SportMLB roundup: Shohei Ohtani (HR, SB) helps Dodgers edge D-backs

Will Smith hit a three-run homer, Freddie Freeman belted a two-run shot and Shohei Ohtani hit a solo blast to help the Los Angeles Dodgers record a wild 10-9 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night in Phoenix.

Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw departed in the second inning due to pain in his left big toe. Kershaw allowed three runs, three hits and one walk while recording three outs. After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw has been dealing with a bone spur in his toe and that the club is preparing for a possible move to the injured list.

Ohtani’s blast was his 43rd of the season. He also stole his 43rd base as he bids to become the first 50-50 man in major league history.

Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez homered for the Diamondbacks, who have lost three of their past four games. Arizona fell into a virtual tie with the Padres for the NL’s top wild-card berth.

Brewers 5, Reds 4 (Game 1, 10 innings)

Sal Frelick grounded into a double play to score automatic runner Eric Haase with the go-ahead run as visiting Milwaukee edged Cincinnati in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Trevor McGill (1-3) allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth to earn the win for the Brewers while Devin Williams pitched a scoreless 10th for his seventh save in eight chances.

Nick Martinez allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts for the Reds.

Brewers 14, Reds 0 (Game 2)

Left-hander DL Hall tossed seven shutout innings as an emergency starter and Milwaukee belted four homers in a victory over host Cincinnati, completing a sweep of the day-night doubleheader.

William Contreras and Willy Adames homered in a 10-run ninth to blow open the game and lead the Brewers to their fourth straight win. Position player Luke Maile was called on in the ninth to record the final two outs and surrendered six runs on six hits. With the doubleheader sweep, Milwaukee has claimed eight of the teams’ 11 meetings.

With three starters on the injured list, Cincinnati turned to its top pitching prospect, right-hander Rhett Lowder, to make his MLB debut. Lowder struggled with command and control, but showed tenacity while allowing just one run on two hits in four innings, walking four and striking out six.

Red Sox 7, Tigers 5 (10 innings)

Ceddanne Rafaela blasted a two-run homer in the 10th inning as Boston beat host Detroit.

Jarren Duran doubled twice and added a solo homer in the 10th for the Red Sox, and Connor Wong supplied a double and a homer while driving in two runs.

Kerry Carpenter homered and drove in four runs for the Tigers, who erased a four-run deficit. Jake Rogers had a game-tying double off Jansen in the ninth.

Cubs 7, Nationals 6

Cody Bellinger’s two-run homer capped a seven-run second inning, Keegan Thompson struck out Dylan Crews with the potential tying and winning runs on base in the ninth and visiting Chicago held on to beat Washington.

Michael Busch and Ian Happ each had two hits and an RBI and Pete Crow-Armstrong smacked a two-run double for the Cubs, who have won four straight and seven of their past eight as they chase a National League wild-card spot.

Chicago’s Shota Imanaga (11-3) allowed three runs on four hits over six innings. He walked one, struck out eight and retired 11 straight in one stretch. Crews, who made his debut on Monday, hit his second homer in four games for Washington.

Braves 7, Phillies 2

Reynaldo Lopez threw six quality innings and Orlando Arcia hit a pair of home runs, helping Atlanta beat host Philadelphia.

Lopez (8-4) allowed just one run on four hits while striking out six and walking one, guiding the Braves to their 10th win in 13 games. Sean Murphy also homered as the Braves evened the four-game series and cut the Phillies’ National League East lead to five games.

Bryce Harper finished 3-for-4 for the Phillies, while Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto each had solo homers. Starter Ranger Suarez (11-6) was replaced after four innings of four-run, five-hit ball.

Athletics 9, Rangers 2

JJ Bleday hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs, Brent Rooker added a pair of solo homers and Oakland opened a three-game series against Texas with a win in Arlington, Texas.

Shea Langeliers also homered for the Athletics, who have won four of their past five games. JP Sears (11-9) tossed seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits.

Nathaniel Lowe homered for Texas, which had its three-game win streak snapped. Carson Kelly had two of the Rangers’ seven hits.

Guardians 10, Pirates 8

Josh Naylor had three hits and four RBIs before leaving late with an injury, Jhonkensy Noel and Andres Gimenez hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning and Cleveland defeated visiting Pittsburgh.

Emmanuel Clase allowed a run in the ninth inning but still recorded his 40th save of the season, and record 150th for Cleveland. Cody Allen had 149 saves for the franchise from 2012-18.

Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer, Andrew McCutchen also went deep and Oneil Cruz and McCutchen each had three RBIs for the Pirates, who have allowed 51 runs during their four-game losing streak.

Orioles 5, Rockies 3

Emmanuel Rivera homered, singled and finished with three RBIs as Baltimore beat Colorado in Denver.

Albert Suarez (7-4) scattered eight hits and allowed two runs in seven innings. Seranthony Dominguez got the final three outs for his eighth save for the Orioles, who snapped a two-game skid.

Brendan Rodgers had two hits, including a homer, and Ryan McMahon also contributed two hits for the Rockies, who have dropped two straight and three of their past four.

Astros 3, Royals 2

Jose Altuve hit a walk-off double with two outs in the ninth inning as Houston recovered from a gut punch in the top of that frame to beat visiting Kansas City.

Astros left-hander Framber Valdez threw seven no-hit innings and nearly tossed his second no-hitter for the second time this season. He logged 8 2/3 no-hit innings against the Texas Rangers on Aug. 6 and tossed his first career no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 1, 2023.

Paul DeJong drove in both runs and had one of the two hits for the Royals, who have lost three in a row.

Yankees 6, Cardinals 3

Austin Wells homered twice and Marcus Stroman pitched seven innings for his third straight win as host New York topped St. Louis.

Wells hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the third inning for the Yankees, then belted another two-run drive in the eighth. Meanwhile, Stroman allowed two runs and survived tying a season high by allowing nine hits while completing seven innings for the first time since May 31. The right-hander struck out five, walked none and got seven groundouts.

Paul Goldschmidt had three hits off Stroman, and his RBI single put St. Louis ahead 2-1 in the third. Brendan Donovan also had a run-scoring single for the Cardinals, who are 0-7 all-time in the regular season against the Yankees in New York.

Padres 13, Rays 5

Manny Machado homered among his three hits and drove in four runs, fueling San Diego to a victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

David Peralta belted a two-run homer, Xander Bogaerts also went deep and Donovan Solano had a two-run single and drove in three to highlight San Diego’s 13-hit attack. Starter Martin Perez (4-5) overcame a rocky beginning to pick up the win after allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four.

Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz belted a two-run homer among his two hits before exiting due to left knee patellar tendinitis. Taylor Walls had a two-run single for the Rays, who fell for the sixth time in their past eight. Taj Bradley (6-9) permitted eight runs on as many hits in 2 1/3 innings to fall to 0-5 in his past six starts.

Mets 5, White Sox 1

Tylor Megill pitched 5 1/3 strong innings in his return to the rotation, J.D. Martinez homered and Jesse Winker had three hits to lift visiting New York to a win against Chicago.

New York won for the third time in four games to remain three games behind the Braves for the third National League wild-card spot. Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before the contest, Megill (3-5) yielded one run and five hits in his first major league action since July 31.

Chicago managed just five hits en route to its eighth straight defeat. The White Sox took their 105th loss and are one shy of tying the franchise record set in 1970. They must win 12 of their remaining 26 games to avoid matching the 1962 Mets for the most losses in modern major league history (120).

Giants 3, Marlins 1

Matt Chapman lined a two-out, two-strike, bases-clearing double in the eighth inning, rallying San Francisco over visiting Miami in the opener of a three-game series.

The Giants, who began a six-game homestand, snapped a two-game losing streak, reached .500 at 68-68 and remained 6 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the final National League wild-card playoff spot.

Marlins starter Adam Oller allowed two hits and two walks, striking out eight in six shutout innings.

Twins 2, Blue Jays 0

Pablo Lopez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings to lead Minnesota to a win over Toronto in Minneapolis.

Lopez (13-8) scattered six hits, walked none and struck out three. Carlos Santana and Willi Castro drove in one run apiece for Minnesota, which snapped a four-game losing streak. The Twins entered the series opener with eight losses in their past 10 games.

Leo Jimenez and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece to lead the Blue Jays at the plate. All seven of Toronto’s hits were singles. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (12-10) gave up two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four.

Mariners 9, Angels 5

Seattle benefited from an error that led to five unearned runs in the first inning and cruised to a victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Julio Rodriguez reached base four times with a home run and three walks, and Victor Robles had three hits from the No. 9 spot, but an error by Angels shortstop Zach Neto in the first sparked the Mariners’ win. George Kirby (10-10) gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings but picked up the victory.

Angels starter Samuel Aldegheri made history when he threw the first pitch of the game in the top of the first inning, becoming the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to pitch in a major league game. Aldegheri (0-1) gave up seven runs (two earned) in five innings.

–Field Level Media