Jake Fraley hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Cincinnati Reds extended their majors-best winning streak to 11 games – the club’s longest in 66 years – by rallying past the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.
Cincinnati, which trailed 3-0 after four innings, has its longest winning streak since taking 12 straight in 1957. The NL Central-leading Reds (40-35) have swept three straight three-game series and won five consecutive series overall.
‘It is very inspiring to be around,’ manager David Bell said. ‘It is happening in the clubhouse. It´s happening on the field, and what´s happening in the ballpark, our fans, it´s seeing them enjoy the game. It means a lot to us.’
Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz hit a one-out bloop to left that fell for a double against Daniel Bard (3-1), and Fraley hit the next pitch over the wall in right. It was the Reds’ majors-best 12th comeback win of the season and sent the Rockies to their season-worst eighth straight loss.
‘It is fun when it’s your turn, but I´d argue that it is just as fun watching other guys do it, too,’ said Fraley, whose homer was his ninth this season. ‘I think every guy in that clubhouse would say the same thing. I feel blessed to be a part of a team like this.’
Cincinnati Reds’ Jake Fraley runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth
Andrew Abbott – the first pitcher since the mound was moved to its current spot in 1893 to begin his career with three straight scoreless starts of more than five innings – allowed the first run of his career when Brenton Doyle led off with a homer.
But the rookie left-hander was solid from there, striking out a career-high 10 in six innings and giving up three runs, all on solo homers. Abbott struck out the side in the sixth.
‘I didn´t feel bad. Guys are going to score off you,’ Abbott said. ‘It´s bound to happen. The biggest thing for me was how do I respond when it does happen. There were three for me today. I tried to stay composed and tried to give my team five, six, maybe seven innings and we didn´t tax the bullpen any more.’
Abbott combined with Lucas Sims, Ian Gibaut and Buck Farmer to hold the Rockies scoreless after the fourth. Gibaut (8-1) pitched around a leadoff single in the eighth and Farmer worked the ninth for his second save in five tries. The Rockies struck out 15 times.
‘I really liked our approach,’ Colorado manager Bud Black said. ‘We just couldn’t get the barrel to the ball. Abbott’s got a good arm and the bullpen and did a nice job.’
Doyle drove Abbott’s 0-1 pitch to the right-field seats for his first homer since he hit two against Cincinnati on May 15 at Colorado. Abbott had begun his career with 17 2/3 scoreless innings.
Eiehuris Montero made it 2-0 when he connected in the second, his first homer since March 30. Randal Grichuk homered to left in the fourth, his first longball since May 7.
Cincinnati tied it in the fifth on Luke Maile’s bases-loaded single and TJ Friedl’s run-scoring single.
Colorado concluded a 10-day trip and gets Thursday off.
‘It does come at a good time,’ Black said. ‘Our guys have been playing hard and played with a lot energy. I think it comes as breather for the guys – get off their feet and exhale.’
Reds’ TJ Friedl hits an RBI-single during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies
GIANTS 4, PADRES 2
Sean Hjelle pitched four shutout innings of relief to help the San Francisco Giants extend their winning streak to 10 games, beating Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 4-2 on.
Joc Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski added RBI singles, and the Giants turned four double plays to keep their longest win streak since 2004 intact.
San Francisco also benefited from an overturned call at home plate in the fifth.
Blake Sabol of the Giants appeared to be thrown out sliding into home by a strong throw from Fernando Tatis Jr. on Pederson´s two-out single to right. Sabol was initially ruled out but the call was changed following a lengthy review when umpires cited San Diego catcher Gary Sanchez for blocking the plate. Frustrated Padres manager Bob Melvin came out to argue but was unsuccessful.
Luis Matos, right, runs past San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (11) after scoring in the fifth
TIGERS 9, ROYALS 4
Zack Short homered and drove in three runs, Javier Báez got his 1,000th hit and Detroit sent slumping Kansas City to its 15th loss in 18 games.
Matthew Boyd (5-5) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings for Detroit. He struck out seven without a walk.
Brady Singer (4-7) lost his third straight decision, giving up five runs, seven hits and a walk in seven innings.
Báez put the Tigers ahead 4-2 in the third, driving in Kerry Carpenter with his 1,000th hit.
