Continuing Coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB)
June 20, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
Brooks Lee stroked a pair of singles, a double, and a triple in six at-bats, scoring three times and driving in two runs Saturday in Arizona, as the Twins overwhelmed the Diamondbacks, 16-8, evening the three-game series at a game apiece.
Lee joined his teammates in a 20-hit assault on Arizona pitching. Byron Buxton cracked a grand slam and every position player had at least one hit.
Both teams are in third place in their respective divisions. The Diamondbacks trail the Dodgers by 9 1/2 in the NL West, while the Twins are 4 1/2 back of Cleveland in the AL Central. The series wraps up Sunday in Phoenix.
AL Streaks: Royals, won 3; Mariners, White Sox, lost 2.
Bryce Harper (left) hit for the cycle and Kyle Schwarber (right) went 4-for-5 with three home runs and six RBI as the Phillies swamped the Mets, 15-3. Christopher Sanchez (9-3, 1.80) cruised to his ninth win of the season, allowing the Mets just one run on five hits over six solid innings.
Schwarber increased his major league-leading home run total to 28. Harper’s cycle was the first of his career.
Saturday’s win came in the second of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where the Mets took the opener, 6-4, on Friday. The Phillies are 7 1/2 behind Atlanta in the NL East; the Mets maintained last place in the division.
The rubber match is Sunday in Philadelphia.
NL Streaks: Marlins, won 3; Brewers, Cardinals, lost 3.
Second year hurler, Cam Schlittler, blanked the Reds on four hits over six innings, striking out a career-high 13, en route to a 5-0 New York win at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx Friday night. Schlitter improved to 8-3, leads the American League with a 1.71 ERA and is second in strikeouts at 109, one behind Toronto’s Dylan Cease.
Winning the opener of the three-game weekend series kept the Yankees solidly in first place in the AL East, with a three-game lead over Tampa Bay, 5-2 winners at Washington.
The Reds continue to slump, holding last place in the NL Central with a 35-39 record. The series continues Saturday and Sunday in New York.
AL Streaks: Royals, Astros, won 3; Angels, lost 3.
Carson Kelly’s first inning grand slam and a total seven runs in the Cubs’ opening frame was just the beginning of an 18-hit onslaught in Chicago’s 16-2 walloping of the Blue Jays, visiting Wrigley Field and the Windy City on Friday to open a three-game series.
Kelly’s slam came off Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (4-5, 4.04) who lasted just two innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits and four walks. Six more Blue Jay pitchers would be needed to put out the Chicago fire. Kelly walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and drove in his 6t run of the game with an infield single. Kelly finished 2-for-4 with three runs and six RBI.
Winners of two straight, the Cubs are just a game behind St. Louis in the NL Central, 6 1/2 behind division leader, Milwaukee. Defending AL champs, Toronto, continues to struggle, 10 games behind the Yankees in the Al East with a record of 37-39. The series continues Saturday in Chicago.
NL Streaks: Dodgers, won 4; Cardinals, lost 3.
Wrapping up a three-game series with Baltimore, Bryan Woo stymied the Orioles on three hits over seven innings in a 3-0 Mariners’ victory at T-Mobile park in Seattle Thursday.
Woo (6-5, 3.94) fanned nine and did not allow a walk, striking out five straight would-be hitters between the first and third innings. Woo needed just 89 pitches before turning the ball over to the Seattle bullpen. Eduard Bazardo and Andres Munoz tossed hitless eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
The victory left the Mariners with a 1 1/2-game lead over the A’s in the AL West. Seattle hosts Boston for three games over the weekend. Losers of four of their last five, the Orioles continue their west coast swing with a stop in LA to play the Dodgers. The three-game series begins Friday.
AL Streaks: Twins, won 4; Red Sox, lost 4.
Juan Soto socked a pair of solo homers (17) to lead the last place Mets to a 6-4 win over the Phillies Thursday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Soto connected in the first and third innings, launching over the wall in right field both times. The 2-for-4 effort lifted Soto’s batting average to an even .300. Over his last seven games, Soto has hit at a .480 pace with three homers and seven RBI.
The series will be interrupted Friday for a FIFA World Cup match between Brazil and Haiti and resume Saturday, finishing Sunday.
NL Streaks: Dodgers, Giants, won 3; Braves, lost 3.
Despite having Aaron Judge on the IL, the Yankees have surged into first place in the AL East, winning four straight and eight of the last 10.
Their latest victim has been the White Sox, the Yankees treating their guests rudely, taking two straight by scores of 12-2 Tuesday and doubling up on them Wednesday for a 10-5 win.
