BALTIMORE (AP) - The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game - their longest winning streak in almost two decades - with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018.
Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games.
Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games.
Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night.
Jake Diekman worked the ninth to earn his second save in as many tries.
Jorge López (1-3) was the loser.
PADRES 6, DODGERS 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fernando Tatís Jr. hit two homers at Dodger Stadium on the 22nd anniversary of his father hitting two grand slams in one inning at the same park, and San Diego earned its third straight victory over Los Angeles.
Tatís hit solo homers in the third and fifth off Clayton Kershaw (3-2), and Yu Darvish (2-1) pitched seven strong innings in the Padres’ second consecutive win at Chavez Ravine to open this four-game series. San Diego also won the finale of the clubs’ first series last weekend at Petco Park.
Fernando Tatís Sr. famously hit two grand slams for St. Louis off the Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park in the third inning on April 23, 1999 - a feat that had never been done before, and hasn’t been done since.
His son was 3 1/2 months old at the time, and the now-22-year-old Tatís’ fourth career multi-homer game included the two hardest-hit homers of his ascendant career at 113.4 mph and 115.9 mph, according to Statcast. Tatís also drove in a third run with a ninth-inning single.
Wil Myers’ solo homer in the second ended Kershaw’s streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings.
The major league-leading Dodgers have lost four of five amidst a major offensive slump. With four regular hitters now unavailable due to injuries, Los Angeles has scored only 11 runs in its last six games.
METS 6, NATIONALS 0
NEW YORK (AP) - Jacob deGrom struck out a career-high 15, pitched a two-hitter and boosted the sagging Mets’ offense with a go-ahead double from the No. 8 spot in the batting order, powering New York over Washington.
DeGrom has struck out 43 in his last three starts and 50 overall this season, breaking the major league record for most in a pitcher’s first four starts set just last weekend by Cleveland ace Shane Bieber with 48.
Perennially plagued by a lack of run support, just like Mets star Tom Seaver decades earlier, deGrom lowered his career ERA to 2.55 and overtook Seaver (2.57) as New York’s franchise leader.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner retired the final 19 batters of his second shutout and fourth complete game in 187 starts, walking none. DeGrom also made the final putout, leaping on first base to catch Pete Alonso’s toss on Josh Harrison’s grounder.
Brandon Nimmo hit his first home run of the season, an eighth-inning drive off Kyle McGowin, and had four RBIs. The Mets stopped a three-game slide after getting to Citi Field at 4:15 a.m. after a Thursday night game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
DeGrom (2-1) was coming off consecutive 14-strikeout games against Miami and Colorado, and New York gave him a fifth day of rest.
DeGrom’s opposite-field double in the fifth against Erick Fedde (1-2) put the Mets ahead 1-0 and gave him a five-game hitting streak dating to 2019.
TWINS 2, PIRATES 0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota left-hander J.A. Happ lost his bid for a no-hitter when Jacob Stallings doubled with one out in the eighth inning, and the Twins beat Pittsburgh.
Happ, in his first season with the Twins, was immediately removed by manager Rocco Baldelli with a two-run lead and replaced by Tyler Duffey.
The 38-year-old Happ (1-0) walked two batters, both in the second, and struck out three. He threw 95 pitches, with 51 strikes, and lowered his ERA after three starts to 1.69.
Duffey walked Wilmer Difo after the double by Stallings, but struck out Adam Frazier with runners at second and third to end the eighth. Duffey retired the first batter in the ninth. Then Taylor Rogers took the last two outs for the save to finish the one-hitter, preserving just the second win for the Twins in their last 11 games.
Willians Astudillo and Jake Cave each hit their first home runs of the season for Minnesota, spoiling another stellar start by JT Brubaker (2-1).
CUBS 15, BREWERS 2
CHICAG0 (AP) - Jake Marisnick homered and matched a career high with five RBIs and Chicago pounded Milwaukee for its fourth straight victory.
Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Willson Contreras also homered for Chicago, and Nico Hoerner had three hits in his first start of the season. The Cubs were coming off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.
Kyle Hendricks (1-2) pitched six innings of two-run ball in his first win of the season. He struck out six and walked one, bouncing back nicely after a rough start against Atlanta.
Milwaukee had won three in a row. Kolten Wong and Billy McKinney hit consecutive homers in the sixth for the Brewers. Brett Anderson (2-2) departed with right knee discomfort after throwing just 11 pitches.
YANKEES 5, INDIANS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton busted out of his slump with two rocketed home runs - one with the highest exit velocity this season - and New York connected four times, sending the Yankees past Cleveland.
Stanton hit a 429-foot solo shot in the third inning off Logan Allen (1-3) and another in the fifth for his first multi-homer game since Sept. 27, 2018. New York has won two straight and three of four after a horrendous start.
Rougned Odor added a two-run homer and Aaron Hicks also went deep for New York.
Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery settled in after a 37-pitch first inning, but was lifted in the fifth, one out shy of qualifying for the win. Lucas Luetge (1-0) came on and got four outs and was credited with his first win in the majors since 2013 with Seattle. Darren O’Day and Chad Green pitched an inning apiece before closer Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his fourth save.
RED SOX 6, MARINERS 5
BOSTON (AP) - Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer all the way out of Fenway Park and added an RBI single to help Boston beat Seattle.
J.D. Martinez also homered for the Red Sox, who survived a late scare when Kyle Seager hit a three-run homer in the ninth to pull Seattle within a run.