Tigers’ Javier Baez runs to first after hitting a RBI single during for his 1,000th career hit
RAYS 7, ORIOLES 2
Rookie Taj Bradley allowed one run over a career-high six innings, Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes homered, and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore to split a two-game series between the top two teams in the AL East.
Bradley (5-3) gave up three hits and struck out eight.
Arozarena and Paredes started a four-run second with consecutive homers against Tyler Wells (6-3), who also made two errors during the inning.
Arozarena had an RBI single in a two-run seventh as Tampa Bay improved to 32-8 at home and stopped a season-long three-game skid overall.
Ramón Urías and Gunnar Henderson homered for the Orioles, who are five back of the first-place Rays.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley delivers to the Baltimore Orioles during the first
YANKEES 4, MARINERS 2
Jhonny Brito pitched a career-high 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a return to the major leagues and New York beat Seattle.
Fill-ins Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney homered off Luis Castillo (4-6) as the Yankees won a series for the first time since placing Aaron Judge on the injured list. New York is 6-8 with Judge out of the lineup and had not won a series since taking two of three from the Dodgers in Los Angeles 2 1/2 weeks ago.
Rookie Anthony Volpe added his 10th homer in the seventh after nearly missing a homer in the third.
Brito (4-3) allowed two hits, struck out three, walked one and reached the sixth inning for the first time as a starter. Tommy Kahnle earned his sixth career save.
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe hits a solo home run off Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Gabe Speier
GUARDIANS 7, ATHLETICS 6
Rookie Bo Naylor scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a throwing error, Gavin Williams pitched 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut and Cleveland beat Oakland.
Naylor singled for his first hit in the majors – snapping an 0-for-19 drought – and scored on Steven Kwan´s one-out double. Myles Straw was the first to score on Kwan´s hit, which turned into a two-run play when right fielder Ramón Laureano wildly flung the ball back to the infield.
Williams, the Guardians´ consensus top prospect and 2021 first-round pick, allowed four runs on four hits – all in the third – while striking out four. The right-hander maxed out at 98 mph, topping 96 mph on 18 of his 84 pitches.
Eli Morgan (3-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, and Emmanuel Clase finished for his MLB-leading 22nd save. Austin Pruitt (1-5) gave up two runs, one earned, in one inning for MLB-worst Oakland (19-57), which lost its seventh straight.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams delivers during the first inning vs Oakland
ASTROS 10, METS 8
Alex Bregman had three hits and Yainer Diaz and Chas McCormick hit two-run homers to help Houston outlast New York to win the three-game series.
Houston fell behind 4-2 early after a subpar start by Cristian Javier. McCormick´s home run came in a four-run third inning that put the Astros on top. The Mets tied it in the top of the fourth, but the Astros went ahead for good by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Diaz´s home run.
Daniel Vogelbach had a season-high three hits with three RBIs and Pete Alonso hit his 23rd homer as the Mets dropped a second straight game after winning the series opener 11-1.
Mauricio Dubón doubled with one out in the fourth and scored on a two-out single by Bregman to put the Astros up 7-6. Diaz sent the next pitch from Dominic Leone (2-2) into left-center for his third homer in five games to make it 9-6.
Javier struggled with command, allowing four hits and four runs with a career-high five walks in just 2 1/3 innings. Phil Maton (1-2) struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win and Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save.
Astros’ Yainer Diaz celebrates with Alex Bregman after they both scored on Diaz’s home run
NATIONALS 3, CARDINALS 0
Trevor Williams outpitched Miles Mikolas in steady rain, CJ Abrams went 3 for 3 with a homer and Washington beat St. Louis to end a five-game skid.
With the rain getting heavier in the fifth inning, Abrams sent a 1-0 fastball from Mikolas (4-5) into the visitors´ bullpen in left-center. Jeimer Candelario drove in runs for Washington with a double in the sixth and a grounder in the eighth.
Williams (4-4) allowed five hits and threw 75 pitches while working into the seventh inning for the first time this year as he cooled off the Cardinals, who had won four straight. St. Louis was shut out for the seventh time this season.
Hunter Harvey pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams delivers during the first inning vs St. Louis
CUBS 8, PIRATES 3
Kyle Hendricks pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Nico Hoerner homered, tripled and drove in three runs and Chicago beat Pittsburgh to complete a three-game sweep.
Hendricks (3-2) won his third consecutive start for the Cubs, who have won eight of nine to give them some serious momentum heading into a weekend series against rival St. Louis in London, England, starting on Saturday.
