CHICAGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Carson Kelly connected for a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Chicago Cubs handed the New York Mets their 10th consecutive loss with a 4-2 victory on Saturday.
Ian Happ also homered for Chicago in its fourth consecutive win. Jameson Taillon (1-1) pitched six crisp innings.
It’s the longest losing streak for New York since it dropped 11 in a row from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in 2004. It has been outscored 60-18 during the slide.
The game was tied at 1 when Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta (1-2) issued two consecutive walks with two down in the sixth. Peralta then was replaced by left-hander Brooks Raley, and Kelly was sent up to hit for Moisés Ballesteros, a rookie who bats from the left side.
Kelly drove Raley’s first pitch into the bleachers in left-center for his second homer of the season, sending a charge through the crowd of 36,189. It was Kelly’s second career pinch-hit drive.
It also was the first homer allowed by Raley since Aug. 13, 2023, stopping a streak of 53 2/3 innings.
Mark Vientos homered for New York. Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. each had two hits.
YANKEES 13, ROYALS 4
NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a pair of two-run homers, drove in five runs and New York rolled to a rout of Kansas City.
New York starter Will Warren (2-0) tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and pitched two-run ball for seven innings.
Bellinger hit a two-run shot during a five-run third off Noah Cameron (1-1) and powered New York to its most lopsided victory this season. Bellinger hit a two-run homer off Mitch Spence in the sixth after contributing an RBI single in the fourth.
Bellinger had his 20th career multi-homer game and the Yankees hit four homers for the second time this season.
Bellinger sandwiched his first homer between a two-run drive by Amed Rosario and a solo homer by Ben Rice as the Yankees capitalized on a three-base error by center fielder Kyle Isbel on a flyball by J.C. Escarra.
REDS 5, TWINS 4
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dane Myers had an RBI single in the ninth inning and Cincinnati scored the game’s final three runs to beat Minnesota.
Cincinnati’s bullpen tossed 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with Kyle Nicolas (1-0) striking out the side in the eighth before Tony Santillan struck out two in a clean ninth for his first save.
Pinch-hitter Spencer Steer opened the ninth by reaching on a single that deflected off the glove of Twins’ shortstop Brooks Lee. Sacrificed to second base, Steer scored on a bloop single by Myers off Cole Sands (0-1).
Cincinnati is 10-0 in games decided by fewer than three runs, tied for the second-longest stretch (Boston 1946, Cleveland 1966) to open an MLB season. Milwaukee was 12-0 in 1987. The Reds are 6-0 in one-run games.
The Reds’ bullpen, which tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in Friday’s 2-1 win, has a MLB-leading 2.31 ERA.
Eugenio Suárez scored on a sacrifice fly by Rece Hinds to tie the game at 4 in the eighth.
A Ryan Jeffers two-run triple, his first three-base hit since Sept. 24, 2023, gave the Twins an 2-0 first-inning lead and Brooks Lee’s RBI single made it 4-2 Twins in the fifth, but Sam Moll struck out Tristan Gray with the bases loaded.
TIGERS 4, RED SOX 1
BOSTON (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out a season-high 10 over six innings of one-run ball, Kerry Carpenter hit a solo homer and Detroit beat Boston, ending its nine-game road losing streak.
It was the Tigers’ longest winless road stretch since a 10-gamer in 2010. Rookie Kevin McGonigle had an RBI single and two hits.
The 29-year-old Skubal (3-2) held the Red Sox to four hits and had the 18th double-digit strikeout game of his career, with 10 coming last season.
Tyler Holton worked two scoreless innings and Kenley Jansen got the final three outs for his fifth save, the 481st of his career.
Boston starter Brayan Bello (1-2) was roughed up for four runs in four innings. The Red Sox have lost all 12 games this season when their starter doesn’t go at least six innings and won all eight when they do.
BREWERS 5, MARLINS 2
MIAMI (AP) — Brice Turang hit a two-run homer and stretched his on-base streak to 18 games as Milwaukee beat Miami.
William Contreras and Luis Rengifo doubled and Brandon Lockridge added an RBI single for the Brewers, who have won four straight after a six-game losing streak.
Brandon Woodruff (2-0) pitched a season-high seven innings in his fourth start, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts to move to 5-0 in seven career starts against the Marlins.
Milwaukee led 5-1 when reliever Jake Woodford loaded the bases in the ninth after allowing three consecutive one-out singles. Otto Lopez then scored on Heriberto Hernández’s fielder’s choice against Abner Uribe, who got Javier Sanoja to ground out for his second save.