One night after rallying with a four-run 10th inning for a 7-4 victory, Seattle couldn’t quite pull off another comeback. Matt Barnes, who gave up Seager’s drive deep to right, got Evan White to line out to Bogaerts and end it.
Reliever Hirokazu Sawamura (1-0) struck out three over 1 1/3 innings.
Yusei Kikuchi (0-1) allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings for Seattle, which never recovered after Bogaerts’ drive onto Landsdowne Street in the first put Boston up 2-1.
ASTROS 5, ANGELS 4, 10 INNINGS
HOUSTON (AP) - Rookie pinch-hitter Robel Garcia’s RBI single in Houston’s three-run 10th inning lifted the Astros past Los Angeles.
The Angels scored two runs in the top of the 10th on RBI singles by David Fletcher and Albert Pujols off Ryan Pressly (2-0) to take a 4-2 lead.
Kyle Tucker started the 10th on second base and went to third on a fly ball by Aledmys Díaz. Myles Straw singled off Raisel Iglesias (1-2) to score Tucker and cut the lead to 4-3. Jason Castro then hit a ground-rule double into the right-field corner to send Straw to third. The play was reviewed to see if it was a foul ball, but the call was upheld. Carlos Correa’s sacrifice fly scored the speedy Straw to tie it. Garcia then sent a line drive to center field for his second hit and first RBI this season, setting off a wild celebration.
Yuli Gurriel tied it with a two-run homer in the seventh to help the Astros to their second straight win after losing their previous three games.
WHITE SOX 9. RANGERS 7
CHICAGO (AP) - Rookie sensation Yermín Mercedes added to his scorching start with four more hits, including a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning, and Chicago held off Texas.
Yoán Moncada had three hits and a home run. Liam Hendriks got the final five outs and the White Sox (10-9) moved above .500 for the first time this season. They won for the fourth time in five games even though Texas’ Adolis García hit two more homers.
Codi Heuer (2-1) worked 1 1/3 innings for the win. Hendriks came on with one out in the eighth and runners on first and second and struck out Willie Calhoun and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to end that threat. The closer gave up a solo drive to García in the ninth before striking out Nick Solak for his fourth save in five chances.
Kyle Cody (0-2) was the loser.
GIANTS 5, MARLINS 3
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Alex Wood pitched seven crisp innings after allowing a home run on the game’s third pitch and San Francisco beat Miami.
Mike Yastrzemski homered as the Giants improved to 7-1 at home and celebrated Buster Posey becoming the first player in franchise history to catch 1,000 games. Brandon Belt walked three times and had an RBI single.
Jazz Chisholm and Jesus Aguilar homered for the Marlins.
Wood (2-0) set down 21 of 22 after Chisholm’s leadoff homer in the first, the only hit allowed by the Giants left-hander. Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee retired three batters apiece to complete the three-hitter.
Yastrzemski hit an opposite-field home run to left in the third off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (0-2) after Tommy LaStella walked.
ROYALS 6, TIGERS 2
DETROIT (AP) - Mike Minor held Detroit hitless until the fifth inning, and Andrew Benintendi and Ryan O’Hearn homered off Casey Mize to lift Kansas City.
Robbie Grossman went deep for Detroit in the fifth, but by then the Tigers were trailing 6-0 after another rough start for Mize (1-2). He allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Detroit has lost seven of eight.
Minor (2-1) allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts. Detroit didn’t have a hit until Jeimer Candelario doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Grossman hit a two-run shot later that inning.
BRAVES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4
ATLANTA (AP) - Huascar Ynoa earned his first career victory, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies homered and Atlanta beat Arizona.
Ynoa (1-1) allowed only two runs on two hits in six innings. The right-hander led 3-0 before giving up a two-run homer to Carson Kelly in the fifth.
Ynoa’s night to remember also included his first two career hits and his first RBI. The 22-year-old Ynoa, from the Dominican Republic, doubled to left field off Luke Weaver (1-2) in the third inning for his first hit and added a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Will Smith pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
CARDINALS 5, REDS 4
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Yadier Molina homered and doubled to help St. Louis build a 5-0 lead, Alex Reyes pitched out of a ninth-inning jam and the Cardinals held on to beat Cincinnati.
Kwang-Hyun Kim (1-0) allowed one run on five hits with a career-high eight strikeouts to help St. Louis snap a two-game skid. Three of Kim’s four major league wins have come against Cincinnati.
Sonny Gray (0-1) allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings in his second start after opening the season on the 10-day injured list with a strained back muscle. The Reds have lost five straight.
Reyes got the final two outs for his fourth save.
Nick Castellanos homered for the Reds to open the sixth inning.
BLUE JAYS 5, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Steven Matz won his fourth consecutive start, Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer and Toronto beat Tampa Bay.
Matz (4-0), acquired from the New York Mets in January, gave up three runs and five hits over five innings. The lefty went 0-5 with a 9.68 ERA with New York last year.
Randal Grichuk also homered for Toronto. Rafael Dolis, the fourth reliever, worked the ninth for his first save.
Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer for the Rays. Tyler Glasnow (2-1) took the loss.
ROCKIES 5, PHILLIES 4
DENVER (AP) - Raimel Tapia hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning and Colorado rallied past Philadelphia for its third straight victory.
Trevor Story, C.J. Cron and Garrett Hampson also homered for Colorado.
The Rockies trailed by two runs twice before Tapia ended it with a shot over the scoreboard in right off closer Hector Neris (1-2).
Mychal Givens (1-1) pitched the top of the ninth to earn the win.
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