The Yankees doing the most damage has been Cody Bellinger. On Tuesday, he stroked three singles in four at-bats, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. In Wednesday’s contest, Bellinger again went 3-for-4, this time with a single, double, and a two-run homer, driving in two and scoring twice for the second straight game. Bellinger continues to move closer to the MLB RBI leaders. He has 49.
The Yankees will be looking to sweep the series and improve n their 3 1/2 game lead in the division. The White Sox look to take back the NL Central lead. They are currently tied with Cleveland atop the division.
AL Streaks: Yankees, won 4; Rays, lost 3.
The Pirates closed out their series in Sacramento with a 12-4 win, taking two of three from the A’s
Ryan O’Hearn doubled in two runs in the first to put the Pirates up 3-0, socked a two-run homer in the fourth for a 7-0 lead and knocked in Pittsburgh’s last two runs with a single in the seventh, going 3-for-5 with six RBI.
The back-to-back wins for Pittsburgh got them back over .500 at 38-37, good for fourth place in the NL Central, nine games out. The A’s fell to 36-38, but held onto second place in the AL West, 1 1/2 behind Seattle.
The A’s stay home to host a four-game series with the Angels starting Thursday, while the Pirates take a day off before starting a three-game series at Colorado Friday.
NL Streaks: Brewers, Dodgers, Giants, won 3; Braves, lost 3.
Logan Gilbert allowed two hits, a walk and a run in the first inning of the Mariners’ game with the Orioles - the opener of a three-game series in Seattle — but, after that he was nearly perfect — setting down the O’s in order from the second through sixth inning. Other than plunking Pete Alonso leading off the seventh, Gilbert was on fire, striking out 10 to earn his fifth win against four losses as Seattle held off Baltimore, 3-1, Tuesday.
The win was made possible by Cal Raleigh, fresh off the IL, who singled home two runs in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie. Gilbert sat the rest of the game and the bullpen finished up with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
The victory kept the Mariners up 1 1/2 games over the A’s and 2 1/2 up on the Astros in the AL West. With Raleigh, the “Big Dumper” back in the lineup, Seattle appears to be in a position to fight for the division title the rest of the season, which, being only June, is stall a long way off. Pitching has been Seattle’s hallmark, but last season they improved offensively enough to win the division by three games and advance through the playoffs to the league championship, losing to Toronto in seven games.
The series with Baltimore continues Wednesday at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
AL Streaks: Yankees, Twins, won 3; Orioles, lost 3.
Brandon Lowe’s solo homer in the top of the ninth produced a 6-5 Pirates win over the Athletics at the A’s temporary home at Sutter Heath Park in Sacramento Tuesday night, but Pittsburgh would not have been in any position to win without
Bryan Reynolds’ two home run, 4-for-5 night at the plate.
The A’s took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Pirates battled back. Reynolds singled and scored the first Pittsburgh run on. A ground out in the fourth, socked a solo shot in the sixth, and poked his second homer of the game in the seventh with a man aboard, tying the game at 5-all. Reynolds scored three times and drove in three, giving him 45 RBI on the year.
The result evened the three-game series at a game apiece with the rubber match Wednesday.
NL Streaks: Nationals, won 4; Marlins, Mets, Padres, lost 2.
There was no shortage of top performances in MLB on Monday.
In Houston, Colt Keith, not known as a power hitter, smacked three home runs and drove in six in a 9-3 Detroit victory.
In Las Vegas, Nick Kurtz went 3-for-5, socking a pair of home runs, driving in five, for an 11-2 Athletics win over Pittsburgh.
Kurtz bashed a two-run homer in the second inning, putting the A’s up 3-0. In the seventh, the A’s scored five runs, capped off by Kurtz’s second home run of the game and 18th of the season, a three-run blast over the left field wall.
With the six RBI, Kurtz upped his season total to 57, tops in the majors, passing by the Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (54) and two National Leaguers, Andy Pages of the Dodgers and St. Louis’ Jordan Walker, each with 56. Kurtz has emerged as one of the most dangerous young power hitters in the majors, at just 23 years of age. As a rookie in 2025, he slugged 36 homers and drove in 86 runs in 117 games. He’s on track to exceed those figures this year.
The win left the A’s at 36-36, just 1/2 game back of Seattle in the AL West. The Pirates dropped to 36-37, in fourth place, nine games out, in the NL Central. Pittsburgh will try to get back to .500 as the A’s seek first place on Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Yankees, Guardians, Twins, won 2; Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, Astros, Angels, lost 2.