GIANTS 7, NATIONALS 6, 12 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Chapman’s RBI single in the 12th inning lifted San Francisco to its third straight victory, beating Washington.
The Nationals had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 10th, but didn’t score. After each team was also blanked in the 11th, Chapman led off the 12th with a single off Cionel Pérez (1-2) to break the 6-all tie.
Caleb Kilian (1-0) closed out the Nationals in the bottom of the inning for his first big league win.
James Wood led off the bottom of the first with a homer for Washington, and Heliot Ramos went deep for the Giants as part of a three-hit day.
The Nationals had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 10th against Ryan Walker. Daylen Lile struck out and after a liner down the left-field line went just foul, Nasim Nuñez went down swinging on a 3-2 pitch. Then Jorbit Vivas sent a sharp grounder to shortstop Willy Adames.
ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 6, 11 INNINGS
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Max Muncy drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to lift the Athletics to a win over Chicago.
, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Denzel Clarke.
Jack Perkins (2-0) struck out three and gave up one hit in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Chicago scored five runs in the second inning on Colson Montgomery’s homer on the first pitch of the inning, Reese McGuire’s RBI single and Andrew Benintendi’s three-run shot.
The Athletics answered with Wilson’s second home run of the season in the bottom of the inning. Jeff McNeil added a sacrifice fly in the third and Tyler Soderstrom drove in a run with a single in the fifth.
Munetaka Murakami extended Chicago’s lead to 6-4 with a solo homer in the seventh. The Athletics drew even at 6-all in the bottom half of the inning when Nick Kurtz hit a two-run homer to right field with a 115.3 mph exit velocity.
Lucas Sims (0-2) gave up the winning run.
Chicago stranded 14 runners and went 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position. The White Sox also loaded the bases in the ninth but failed to score.
GUARDIANS 4, ORIOLES 2
CLEVELAND (AP) — Gavin Williams struck out 11 over seven innings to push his majors-leading total 40, Brayan Rocchio hit a three-run homer and Cleveland beat Baltimore.
Williams (3-1) allowed a run on three hits and walked one in a dominant outing. He had his sixth career double-digit strikeout game and second of the season.
Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save.
José Ramírez stole his 10th base in the first inning, becoming the first player to reach double digits this year.
Orioles starter Dean Kremer (0-1) allowed two hits and three runs in six innings.
Baltimore took the lead in the fourth inning when Leody Taveras hit a solo homer to right field, Cleveland responded in the fifth. Rhys Hoskins walked and Daniel Schneemann singled before Rocchio lined a two-out, three-run homer to right.
CARDINALS 7, ASTROS 5
HOUSTON (AP) — Masyn Winn hit a two-run homer and José Fermín and Alec Burleson added solo shots to lead St. Louis to a win over Houston.
Winn’s homer made it 4-1 in the third and the second home run of Fermín’s career pushed the lead to 5-1 in the sixth. Burleson’s shot to the second deck in right field in the seventh made it 6-1.
Yordan Alvarez hit his major league-leading ninth homer in the first inning and Shay Whitcomb hit a three-run homer in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Astros from losing for the 11th time in 13 games.
Jordan Walker singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Nolan Gorman had two hits and two RBIs to help the Cardinals to their fourth straight victory.
Andre Pallante (2-1) allowed three hits and a run with a season-high five strikeouts in five innings to get the win for the Cardinals. Riley O’Brien got the last two outs of the game to get his sixth save.
Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) yielded four hits and four runs, walked three batters and hit two in five innings.
BRAVES 3, PHILLIES 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chris Sale struck out seven in seven innings to outduel Cristopher Sánchez in a matchup of two of baseball’s best pitchers, and Atlanta took advantage of an error to beat Philadelphia.
Mauricio Dubón had a pair of RBIs for the Braves, who have won four games in a row and eight of 10.
Felix Reyes homered in his first at-bat in his big league debut for the Phillies, who have dropped nine of their last 12 games. Reyes became the sixth Phillies player to homer in his first at-bat, driving a 94 mph four-seamer from Sale into the seats in right field in the second inning.
Sale (4-1) gave up five hits and walked one. Robert Suarez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Atlanta scored three unearned runs in the third inning against Sánchez (2-2). After striking out the first two batters in the frame, the left-hander surrendered a single to Drake Baldwin. Ozzie Albies hit a grounder to second base, but second baseman Edmundo Sosa could not handle the ball for an error. Matt Olson walked to load the bases.
