Astros win 3-1, end Yankees’ 15-game home winning streak

Houston Astros' Justin Verlander pitches during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the New York Yankees Friday in New York. - Photo by Bebeto Matthews of The Associated Press
Houston Astros' Justin Verlander pitches during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the New York Yankees Friday in New York. - Photo by Bebeto Matthews of The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Justin Verlander pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Yankees 3-1 Friday night to stop New York's 15-game home winning streak.

Hours after Aaron Judge agreed to a $19 million, one-year contract with the Yankees that avoided an arbitration hearing, New York was greeted with loud ovations by just its third home sellout crowd this season. Judge went 0 for 4 as the major league-best Yankees (52-19) lost for just the fourth time in their last 23 games overall.

Verlander (9-3) averaged 95.5 mph with his fastball, up from 94.8 mph coming in during his first season since Tommy John surgery. The 39-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.22.

Rafael Montero, pitching for a third straight day for the first time this season, walked Aaron Hicks with one out and pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter with two outs. Montero retired DJ LeMahieu on a groundout for his fifth save.

Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Yankees. Luis Severino (4-2) took the loss.

DODGERS 4, BRAVES 1

ATLANTA -- Trea Turner had three hits, including a home run, Freddie Freeman reached base three times in his emotional return to Atlanta and Los Angeles beat the Braves.

Julio Urías (5-6) handed the Braves just their fourth loss in June, allowing one run on three hits with nine strikeouts in six innings. Craig Kimbrel gave up a leadoff hit in the ninth to Matt Olson, but recovered with three quick outs to earn his 13th save in 14 chances.

Freeman had one hit, a sixth-inning single. He walked twice and scored two runs. The 2020 NL MVP, who helped lead the Braves to last season's World Series championship, received ovations from fans in the sellout crowd of 42,105 before the game and before his first at-bat. The star first baseman signed a $162 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers in the offseason.

Braves right-hander Ian Anderson (6-4) struggled with his control as he allowed four runs in four-plus innings and was handed his first loss since May 22.

METS 5, MARLINS 3

MIAMI -- Francisco Lindor homered, doubled and drove in four runs to lead New York past Miami.

Mark Canha also went deep and Taijuan Walker pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball for the NL East leaders. Walker (6-2) allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out five. Edwin Díaz worked around two singles in a scoreless ninth for his 15th save.

All three runners scored on Lindor's bases-loaded double in the sixth that gave New York a 5-2 lead.

Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (7-3), who entered with a 1.72 ERA, gave up five runs -- four earned -- and six hits in seven innings. The right-hander has gone at least seven innings in nine straight outings.

The loss snapped the Marlins' six-game home winning streak.

PADRES 1, PHILLIES 0

SAN DIEGO -- Austin Nola hit an RBI single off younger brother Aaron in the sixth inning, and San Diego edged Philadelphia.

It's the first time since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 that a player had an RBI against his brother in a 1-0 victory, according to STATS.

San Diego rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore and three relievers combined on a five-hitter. Nabil Crismatt (4-0) pitched two perfect innings for the win. Luis Garcia struck out the heart of the order in the eighth. Closer Taylor Rogers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before getting Kyle Schwarber to fly out to center field.

Austin Nola had been 0 for 4 against his brother in two seasons until delivering an opposite-field single to right with one out in the sixth to bring in Eric Hosmer, who was aboard on a one-out double.

Other than getting one-upped by his brother, Aaron Nola (4-5) pitched well. He allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings while striking out 10 and walking two.

ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 1

CHICAGO -- Austin Voth and four relievers combined on a one-hitter, Jorge Mateo had a heated exchange with White Sox starter Michael Kopech after getting nailed by a pitch and Baltimore beat Chicago.

Voth, normally a reliever, went three innings in his second start. He gave up an RBI double to Jake Burger in the second for Chicago's only hit.

Joey Krehbiel (3-3) worked 2 1/3 perfect innings before Bryan Baker and Cionel Pérez each got four outs. Jorge López pitched the ninth for his 13th save, helping the Orioles win their third straight and fourth in five games.