Over in the Senior Circuit, the Reds roughed up the Mets in Cincinnati. Eugenio Suarez socked a pair of home runs, one a grand slam, cashing six RBI.
In St. Louis, Dustin May extended his scoreless streak to 15 innings, tossing a complete-game, one-hit shutout in a 3-0 Cardinals win.
The best of the day belonged to Pete Crow-Armstrong, hitting for the cycle in reverse order with a solo homer to lead off the Cubs’ first, a triple in the third inning, a double in the fifth, and a single, leading off the seventh. After that, he delivered a sac fly in the eighth to get the Cubs within a run, 4-3.
With a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth, including the game-winner on a bases-loaded walk, the Cubs downed the Rockies, 5-4, in Chicago.
Game two of the three-game series is Tuesday.
NL Streaks: Nationals, won 3; Pirates, lost 2.
With the Twins trailing the Cardinals, 4-2, in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Kreidler
Ryan Kreidler entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Trevor Larnach, delivering a scratch single that put runners on first and third. After Byron Buxton singled in one run, Kreidler scored the tying run on a Royce Lewis single.
Staying in the game at shortstop, Kreidler came up again in the eighth, doubling in the go-ahead run run with a double. That proved to be the game-winner as Yoendrys Gomez set down the Cardinals in order in the ninth for a 5-4 Minnesota win over visiting St. Louis.
Kreidler’s late-inning heroics from off the bench resulted in Minnesota cooling off the Cards by taking two of three in their series. The Twins are 6 1/2 back of dual leaders, Chicago and Cleveland, in the AL Central and head to Texas Monday to open a three-game series with the Rangers. St. Louis, in second place, five games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, hosts the Padres for three games, also starting Monday.
AL Streaks: Guardians, Yankees, won 2; Athletics, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, Tigers, lost 2.
Already occupying their familiar position at the bottom of the NL West, the 27-45 Rockies put on an epic hitting clinic Sunday, setting a franchise scoring record with a 23-9 win over the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark, the temporary home of the wandering A’s.
Leadoff batter, Willi Castro led the scoring binge, going 4-for-6 with two singles and a pair of home runs - one an eigthth-inning grand slam - and seven RBI.
Colorado socked six home runs in the game, including two by Hunter Goodman, who went 5-for-6 with four RBI, avoiding the sweep by the A’s
Colorado opens a three-game series in Chicago with the Cubs on Monday. The A’s stay put, hosting a three-game series with the Pirates starting Monday.
NL Streaks: Nationals, Padres, won 2; Atlanta, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, LA Dodgers, lost 1.
Jo Adell didn’t drive in any runs in the Angels 8-0 win over the visiting Rays, but he did get four hits in five at-bats and score three times in support of José Soriano’s (8-4, 2.79) five innings of shutout ball and four more blank frames from a trio of LA relievers Saturday in Anaheim.
Adell singled three times and stroked a fourth-inning double, later scoring on an error. He then singled and scored in the sixth, did the same in the seventh and capped his night off with a third single in the ninth.
The Angels have won four straight, though they remain last in the Al West, 7 1/2 games out. Their two straight wins over Tampa Bay have cost the Rays first place in the East, the Yankees taking over the top spot with a 3-1 win at Toronto. The Angels will be looking to sweep the three-game series Sunday.
AL Streaks: Angels, Athletics, won 4; Royals, lost 4.
Heading into the ninth, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a no-hitter and a 7-0 lead going against the White Sox, but, a leadoff home run by Tristan Peters ended the attempt for the season’s first no-no. Yamamoto pitched to one more batter, getting the out on a fly ball, but was lifted for reliever Alex Vesia, who got the final two outs in
the Dodgers’ 7-1 win at Chicago Saturday.
Despite the ninth-inning disappointment, Yamamoto’s line score was impressive, going 8 1/3 innings on one hit, one earned run, seven Ks and no walks. The 27-year-old right-handed hurler has been dominant all season, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA and a minuscule WHIP of 0.84. He’s notched wins in each of his last four starts, allowing just three earned runs the last 28 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers avenged Friday’s 8-2 loss with the victory, which also knocked the Sox out of first place in the AL Central, trailing Cleveland by 1/2 game heading into Sunday’s rubber match at Rate Field in Chicago. The Dodgers lead the NL West by eight games over San Diego.
NL Streaks: Cubs, won 3; Rockies, lost 3.
