Mets pound Yankees pitching again as Alvarez leads 12-2 blowout for Subway Series sweep - MLB (2024)

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 9:30 pm | Story: 494451

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Michael Conforto and David Villar hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, Luis Matos hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Seiya Suzuki homered for Chicago, which lost its fourth in a row and fell to 3-13 in its last 16 road games.

Giants starter Hayden Birdsong was called up from Triple-A Sacramento for his major league debut, and allowed three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

“Super exciting, obviously,” the 22-year-old Birdsong said. “My brain doesn’t really know if it’s excitement or nervousness, but we’re just ‘go with the flow and try to throw strikes and see what happens.’ It’s all I was thinking.”

Luke Jackson (4-1) followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his fourth straight win and Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Hayden Wesneski, making his first start since May 8 for Chicago, permitted three runs on two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in four innings.

Pete Crow-Armstrong gave the Cubs an early lead with an RBI single in the second.

Conforto responded with a two-run homer in the bottom half. Villar followed with his first homer since June 19, 2023.

The Giants got home runs from their No. 7, 8 and 9 hitters.

“All of those guys have power,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We spoke earlier in the year about a deep lineup and feeling like you have a chance to score (any) inning, especially with the power at the bottom.”

Miguel Amaya trimmed the Giants’ lead to 3-2 with an RBI single in the fourth, scoring Crow-Armstrong all the way from first.

Suzuki tied it in the fifth with his ninth home run of the season.

Matos took Drew Smyly (2-5) deep in the bottom half to put San Francisco back in front.

“It feels good to hit a home run,” Matos said through a translator. “I went in there and I was looking for something to hit. He threw me a sinker. I let it go. But then he threw me the curveball and that’s what I hit.”

Chicago put runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth inning, but Tyler Rogers picked off Ian Happ trying to steal third.

“It’s a risk,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re trying to get two guys in scoring position, and it just didn’t work. But base stealing is a risk. We took a risk. It didn’t work."

Chicago stranded seven runners and made three outs on the bases.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: LHP Jordan Wicks (strained right oblique) is in the early stages of his recovery and won’t return before the All-Star break, according to Counsell.

Giants: LHP Robbie Ray will continue his recovery from Tommy John surgery with a rehab start at Single-A San Jose on Friday. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday after making four appearances in the Arizona Rookie League. “Robbie’s still on a pretty good pace (to return) right around that All-Star break (or) right after,” Melvin said. ... LHP Blake Snell (strained left groin) will make his second rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. ... RHP Mason Black was optioned to Triple-A and LHP Raymond Burgos was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (7-2, 2.96 ERA) will start Thursday opposite Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (4-4, 3.24).

—-

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 9:24 pm | Story: 494452

PHOENIX (AP) — Jose Miranda hit an early three-run double, Simeon Woods Richardson pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Miranda hit the first of two doubles in the second inning off Ryne Nelson (5-6) and the Twins piled on from there.

Willi Castro hit a two-run homer, Trevor Lamach doubled twice and one of baseball’s best offenses banged out 14 hits, including eight for extra bases to bounce back from a 5-4 loss in the series opener.

“It was a really good offensive day,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Every segment of the lineup was productive, had hard hit balls. We really brought some of the ideas that we talked about before the game into the game and it came together nicely."

It was more than enough for Woods Richardson (3-1), who allowed three runs on four hits and struck out four with two walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two RBIs for Arizona, which had four hits.

“We couldn't seem to get out of the gate today in many different ways,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It happens in baseball. Their pitcher was mixing speeds, had a good changeup, some secondary stuff and good life on his fastball, kept us in check.”

Woods Richardson kept the Diamondbacks off balance until giving up Gurriel's run-scoring triple in the fourth inning and Christian Walker chased him with a one-out double off the centerfield wall in the sixth. Ketel Marte then scored on a wild pitch by Josh Staumont — his first pitch of the game — and Gurriel pulled Arizona within 8-3 with a sacrifice fly.

“When the hitters doing their job, it kind of gives you peace of mind and ease on your job and just go out there and go pitch,” Woods Richardson said.

Nelson was sharp his previous two starts, winning both while allowing three earned runs in 13 innings.

Miranda drove in that many with one swing in the second inning, hitting a ball to the wall in left-center to put the Twins up 3-0. Nelson gave up a sacrifice fly to Byron Buxton in the third inning, then consecutive run-scoring doubles to Lamach and Carlos Correa in the fourth that put the Twins up 6-0.

