TORONTO (AP) — Freddy Peralta pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 16th win, Andruw Monasterio hit a solo home run and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 on Friday night in the opener of a series matching the top teams in the National and American leagues.

Peralta (16-5) allowed one hit, a two-out double by Alejandro Kirk in the second inning. He struck out eight and walked one. The right-hander went 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA in five August starts.

Andrew Vaughn had three hits and drove in two runs for the Brewers, who are 20-8 in August with two games remaining this month.

Making his second start for the Blue Jays, Shane Bieber (1-1) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked none and struck out six.

Monasterio homered off Bieber to begin the sixth, his fourth. Brice Turang singled and William Contreras flew out before Brendon Little came on to face Christian Yelich, who walked. Vaughn followed with an RBI single and Little exited after striking out Sal Frelick.

Caleb Durbin greeted Louis Varland with an RBI single and Isaac Collins capped the five-run inning with a two-RBI double.

PHILLIES 2, BRAVES 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on Alec Bohm’s sacrifice fly and NL East-leading Philadelphia defeated Atlanta.

Schwarber, who became the 21st player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game on Thursday, hit a one-out single in this one, went to third on Bryce Harper’s single off Dylan Lee (2-4) and scored on Bohm’s flyout to right field off Pierce Johnson.

Jhoan Duran pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in nine chances since joining Philadelphia at the trade deadline, and 24th in 26 tries overall this season.

Orion Kerkering (7-4) tossed a scoreless eighth after Matt Strahm and David Robertson each didn’t allow a run in one inning. Phillies starter Ranger Suárez tied his season high with 10 hits allowed, but surrendered just one run — thanks in part to three inning-ending double plays.

A night after becoming the fourth Phillies player to go deep four times in a game, Schwarber grounded out, walked and popped out to shortstop before his eighth-inning hit. He leads the NL in homers (49) and RBIs (119) and received “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants when introduced by PA announcer Dan Baker.

Matt Olson had three hits for the Braves, who finished with 12 total. Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy had doubles.

PIRATES 4, RED SOX 2

BOSTON (AP) — Paul Skenes pitched six strong innings, and Tommy Pham and Andrew McCutchen hit back-to-back doubles after the Pirates chased Boston phenom Payton Tolle in his major league debut, rallying Pittsburgh to a victory.

Skenes (9-9) allowed one earned run on seven hits and a walk, striking out six in six innings. Dennis Santana pitched the ninth to earn his 11th save and give the last-place Pirates their seventh win in nine games.

Called up earlier in the day when World Series clincher Walker Buehler was released, Tolle had a one-hitter through five innings and was lifted after allowing back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth. After shaking hands with manager Alex Cora on the mound, Tolle walked off to a standing ovation, looking to the sky as he left the field.

Pham followed with a line drive off Greg Weissert (6-5) over the center fielder’s head, tying the game 2-all and depriving Tolle of the victory. McCutchen, who had three hits in the game, then doubled to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead.

Romy Gonzalez had three hits for Boston and Roman Anthony had two, including a solo homer. The Red Sox had won four in a row and seven of their last eight.

RAYS 4, NATIONALS 1

WASHINGTON (AP) — Everson Pereira hit his first career home run, Brandon Lowe had a two-run shot and Tampa Bay beat Washington.

Yandy Díaz had a two-out single off Mitchell Parker (7-15) in the first inning and Lowe hit a 402-foot homer for a 2-0 lead.

Pereira hit a leadoff shot in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. He also drew a two-out walk from PJ Poulin in the ninth and scored on Chandler Simpson’s single.

Brian Van Belle (1-0) got his first win with two scoreless innings in his second big league appearance. Pete Fairbanks struck out Riley Adams with two on in the ninth for his 23rd save.

Luis García Jr.’s sacrifice fly off Adrian Houser in the first drove in the only run for the Nationals, who have lost six in a row. CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews had three hits apiece.

Houser left after four innings, allowing a run on six hits and three walks. He is 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA since coming to the Nationals from the White Sox at the trade deadline.

Parker allowed three runs and six hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

GUARDIANS 5, MARINERS 4

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brayan Rocchio singled in Nolan Jones with the tying run, then scored on Steven Kwan’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning in Cleveland’s victory over Seattle.

Jones led off the ninth with a double and came around on Rocchio’s soft hit to left, with left fielder Randy Arozarena throwing the ball away to allow Rocchio to advance to third.

Tim Herrin (5-3) pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory that pulled Cleveland within four games of Seattle for the final AL wild-card position. Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz (3-2) recorded one out and gave up two runs, one unearned.

The Guardians trailed 4-0 after five innings before Kyle Manzardo homered in the sixth and Jones added another solo shot in the seventh, both off George Kirby. Angel Martínez pulled the Guardians to 4-3 in the eighth, singling home José Ramírez.