It’s possible that the only thing keeping Houston’s Yordan Alvarez from winning the AL Triple Crown is Tampa Bay’s deadly DH, Yandy Diaz. Through Friday’s games, Diaz leads Alvarez in batting, .329 to .321. Alvarez is leading the league in home runs and RBI, with 24 and 54, respectively, improving his totals by swatting a pair of first-inning bombs in Houston’s 10-8 win at Kansas City Friday night.
The Astros sent 12 men to the plate in the opening frame. Alvarez got them on the scoreboard with a two-run homer and followed later with a grand slam that put his team up 9-0. Houston would score only one more run, on a ninth-inning Brice Matthews pinch hit homer, after the Royals tallied five in their half of the first and added three more in the eighth.
Houston narrowly held on for the win and meet up with the Royals at Kauffman Stadium for game two of the series Saturday.
AL Streaks: Angels, Athletics, Orioles, White Sox, won 3; Royals, lost 3.
Bo Bichette accounted for six of the Mets’ seven runs in Friday’s 7-5 victory over the Braves at Citi Field in New York. The other came courtesy of a Juan Soto line drive homer to right in the first inning.
Bichette, traded from Toronto to New York over the off-season, delivered a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring, then launched a grand slam in the second and drove in another run in the fourth with a sac fly. All of New York’s runs cam off Atlanta starter, Spencer Strider, who lasted just three-plus innings.
The Mets’ victory may soothe some fans in the Big Apple, but the fact of the matter is that the Braves are leading the Phillies by eight games in the NL East while the Mets are in last place, 14 games off the pace. Game two of the series is Saturday.
NL Streaks: Marlins, won 6; Braves, lost 3.
Dillon Dingler continued his torrid hitting, going 3-for-5, raising his June batting average to .395, and the Tigers banged out six home runs, including a two-run poke from third baseman Colt Keith, taking two of three from the Twins with an 11-0 whitewash to conclude the series at Comerica Park in Detroit Thursday afternoon.
Keith’s home run was his first of the year, coming in the sixth inning after singling in a run and scoring in the fourth. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
The Tigers are still just 29-40, but they’ve escaped the basement of the AL Central, leaving the Royals to occupy last place, nine games out with the Tigers a game ahead. Detroit has won its last three series, sweeping the Rays in Tampa, and taking two of three from Seattle and Minnesota. They head to Cleveland Friday for a three-game series over the weekend. The Twins head home to meet the Cardinals for three, starting Friday.
AL Streaks: Yankees, won 4; Guardians, Red Sox, lost 4.
Seiya Suzuki got the Cubs on the board in a big way, slugging a fourth-inning grand slam, leading to a 9-3 win at Colorado, avoiding a sweep in the three-game series.
Suzuki, who launched 32 dingers in 2025, homered for the 10th time this season, improving his RBI total to 26. Alex Bregman and Carson Kelly also homered for Chicago.
The Cubs are still shuffling along, their Thursday victory improving the record to 35-34. They are just 3-7 over their last ten games and continue their road trip Friday in San Francisco for the beginning of a three-game series with the Giants. Losers of five of their last seven, the Rockies hope to get out of last place when they open a three-game set with the A’s. They trail fourth place San Francisco by two games in the NL West.
NL Streaks: Marlins, won 5; Diamondbacks, lost 3.
The battle for supremacy is on in the AL East as the Yankees and Rays are deadlocked in first place, nine games clear of third place Toronto.
On Wednesday, while the Yankees were roughing up the Guardians in Cleveland, 8-4, the Rays got a superlative pitching effort from starter Drew Rasmussen (6-2, 2.71), who tossed seven inning of shutout ball in a 7-5 Rays win over visiting Boston.
Rasmussen allowed just two hits and got his 21 outs on two grounders, five fly balls, one man caught stealing, and a season high 13 strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander struck out the side in the first and fourth innings and got his last five outs on Ks.
The Rays relief staff tried their best to give the game away and spoil Rasmussen’s big night, allowing five runs in the 8th and 9th, but they were rescued by Cedrick Mullins’ two-run homer in the eighth, which provided the winning margin.
Following the three-game sweep of the Red Sox, the Rays head west for three games with the Angels starting Friday, followed by three with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. A firm grip on last place in the division, the Red Sox begin a six-game home stand with three against the Rangers, starting Friday.
AL Streaks: Yankees, won 4; Guardians, Red Sox, lost 4.
The San Francisco Giants have been putting up some big numbers lately. Too bad they don’t have much of a pitching staff.