The only real drama occurred in the second inning after Kopech (2-4) retired the first two batters. He nailed Mateo near the left shoulder and upper back with a similar pitch to the one that hit Chicago's Josh Harrison on Thursday. Mateo had some words for Kopech. The benches and bullpens emptied, but no punches were thrown. Both teams were issued warnings.

Kopech lost his second straight start after going six innings and allowing three runs and three hits.

TIGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 1

PHOENIX -- Javier Báez hit a grand slam to quiet a fan in the front row and homer for the third straight game, lifting Detroit over Arizona.

Báez homered in consecutive games against Boston and launched his seventh career grand slam off Merrill Kelly (6-5) in the third inning of Detroit's first game in Arizona since 2017. Báez didn't watch as the ball sailed deep into the left field seats, turning instead to emphatically drop his bat while looking at a fan sitting near the on-deck circle. He circled the bases and, after high-fiving teammates, pointed to the fan before putting a shushing finger to his lips.

Báez joined Carlos Guillen (2007) and Dick McAuliffe (1966) as the only Tigers shortstops to homer in three straight games. The 459-foot shot was the longest by a Detroit player since Jeimer Candelario hit one 467 feet on July 15, 2019.

Rony Garcia (2-2) overcame some early wildness to allow a run -- on Josh Rojas' sacrifice fly in the fourth -- on three hits in 5 1/3 innings.

RAYS 4, PIRATES 3, 10 INNINGS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Harold Ramirez scored Vidal Brujan with a game-ending pinch-single in the 10th, lifting Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh.

Brujan took second as Tampa Bay's automatic runner and stole third against Yerry De Los Santos (0-1) before Ramirez's hit.

Jason Adam (1-2) got the win.

Trailing 3-0, the Pirates tied it with three solo homers off starter Jeffrey Springs. Michael Chavis hit his eighth homer in the fourth, and Diego Castillo followed two batters later with his sixth. Hoy Park led off the fifth with his second homer.

Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz failed to drive in a run after having an RBI in his first six major league games, a franchise record and one short of the major league record set by Detroit's Dale Alexander in 1929.

CUBS 3, CARDINALS 0

ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Hendricks carried a shutout into the eighth inning, Nico Hoerner homered and Chicago topped St. Louis.

Ian Happ also drove in a run for Chicago, which has won two of three.

Hendricks (3-6) continued his mastery over the Cardinals, who had won 12 of the previous 17 against the Cubs. He gave up five hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings, struck out six and walked one. Hendricks improved to 13-3 in 25 lifetime starts against his NL Central rivals, his most victories against any team.

Chris Martin worked out of a one-out jam with runners on second and third after replacing Hendricks in the eighth. David Robertson finished for his ninth save in 12 opportunities.

Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (2-3) gave up three runs and seven hits over six innings.

RED SOX 6, GUARDIANS 3

CLEVELAND -- Christian Arroyo hit a two-run homer in the seventh and had three RBIs in his return from the COVID-19 injured list, powering red-hot Boston over Cleveland.

Arroyo's go-ahead homer to left-center off Bryan Shaw (3-1) gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead, paving the way for their fifth straight win and moving them a season-high nine games over .500. Boston is 17-4 in June and 30-12 since May 10.

Nick Pivetta (8-5) allowed two runs in seven innings, scattering nine hits, in his first career outing against Cleveland. The right-hander struck out four without a walk and is 8-1 with a 1.85 ERA over his last 10 starts.

Arroyo went 3 for 4 and drove in the first Red Sox run when he was hit by Cal Quantrill's pitch with the bases loaded in the second. The shortstop had been sidelined since June 15, missing eight games.

ROCKIES 1, TWINS 0

MINNEAPOLIS -- Germán Márquez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and Colorado prevailed in its first trip to Minnesota since 2017.

Charlie Blackmon's run-scoring fielder's choice plated Connor Joe (two hits) in the sixth inning for the Rockies, who snapped a three-game skid.

Márquez (4-5) had a season high in innings, a season low in runs and allowed three hits in winning his third straight decision as Colorado bounced back from a three-game sweep in Miami. Daniel Bard earned his 15th save in 17 chances.