Nelson allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two hit batters.

“Nelly just never got into a rhythm,” Lovullo said. “They jumped on him early with those three runs, he was making mistakes and they were ready to hit. This is a team where you've got to be spot on in a lot of ways and today we weren't.”

UP NEXT

RHP David Festa, Minnesota's top pitching prospect, will pitch Thursday's series finale after RHP Chris Paddack went on the injured list with right arm fatigue. LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 5.71 ERA) pitches for Arizona.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 9:03 pm | Story: 494449

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 7:33 pm | Story: 494440

BOSTON (AP) — The series finale between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night was postponed because of severe weather.

The scoreless game was paused in the top of the second inning with one out, Toronto's Davis Schneider on first base after a walk and Danny Jansen about to bat.

The game will be made up on Aug. 26, at the point at which it was suspended, as part of a split doubleheader.

Toronto and Boston split the first two games of the three-game set.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: OF Daulton Varsho was not in the starting lineup. He sustained a back injury Saturday against Cleveland and hasn’t played since. Manager John Schneider said Wednesday Varsho could return Thursday. … 1B Joey Votto, who felt lower back tightness while rehabbing an ankle injury, went 0 for 3 playing first base in a rehab game for Low-A Dunedin on Wednesday.

Red Sox: 1B Triston Casas, out since April 21 with a left rib strain, underwent an MRI on Tuesday that showed his ribcage has properly healed, He began taking swings, at about 75% of full power, on Wednesday. Casas acknowledged that although he had previously told reporters he had begun taking “dry swings,” those swings were only in his mind, something he had visualized. … After undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2023, RHP Liam Hendricks threw his first bullpen session on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Toronto hosts a four-game series with the New York Yankees starting Thursday, with RHP José Berrios (6-6, 3.43 ERA) opposing LHP Carlos Rodón (9-4, 3.86).

Red Sox: Boston is off on Thursday. The Red Sox open a three-game series with San Diego on Friday. RHP Nick Pivetta (4-4, 4.06) is scheduled to start for Boston, opposed by Randy Vásquez (2-4, 5.10).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 7:24 pm | Story: 494441

CHICAGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit another leadoff homer and Gavin Stone pitched a four-hitter, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Wednesday night for their fourth consecutive win.

Ohtani drove a full-count cut fastball from Erick Fedde deep to right-center for his NL-leading 25th homer. The 437-foot drive had a 113.9 mph exit velocity.

Ohtani's third leadoff homer this season extended his RBI streak to a franchise-record 10 games. The two-time AL MVP also hit a leadoff drive in Los Angeles' 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.

“There's been a lot of opportunities with runners on base,” Ohtani said through a translator. “All I'm trying to do is have a quality at-bat. So I think that (RBI streak) is the result of that.”

Stone (9-2) struck out seven and walked none in his first career complete game, providing a big lift for the NL West leaders after their bullpen accounted for 11 scoreless innings over the first two games of the sweep. The right-hander improved to 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his last 11 starts.

“Just in complete control. Just a dominant performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

It was the first complete game for Los Angeles since Walker Buehler pitched a three-hitter in a 4-0 victory at Arizona on April 25, 2022.

“Just tried to focus on just getting guys out and not even worrying about going deep in the game,” Stone said.

Playing in front of its first sellout of the year on Mexican Heritage Night, Chicago was shut out for the 12th time this season. It went 1 for 21 with runners in scoring position while totaling three runs and 17 hits in the three-game series.

The White Sox have dropped seven of eight overall to fall a whopping 40 games under .500 at 21-61.

Fedde (5-3) allowed four runs and five hits in six innings. He dropped to 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA in seven home starts this season.

Chicago finished the game without right fielder Gavin Sheets, who jammed his left heel and departed before the Dodgers batted in the sixth. X-rays were negative, and the team said Sheets is day to day.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was ejected by home plate umpire Derek Thomas in the sixth.

“I wasn’t particularly too happy with balls and strikes, especially early on our side with Fedde,” Grifol said.

The Dodgers grabbed control with three runs in the third. Teoscar Hernández hit a sacrifice fly, and Ohtani walked and scored from first on Freddie Freeman's two-run double.

“For the most part, I did good after the third inning,” Fedde said. “The one pitch I want back is the one to Freeman, the double.”