On Wednesday, the Giants hosted the Nationals, attempting to avoid being swept in the three-game series and it appeared to be going bad, with the Giants down 9-1 entering the eighth, and after scoring five runs in the frame, were still down 10-6, when they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
Matt Chapman and his San Francisco teammates were having none of it. Chapman went 4-for-5, with a double, two homers, scoring three times, driving in three. After socking solo homers in the sixth and ninth, he doubled in a run in the ninth and was on base when Bryce Eldridge delivered the “coup de grace”, a grand slam with nobody out, walking off the Nats in style, 11-10.
Chapman, the 33-year-old third baseman, has been lighting up opposing pitchers in June, batting .469, with five homers and 18 RBI. Wednesday marked his second two-HR game within the past week. On June 5, he belted a pair and drove in eight runs.
Sadly, the Giants have only one team beaten in the NL West, the Rockies. The Giants remain home after a day off, hosting the Cubs for three over the weekend. The Nationals head home to meet the Mariners, starting a three-game series on Friday.
NL Streaks: Cardinals, won 6; Cubs, lost 3.
The Tigers have dug themselves a deep hole, but they are a talented bunch, as evidenced in Tuesday’s 10-4 home win over Minnesota, the first of a three game series at Detroit’s Comerica Park.
Catcher Dillon Dingler led Detroit’s 10-hit barrage, going 4-for-5 with a single, double, and two home runs on the night. Dingler got the Tigers on the board in the opening frame with a solo homer, scored a tying run in the fifth inning on Kerry Carpenter’s two-run blast, putting the Tigers up, 5-4, and delivered the fatal blow with a two-out, sixth-inning, three-run shot to left. His four RBI have him at 48 on the year, tied with Houston’s duo of Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker, one behind league leader, Nick Kurtz of the A’s.
The win was the sixth in their last seven games for the Tigers, though they remain mired in the basement of the AL Central, tied with the Royals for last place at 28-39, eight games behind division-leading Cleveland
The series continues Wednesday in Detroit.
AL Streaks: Yankees, won 3; Orioles, lost 4.
One of the more surprising teams in either league has to be the St. Louis Cardinals, eight games over .500 (36-28), chasing first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central, 4 1/2 games back and owner fhe top wild card, league wide.
The Cards won their fifth straight Tuesday, as Dustin May shut down the Mets on four hits over six innings in a 7-0 whitewash at New York in the opener of a three game series at Citi Field.
May walked one and struck out six, throwing 70 of 101 pitches for strikes. The St. Louis bullpen finished strong, keeping the Mets off the scoreboard the final three innings. Alec Burleson knocked a two-run homer in support of May’s effort. Nick Church went 3-for-4 and scored a run. May is 4-6 with a 4.21 ERA, but put in perhaps his best performance of the season Tuesday night.
The series continues Wednesday and Thursday in New York. The Mets retain their firm grip on last place in the NL East, 15 1/2 games behind the Braves.
NOTE: LA's Freddie Freeman stroked his career 2,500th hit in the Dodgers' 12-3 win at Pittsburgh Tuesday.
NL Streaks: Cardinals, won 5; Pirates, lost 4.
In a game that featured 34 hits, 11 home runs, 14 pitchers throwing 241 pitches, both teams scoring four runs in the 10th inning ended with a 12-inning, 15-14, victory by Milwaukee over the A’s at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the A’s triple A affiliate, the Aviators.
Milwaukee’s Andrew Vaughn went 4-for-5, with a pair of doubles, a single and a third-inning solo homer. Vaughn drove in four runs, including two off his ninth-inning double that tied the game at 10.
8,519 fans got a glimpse of the their future MLB home team. The Athletics will make Las Vegas their permanent home at the start of the 2028 season. Work on the new stadium has been underway for more than a year.
The game was the first of three at Las Vegas, with the A’s officially the home team. Las Vegas Ballpark has dimensions of 340 feet down both the left and right field lines, 380 feet to left-center, and 415 feet to center field with outfield wall heights between 10 and 14 feet. It is regarded as one of the best stadiums in minor leagues.
NL Streaks: Brewers, Cardinals, won 4; Reds, lost 5.
Josh Naylor’s fifth-inning grand slam propelled Seattle to a 6-3 win at Baltimore’s Camden Yards Monday in the opener of a four-game series.
Naylor’s blast put the Mariners up 5-1 and proved decisive. It was Naylor’s seventh home run of the season; the four RBI upped his total to 30.
The O’s and Mariners renew their rivalry on Tuesday. Seattle holds a two game lead over Texas in the AL West. The Orioles occupy fourth place, nine games out, in the AL East.
AL Streaks: Yankees, Royals, won 2; Orioles, lost 3.
