MLB roundup: Dodgers take over NL West lead

September 2, 2021

Max Scherzer pitched six scoreless innings while Max Muncy and Austin Barnes hit home runs for Los Angeles (85-49). With San Francisco losing at home 5-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers moved a half-game in front of the Giants in the NL West.

The Dodgers finished off their fourth three-game sweep in their past six series as they head into a three-game set at San Francisco starting Friday. Los Angeles sits atop the division for the first time since sharing the lead on April 28.

Scherzer allowed three hits and no walks while striking out nine but was removed after just 76 pitches before the bullpen blew the lead. He said postgame that he exited due to hamstring tightness, though he termed the issue minor. Scherzer has a 1.29 ERA since joining the Dodgers from the Washington Nationals in a trade-deadline deal.

Eddie Rosario and Dansby Swanson hit home runs for the Braves and Max Fried pitched six strong innings, but Atlanta (70-62) still lost for the sixth time in its past eight games.

Yankees 4, Angels 1

Gerrit Cole struck out a season-high 15 batters in a dominating performance, lifting New York to a victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Cole’s 15 strikeouts matched the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes for most in the majors this season. It was one shy of Cole’s career high of 16 set in 2018 against the Arizona Diamondbacks while pitching for the Houston Astros.

Cole allowed four hits, one run and no walks in seven innings. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth inning for his 25th save, and Aaron Judge hit his 30th homer of the season for the Yankees. Angels star Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4, striking out three times against Cole.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2

Boston rookie Jarren Duran delivered a two-out, tiebreaking single in the ninth as the Red Sox ended the majors’ longest winning streak at nine, nipping Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Duran grounded a hard single to right to plate Rafael Devers with the game-winning run off Pete Fairbanks (3-5) as Boston broke a three-game skid. For the Red Sox, Christian Vazquez went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, Alex Verdugo singled, tripled and scored, and Devers recorded two singles.

Wander Franco lashed an opposite-field home run for Tampa Bay, extending his on-base streak to 32 games. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Rays, who lost for the first time since Aug. 20.

Brewers 5, Giants 2

Visiting Milwaukee knocked San Francisco out of first place for the first time since May, using a tiebreaking single from Jace Peterson and a ninth-inning home run from Lorenzo Cain to pull away for a victory.

Six relievers combined to limit the Giants (84-49) to two runs over seven innings after starter Brett Anderson had to leave the game after getting hit by a line drive in the left (pitching) shoulder. The Brewers (82-52) won their third straight to open the four-game series and ran their overall winning streak to four.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Giants, who had moved into first place in the National League West on May 31 and led by as many as five games last month.

Cardinals 5, Reds 4 (Game 1, 7 innings)

Paul Goldschmidt hit two homers and drove in three runs to lift visiting St. Louis past Cincinnati in the first half of a doubleheader.

The Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games while the Reds lost their fourth straight game. Goldschmidt also walked twice while smacking his 23rd and 24th homers of the season, while Harrison Bader added his 10th among his three hits.

Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley (11-5) allowed five runs on his season-high 12 hits in four innings. Nick Castellanos went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Cincinnati.

Reds 12, Cardinals 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)

Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer and a grand slam as Cincinnati blasted visiting St. Louis to earn a doubleheader split.

Kyle Farmer added a homer and three RBIs and Eugenio Suarez also went deep as the Reds snapped their four-game losing streak. They gained sole possession of the National League’s second wild-card slot by a half-game over the San Diego Padres.

The Cardinals, who won the first game 5-4, fell 2 1/2 games behind the Reds with their Game 2 loss.

Indians 5, Royals 3 (11 innings)

Austin Hedges’ bloop single with two outs in the top of the 11th inning lifted visiting Cleveland to a win over Kansas City.

Kansas City’s Jackson Kowar allowed two runs, both unearned, on five hits over six innings, lowering his ERA from 18.00 to 8.18. Cleveland’s Logan Allen allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 2/3 innings.

Adalberto Mondesi, who made his first appearance since mid-June, hit a home run in the fourth, 422 feet to left center, giving the Royals a 3-0 lead.

Mariners 1, Astros 0

Abraham Toro drove in every run for a second consecutive game as Seattle defeated visiting Houston.

Toro hit a sacrifice fly to center field with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth inning to score J.P. Crawford for the game’s lone run.

Five Mariners pitchers combined for the shutout, allowing nine hits. Left-hander Justus Sheffield (6-8), activated from the injured list earlier in the day after being out since July 7 with a strained left forearm, pitched one inning of relief for the victory.

White Sox 6, Pirates 3

Gavin Sheets homered twice and drove in four runs and Carlos Rodon tossed five innings of one-run, five-hit ball for the win as host Chicago topped Pittsburgh.

Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal and Leury Garcia added two hits each for the White Sox, who swept the two-game interleague series to win for the fifth time in six games.

Cole Tucker had two hits, including a double, and Anthony Alford hit a solo home run for the Pirates, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Diamondbacks 8, Padres 3

Josh VanMeter hit a two-run homer during a six-run third inning and Luke Weaver tossed six strong innings as Arizona beat San Diego to avoid a three-game sweep in Phoenix.

Weaver (3-3) allowed one run on four hits in his first start since May 16. He struck out three with no walks following a lengthy stay on the injured list (strained right shoulder). Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith had three hits apiece to help the D-backs snap a five-game losing streak.

San Diego starter Yu Darvish (7-9) failed to escape the third inning, when Arizona sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on six hits. Trent Grisham and Wil Myers homered for the Padres, who have lost 14 of their last 19 games.

Tigers 8, Athletics 6

Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three runs and host Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak by downing Oakland.

Cabrera hit his 502nd career homer and also knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh. Akil Baddoo and Harold Castro also homered for Detroit and drove in two runs apiece.

Matt Olson drove in three runs for Oakland and Jed Lowrie had two RBI doubles. Josh Harrison had three hits and scored twice as the A’s saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

Blue Jays 5, Orioles 4

Randal Grichuk hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to snap a tie as Toronto defeated visiting Baltimore in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Dillon Tate (0-5) allowed Bo Bichette’s infield single and hit Teoscar Hernandez with a pitch to start the bottom of the eighth. Alejandro Kirk’s deep flyout to center advanced the runners. Marcos Diplan replaced Tate and allowed Grichuk’s sacrifice fly.

Jordan Romano pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to earn his 15th save after Tim Mayza (5-2) pitched around a walk in the eighth.

Rockies 9, Rangers 5

Brendan Rodgers homered and later hit a go-ahead double in a five-run ninth inning, and Colorado beat Texas in Arlington, Texas.

Connor Joe also had two hits and Jhoulys Chacin (3-1) worked two innings for the win. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland left in the second inning due to a left hip impingement.

Jose Trevino, Leody Taveras and Yohel Pozo had two hits each for Texas, which committed four errors in the ninth. Joe Barlow (0-2) gave up all five runs — two earned — in the ninth whole allowing just one hit and two walks.

Cubs 3, Twins 0

Frank Schwindel hit a three-run home run and Justin Steele and Adbert Alzolay combined for a two-hit shutout as Chicago completed a two-game sweep of Minnesota with a victory in Minneapolis.

Schwindel homered for the third consecutive game, giving him eight on the year. Andrew Romine doubled and scored a run for Chicago, which finished with just four hits. Steele (3-2) allowed just one hit over five innings to pick up his third major league victory and first as a starter.

Minnesota’s hits were two Brent Rooker singles. The Twins managed just one run and one extra-base hit in the series. Joe Ryan (0-1) took the loss in his highly anticipated major league debut. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk over five innings while striking out five.

–Field Level Media

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