MLB round-up: Betts belts two home runs as Dodgers blast Yankees
Betts added a second home run amid a four-hit night and J.D. Martinez also went deep, extending his hitting streak to 16 games, as the Dodgers came out on top in the duel of historic franchises who were facing each other for the first time since 2019.
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (7-4) matched his season high with nine strikeouts over seven innings while allowing two runs on four hits and one walk. Freddie Freeman went 0-for-5 as his 20-game hitting streak came to an end.
Josh Donaldson hit two home runs and Giancarlo Stanton also hit one for the Yankees as they each returned from long stints on the injured list caused by hamstring issues. Luis Severino (0-1) was tagged for seven runs on nine hits over four innings.
Astros 6, Angels 2
Yordan Alvarez and Corey Julks slugged two-run home runs off Shohei Ohtani while Framber Valdez twirled seven shutout innings as Houston beat visiting Los Angeles.
Valdez, who outdueled Ohtani when the two went head-to-head on May 9, was splendid again in the rematch. He gave up five hits and a walk, and he fanned seven. Valdez (6-4) retired the Angels in order in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings and struck out Ohtani and Mike Trout after allowing a pair of baserunners in the third.
Ohtani (5-2) walked one batter and struck out six in six innings, but he allowed a season-high nine hits while matching his season worst with five runs allowed. He also served up multiple homers for the fourth time this season.
Blue Jays 3, Mets 0
George Springer and Daulton Varsho hit home runs, Chris Bassitt pitched 7 2/3 sharp innings and visiting Toronto defeated New York.
Bo Bichette and Whit Merrifield added two hits each for Toronto in the opener of a three-game series. The game was delayed by 91 minutes at the start because of rain. The Blue Jays earned their fourth win in five games while the Mets saw their three-game winning streak end.
Bassitt (6-4) allowed three hits and no walks while striking out eight. The right-hander pitched for the Mets last season and signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent in the offseason. Mets right-hander Justin Verlander (2-3) allowed one run, five hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out eight.
Rangers 2, Mariners 0
Jon Gray won his fifth straight start in impressive fashion, throwing seven scoreless innings in leading Texas to a shutout victory over Seattle in Arlington, Texas.
Gray (6-1) finished his 82-pitch night having allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five. He has a 0.79 ERA during his five-start win streak. Texas closer Will Smith pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Mariners star Julio Rodriguez to end the game and earn his 10th save.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo (4-3) was the hard-luck loser after allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts over seven innings. He didn't yield a hit until Robbie Grossman singled with one out in the fifth. Texas has now won 10 of its last 13 games. Seattle has lost three of its last four.
Twins 1, Guardians 0
Jorge Polanco's run-scoring double in the seventh inning lifted Minnesota to a shutout victory over visiting Cleveland in Minneapolis.
Polanco went 1-for-4, while Bailey Ober pitched six strong innings to lead the Twins to their third straight victory.
Will Brennan went 2-for-3 and Myles Straw went 2-for-4 for the Guardians, who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position to lose for the third time in their past four games.
Cubs 2, Padres 1
Jameson Taillon allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, Dansby Swanson homered and Chicago defeated host San Diego in the opener of a four-game series.
The Cubs scored single runs in the third -- on Ian Happ's fielder's choice grounder - and the fifth - on Swansby's sixth homer of the season. Taillon (1-3), whose ERA was 8.04 entering the game, outdueled Padres right-hander Michael Wacha. Taillon gave up one run on three hits. Mark Leiter Jr. struck out Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth in the ninth to earn his third save.
Wacha (5-2), who was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for May earlier in the day, gave up the two runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. He issued five walks. The Padres scored in the sixth on Xander Bogaerts' infield single.
Diamondbacks 3, Braves 2
Merrill Kelly pitched seven strong innings and Arizona beat Atlanta in Phoenix for its season-high sixth straight win.
Kelly (7-3) allowed two runs on five hits -- two of them home runs by Eddie Rosario -- while walking three and striking out eight. Miguel Castro pitched the ninth and earned his sixth save.
Braves starter Charlie Morton (5-6) worked seven innings and gave up three runs on six hits. Rosario had three of Atlanta's seven hits.
Pirates 7, Cardinals 5
Ke'Bryan Hayes and Josh Palacios homered during a six-run seventh as Pittsburgh came back from a five-run deficit to down visiting St. Louis.