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger has been returned from his minor league rehab assignment because of neck stiffness. He was placed on the 15-day injured list last month with right elbow inflammation. A team spokesman said Clevinger will look to restart his rehab assignment next week. When Clevinger is healthy again, Grifol said the team could go to a six-man rotation to help provide more rest for some of its young starting pitchers. “We have to be careful with our guys,” Grifol said.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Following an off day, RHP Landon Knack (1-1, 2.10 ERA) starts Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at San Francisco.

White Sox: It looks as if Chicago will go with a bullpen day when it hosts Atlanta on Thursday for a makeup of an April 3 rainout. LHP Chris Sale (10-2, 2.91 ERA) starts for the Braves against his first major league team.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 6:12 pm | Story: 494431

BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Cleveland 4-2 on Wednesday night to end a five-game skid and snap the Guardians' seven-game winning streak.

Gunnar Henderson hit his 26th home run and Ryan O'Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who were winless since pounding the Yankees 17-5 on June 20. It was their longest losing streak since May 2022.

Mullins connected off Xzavion Curry (0-2) to give Baltimore the lead for the first time. The towering drive soared inside the foul pole and landed on Eutaw Street beyond the right field scoreboard.

After struggling to get his batting average over .200 for much of the season, Mullins is hitting .378 since June 12 and is at .214 for the season.

“Nice to see Ced really contributing. He's gotten a lot better these past couple weeks,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

O'Hearn made it 4-2 with a solo shot off Curry in the eighth.

Grayson Rodriguez (9-3) gave up two runs and five hits over seven innings. He struck out the last four batters he faced.

“That was a great start,” Hyde said. “Just a couple solo homers there. Besides that, not a lot of traffic. Outstanding job, going seven innings for us.”

Jhonkensy Noel became the fourth Cleveland player to homer in his first major league at-bat, connecting in the second inning to put the Guardians ahead 1-0. Recalled from Triple-A Columbus earlier in the day, the 22-year-old rookie hit a fastball over the center field wall after losing hold of his bat on the previous pitch, sending it flying toward third base.

“It just makes me so happy to make their major league debut,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Then he throws the bat 180 feet and hits it 480 feet the next pitch.”

The last Cleveland player to go deep on his first at-bat in the big leagues was Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006.

Noel, however, went 1 for 4 and struck out to end the game.

A homer by Gabriel Arias put the Guardians up 2-1 in the fifth, but Henderson answered in the bottom half.

Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. The right-hander was coming off a victory against Toronto after going 0-4 in five starts since May 5.

“He held them down,” Vogt said. “We were in that game the whole way, and Cookie was a big part of that. He made some great pitches when he needed to.”

Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save in 21 attempts.

Despite the loss, Cleveland took two of three from the defending AL East champions.

“It would have been nice to get out of here with three, but anytime we can win a series, especially on the road, we're good with it,” Vogt said.

SHALT NOT STEAL

Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges twice threw out Orioles trying to steal, the second time immediately before Henderson's solo shot. Baltimore came in 59 for 70 on stolen base attempts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: INF Josh Naylor was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight game. “He's just banged up,” Vogt said. “It's just another night off to let the little things heal up.”

Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer (right triceps strain) will make another rehab start Thursday night for Triple-A Norfolk. He last pitched for Baltimore on May 20.

UP NEXT

Guardians: Ben Lively (7-3, 3.03 ERA) gets the start Thursday night when Cleveland opens a four-game series at AL Central rival Kansas City.

Orioles: Corbin Burnes (8-3, 2.35 ERA) takes on the Texas Rangers on Thursday night at Camden Yards. It's a rematch of last year's AL Division Series, which Texas swept en route to winning the World Series.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 5:27 pm | Story: 494426

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets reliever Drew Smith was placed on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a right elbow sprain, an untimely blow for a New York bullpen already missing suspended closer Edwin Díaz.

Right-hander Ty Adco*ck was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Smith on the roster, an announcement the Mets made about 40 minutes before the first pitch of their Subway Series game against the New York Yankees at Citi Field.

The move was made retroactive to Monday.

Smith is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA and two saves in 19 appearances this season. He was on the IL from April 24 to June 1 because of right shoulder soreness.

The 30-year-old right-hander made his major league debut with the Mets in 2018 and is the longest-tenured pitcher on the team.

