Astros combine to no-hit Yanks
NEW YORK: Cristian Javier and two Houston Astros relief pitchers combined to no-hit the New York Yankees in a 3-0 victory at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Javier (5-3) threw 115 pitches and struck out 13, both career highs, over seven innings. Hector Neris tossed a hitless eighth inning and closer Ryan Pressly retired the Yankees in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the no-hitter.
Rookie JJ Matijevic and Jose Altuve hit late homers for the Astros, who handed the Yankees consecutive losses for the third time this season. Yuil Gurriel added a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth.
Gerrit Cole (6-2), formerly of the Astros, took the loss for the Yankees. He allowed one run on four hits and two walks, and he also struck out eight.
Philadelphia lost Bryce Harper “for an indefinite period of time” with a fractured left thumb when he was hit by a 97-mph Blake Snell fastball during their 4-2 victory over hosts San Diego.
Harper fell to the ground in pain after getting hit in the fourth inning. He yelled at Snell as he was leaving the field, although the Padres pitcher was visibly apologetic. Minutes later, the Phillies announced Harper had suffered a fracture to the thumb.
Meanwhile, JT Realmuto triggered a three-run fifth with a leadoff homer against Snell. Alex Bohm followed with a double, moved to third on a single by Didi Gregorius and scored on a groundout by Yairo Munoz. Kyle Schwarber then drove in Gregorious with a single.
Isaac Paredes slashed a two-run, walk-off single as Tampa Bay rallied past Pittsburgh 6-5 in St Petersburg, Florida.
In the ninth with the visitors up 5-4, closer David Bednar (3-2) recorded the first two outs before walking Choi Ji-Man and Vidal Brujan. Then pinch hitter Jonathan Aranda singled off Bednar’s glove to fill the bases with two outs. Down 0-2 in the count, Paredes, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs, lined a ball to right field that sent Choi and Brujan across the plate.
Bligh Madris was 3-for-4 with a double, Jack Suwinski slugged a threerun homer and Diego Castillo added a solo shot for the Pirates, who were outhit 14-8 by the Rays.
RESULTS (home team in CAPS)
Houston 3 NY YANKEES 0; TAMPA BAY 6 Pittsburgh 5; Baltimore 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2; ST LOUIS 5 Chicago Cubs 3; TEXAS 3 Washington 2; Oakland 9 KANSAS CITY 7; NY Mets 5 MIAMI 3; MILWAUKEE 5 Toronto 4; Boston 4 CLEVELAND 2; ATLANTA 5 LA Dodgers 3; MINNESOTA 6 Colorado 0; SAN FRANCISCO 9 Cincinnati 2; Seattle 5 LA ANGELS 3; Detroit 6 ARIZONA 3; Philadelphia 4 SAN DIEGO 2