Depleted Nationals hold on to beat Reds 7-6
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trea Turner and Matt Adams homered, Erick Fedde pitched well after allowing a solo shot on the game’s first pitch and the depleted Washington Nationals held on to edge the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 Monday night.
Washington led 7-2 but blew most of that advantage before Sean Doolittle got his 27th save in 32 chances. He entered in the ninth with a 7-4 lead, but the struggling lefty closer’s first pitch of the evening became Phillip Ervin’s pinch-hit homer. The next batter singled, and came around on Joey Votto’s two-out double off the wall in left. Doolittle finally ended things on Josh VanMeter’s foul pop to third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Coming off a 5-4 trip that left them tied for the lead in the NL wild-card race, the Nationals opened a six-game homestand without three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, left fielder Juan Soto or first baseman Ryan Zimmerman — all injured — while second baseman Brian Dozier was ill and limited to pinch-hitting duty.
Washington trailed quickly as Jesse Winker drove a sinker from Fedde to left for his 16th homer — and third leading off a game this season.
Fedde (3-2) settled down and ended up going six innings, giving up two runs and six hits.
Anthony DeSclafani (7-7) took the loss.
TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Drury hit his first career grand slam, Justin Smoak had a two-run homer among his three extra-base hits, and Toronto routed Texas.
Bo Bichette had the first four-hit game of his career and Randal Grichuk had three hits, including a solo homer, as the Blue Jays won for the 10th time in 15 games.
Drury had five RBI, while Smoak and Grichuk each had four. Danny Jansen had a two-run homer.
Toronto scored eight runs in the fourth, its biggest inning since an eight-run outburst against Seattle on Sept. 20, 2016.
Nomar Mazara, Willie Calhoun and Rougned Odor hit solo home runs but Texas lost for the fifth time in six games.
Ariel Jurado (6-8) allowed career-highs of eight runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Brock Stewart (2-0) pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits.
YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5, 1ST GAME
YANKEES 11, ORIOLES 8, 2ND GAME
NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres hit three more home runs, including a pair of three-run drives in the night game that gave him 13 of New York’s record 59 long balls against Baltimore this season, and the Yankees completed a doubleheader sweep.
The Yankees’ winning streak against the Orioles is 14 games.
Gio Urshela had six hits in the twinbill, including a 461-foot homer in the opener.
Torres set a big league record with his fifth multihomer game against a team in a season, breaking a tie with Ralph Kiner (1947), Gus Zernial (1951) and Roy Sievers (1955). His 26 homers are two more than his total as a rookie last year, and the 13 against Baltimore matched Roger Maris in 1961 against Cleveland for the second-most against one team in a season by a Yankees player, one behind Lou Gehrig’s total in 1936 versus Cleveland.
Didi Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the day game and had four RBIs. Urshela, Torres and Cameron Maybin added solo shots, all off Gabriel Ynoa (1-7).
Brett Gardner hit a three-run triple off Ty Blach (0-1) in the first inning of the night game and Mike Ford had a solo homer.
James Paxton (8-6) started the opener and won a third straight start. Left-hander Joe Mantiply (1-0) got his first big league win in his Yankees debut.
