Yankees expand lead over 2nd-place Rays
Mets almost blow 7-0 lead, hang on
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jameson Tallion pitched two-hit ball over eight innings, following Nestor Cortes to give the Yankees their longest consecutive starts in nine years and leading New York over the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Friday night.
Gleyber Torres put the Yankees ahead with a homer in the fourth off Jeffrey Springs (2-2), and Matt Carpenter, in his second game with New York, homered later in the inning.
New York opened a 6½-game lead over the Rays by winning the first two games of the fourgame series. The Yankees won their fourth straight following a season-worst three-game losing streak and improved to 33-13, the best start in the major leagues since the 2001 Seattle Mariners opened 34-12.
Taillon (5-1) improved to 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts, striking out five and walking none while throwing 62 of 93 pitches for strikes. The 30-year-old right-hander had not gotten an out in the eighth inning since Aug. 7, 2018, for Pittsburgh at Colorado, when he pitched his second big league complete game.
Taillon was sidelined from May 1, 2019, until the start of the 2021 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
METS 8, PHILLIES 6: In New York, Pete Alonso homered, doubled and drove in four runs, taking over the major league RBIs lead and powering New York past Philadelphia.
Down 7-0 to Carlos Carrasco (5-1), the Phillies made it close by scoring six times in the sixth inning, capped by Garrett Stubbs’ three-run homer.
BRAVES 6, MARLINS 4: In Atlanta, Ozzie Albies’ bloop double in the seventh inning drove in two runs and Atlanta recovered after squandering an early three-run lead in a win over Miami.
Miami led 4-3 before Ronald Acuña Jr. tied the game with a pinch-hit double off Anthony Bass (1-2). Matt Olson scored from first on the double.
Carlsbad’s Trevor Rogers got no decision for Miami, giving up three runs in five innings.
ORIOLES 12, RED SOX 8: In Boston, Anthony Santander hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and also had a two-run homer, helping Baltimore overcome a pair of six-run deficits to beat Boston.
Baltimore trailed 8-2 before Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Austin Hays added a tworun shot in the eighth.
CARDINALS 4, BREWERS 2: In St.Louis, Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games and lead St. Louis over Milwaukee.
Dakota Hudson was pulled after 4 2/3 innings with the bases loaded in the fifth, after allowing five hits and four walks. Drew VerHagen (2-0) earned the win.
REDS 5, GIANTS 1: In Cincinnati, rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft earned his first victory with six strong innings and Cincinnati beat San Francisco following a political protest by Giants manager Gabe Kapler and a scuffle between Tommy Pham and Joc Pederson.
Kapler refused to take the field for the national anthem, a demonstration of his frustration with the country’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas.
TWINS 10, ROYALS 7: In Minneapolis, Jorge Polanco homered in a four-run first inning and Carlos Correa hit a go-ahead homer in the fourth to power the Minnesota past Kansas City.
Bobby Witt Jr. finished a double shy of the cycle for the Royals, who have lost seven of eight.
DODGERS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 4: In Phoenix, Edwin Ríos and Mookie Betts hit backto-back homers in the second inning, Trea Turner added a solo shot in the sixth and Los Angeles beat Arizona.
It was the second win of the series for the Dodgers, who had a season-high 24 hits in a 14-1 victory on Thursday.