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Mets 19, Marlins 9
Nineteen-year-old Jonah Tong (1–0) didn’t just debut—he set a calm tone while New York’s lineup detonated around him. The Mets hung 12 runs in the first two innings (a home-game record) and never eased off, with Brandon Nimmo belting two homers and driving in four and Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Luis Torrens joining the parade. Tong punched out six over five innings (one earned), and New York layered pressure with traffic every frame, turning early leverage into a runaway. Nights like this are reminders that a big first inning can warp prices—know when a moneyline is still playable as totals balloon by brushing up on smart MLB moneyline spots.
Yankees 10, White Sox 2
Trent Grisham’s grand slam cracked it open and Carlos Rodón (15–7) mixed power and weak contact for six strong against his former team. The Yankees stacked quality at-bats, forcing long counts and quick hooks while the bullpen smothered Chicago late. With six straight wins and a half-game lead in the wild-card race, New York’s recent run prevention has matched its thump.
Guardians 5, Mariners 4
Down 4–0 after a Polanco punch, Cleveland leaned on two-out offense and pen depth. Homers from Kyle Manzardo and Nolan Jones sparked the climb, and Steven Kwan’s sac fly walked it off after the Guards won the zone battle over the final three innings. Tim Herrin (5–3) cleaned up the ninth as Cleveland turned contact quality and defense into a comeback.
Phillies 2, Braves 1
Both starters kept barrels scarce, so small edges mattered. Philadelphia stitched together six singles, manufactured a late runner, and Alec Bohm’s sac fly did the rest. Bryce Elder deserved better (7 IP, 1 ER), but the Phillies’ bullpen matched zeros and executed in late leverage—classic tight total, thin margin baseball.
Brewers 7, Blue Jays 2
Freddy Peralta (16–5) pounded the zone and killed rallies (6 IP, 1 H, 8 K), and Milwaukee again showed how a deep lineup can score without leaning solely on the long ball. Andruw Monasterio went yard, Andrew Vaughn sprayed three hits, and the Brewers’ defense erased Jays threats before they formed. Milwaukee’s staff continues to pair strikeouts with soft contact—bad news for chasers.
Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 0
Zac Gallen (10–13) dialed up six scoreless with crisp fastball command, and Blaze Alexander’s two-run homer gave Arizona a cushion it never surrendered. L.A. managed just two hits; Diamondbacks pitching layered looks and refused to give in behind in counts. Jake Woodford iced it in the ninth for his second save.
Tigers 5, Royals 3
Riley Greene authored the game’s hinge moment with a go-ahead, two-run double amid a three-hit night, and Detroit’s bullpen—highlighted by Kyle Finnegan’s five outs—protected the edge. Kansas City’s early burst (first-inning homers) didn’t translate to sustained pressure, and the Tigers controlled the middle innings with sequencing and timely defense.
Rays 4, Nationals 1
Brandon Lowe and Everson Pereira left the yard, but the story was Tampa Bay’s run prevention in traffic. Washington went 0-for-12 with RISP as the Rays mixed soft stuff off the plate and stole strikes early in counts. Junior Caminero chipped in two hits, and Tampa Bay stemmed the mini-slide with a clean, professional road win.
Cardinals 7, Reds 5 (10)
Masyn Winn’s three RBIs and Pedro Pagés’ two-run shot powered St. Louis through a tense extra-inning finish. The Reds got homers from Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer and Ke’Bryan Hayes but couldn’t cash in late baserunners, and two unearned in the 10th proved fatal. Matt Svanson (3–0) steadied the ninth, and Ryan Fernandez logged his first save.
Pirates 4, Red Sox 2
In a showcase of rising arms, Paul Skenes (9–9) outdueled debutant Payton Tolle by navigating traffic and suppressing extra-base damage. Pittsburgh’s three-run sixth flipped it—Tommy Pham’s rope tied it, Andrew McCutchen’s third hit delivered the lead—and the bullpen slammed the door. The Pirates’ contact authority in two-strike spots was the quiet separator.
Bettor’s note: in one-run environments or road favorites with narrow edges, the run line can be trap or treasure. Use this quick run line primer to know when +1.5/–1.5 actually outperforms the straight price: MLB run line guide.
Astros 2, Angels 0
Scoreless into the seventh, Houston finally cracked it with a Carlos Correa opposite-field single before Yordan Álvarez added cushion. The Astros stranded 13 but got enough from Enyel De Los Santos (win) and Kaleb Ort (four-out save). Tyler Anderson dodged loud contact for five frames, yet the Angels couldn’t flip their few chances.
Cubs 11, Rockies 7
Dansby Swanson turned Coors into a highlight reel—two homers, a triple, six RBIs—and Ian Happ joined the party as Chicago snapped a three-game skid. Rookie Cade Horton (9–4) survived the altitude with strike throwing and quick outs, while the Cubs’ doubles parade (Happ, Hoerner) kept pressure on every inning.
Giants 15, Orioles 8
San Francisco’s six-game heater hit a boil: season highs in runs (15) and hits (18), a Dominic Smith splash hit, and four-hit nights from Luis Matos and Willy Adames. The Giants won the bat-to-ball game, fouling off pitchers’ pitches and punishing mistakes in the middle third. Baltimore’s early tilt unraveled under relentless traffic.
Rangers 5, Athletics 2
Jonah Heim’s tiebreaking shot and Michael Helman’s two-run blast provided all the offense Jack Leiter (9–7) needed across six efficient innings. Texas stacked eight hard-hit balls and played clean behind Leiter, while Jeffrey Springs kept it close until the sixth. The Rangers’ recent 6-of-7 surge has featured crisp run prevention and middle-order thump.
Twins 7, Padres 4
Trevor Larnach (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) paced an opportunistic Minnesota lineup, Byron Buxton added chaos with two steals and a two-RBI night, and Zebby Matthews (4–4) minimized damage across six-plus. Royce Lewis’s solo shot provided insurance, and the Twins pen bent but didn’t break as San Diego stranded late runners.
Quick bettor’s refresher
September boards tighten and small edges matter more. If you’re calibrating your approach for stretch-run variance, start with a clean framework on how to bet on baseball and fold in situation-based tweaks from the moneyline and run line guides above.
