Sports Desk
Boston: The visiting Atlanta Braves got a three-homer performance for the second straight night, this time by Adam Duvall in a 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
The result gave Atlanta a three-game sweep of Boston, the first time the Braves swept three from the Red Sox since 2002.
Duvall matched the three-homer effort by Marcell Ozuna on Tuesday, when he became the first National League player to hit three home runs in a game at Fenway Park. Duvall and Ozuna became the first pair of Atlanta players with three-plus-homer games in the same season since Bob Horner and Ken Griffey Sr. did it in 1986.
Atlanta starter Robbie Erlin pitched four innings and allowed five runs on six hits. The winning pitcher was Tyler Matzek (3-2), who struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Boston’s opener was Robinson Leyer, who worked one shutout inning. The losing pitcher was Andrew Triggs (0-1), who allowed three runs, including two homers, in three innings.
Padres 11, Angels 4
Jason Castro’s two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and sparked an eight-run rally to lead San Diego past Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Castro, who entered the game hitting .192, was an Angel all season until Monday, when he was traded to the Padres for a minor league pitcher. The Angels held Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. hitless, but he walked twice, including once with the bases loaded that drove in the Padres’ sixth run of the game.
Manny Machado’s two-run single and Eric Hosmer’s three-run homer — both off Noe Ramirez — capped San Diego’s eight-run eighth inning. Mike Trout hit a two-run homer in the third inning, giving him 13 home runs, tied for the major league lead, along with Tatis, the Yankees’ Luke Voit and the Twins’ Nelson Cruz.
Indians 5, Royals 0
Triston McKenzie threw six shutout innings, and Tyler Naquin had three hits, two home runs and five RBIs as Cleveland defeated Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.
McKenzie (2-0), who came within one strikeout of a team record for a pitching debut when he struck out 10 Tigers in six innings in his debut on Aug. 22, struck out six Royals. The Indians scored all their runs on home runs by Naquin, who was hitless in the series coming in.
Royals starter Jakob Junis (0-1) had to leave the game after four innings. He had allowed two runs on Naquin’s homer, and had thrown only 46 pitches. But Josh Naylor hit a line drive back up the middle and hit Junis between the deltoid and triceps on his pitching arm.
Blue Jays 2, Marlins 1
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., a Cuba native whose family lives in Miami, slugged a two-run homer, leading visiting Toronto to the win. It was Gurriel’s fifth career game at Marlins Park and his first homer in the stadium.
Toronto left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu (3-1) earned the win, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Ryu is now 4-1 lifetime against Miami.
The Jays got scoreless relief pitching from A.J. Cole, Rafael Dolis and then Anthony Bass, who earned his fourth save of the season. Marlins rookie Sixto Sanchez (1-1) took the loss. In just his third major league start and appearance, Sanchez allowed six hits, no walks and one run in seven innings, striking out five.
Rays 5, Yankees 2
Mike Brosseau homered twice, and first-place Tampa Bay ended its season series against host New York with a victory.
A night after Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 mph fastball over his head, Brosseau hit a two-run shot in the first off Jordan Montgomery (2-2) and a solo drive in the fourth off Jonathan Holder. It was the second baseman’s second career multi-homer game, and three of his five homers this season were against the Yankees.
Randy Arozarena also homered for the Rays, who won eight of 10 meetings in the season series. The teams played without their respective managers as New York’s Aaron Boone and Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash were suspended one game for their roles in Tuesday’s incident.
Sep 2, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Robinson Leyer (77) pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Astros 2, Rangers 1
Michael Brantley belted a two-run home run in the first inning to back the stout starting pitching of Cristian Javier as host Houston outlasted Texas in the middle game of a three-game series between the two American League West rivals.
Houston has won five of seven games overall. Brantley gave the Astros the early lead off Kolby Allard with a one-out shot in the bottom of the first inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa ripped a solo homer to left field with one out in the fourth inning to bring the Rangers to within 2-1.
Javier (4-1) allowed just two hits in 6 2/3 innings, leaving in the seventh after a two-out walk to Elvis Andrus. Houston closer Ryan Pressly earned his seventh save. Kolby Allard (0-4) was the hard-luck loser, allowing just Brantley’s home run and a bunt single in seven innings.
Cubs 8, Pirates 2
Javier Baez smacked a three-run homer and Anthony Rizzo added a two-run single as Chicago won its third consecutive game, while sending host Pittsburgh to its fifth loss in six games.
Willson Contreras added an RBI double for the Cubs. Colin Moran and Anthony Alford hit solo homers for Pittsburgh. Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks (4-4) pitched six innings. He gave up one run and six hits with six strikeouts and an uncharacteristic two walks.
Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove (0-4), who came off the injured list earlier in the day, pitched three-plus innings. He was charged with two runs on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
Rockies 9, Giants 6
Sam Hilliard homered in a five-run seventh inning, Garrett Hampson also went deep, and Colorado rallied to beat San Francisco in Denver.
Trevor Story had three hits and Hilliard, Hampson, Kevin Pillar and Josh Fuentes had two hits each for Colorado. Mike Yastrzemski homered among his three hits and Evan Longoria, Alex Dickerson, Daniel Robertson and Wilmer Flores had two hits apiece for San Francisco.
Reliever Mychal Givens (1-0) pitched an inning in his Rockies debut and Daniel Bard earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth.
Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 2 (10 innings)
Mookie Betts hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and Will Smith hit a game-winning single in the 10th as Los Angeles rallied for a victory over visiting Arizona.
Betts’ 12th home run of the season helped the Dodgers win their ninth consecutive home game and earn their sixth victory in their past seven games overall. Kenley Jansen (2-0) gave up a run in the 10th but still earned the victory.
The Diamondbacks lost their fourth in a row and fell for the 12th time in 13 games.
Phillies 3, Nationals 0
Neil Walker had three singles and two RBIs, Jay Bruce homered, and host Philadelphia shut out Washington for the second game in a row.
Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler tossed 6 2/3 innings and gave up only three hits. Wheeler (4-0) threw 109 pitches and struck out six against only two walks. Brandon Workman picked up his fourth save in five opportunities since joining the Phillies from the Boston Red Sox.
Nationals starter Max Scherzer (3-2) allowed seven hits and three runs in six innings. Scherzer, who threw 108 pitches, struck out six and walked three.
Twins 8, White Sox 1
Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Jake Cave each homered and Josh Donaldson had two hits and two RBIs in his return from the injured list as Minnesota cruised to a victory over Chicago in the rubber game of their three-game series in Minneapolis.
Sep 2, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Robinson Leyer (77) pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jose Berrios (3-3) picked up the win for the Twins, allowing one run on three hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight while improving to 12-2 in 16 career starts against the White Sox.
Jose Abreu singled and drove in a run for Chicago, which fell out of a first-place tie in the American League Central with Cleveland — a 5-0 winner at Kansas City — with its second straight loss. The White Sox committed four errors in the contest and eight in the series.