The Angels aren’t apparently going to be in contention for anything but last place this season, but they managed to avoid being swept by the Dodgers as Sebastian Rivero went 5-for-5, with four singles and a double, driving in six runs in a 13-5 win at Dodger Stadium Sunday.
Rivero, who was batting .133 coming into the contest, got the Angels going with a single in the second, scoring two, and repeated in the fourth, plating two more. The Dodgers managed to close the gap to 6-5 with a pair of homers in the sixth, but the Angels left no doubt, another Rivero RBI was bookended by home runs by Jo Adell and Zach Neto, Rivero doubled in the final run in the ninth. Rivero improved his batting average by .087, now at .220.
Having lost five of their last six, the Angels head home to host Houston for three games, starting Monday, while the Dodgers hit the road to Pittsburgh. Their three-game series begins Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Blue Jays, Royals, won 2.
Rookie outfielder, Carson Benge, has been providing some bright moments in an otherwise dull season for the Mets.
On Sunday, Benge stroked three singles, tripled, homered, scored three times and drove in two runs, leading the Mets to a 7-3 win over the flailing Padres at Petco Park in San Diego, the Mets taking two of three over the weekend.
Benge singled and scored in the first and fifth innings, inflicting more damage with a solo homer in the sixth and an RBI triple in the eighth.
The Mets, 15 1/2 games out, in last place in the NL East, host the Cardinals for three beginning Tuesday. Losers in 11 of their last 13 outings, the Padres have slipped into third place in the NL West, overtaken by Arizona. They trail the Dodgers by eight games and look to get back on the right track when the host Cincinnati Monday in the first of three.
NL Streaks: Cardinals, won 4; Reds, Rockies, lost 4.
Even though Yordan Alvarez only had one hit in Houston’s 13-2 win over the visiting Athletics, and thus surrendered the AL batting lead to Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz (.326), he did manage to sock his 22nd home run and drive in four runs with a grand slam, giving him the lead in both homers and RBI (48) in his quest for the triple crown.
After walking and scoring in the first inning, Alvarez did real damage with the slam, the Astros scoring five in the frame as LaMonte Wade Jr. had led off with a solo shot.
Houston (30-36) is in fourth place in the AL West, but is gaining ground just 4 1/2 back in the contested division. They are only one game behind the Athletics after taking two strait from them and two behind second place Texas, 6-0 losers to Cleveland on Saturday. The series in Houston wraps up Sunday at Daikin Park.
AL Streaks: Astros, won 2; Athletics, lost 3.
With a bulging, eight-game lead in the NL West, the Dodgers appear to be hitting mid-season form, taking their second straight from the visiting Angels, 9-2, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just one run on two hits over eight innings of mound domination, fanning four while issuing no walks.
Yamamoto (6-4, 2.68) needed just 93 pitches (68 for strikes) to notch his third straight win with his deepest outing of the season, the right-hander allowing just three runs in his last four starts, covering 27 1/3 innings.
The series - with the Dodgers seeking the sweep - wraps up Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
NL Streaks: Cardinals, won 3; Reds, Rockies, lost 3.
Adley Rutschman went 4-for-4, scored four times and drive in five runs, leading Baltimore to a 13-3 triumph over the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series in Toronto Friday.
The stalwart catcher for the Orioles got the birds on the board with a solo homer in the opening frame, but the lead didn’t last as Toronto plated a run in the bottom of the first then added two more in the fifth inning.
Rutschman and the O’s offense came to the rescue, scoring 12 runs in the final four innings. Rutschman doubled in a pair in the sixth and scored, singled and scored in the eighth, doubled in two more in the ninth, later scoring Baltimore’s final run on a throwing error.
Baltimore has been making progress, going 10-4 since May 22, taking sole possession of third place in the AL East, eight games behind the Rays. Game two of the series is Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
AL Streaks: Tigers, won 4; Athletics, Guardians, Mariners, lost 2.
On Thursday, the Giants banged out 20 hits and defeated the Brewers in Milwaukee, 12-9. Friday, the Giants played the Cubs at Wrigley Field and knocked out 19 hits for a 18-3 slaughter which included a three-inning, eight-RBI stretch by third baseman Matt Chapman.
Chapman began his assault on Chicago pitching in the fourth inning, socking a grand slam to put the Giants up, 6-0. After a sac fly drove in another run in the fifth, Chapman homered again in the sixth, this time with two men aboard for a 16-0 lead. With victory assured, Chapman sat out the final three innings.
In addition to Chapman, two other Giants - Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt - socked two home runs. Jonah Cox added a solo shot in the ninth. The Giants stroked three doubles. 10 of their 19 hits went for extra bases.
