last week.