New York is playing a man short without Díaz, who began serving a 10-game suspension Tuesday after getting ejected from Sunday night's victory over the Chicago Cubs for having an illegal foreign substance on his hand.

Smith was summoned without notice to replace Díaz and warmed up entirely on the mound at Wrigley Field. He got two outs without giving up a run but was visited by an athletic trainer during the outing because he was having trouble getting loose.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Smith felt tightness while playing catch the past two days, so he was sent for imaging Wednesday afternoon.

Adco*ck was looking to make his Mets debut. He made his big league debut last season with Seattle and compiled a 3.45 ERA in 12 appearances totaling 15 2/3 innings.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 4:35 pm | Story: 494416

NEW YORK (AP) — Following a terrible performance in the Subway Series opener, slumping second baseman Gleyber Torres was benched Wednesday night by New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Oswaldo Cabrera made his third start of the season at second when the Yankees faced the New York Mets at Citi Field. Boone said he was planning to give Torres a couple of days off “just to kind of reset.”

The Yankees begin a four-game series Thursday night at AL East rival Toronto.

“Just felt like he needs it,” Boone said. "I just think he’s too important, and a guy that I’m confident will get going. But it’s been a grind. It’s been a struggle. I think he’s feeling that a little bit. I think it’s hopefully something that will serve him well — mentally, physically — to just take an exhale and then work to get him going. Because when he’s going like we’ve all seen him go, he’s just a really important piece to the lineup.”

Torres began the day batting .215 with seven homers, 29 RBIs and a .628 OPS — well below his career marks of .262 and .773. The two-time All-Star has made 12 errors, three more than any other big league second baseman.

“He's made too many errors. Those mistakes certainly are a part of the story of his season so far," Boone said.

But they're not injury-related, according to Boone.

“He’s good. I mean, he came out with a little bit of a groin issue, hip, but it’s nothing that’s significant,” the manager said.

Torres had an especially rough night Tuesday as the struggling Yankees, who were still leading the AL East after dropping seven of nine, lost 9-7 to their crosstown rivals.

Batting cleanup, he struck out swinging in the first inning with the bases loaded and nobody out — the first of three straight strikeouts that allowed Mets starter David Peterson to escape the inning unscathed.

With the infield playing in, Torres let a grounder get under his glove for an error that helped the Mets score three runs in the sixth. And after Aaron Judge's grand slam pulled the Yankees within two runs in the eighth, Torres didn't run hard on his inning-ending groundout.

“That’s one of the things that got my attention, certainly," Boone said.

Torres finished 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Boone said when he went to bed Tuesday night, he initially had Torres in Wednesday's starting lineup. But the manager changed his mind after he woke up, and called Torres to tell him he'd be on the bench.

Torres respected the decision, Boone said.

“Hopefully something that kind of serves him well,” Boone said.

The 27-year-old Torres had started 78 of New York's first 81 games this season at second base. He can become a free agent after the World Series.

“We haven’t specifically talked about that weighing on him,” Boone said. "He's been such a consistent offensive performer throughout his career that him struggling to get on that good roll, I think I sense weighing on him — especially the last couple days. So that’s kind of just my thought process on why now.”

From his vantage point in the dugout, Boone believes he sees a mechanical flaw in Torres' swing lately.

“I’ll leave that to him and the hitting guys," Boone said. "I mean, the thing is, he’s been working really hard. But sometimes, a little mental blow can go a long way.

“Sometimes I think just sitting there and watching can be a benefit, too. Being out of the arena, out of the action, to have a view from afar of the game, can serve an everyday player.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 3:53 pm | Story: 494402

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Zach Neto had a tiebreaking three-run double in the sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-2 Wednesday to sweep their three-game series.

Max Schuemann had an early RBI double that should have driven in two runs for the A’s, but Kyle McCann was called out in bizarre fashion when he failed to touch home plate and then made contact with teammate Armando Alvarez, who had already scored.

“I've never seen anything like that,” said Angels manager Ron Washington, who has spent a half-century in pro baseball. “There was no play at home plate! There's no reason to miss home plate, none at all. You could have walked from third base and touched home, but I'm glad he didn't.”

McCann followed Alvarez home to score on Schuemann’s double off Roansy Contreras in the second inning, but McCann stumbled approaching home — apparently after deciding not to slide at the last minute — and failed to step on the plate as he crossed it.

McCann nearly ran into Alvarez, who instinctively reached out to steady him and to encourage him to go back to touch the plate, which he did.