The Cubs will be looking to regain some respect in game two of the series Saturday. The Giants hope to keep slugging.
NL Streaks: Phillies, won 4; Padres, lost 6.
Two home runs by Shea Langeliers were overshadowed by Pete Crow-Armstrong’s walk-off, 9th-inning RBI single as the Cubs downed the Athletics, 7-6, Thursday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Langeliers launched his 15th and 16th dingers of the season in the 4th and 6th innings, the first with the bases empty, the second with one man aboard. While the home runs gave the A’s leads of 1-0 and 4-0, the bullpen was unable to hold on, robbing the A’s of a sweep in the Windy City, though they did manage to take two of three.
Both teams are chasing division leaders. The A’s are in a second place tie with Texas, 2 1/2 behind the Mariners n the AL West, while the Cubs are scuffling along in fourth place in the NL Central, 5 1/2 behind Milwaukee, though they are just a game behind second place Pittsburgh and a half game behind the Cardinals in third.
The A’s head to Houston for a weekend series starting Friday. The Cubs welcome in the Giants for three at Wrigley.
AL Streaks: Tigers, won 3; Rays, lost 3.
Want to beat the Brewers?
One way is to bang out 20 hits, including a grand slam by Eric Haase, like the Giants did on Thursday in a 12-9 San Francisco win, but next time they might want to pay a little better attention to one of the Brewers’ more dangerous hitters, Jackson Chourio.
Despite the losing effort, Chourio can hold his head high, as he banged out a pair of tworun homers and singled in four at-bats, scoring for times and driving in four runs. Chourio missed the start of the season due to injury, but has made up for lost time since coming back May 4. He’s batting .308, with four homers and 16 RBI is just 107 at-bats, including nine multiple hit games.
As the Brewers head to Denver for a three-game series with the Rockies Friday, the Giants drop in on the Cubs for a weekend get-together.
NL Streaks: Phillies, Marlins, won 3; Padres, lost 5.
Quietly, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez is on pace for a triple crown season.
In Wednesday’s 11-9 victory over the Pirates, Alvarez was knocking the ball around Houston’s Daikin Park with abandon, going 4-for-5 (all singles), driving in two runs and scoring one.
Having become one of the most disciplined power hitters in the majors, Alvarez raised his league-leading batting average to .316, .003 better than Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz, his two RBI gave him 44 on the season, just one behind teammate Christian Walker, who leads the AL. While he didn’t swat any homers, he already leads in that category with 21, one up on Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami.
Houston’s win avenged Tuesday’s 10-6 to Pittsburgh with the series rubber game Thursday. Alvarez, who incidentally is tied with Toronto’s Ernie Clement and Detroit’s Riley Green for the league lead in hits (71) is sure to be in the lineup.
AL Streaks: Tigers, won 3 (swept Rays); Blue Jays, lost 4.
Last season, Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP award and second straight in the National League (won the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023). This year, he’s become a candidate for the Cy Young Award.
In Wednesday’s 7-0 Dodgers win at Arizona, Ohtani picked up his sixth win against two losses, working six innings of shutout ball, allowing just two Diamondback hits, walking one and striking out six. Throwing 58 of 89 pitches for strikes, Ohtani lowered his ERA to 0.74, but doesn’t have enough innings (61) to qualify for what would be the major league lead.
In 10 starts, Ohtani has failed to go six innings only once. His ERA has never been above 1.00 all season. The man is absolutely world-class, possibly the greatest baseball player ever.
Ohtani also went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored a run, improving his batting average to .301.
The Dodgers have taken the last two at Arizona after dropping the opener, 4-1, with the series finale Thursday. LA leads the NL West by seven games over the Padres, losers of four straight. Arizona is solidly in third place, 7 1/2 back.
NL Streaks: Marlins, won 3; Padres, lost 4.
Jose Ramirez smacked three doubles, drove in a pair of runs, and scored once in five at-bats, propelling Cleveland to a 9-4 victory over the Yankees in the opener of a three-game series in New York Tuesday.
Ramirez doubled in the 4th, scoring on Kyle Manzardo’s two-run homer. His second two-bagger plated another run for the Guardians in the 5th, breaking a 4-4 tie, and his third double, in the 7th, put Cleveland up 6-4. Travis Bazzana’s bases loaded double in the eighth completed the blowout.
The win helped the Guardians improve their lead in the AL Central to 2 1/2 over the White Sox, 6-4 losers at Minnesota. The Yankees continue to trail the Rays by one game in the East. Tampa Bay lost their second straight in an 8-0 loss to the Tigers. Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
AL Streaks: Mariners, won 8; Blue Jays, Angels, lost 3.
