ATLANTA (AP) — Justin Verlander ended the longest streak of starts in a season without a win in Giants history, Rafael Devers drove in four runs with three hits, including two home runs, and San Francisco beat the Atlanta Braves 9-3 on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old Verlander (1-8) had been winless in his first 16 starts, the longest stretch by a Giants pitcher in a single season in franchise history. The three-time Cy Young winner, who finalized a $15 million, one-year deal with San Francisco in January, allowed one hit in five scoreless innings and overcame five walks.
Devers went deep off Spencer Strider (4-8) in the fifth for the game’s first run. Strider then hit Willy Adames with a pitch before Matt Chapman’s two-run homer gave San Francisco a 3-0 lead. Devers added a three-run shot off Dylan Dodd, who was recalled earlier in the day, in the sixth.
MARLINS 3, PADRES 2
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run homer and 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with four strikeouts as Miami beat San Diego.
Padres’ pitcher Dylan Cease (3-10) struggled with control early, walking Miami’s first two batters before Augustín Ramírez got the Marlins on the board with a single to center field that drove in Xavier Edwards.
San Diego tied things up in the fourth inning after a throwing error from catcher Nick Fortes advanced Luis Arraez to second, and Manny Machado drove him in with a single to left field. The Padres’ run was swiftly put to an end, though, after a double play finished the inning with the score tied at 1-1.
METS 6, ANGELS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer to power New York to a win and series sweep over Los Angeles.
Alonso, mired in a 2-for-34 slump dating back to July 10, homered two batters after Francisco Lindor broke a career-long 0-for-31 drought with an RBI single.
Brandon Nimmo hit his 14th career leadoff homer and Lindor added another RBI single in the fourth for the Mets, who swept a series for the fifth time this season.
PIRATES 6, TIGERS 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Spencer Horwitz hit his first career grand slam and Bailey Falter matched a career-high with eight strikeouts to lead Pittsburgh to a win and sweep of Detroit.
Horwitz drove a two-out cutter from Troy Melton (0-1) 416 feet to centerfield to make it 5-0.
Andrew McCutchen opened the scoring in the first with his ninth homer of the season.
REDS 5, NATIONALS 0
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nick Lodolo pitched his first complete game with eight strikeouts, Nick Fraley and Santiago Espinal each had two hits as Cincinnati beat Washington 5-0.
Lodolo (8-6) allowed four hits with no walks. The 27-year-old left-hander made his 21st start of the season and has 124 1/3 innings pitched, a single-season career best.
Noelvi Marte hit an RBI double and Jose Trevino’s sacrifice fly drove in Jake Fraley in the eighth inning. Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz each had an RBI in the ninth to cap the scoring.
ROYALS 8, CUBS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino hit two of Kansas City’s four two-run homers and doubled on a 3-for-4 afternoon, leading Kansas City past Chicago.
Salvador Perez and rookie Tyler Tolbert also went deep as the Royals took two of three games from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Tolbert’s homer was his first in the majors.
Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots for Chicago, which entered tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central and the best record in the majors.
MARLINS 3, PADRES 2
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run homer and 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with four strikeouts as the Miami beat San Diego.
Padres’ pitcher Dylan Cease (3-10) struggled with control early, walking Miami’s first two batters before Augustín Ramírez got the Marlins on the board with a single to center field that drove in Xavier Edwards.
San Diego tied things up in the fourth inning after a throwing error from catcher Nick Fortes advanced Luis Arraez to second, and Manny Machado drove him in with a single to left field. The Padres’ run was swiftly put to an end, though, after a double play finished the inning with the score tied at 1-1.
The Marlins came back when Sánchez hit his ninth home run of the season on a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Miami up 3-1. Cease retired the next two batters to escape the inning but was pulled heading into the sixth.
ROCKIES 6, CARDINALS 0
DENVER (AP) — Tanner Gordon pitched six scoreless innings and Ezequiel Tovar hit a home run to help Colorado beat St. Louis and win back-to-back series for the first time since Sept. 13-18, 2024.
Gordon (2-2) gave up four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Jimmy Herget threw two innings of one-hit relief before Tyler Kinley pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. The trio combined for Colorado’s first shutout of the season.
The Rockies hit five consecutive singles in their four-run second inning off St. Louis starter Andre Pallante (5-7) and Jordan Beck added an RBI double in the fifth to make it 5-0. Tovar’s solo shot in the eighth capped the scoring.
Germán Márquez, who was scheduled to start for Colorado, was moved to the 15-day IL earlier Wednesday due to right biceps tendinitis.
BREWERS 10, MARINERS 2
SEATTLE (AP) — Brice Turang drove in three runs with three hits and Milwaukee had 17 hits overall in a rout of Seattle, who sat home run leader Cal Raleigh on Wednesday.
Quinn Priester (9-2) allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in seven innings for Milwaukee (61-41), which took two of three games in the series.
Seattle right-hander Luis Castillo (7-6) went five innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts. The six runs allowed were a season high.
ASTROS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3
PHOENIX (AP) — Christian Walker singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and the Houston beat Arizona to complete a three-game sweep.
Zack Short and Taylor Trammell started the ninth with bunt singles against Kevin Ginkel (1-4). One out later, Walker, a former Diamondback, hit a grounder up the middle to score Short.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 27th save and the Astros, who have won four in a row took a six-game lead in the AL West.
Arizona trailed 3-1 entering the eighth, but Geraldo Perdomo led off with a double off reliever Bennett Sousa (4-0). Ketel Marte singled to drive in Perdomo, Corbin Carroll doubled to right sending Marte to third. Marte scored the tying run on Josh Naylor’s single.
DODGERS 4, TWINS 3
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani matched a franchise record with a homer in the fifth straight game and Freddie Freeman drove in two runs with a two-out single in the ninth inning as Los Angeles rallied to beat Minnesota.
Freeman hit a sinking liner to left field that eluded a diving Harrison Bader and scored Mookie Betts and Ohtani, setting off a wild celebration.
Ohtani hit a solo homer to center in the first, his National League-leading 37th of the season. It marked the seventh time in Dodgers history that a player has homered in five consecutive games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Green and Roy Campanella in that club.
The Twins scored two runs in the eighth off the Dodgers bullpen, one day after scoring seven runs off Los Angeles’ pen in a 10-7 victory..
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was dominant, allowing three hits and one run with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. The right-hander was making his third start since returning from a shoulder injury.
Minnesota’s Chris Paddack had a strong outing, allowing four hits and one run in six innings with eight strikeouts.