Plate umpire John Bacon immediately called McCann out, because a player isn’t allowed to assist another player who’s still running the bases.

“I recognize that the umpire made no call as he came across the plate the first time,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “Understood the call that he was making in terms of the assistance from Alvarez into McCann, pushing him back towards home plate, which I know you can’t do. But I wanted them to know I was just challenging to verify whether he touched the plate. Replay came back with what he thought he saw, and unfortunately he just didn’t touch the plate.”

Video review confirmed McCann had missed the plate on his first try, and the out ended the inning.

“It’s a big play, obviously,” Kotsay said. “Talking to the player, he was anticipating sliding, and that’s what he should have done. If you’ve got that thought, you’ve got to slide. These are things we need to clean up. It’s a mental error more than a physical error. It’s part of the process these guys go through here, and unfortunately it cost us a run, and cost us an opportunity to continue to add on in that inning and open that game up.”

Los Angeles still trailed 1-0 until its five-run sixth. Matt Thaiss added an RBI double for the Angels, who have won four of five after just their third series sweep of the season.

Joey Estes (2-3) gave up three hits and struck out eight while pitching into the sixth inning for the A’s, who have lost five straight and 18 of 23. The right-hander walked two and remained winless in his past four starts.

Schuemann drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for Oakland, which has lost 11 consecutive road games.

Contreras yielded just one run on four hits and two walks over three innings in his first start for the Angels, who acquired him from Pittsburgh earlier this season.

Matt Moore (4-2) pitched the sixth for Los Angeles, which has improved to 12-10 in June after a rough start to the season.

Los Angeles’ sixth-inning rally began with Luis Rengifo’s leadoff single off Estes. Two Angels drew walks to load the bases before Austin Adams hit Mickey Moniak with a pitch to force in the tying run.

Neto drove a double to the wall in left moments later, clearing the bases with his latest clutch hit off Adams. Neto had struck out and popped out in his first two at-bats, and he was watching those plate appearances on an iPad in the dugout when Washington told him to simply take a comfortable swing next time.

“I took that into my next at-bat, which just happened to be that three-RBI double, and I just kept moving from there,” Neto said. “I was a little frustrated with myself, so just trying to get out of that, get out of my head, and hearing that from somebody else was great.”

Thaiss drove in Neto with his double on the next pitch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: The injuries to Patrick Sandoval and Jose Soriano have forced Los Angeles to recall Davis Daniel from the minors for a fill-in start Thursday.

UP NEXT

Athletics: JP Sears (4-7, 5.04 ERA) makes his 17th start of the season when Oakland opens a weekend series at Arizona on Friday.

Angels: Daniel will make his season debut and his first major league start in the opener of a four-game series against Burbank native Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 3:49 pm | Story: 494403

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle Higashioka homered twice, including his first career grand slam, and Dylan Cease pitched seven brilliant shutout innings for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Washington Nationals 8-5 Wednesday to sweep a contentious three-game series.

Higashioka hit a two-run homer off rookie DJ Herz in the second inning and then a grand slam against Tanner Rainey in the eighth that went into a suite on the third level of the four-story brick warehouse in the left-field corner and gave San Diego an 8-0 lead. It was the fourth grand slam of the season for the Padres and second in two nights. It was his fifth career-multihomer game. He has eight homers this year.

Higashioka was obtained in the deal that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees on Dec. 7. The catcher set his career-high with six RBIs and finished with three hits.

“That was cool,” Higashioka said of the slam. “I guess I didn't realize that was my first career. First in the big leagues. Just trying to square up the ball.”

Higashioka has gotten more playing time with starting catcher Luis Campusano going on the injured list with a bruised thumb.

San Diego took a one-hit shutout into the ninth before the Nationals scored five runs against two relievers, on four hits, a walk and a hit batter.

Jurickson Profar, at the center of a benches-clearing spat between the teams Tuesday night, added an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and his on-base streak to 18 games. Profar, having a career year at 31 and on a $1 million contract is leading the balloting for NL outfielders for the All-Star Game.

Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz confronted Profar before his at-bat in the first inning Tuesday night, including touching him on the shoulder and poking at his chest. On-deck batter Manny Machado stepped in between them, placing a hand on Ruiz's shoulder, and the benches emptied.