Bryce Harper drove in two runs with a 4th inning home run and scored what proved to be the game-winner in the sixth as the Philles edged the Padres, 3-2, Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Harper’s homer was his 14th of the season, the RBIs upping his total to 36 on the year. Leading off the Phillies’ 6th with a walk, Harper moved to third on BBB Marsh’s single and scored when Alec Bohm grounded into a double play. The Phillies’ bullpen made the score stand up, blanking the Padres down the stretch.
The Phillies are 22-10 since Don Mattingly took over as manager and two games over .500 for the fifth time, their high-water mark on the season and are alone in second place in the NL East, albeit 9 1/2 games behind the Braves. Their record of 31-29, however, is not good enough for playoff consideration. The Pirates, Cardinals, Padres, and Diamondbacks all have slightly better records.
Philly will try to improve on their situation in game two of the three-game series with the Padres, Wednesday in Philadelphia.
NL Streaks: Pirates, won 4; Padres, lost 3.
For the month of May, the Detroit Tigers went 6-22, suffering through losing streaks of eight, five, and most recently, four games.
On Monday, opening a three-game series at AL East-leading Tampa Bay, catcherDillon Dingler set about to changing their situation, going 4-for-4 with a single, double, and a pair of home runs, scoring four times and driving in four runs in a 10-9 Detroit win, halting their four-game losing streak.
The Tigers banged out 14 hits, with Dingler scoring the 10th run in the top of the eighth. However, Detroit nearly managed to throw the game away, as Tampa Bay scored four times in the eighth inning to reduce a 10-5 Tiger lead to a 10-9 score. Will Vest finally stopped the bleeding, pitching the final 1 2/3 innings, earning his first save of the season. Detroit used seven pitchers to secure the victory.
Game two of the series is set for Tuesday. The Tigers, with a record of 9-24 on the road, face an uphill climb out of last place in the AL Central. Tampa Bay dropped to just a one-game lead over the idle Yankees in the East.
AL Streaks: Mariners, won 7; Blue Jays, Guardians, Angels, lost 2.
Already up 4 1/2 games on second place St. Louis in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers shuffled their lineup in the opener of a four-game series against visiting San Francisco, and the change worked out well, as leadoff hitter, Christian Yelich went 3-for-5, scored three times and drove in two runs as the Brewers banged out 18 hits in a 16-2 walloping of the Giants.
Yelich, a former two time NL batting champ (2018, 2019), stroked three singles and made them count. Currently batting .275, Yelich contributed to rallies in the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 8th innings, either scoring or driving in runs.
Milwaukee’s win left them 5 1/2 ahead of St. Louis, 2-1 losers to Texas, along with the Pirates and Cubs. The series continues Tuesday through Thursday.
NL Streaks: Pirates, won 3; Padres, lost 2.
The Yankees had eight of their 11 hits and scored all of their runs in the third inning of their 13-8 thrashing of the Athletics, Sunday afternoon in Sacramento, California, the A’s temporary home until their new stadium in Las Vegas is completed.
Ben Rice led the third-inning charge, doubling in a pair of runs and scoring in his first at-bat of the inning, later tripling in another two runs and scoring again to complete the barrage. Rice finished the day 2-for-5 with two runs and four RBI, all in the third frame.
In hot pursuit of the AL East-leading Rays, the Yankees took two of three from the A’s and return to New York Tuesday to host the Guardians for three games prior to a weekend series with the Red Sox. The Yankees trail the Rays by 1 1/2 in the division.
Despite losing seven of their last nine games, the A’s remain in contention in the AL West, tied with Texas 2 1/2 games back of the Mariners, winners of six straight. The A’s will seek success on the road when they open a three-game series in Chicago with the Cubs on Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Mariners, won 6; Royals, lost 6.
The Brewers completed the month of May with a 19-7 record, expanding their lead in the NL Central to 4 1/2 games over the Cardinals, closing out the month with another pitching gem by Jacob Misiorowski, who served up seven shutout innings in Milwaukee’s 2-0 victory at Houston Sunday.
Misiorowski threw 54 of 88 pitches for strikes, allowed just three hits and fanned eight without giving up a walk. He leads the majors in strikeouts with 108 and is fourth in ERA at 1.65. In May,
The Brewers will look to extend their lead in the division starting Monday, when they host the slumping Giants in a four-game series. The Astros remain at home to host Pittsburgh for three, beginning Tuesday in Houston.
NL Streaks: Mets, won 5; Marlins, lost 5.
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