Dylan Bundy (4-4) allowed a run in six innings for the Twins, giving up four hits and two walks.

ROYALS 3, ATHLETICS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Zach Greinke tossed six innings of one-run ball, Edward Olivares hit two solo homers and Kansas City beat Oakland.

Both Grienke (1-4) and Olivares were activated from rehab assignments on Friday.

Olivares belted homers to left field in his first two at-bats -- in the third and fifth innings -- for his first career multi-homer game.

Greinke allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts in his first start since May 29. Scott Barlow earned his ninth save.

Cole Irvin (2-5) gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, with four strikeouts and a season-high three walks. Seth Brown and Sean Murphy each had two-hit games for the A's, who lost the opener of a series for the 10th straight time.

BLUE JAYS 9, BREWERS 4

MILWAUKEE -- Alejandro Kirk went 4 for 4 and homered for the third straight game before leaving with a bruised left hand in the seventh inning of Toronto's victory over Milwaukee.

Kirk appeared to get hit in the hand on a backswing from Jonathan Davis in the seventh. The catcher remained in the game for the rest of that at-bat before leaving at the same time the Blue Jays made a pitching change. The team said Kirk underwent precautionary X-rays that came back negative.

Alek Manoah (9-2) pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, Cavan Biggio homered and Matt Chapman delivered a bases-loaded double as the Blue Jays won the first meeting between the teams since 2017.

Milwaukee's Tyrone Taylor homered for the second consecutive game and Christian Yelich drove in two runs. Adrian Houser (4-8) took the loss.

MARINERS 4, ANGELS 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Julio Rodríguez homered and scored twice, Eugenio Suárez had three hits and an RBI, and Seattle defeated Los Angeles despite Mike Trout's sixth home run against the Mariners this season.

Jesse Winker also had four hits as Seattle won its fourth straight. Chris Flexen (3-8) went five-plus innings to record his first victory since May 27. He allowed three runs and five hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Paul Sewald retired the Angels in order in the ninth for his sixth save in eight opportunities.

Rodriguez lined a curveball from Oliver Ortega just inside the foul pole in left field with one out in the fourth for a solo shot to extend Seattle's lead to 3-0. He scored the Mariners' first run on a single by Suarez off Michael Lorenzen (6-5) in the first.

NATIONALS 2, RANGERS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Bell hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning and also had a triple and double while scoring Washington's only other run in his return home, as the Nationals won in their first interleague game at Texas in 17 years.

Bell, from nearby Irving, scored the game's first run in the sixth. Juan Soto led off the Nationals eighth with a double off just-in reliever Dennis Santana (3-3) before Bell followed with his hit that was the difference.

Adolis Garcia homered and had his sixth outfield assist of the season for the Rangers, who had won their previous six interleague games.

Carl Edwards (1-1) worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the victory. Tanner Rainey picked up his ninth save in 12 chances.

REDS 4, GIANTS 2

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft bounced back from two poor starts, pitching a career-high eight innings to help Cincinnati stop its seven-game losing streak.

Nick Senzel drove in two runs and Mike Moustakas scored twice to pace the Reds' offense.

Ashcraft (4-1) gave up Evan Longoria's two-out homer in the fourth, and Mike Yastrzemski's RBI single in the eighth. Ashcraft permitted six hits and walked none while striking out eight. Hunter Strickland worked the ninth against his former team for his third save.

Alex Cobb (3-3) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.

  photo  New York Yankees' Aaron Judge takes the field for the team's baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, June 24, 2022, in New York. Judge and the Yankees agreed to a $19 million, one-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
 
 
  photo  Former Atlanta Braves player Freddie Freeman tips his helmet to fans as he takes the plate to bat in the first inning, returning to Atlanta with the Los Angles Dodgers for a baseball game on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
 
 
  photo  New York Mets' Luis Guillorme (13), Francisco Lindor (12) and Mark Canha (19) celebrate after the team's baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, June 24, 2022, in Miami. The Mets won 5-3. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
 
 

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