Hoerner hit a two-run triple off Rich Hill (6-7) in the third and added a solo home run in the seventh. Ian Happ doubled twice and drove in two runs.
The Pirates have dropped nine straight, their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide from June 6-16, 2021. The franchise was in full-on rebuilding mode then. Pittsburgh believes it is drawing closer to becoming a contender but the good vibes that came with a promising 19-9 start have faded over the past two weeks. The Pirates are 15-30 over their past 45 games.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks delivers during the first inning of baseball
BLUE JAYS 6, MARLINS 3
Matt Chapman homered and doubled, Kevin Gausman pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball and Toronto beat Miami.
Cavan Biggio stepped in for late scratch Bo Bichette and doubled and singled for the Blue Jays. Bichette, who leads the American League in hits with 101 and played in Toronto´s first 75 games, sat out because of left thumb discomfort.
Luis Arraez went 2 for 5 for the Marlins and is hitting a major league-leading .398.
Gausman (7-3) allowed eight hits and struck out six in his 12th start of six or more innings. Jordan Romano picked up his 22nd save.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara had another rough outing. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner gave up five runs and 10 hits over seven innings as his ERA increased to 5.08. Alcantara (2-6) has allowed double-digit hits in each of his past two starts.
Blue Jays’ Matt Chapman celebrates after scoring on a solo home run during the eighth inning
DIAMONDBACKS 5, BREWERS 1
Zac Gallen pitched seven strong innings for his ninth win and Arizona took two out of three games from Milwaukee in the series.
Gallen (9-2) limited the Brewers to one run and three hits. He walked one and struck out four. He allowed a solo home run to Raimel Tapia in the fifth inning.
Scott McGough pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to close out the victory and pick up his fourth save.
The NL West-leading Diamondbacks broke through in the sixth against Brewers reliever Elvis Peguero (1-1). Pavin Smith walked with one out and scored to tie it when center fielder Joey Wiemer failed to cleanly field Emmanuel Rivera´s sharply hit single up the middle. Rivera scored on Alek Thomas´ line-drive single to right to give Arizona a 2-1 lead.
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen throws during the first inning of baseball
TWINS 5, RED SOX 4, 10 INNINGS
Kyle Farmer hit a game-winning single that scored automatic runner Willi Castro from third base and Minnesota beat Boston.
Farmer´s line drive fell in front of Jarren Duran, who was playing shallow in center field, scoring Castro and snapping Minnesota´s three-game losing streak. Michael A Taylor dropped a sacrifice bunt that moved Castro to third base, setting up the potential winning run.
Max Kepler homered for the second straight game for the Twins and added an RBI single. Minnesota had lost five of its last six games.
Reliever Jovani Moran (1-2) earned the win for the Twins. Kaleb Ort (1-1) took the loss for the Red Sox.
Minnesota Twins’ Kyle Farmer, celebrates with Byron Buxton after driving in the winning run
RANGERS 6, WHITE SOX 3
Jonah Heim hit a three-run homer a night after he was involved in a controversial play at the plate and Texas beat Chicago.
Ezequiel Duran also connected as Texas won for the fourth time in five games. Martín Pérez (7-3) pitched seven effective innings in his first victory in a month.
The AL West leaders bounced back nicely after a frustrating 7-6 loss Tuesday night. Chicago scored the winning run in its three-run eighth when Heim was called for illegally blocking the plate in a replay review that overturned umpire D.J. Reyburn´s out call.
Andrew Vaughn hit a solo homer for the slumping White Sox, and Michael Kopech (3-6) lasted just four innings in his shortest start of the season. Chicago has dropped eight of 11.
Texas Rangers’ Jonah Heim reacts after his three-run home run against the Chicago White Sox
DODGERS 2, ANGELS 0
Freddie Freeman hit his 14th homer off Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning, and seven relievers combined on a two-hitter in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ second straight shutout victory in the Freeway Series, 2-0 over the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani (6-3) pitched seven innings of five-hit ball with two walks and 12 strikeouts, one off his career high. The two-way superstar was outstanding in his first career mound start against the Dodgers, who are likely to be one of his most ardent suitors in free agency this winter.
But Ohtani went 0 for 7 at the plate in these two rivalry games against the Dodgers, while Mike Trout went 0 for 8.
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