Buxton powers Twins past Reds to stop 6-game slide

CINCINNATI (AP) – Byron Buxton hit two home runs, including the second of back-to-back shots with Kody Clemens, and Ryan Jeffers had a homer and four RBIs as the Minnesota Twins beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-5 on Thursday to end a six-game losing streak.

Buxton, who went deep in all three games of the series, drove a 1-2 pitch from Nick Martinez out to left field to give him leadoff homers in consecutive games. Buxton then launched his 15th homer in the second inning for a 4-2 lead following a two-run shot by Clemens.

Jeffers walked ahead of Clemens’ seventh homer, which gave Minnesota the lead for good. Ty France had an RBI double, and Jeffers delivered a two-run double to chase Martinez and give the Twins a 7-2 advantage with two outs in the third.

Jeffers added his fifth homer in the eighth, with Carlos Correa aboard.

NATIONALS 4, ROCKIES 3, 11 INNINGS

WASHINGTON (AP) – James Wood hit a pair of two-run homers, including a game-winning shot in the 11th inning, as Washington snapped their 11-game losing streak with a victory over Colorado.

With one out and automatic runner Riley Adams on third, Wood drove a 1-0 pitch from Seth Halvorsen (1-2) to center field for his 20th home run – giving the Nationals only their third win in 17 games this month.

It was the fourth multihomer game for the second-year outfielder. He did it twice last September and finished with nine homers as a rookie.

YANKEES 7, ANGELS 3

NEW YORK (AP) – Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt hit consecutive homers in the second inning, and New York beat Los Angeles to halt their six-game skid.

Carlos Rodón (9-5) allowed a season-high three homers but held the Angels to four hits in six innings to bounce back from two rocky outings against the Red Sox. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one on an 89-degree afternoon.

The AL East-leading Yankees stopped their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide in August 2023. New York also avoided its second four-game sweep at the current Yankee Stadium and first since September 2021 against Toronto.

BREWERS 8, CUBS 7

CHICAGO (AP) – Isaac Collins hit a three-run homer, rookie Caleb Durbin added a two-run drive and Milwaukee held off Chicago Cubs.

Rhys Hoskins lofted a solo shot, and Christian Yelich, Jackson Chuorio and Joey Ortiz had two hits apiece to help the Brewers close within 5 1/2 games of first-place Chicago in the NL Central.

Pete Crow-Armstrong lined his 20th home run, and Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ also went deep for the Cubs before a season-high crowd of 41,078 on a breezy afternoon at Wrigley Field.

ROYALS 4, RANGERS 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Jac Caglianone went deep twice for his first two homers in the big leagues as Kansas City beat Texas.

The 22-year-old prospect won lefty-lefty matchups both times a day after sitting out in the majors for the first time in part because of a left-handed starter for Texas.

Both of Caglianone’s homers led off innings. He pulled a 95.5 mph fastball from Jacob Latz into the Texas Rangers bullpen in right-center field, the 387-foot shot giving the Royals a 3-0 lead in the second. The second was on the first pitch from Robert Garcia in the ninth, a 439-footer over that same bullpen.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, BLUE JAYS 5

TORONTO (AP) – Eugenio Suárez homered and drove in four runs, Ryne Nelson pitched 5 2/3 innings for his second straight win and Arizona beat Toronto to avoid a three-game sweep.

Pavin Smith also homered and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks. Arizona had gone two games without homering after connecting in a season-high 10 straight.

Smith extended the lead with a two-run blast in the fifth, his sixth.

Both homers came off Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, who lost his second consecutive outing.

GIANTS 2, GUARDIANS 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Logan Webb pitched seven splendid innings, pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores delivered a go-ahead double and San Francisco beat Cleveland to stop a four-game losing streak.

Webb (7-5) gave up seven hits but struck out nine. The right-hander did not issue a walk as he lowered his ERA to 2.49.

Cleveland starter Gavin Williams held the Giants scoreless through six innings, but San Francisco got to the Guardians’ bullpen in the seventh. Casey Schmitt greeted Matt Festa (1-1) with a single to open the inning. Festa walked Jung Hoo Lee before Patrick Bailey laid down a sacrifice bunt.

Nic Enright replaced Festa and then Flores, batting for Christian Koss, drilled a double down the left-field line to score Schmitt and Lee. The Giants had been 1 for 23 with runners in scoring position during the series before Flores came through.

Camilo Doval worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 11th save.

PHILLIES 2, MARLINS 1

MIAMI (AP) – Kyle Schwarber hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth, Christopher Sánchez pitched eight sharp innings and Philadelphia beat Miami.

Sánchez (6-2) allowed five hits, one run and struck out four. Philadelphia took three of four in the series.

Schwarber put the Phillies ahead in the eighth when he connected on a 1-0 sinker from reliever Anthony Bender (1-5), crushing it 428 feet to right-center. Schwarber has 23 homers on the season, only trailing Shohei Ohtani (25) for most in the National League.

Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera had his best start of the year, limiting the Phillies to one run and two hits while striking out five in a season-high 6 1/3 innings. Cabrera received applause from Marlins fans when he walked off the mound in the seventh after throwing his 82nd pitch.

BRAVES 7, METS 1

ATLANTA (AP) – Matt Olson hit a three-run double, Spencer Strider struck out eight in six innings and Atlanta beat the Mets to complete a series sweep that extended New York’s season-worst losing streak to six games.

New York’s latest sloppy defeat, paired with Philadelphia’s 2-1 win over Miami, left the Mets and Phillies tied for first place in the NL East heading into their upcoming weekend series.

Mets pitchers issued nine walks, including a career-high six in 4 2/3 innings by starter Clay Holmes (7-4), who allowed three runs. Huascar Brazobán walked three while giving up four runs in relief.

Strider (2-5) yielded one run and five hits with one walk. Olson added another double and two walks, and scored three runs.

CARDINALS 5, WHITE SOX 4, 1ST GAME

CARDINALS 8, WHITE SOX 6, 10 INNINGS, 2ND GAME

CHICAGO (AP) – Nolan Arenado hit his 350th homer in the third inning and drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th to help St. Louis beat Chicago to sweep a doubleheader and hand the White Sox their eighth straight loss.

Rookie Andre Granillo, who got the final out in the seventh for his first career victory in the first game, pitched a scoreless 10th for his first save in his fourth appearance. JoJo Romero (3-3) worked a scoreless ninth for the victory.

Arenado hit the milestone homer following a three-run shot by Alec Burleson in the third and finished 3 for 5. He’s the seventh player with 350 homers and 10-plus Gold Gloves.

Willson Contreras, who homered and drove in three runs to help St. Louis rally for a 5-4 win in the opener, had a two-out two-run double in the fourth for a 6-1 lead.

Andrew Benintendi hit his third career grand slam with two outs in the seventh to cap a five-run inning as Chicago tied it at 6.

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