Vinnie Pasquantino’s home run in the fifth inning broke a tie and helped the Kansas City Royals take a 6-4 win Thursday to clinch the four-game set against the visiting Texas Rangers.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez led the Royals with two hits apiece. Five Kansas City relievers combined to throw 4 2/3 innings of shutout relief work, with Angel Zerpa (5-1) recording the win.
Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen gave up four runs (three earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Royals, who are 8-2 in their past 10 games.
Corey Seager led the Rangers with three hits and a first-inning double that wound up being the team’s only extra-base hit of the game. Starter Patrick Corbin was tagged for four runs over 3 2/3 innings, but Jacob Webb (4-4) took the loss after allowing Pasquantino’s 26th homer of the season.
Brewers 4, Cubs 1
Brice Turang homered and six pitchers combined on a five-hitter in Milwaukee’s win over host Chicago.
Turang’s two-out, two-run homer in the second gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead. He drove Shota Imanaga’s 2-0 four-seam fastball through the wind, which was blowing in, and into the stands in right for Turang’s 14th home run and eighth in 18 games. Isaac Collins added a two-run single in the eighth.
Milwaukee starter Quinn Priester gave up a run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings, and Trevor Megill handled the ninth for his 30th save. Imanaga (8-6) allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings with two walks and five strikeouts. Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in Chicago’s lone run on a sacrifice fly.
Athletics 8, Twins 3
Tyler Soderstrom went 4-for-4 and Lawrence Butler delivered a three-run double as the Athletics completed their first three-game sweep at Minnesota since 2014.
Nick Kurtz poked his 26th home run as part of the Athletics’ 12-hit attack. Jack Perkins (3-2) allowed three hits and two runs over five innings while Osvaldo Bido threw the final three innings to pick up his first MLB save.
Twins starter Jose Urena (0-1) surrendered seven hits and six runs in five innings. Royce Lewis cracked an RBI double while James Outman and Austin Martin added RBI singles.
Padres 8, Giants 4
Manny Machado’s two-run double highlighted a six-run fifth inning for host San Diego in a come-from-behind win over National League West rival San Francisco.
Machado also had an RBI single in the fourth to begin the Padres’ comeback from a 2-0 deficit. Xander Bogaerts had two RBIs and Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Ramon Laureano joined Machado in supplying two hits apiece.
Rafael Devers and Willy Adames hit back-to-back homers in the sixth for the Giants, who fell to 9-22 since the All-Star Break. Andrew Knizner (RBI double) and Heliot Ramos (run-scoring double play) staked San Francisco to a first-inning lead.
Dodgers 9, Rockies 5
With Shohei Ohtani taking the day off after being bruised by a comebacker the night before, Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages homered to lead Los Angeles to the victory over Colorado in Denver.
Clayton Kershaw (8-2) picked up his 220th career win as he allowed six hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings. Alex Freeland went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple while Freeman, Pages and Mookie Betts poked two hits apiece.
Brenton Doyle went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs for the Rockies. Starter Chase Dollander (2-10) surrendered nine hits and seven runs before being lifted with two outs in the fourth.
Nationals 9, Mets 3
James Wood hit a three-run home run, Brady House had three hits and host Washington rallied for a win against New York, taking the rubber game of the series.
Five Nats relievers combined for 4 2/3 innings of scoreless bullpen work, with Jackson Rutledge (2-2) earning the win after recording the final two outs of the fifth inning. Washington gave the bullpen some insurance with a four-run eighth that was capped off by Woods’ 26th home run of the season.
Francisco Lindor led off the game with a home run and finished with three hits. Starling Marte also homered for New York, which led 3-0 in the fourth.