Hayes also hit an RBI single and Carlos Santana added a two-run double for the Pirates, who have won three straight. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings. Yohan Ramirez (1-0) got the final out of the seventh.
Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado each hit a two-run homer, and Nolan Gorman hit an RBI single for the Cardinals, who have lost four of six. St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty allowed one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Giovanny Gallegos (1-3) gave up four runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Brewers 5, Reds 4 (11 innings)
Andruw Monasterio made a key diving stop of a sharp grounder in extra innings and Milwaukee pitching held Cincinnati to only three hits in 11 innings as the visiting Brewers edged the Reds before a record crowd at Great American Ballpark.
After the Brewers scored twice on fielder's choice groundouts in the top of the 11th inning, Monasterio dove to stop Stuart Fairchild's grounder to second base for the second out with a runner at third. Curt Casali brought home the run with an RBI double, but Bryse Wilson got the final out for his third save in four chances.
The Reds missed a chance to close within two games of first place in the National League Central before a crowd of 44,073, the largest regular-season attendance in the 20-year history of Great American Ball Park (capacity 43,891).
Marlins 4, Athletics 0
Edward Cabrera struck out 10 batters in six scoreless innings to lead host Miami to a win over Oakland.
Oakland, which has the worst record in baseball at 12-47, has lost 13 of its past 15 games. Oakland has also fallen in 12 straight road contests. The A's managed just five hits - including one by former Marlins first-round pick JJ Bleday.
Jesus Sanchez went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead Miami's offense. Luis Arraez, who entered the day leading the majors with a .382 batting average, went 0-for-4. He is now batting .374. The Marlins won for the fifth time in their past seven games.
Nationals 8, Phillies 7
Lane Thomas hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning as Washington recovered after blowing a six-run lead to defeat visiting Philadelphia.
Jeimer Candelario drove in three runs and Luis Garcia homered for the Nationals, who began a six-game homestand following a 3-3 road trip. In the bottom of the eighth, Alex Call drew a two-out walk, stole second and came home on Thomas' hit.
The Phillies lost their fifth game in a row despite Nick Castellanos smacking two home runs and hitting a two-run single to finish with five RBIs. He also hit a one-out double in the ninth, but pinch runner Dalton Guthrie was stranded at second. Starter Zack Wheeler was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
White Sox 3, Tigers 0
Tim Anderson scored a run and knocked in another, and five pitchers combined on a shutout as host Chicago blanked Detroit.
Andrew Benintendi and Eloy Jimenez drove in the other runs for the White Sox. Starter Mike Clevinger, activated from the 15-day injured list after recovering from wrist inflammation, gave up three hits and a walk while striking out six in five innings. Keynan Middleton (1-0) picked up the victory and Kendall Graveman notched his fifth save.
Detroit starter Reese Olson (0-1), making his major league debut after being promoted from Triple-A Toledo, had a no-hitter through five innings. He gave up two hits in the sixth and was charged with the loss. Olson allowed one walk and struck out six batters in five-plus innings. The Tigers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Rockies 7, Royals 2
Ryan McMahon homered and later drove in the go-ahead run in the six-run eighth inning to help visiting Colorado beat Kansas City in the opener of a three-game series.
Elias Diaz had two hits and two RBIs for the Rockies, who were coming off being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Rockies starter Chase Anderson gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, struck out two and walked one. Brent Suter (4-0) pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning to earn the win.
Edward Olivares and Drew Waters homered and MJ Melendez had two hits for the Royals, who have dropped five of seven. Kansas City starter Jordan Lyles allowed one run and two hits in five innings, striking out eight and walking one. Lyles, who remains 0-9, was in line for his first win in 12 starts this season before the Rockies rallied.
Orioles 3, Giants 2
Gunnar Henderson broke a seventh-inning tie with a home run, Dean Kremer combined with three relievers on a six-hitter and visiting Baltimore opened a three-game interleague series with a victory over San Francisco.
Kremer (6-2) was pulled after six innings with a 3-2 lead after having allowed both Giants runs and five of their six hits. Baltimore closer Felix Bautista pitched through a two-out double by Casey Schmitt in the ninth for his 15th save.
Logan Webb (4-6) took the loss for the Giants despite seven sharp innings in which he allowed three runs and just four hits. He walked one and struck out six.