Both teams were warned and MacKenzie Gore hit Profar on the foot with a 98-mph fastball. Gore was not ejected because the umpires felt it wasn't intentional. Padres manager Mike Shildt came onto the field and was immediately ejected. Machado homered on the first pitch he saw and Profar hit a grand slam in the sixth to highlight the 9-6 win.

The Nationals felt disrespected by Profar's celebration after his walk-off, two-run single in the 10th inning Monday night, when he went running along the track on the third-base side, waving at the fans. His route took him past the Nationals' dugout. The Nationals intentionally walked MLB hits leader Luis Arreaz to get to Profar, who was knocked down by a pitch from Hunter Harvey.

Cease (7-6) was brilliant through seven innings, when he allowed just a single while striking out nine. He held the Nationals hitless until Nick Senzel singled with two outs in the fifth. He walked just two, and both runners were erased.

“It felt great,” Cease said of his outing. “Really couldn't feel much better. I think fastball command was really good and then offspeed was very sharp.”

Yuki Matsui threw a perfect eighth. Tom Cosgrove allowed two hits in the ninth, including Lane Thomas' two-run double.

Higashioka's first homer was a line shot into the left-field corner with two outs in the second, with rookie Jackson Merrill aboard on a single.

“He hits the ball hard,” Cease said. “I think we all have a lot of faith in him and he keeps coming through.”

The Padres added on in the fourth on a wild pitch by Herz and Profar's single.

Herz (1-2) allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings, walked two and struck out one.

The Padres went 6-1 on the homestand against Milwaukee and Washington.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Manager Mike Shildt said RHP Yu Darvish had some imaging on his pitching elbow that came out clean and that he'll likely have another one for peace of mind. Darvish is on the injured list with a groin strain and was due to start Tuesday night but developed elbow inflammation.

UP NEXT

Nationals: LHP Mitchell Parker (5-3, 3.30 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay, which will start RHP Zach Elfin (3-5, 4.20).

Padres: RHP Randy Vásquez (2-4, 5.10) is slated to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Boston.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 3:30 pm | Story: 494395

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Now that he’s had a few months to get accustomed to life in the majors, Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio is starting to showcase the skills that made the 20-year-old one of baseball’s top prospects.

Chourio delivered perhaps the biggest highlight of his young career Wednesday, becoming the first Brewer to hit an inside-the-park homer since Christian Yelich did it against the Chicago White Sox in 2020. He later made a diving catch in right field during the Brewers’ 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Texas Rangers.

The 20-year-old Chourio is hitting .302 (19 of 63) in June. His batting average for the season, which was down to .207 after a June 1 victory over the Chicago White Sox, has climbed to .236.

“I think truthfully there hasn’t been a lot different,” Chourio said through a translator. “I think just things are going a little bit more my way, and some of those hits are falling now.”

Brewers manager Pat Murphy says he’s seen a difference lately and noted how every player must fight through some doubt each time he takes the next step in his development.

There’s no doubting Chourio’s confidence right now.

“He’s been good for a while now,” Murphy said. “There’s still been some ups and downs here and there, but his defense, you know, it’s like he believes. ‘I can play. I can do this.’ “

The Brewers trailed 5-4 with two outs in the fourth inning when Chourio hit a sinking liner. Rangers center fielder Derek Hill attempted to make a diving catch, but the ball got past him and rolled to the wall.

“As soon as I saw the ball pass him, the only thing I was thinking of was making it to home,” Chourio said.

His inside-the-park homer came eight days after he hit a “Little League homer” in a 6-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels by coming all the way home on a drive that was misplayed by right fielder Jo Adell. That play was officially ruled a double and two-base error.

Chourio circled the bases in 14.75 seconds that night, the fastest home-to-home time by any player this season. He displayed the athleticism that helped him soar through the Brewers’ minor league system.

“I had the chance to play with him in the minor leagues,” Brewers infielder Andruw Monasterio said. “He’s a guy, you know? He’s a player. He can do everything. I’m happy he’s on this team.”

Chourio’s productive June has backed up the faith the Brewers showed in him by giving him an eight-year, $82 million contract in December. Chourio was 19 years old at the time and had played just six games above the Double-A level. The contract represented the highest financial commitment a team had ever given a player without any major league experience.

He made Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster and batted .350 in his first five games. But he struggled for the next several weeks as his playing time became more sporadic.

The Brewers maintained confidence Chourio would start to thrive. During a May 31 media session, Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio dismissed the idea of sending Chourio to the minors by saying that “I don’t see where he’s going to learn anything at Triple-A at this point.”