Austin Riley hit a dribbler in front of the mound, but Sánchez slipped trying to field the ball and Baldwin scored to tie the game at 1. Dubón’s bloop, two-run single to center gave Atlanta a 3-1 lead.
Sánchez allowed eight hits while striking out eight and walking one in six innings.
RAYS 8, PIRATES 7, 13 INNINGS
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cedric Mullins led off the 13th inning with a two-run home run and Tampa Bay outlasted Pittsburgh.
Mullins’ blast to right field off Yohan Ramirez scored automatic runner Jonny DeLuca. Mullins entered the day hitting just .129 after signing with Tampa Bay in the offseason as a free agent.
Griffin Jax (1-2) pitched a scoreless 12th. Yoendrys Gomez allowed a run-scoring single to rookie Konnor Griffin in the bottom of the 13th, then struck out Joey Bart with runners on second and third to end it.
Both teams scored a run in the 11th. The Rays’ Taylor Walls came around from first on a wild pickoff throw by Ramirez (2-1). The Pirates countered with Griffin’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Pittsburgh tied it at 5 in the eighth on rookie Nick Yorke’s RBI single.
The first pitch was moved up 30 minutes in hopes that the teams could beat the rain. However, play was stopped for 2 hours, 27 minutes, with the Pirates leading 4-0.
The Rays then scored five runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Junior Caminero doubled in the first run and scored on Jonathan Aranda’s single. Two batters later, pinch-hitter DeLuca lined a two-run single to center field, and Mullins followed with a go-ahead single.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes pitched four scoreless innings on his bobblehead day, including escaping a bases-loaded jam with none out in the second. The 2025 NL Cy Young Award did not return after the delay.
MARINERS 7, RANGERS 3
SEATTLE (AP) — George Kirby threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and Luke Raley hit his fifth home run of the season as Seattle beat Texas to snap a four-game losing streak.
Kirby (3-2) entered the game having dominated Texas in his career, allowing just 10 earned runs across 68 2/3 innings. He stayed sharp on Saturday, giving up seven hits while striking out five and issuing two walks.
Kirby was attended to by the team’s training staff in the fourth inning following a single by Josh Jung that deflected off the right-hander. Jung also hit a solo shot off Kirby in the sixth.
Raley gave the Mariners a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning on a solo homer off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (2-3). It traveled 381 feet, and gave Raley more home runs than he hit all of last season (four).
Seattle took a 3-0 lead in the fourth following a throwing error by Rangers second baseman Ezequiel Duran. On a slow roller to second by Raley with a runner on first, Duran airmailed his throw to second base, which allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Dominic Canzone plated both with a single.
Cole Young added a two-run single in the eighth. Closer Andrés Muñoz, who entered with two outs and the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning and recorded his second save of the season.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll hit a grand slam to break an eighth-inning tie and Arizona beat Toronto for its fourth straight victory.
Ildemaro Vargas led off the eighth against reliever Jeff Hoffman (1-2) with a single, extending his majors-leading hitting streak to 17 games dating to last season.
Alek Thomas followed with a single and Ketel Marte drew a four-pitch walk. Carroll then hit his fourth career grand slam and third homer of the season, a drive to left-center on a 3-1 pitch.
Juan Morillo (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings for his first victory in the majors.
Toronto’s Max Scherzer returned to the place where his big-league journey began and, after struggling his first three starts, showed flashes of his brilliant career. He got through a 22-pitch first inning allowing just one run, then completed six innings having allowed five hits total. He had one walk and one strikeout in finishing with 74 pitches.
Lourdes Gurriel returned to the Diamondbacks’ lineup for the first time since tearing the ACL in his right knee Sept. 1. The left fielder was 0 for 4 and threw out Myles Straw trying to stretch a single into a double to end the Toronto fourth.
ROCKIES 4, DODGERS 3
DENVER (AP) — Troy Johnston had a go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth inning and finished with three hits to lead Colorado to a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rockies had been 5-22 against the Dodgers over the past three seasons, including 3-12 at Coors Field. Los Angeles had won 11 of its previous 13 games and entered Saturday 6-1 in road games this season.
After allowing three runs in the first two innings, Colorado shut down the most productive offense in the majors with 3 1/3 shutout innings from its bullpen. Victor Vodnik gave up two singles in the ninth inning, but Kyle Tucker popped out to left field to end the game as Vodnik earned his third save of the season.
Brennan Bernardino (2-0) earned the win for the Rockies. Will Klein (1-1), who gave up Johnston’s double in the sixth, took the loss.
TJ Rumfield and Kyle Karros each added an RBI in the win for Colorado.
