Swanson goes deep twice for surging Braves
Yankees stun Astros with four in ninth
ATLANTA — Dansby Swanson hit two home runs and the Atlanta Braves built a big lead early before holding off the San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Thursday for their 18th win in 21 games this month.
Swanson had three hits and drove in three runs. He hit a leadoff home run in the first and connected again in the fourth, his 12th, for a 7-1 lead. It was his seventh career multihomer game.
Travis d’Arnaud hit a tworun single in a five-run second inning as the Braves tagged Alex Wood (5-6).
Atlanta starter Kyle Wright (8-4) allowed 10 hits and four runs in 5⅓ innings.
The defending World Series champion Braves moved 11 games over .500 for the first time this season.
San Francisco has dropped four of five.
YANKEES 7, ASTROS 6: In New York, Aaron Judge lined a game-winning single on the eve of his salary arbitration showdown, capping a four-run ninth inning that included Aaron Hicks’ tying three-run homer off closer Ryan Pressly in the Yankees’ victory over Houston.
Batting with two on against Ryne Stanek, Judge smoked a 3-0 splitter into the left-field corner to score Jose Trevino from second base. It was the Yankees’ ninth walk-off win in 70 games this season — their most since 1943 — and one that seemed mighty unlikely when they entered the last inning with only two hits.
New York improved to 52-18 — the third-best 70-game start in the majors since 1930.
New York also extended its home winning streak to 15 games, the team’s longest since 1961.
MARINERS 2, ATHLETICS 1: In Oakland, Calif., Frankie Montas took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, but reliever A.J. Puk threw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches with two outs in the ninth that gave Seattle a win over Oakland.
The Mariners loaded the bases with three walks and rallied on Puk’s wayward tosses to complete a three-game sweep.
Montas didn’t allow a hit until Adam Frazier lined a clean single to left field with two outs in the eighth. Montas gave up another hit and was pulled after the inning.
Montas struck out eight in a season-high eight innings, and exited with a 1-0 lead — he has received either one or zero runs of support in 11 of his 15 starts.
DODGERS 10, REDS 5: In Cincinnati, Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs, leading Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles past Cincinnati.
Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Will Smith and Justin Turner also homered for the NL Westleading Dodgers, who outscored the Reds 52-18 in winning all seven games against them this year.
Kershaw (5-1) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings and lowered his ERA to 2.00.
TWINS 1, GUARDIANS 0: In Minneapolis, Nick Gordon hit a third-inning home run that stood up for starter Devin Smeltzer, and Minnesota cooled off Cleveland to dodge a sweep.
Gordon drove a 1-2 curveball from Zach Plesac (3-4) into the grass berm beyond the wall in center.
Smeltzer (4-1) cruised through six innings, allowing only two singles and one double while striking out three.
BREWERS 6, CARDINALS 4: In Milwaukee, Tyrone Taylor hit a three-run homer, Willy Adames added a solo shot and Milwaukee beat St. Louis to split a four-game series.
Taylor’s drive to left field on a 2-1 sinker from Dakota Hudson (5-4) in the fourth inning gave the Brewers a 4-2 lead.
The Brewers moved back into a first-place tie with the Cardinals atop the NL Central.
PIRATES 8, CUBS 7 (10): In Pittsburgh, Michael Chavis hit a tying home run in the eighth before pulling off a defensive gem and delivering a gameending single in the 10th, sending Pittsburgh over Chicago.
Chavis’ solo homer made it 7-all after the Cubs scored five times in the top of the eighth.
In the 10th, Chavis charged a slow grounder by Jason Heyward toward first base and threw out Patrick Wisdom at the plate. In the bottom half, Chavis blooped a single to right off Scott Effross (1-3) and automatic runner Ke’Bryan Hayes scored.
PHILLIES 6, PADRES 2: In San Diego, Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and J.T. Realmuto added a three-run shot for Philadelphia, which handed San Diego’s Joe Musgrove his first loss of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Musgrove (8-1) saw his ERA rise from 1.59, which had been second-lowest in the majors, to 2.12. He had been activated from the COVID-19 injured list earlier in the day.
MARLINS 3, ROCKIES 2: In Miami, Avisaíl García drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’schoice grounder in the eighth inning, and Miami completed a three-game sweep of Colorado.
Four relievers combined to throw 4⅓ scoreless innings for the Marlins, including Steven Okert (5-0), who pitched a scoreless eighth to pick up his second win of the series.
ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 0: In Chicago, rookie Adley Rutschman homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead Baltimore past Chicago.
Ryan Mountcastle had two doubles among his three hits as the Orioles won their second in a row and third in four.