Sure enough, Chourio has come around. He has gone 6 of 14 over his last four games. He went 2 for 4 on Wednesday, which marked his sixth multi-hit game this month.

“I think the thing was just to continue playing my game, not to change, not to think too much and just know my moment was going to come,” Chourio said.

His progress on defense was evident when he robbed Adolis García of a hit in the seventh inning. Chourio, who played primarily center field in the minor leagues, has been a corner outfielder in the majors.

“It’s something new for me, but lately I’ve been feeling incredible, super good out there playing right field,” Chourio said.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums

The Canadian Press - Jun 26, 2024 / 2:59 pm | Story: 494383

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matthew Liberatore pitched six shutout innings in a spot start and Alec Burleson hit a go-ahead, two-run double to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves 4-1 Wednesday for a day-night doubleheader split.

Jarred Kelenic had three hits, including his eighth home run, and three RBIs as the Braves won the opener 6-2. Kelenic was 6 for 9 with four RBIs in the doubleheader and is hitting .362 (17 for 47) with four homers and 10 RBIs since being moved to the leadoff spot in the batting order following Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending knee injury.

Liberatore (2-2) gave up two hits and struck out eight in his fifth start of the season. He got the spot start following Tuesday night’s rainout.

“Probably the most fun I’ve had on the baseball field this year,” Liberatore said. “I found a rhythm there early on and tried to continue to trust myself and not get outside of what I do.”

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said before the game he would have been satisfied with four or five good innings from Liberatore.

“He was incredible tonight,” Marmol said. “He was in control that whole outing. It was a best-case scenario.” Libertore, who has 22 appearances out of the bullpen this season, set a career high with eight strikeouts. It was his longest outing since going eight innings at Tampa Bay last Aug. 10.

“Slider and cutter were both really good for me tonight,” Liberatore said. “I was kind of able to keep guys off the fastball and mix it in enough to keep guys guessing.”

St. Louis reliever Chris Roycroft, who was designated as the 27th man on the roster for the twinbill, followed Liberatore with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

“Every opportunity is a learning experience and I was happy to be in this situation,” Roycroft said.

Burleson put the Cardinals ahead 2-0 in the third off Bryce Elder (1-3), who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. An NL All-Star last season, Elder allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.

Michael Siani and Masyn Winn had two-out singles before Burleson lined the ball into the right-field corner for his 27th hit in June.

Burleson has driven in at least one run in each of his last five games.

Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan added run-scoring singles off Grant Holmes in the eighth.

Closer Ryan Helsley struck out Adam Duvall with two on for his major league-leading 28th save in 29 chances, his 28th in a row.

St. Louis has won 10 of its last 14 and improved to a NL-best 26-14 since May 12.

“These guys are locked in,” Marmol said. “They’re not giving away a whole lot.”

Kelenic had a run-scoring hit with two-out in the eighth off JoJo Romero after hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning of the opener.

Reynaldo López (6-2) improved to 4-0 in his last five starts, allowing two runs and four hits in five innings.

After Ramón Laureano hit into a run-scoring forceout, Zack Short had a two-run single in a four-run second that included Kelenic’s RBI single. Matt Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, and Alec Burleson had a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Kelenic’s homer was the first allowed by Kyle Leahy in 17 appearances and 28 1/3 innings this season.

TRAINERS ROOM

Braves: Orlando Arcia (dizziness) missed both games after being removed in the sixth inning Monday night. ... 3B Brian Anderson was put on the 10-day IL Tuesday with a bacterial infection, retroactive to Sunday. ... LHP AJ Minter (left hip inflammation) moved to Triple-A Gwinnett on his rehab assignment.

Cardinals: INF/OF Tommy Edman, working his way back from offseason right wrist surgery, sprained an ankle while fielding ground balls on Tuesday. ... OF Lars Nootbaar (oblique strain) took batting practice on the field for the first time Tuesday, and reported no ill effects. He could start a rehab assignment this weekend.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Chris Sale (10-2, 2.91) is to start Thursday as the Chicago White Sox. Chicago, his team from 2010-16, started RHP Drew Thorpe (1-1, 5.02)

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (6-6, 4.68 ERA) starts Thursday’s opener against visiting Cincinnati and LHP Andrew Abbott (6-6, 3.40).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Back to Homepage

TyposNews TipsForums