The Mariners scored four times in the first against Logan Allen. Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez drove in runs before Jorge Polanco cleared the fence in left with his 21st home run of the season.

CARDINALS 7, REDS 5, 10 INNINGS

CINCINNATI (AP) — Masyn Winn drove in three runs, Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés each homered and St. Louis took advantage of Elly De La Cruz’s throwing error in the 10th inning to beat Cincinnati.

With the game tied at 5, Willson Contreras hit a grounder off Tony Santillan (1-5) to De La Cruz and the shortstop bounced his throw to Spencer Steer, who couldn’t handle it at first base and allowed Nathan Church to score the go-ahead run. It was De La Cruz’s 22nd error, the most in baseball.

Winn drove in Contreras two batters later to make it 7-5.

Matt Svanson (3-0) got the win. Ryan Fernandez got three outs, including De La Cruz on a strikeout to end the game, for his first save of the season.

De La Cruz doubled, tripled and scored twice for the Reds, who lost their fourth in a row. Ke’Bryan Hayes’ solo homer in the eighth tied it at 5 for Cincinnati. Steer and Noelvi Marte homered earlier.

Reds starter Zach Littell allowed four runs in the first three innings, then retired 14 consecutive batters.

METS 19, MARLINS 9

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonah Tong allowed one earned run in five innings in his major league debut and the New York Mets hit six homers and set a franchise record for runs in a home game in a victory over Miami.

Tong (1-0) received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 42,112 when he took the mound for a six-pitch first inning. The 22-year-old Canadian right-hander had a 5-0 lead when he returned for the second, and the Mets made it 12-0 in the bottom of the inning.

With an over-the-top delivery that has drawn comparisons to Tim Lincecum, Tong struck out six without a walk. He threw 63 of 97 pitches for strikes.

In the bottom of the first against Eury Pérez (6-4), Juan Soto hit a two-run homer and Brandon Nimmo had a three-run shot before an out was recorded.

Pete Alonso had a two-run homer in the second. Nimmo added a solo shot in the sixth before Mark Vientos went deep and Luis Torrens slugged a three-run shot in a six-run eighth off infielder Javier Sanjoja.

Tong allowed all four runs in the fifth following fielding errors by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. Lindor dropped a throw from second baseman Brett Baty on a force attempt and Alonso misplayed a grounder by Jacob Marsee.

YANKEES 10, WHITE SOX 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Trent Grisham hit a grand slam, Carlos Rodón pitched six effective innings and the New York Yankees beat Chicago for its season-high sixth consecutive win.

Anthony Volpe also homered and drove in three runs as New York improved its position in the bunched AL East. Austin Wells and Ben Rice each hit an RBI single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked twice and scored two runs.

The Yankees (75-60) moved into second place in the division, a half-game ahead of Boston and three back of Toronto. The Red Sox lost 4-2 to Pittsburgh, and the Blue Jays lost 7-2 to Milwaukee.

Rodón (15-7) permitted one run and seven hits in his fourth consecutive win. It was the left-hander’s first start at Rate Field since he departed the White Sox in free agency after the 2021 season.

ASTROS 2, ANGELS 0

HOUSTON (AP) — Cristian Javier didn’t give up a hit in six innings and three relievers completed the two-hitter to help Houston to a win over Los Angeles.

Javier struck out six, walked three and threw 85 pitches in six innings. He was making his fourth start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024.

He was relieved by Enyel De Los Santos (5-3) who gave up a double to Yoan Moncada for the Angels’ first hit of the game, but secured the win.

Kaleb Ort secured a four-out save — his first save of the season — after relieving Craig Kimbrel in the eighth. Kimbrel walked three and threw eight strikes in 25 pitches. Ort secured a fly out from Jo Adell to end the eighth, then finished with a perfect ninth.

Carlos Correa broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh that scored Yordan Alvarez. The Astros were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position before that hit off losing pitcher Luis García Jr. (2-1).

TWINS 7, PADRES 4

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota took advantage of a chaotic fourth inning that included a two-run error and the ejection of Padres starting pitcher Nestor Cortes in a win over San Diego.

Cortes was tossed during a mound visit following a walk to Twins left fielder Austin Martin. Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez walked toward the mound to break up the visit and eventually ejected the Padres starter.

Cortes (2-3) was replaced by Wandy Peralta, who allowed both inherited runners to score on an error by second baseman Jake Cronenworth.

Minnesota added a pair of runs in the fifth, including a solo homer by Royce Lewis. San Diego answered with two runs in the seventh on a single by Fernando Tatis Jr. to cut it to a 7-4 game, but former Twin Luis Arraez lined into an inning-ending double play.

Twins starter Zebby Matthews (4-4) pitched six solid innings for Minnesota. He allowed three runs and didn’t walk a batter to earn the win. Kody Funderburk got his second career save.

TIGERS 5, ROYALS 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter hit two-run doubles and Dillon Dingler hit a solo homer as Detroit rallied to beat Kansas City.

After Tigers starter Chris Paddack allowed three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings, four relievers shut out the Royals on four hits. Kansas City was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position over in the final five innings.

Kyle Finnegan (4-4) worked 1 2/3 innings of relief and got five outs, striking out three. Will Vest erned his 20th save.

The Royals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Mike Yastrzemski led off the first with a first-pitch homer, his 11th career leadoff homer and fourth since joining the Royals on July 31st. Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a single, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. One out later, Maikel Garcia’s 14th home run gave Kansas City a three-run lead.

Greene and Gleyber Torres each had three hits and the top four hitters in Detroit’s lineup collected nine hits. Dingler hit his 12th homer of the season in the eighth inning.

Seth Lugo (8-7) scuffled through 3 1/3 innings, allowing multiple baserunners each inning while surrendering four runs on eight hits and four walks.

CUBS 11, ROCKIES 7

DENVER (AP) — Dansby Swanson hit two homers and drove in a season-high six runs as Chicago beat Colorado to keep pace with NL Central-leading Milwaukee.

Swanson had the 10th multi-homer game of his career and first since Aug. 1, 2023, against Cincinnati.

Ian Happ homered and doubled twice and Michael Busch also went deep for Chicago, which ended a three-game skid and remained 6 1/2 games behind the Brewers, who beat Toronto 7-2 on Friday night.

Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton (9-4) allowed two runs on six hits in five innings with four strikeouts.

Colorado starter German Marquez (3-12) was activated from the 15-day injured list to make his first start since July 20th. He struggled through 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits with three walks.

Swanson gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second inning with his first homer and had a bases-loaded triple off the wall in right-center in a six-run fifth inning that made it 8-2.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, DODGERS 0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zac Gallen allowed only to two hits over six innings, Blaze Alexander hit a two-run homer and Arizona beat Los Angeles to end the its four-game winning streak.

The Dodgers maintained their two-game lead in the NL West after second-place San Diego lost, 7-4 at Minnesota.

Gallen (10-13) struck out every batter at least once except Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the teams’ first meeting since May 21. The right-hander had eight strikeouts and three walks.

Jake Woodford pitched the ninth for his second save.

Ohtani’s infield base hit in the third was bobbled by first baseman Tyler Locklear. The Dodgers didn’t have another hit until Betts’ two-out double in the sixth that put their first runner on second in the game.

Alexander’s two-out, two-run shot traveled 400 feet to left in the fourth, scoring Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who singled, giving Arizona a 2-0 lead.

Corbin Carroll doubled leading off the sixth and scored on Gabriel Moreno’s RBI single that chased Snell (3-3), who was pitching for the first time since becoming a father for the second time recently.

Snell gave up three runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight and walking three to go with two wild pitches.

RANGERS 5, ATHLETICS 2

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jonah Heim and rookie Michael Helman hit home runs to back a strong start by Jack Leiter, and Texas beat the Athletics.

Leiter (9-7) struck out seven in six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks. Hoby Milner retired all four batters he faced, and Shawn Armstrong got the final five outs for his fifth save.

Texas grabbed a 2-0 lead off Jeffrey Springs (10-9) in the second on a sacrifice fly by Heim and a two-out base hit by Dylan Moore, who was thrown out trying for a double. Moore was playing his first game for the Rangers after being designated for assignment by the division-rival Mariners on Aug. 23.

Heim hit his 10th homer — a solo shot in the fifth to put the Rangers up 3-2. Helman hit his third home run in his first 23 at-bats — a two-run shot after pinch hitter Rowdy Tellez reached on a one-out error at second by Zack Gelof for a 5-2 lead.

Lawrence Butler led off the third with a single for the A’s. Gelof had a one-out base hit and Nick Kurtz walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Brent Rooker tied it 2-2 with a two-out double.

Springs gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Michael Kelly got two outs and surrendered Helman’s homer.

GIANTS 15, ORIOLES 8

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Willy Adames and Luis Matos each had four of San Francisco’s 18 hits, Dominic Smith homered and drove in four runs and the Giants extended their winning streak to six with a romp over Baltimore.

The Giants have outscored the opposition 47-20 during their streak. They set season highs for runs and hits Friday, with each batter having at least one hit.

The Orioles have lost five straight and eight of nine.

San Francisco got to Dean Kremer (9-10) for four runs in the first inning. Matos’ two-run single highlighted the surge. Matos also hit a solo homer off Corbin Martin in the fifth.

An inning earlier, Smith took Martin deep to right for a two-run blast. Smith also had an RBI single to cap a four-run seventh. The Giants scored in all eight innings in which they batted except the sixth.

Spencer Bivens (3-3) was the winner in relief.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025