Major League Baseball results | Thursday
Astros 3, Yankees 2, 1st game Astros 7, Yankees 5, 2nd game
HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman both homered and combined for five RBIs as the Houston Astros completed a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees on Thursday with a 7-5 win in Game 2.
Chas McCormick added a two-run home run for the Astros, who won the season series 5-2 against the team with baseball’s best record.
Rookie J.J. Matijevic’s pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning lifted the Astros to a 3-2 win in the opener of the daynight doubleheader between the American League’s top teams.
Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 34th homer on a three-run shot off Brandon Bielak to the train tracks atop left field to cut the lead to 7-5 with one out in the ninth in Game 2.
Rafael Montero, who pitched an inning in the first game, took over and was greeted with a single by Gleyber Torres. But Matt Carpenter grounded into a double play to end the game and give Montero his seventh save.
Alvarez, who returned from the injured list Thursday, smacked his 27th homer to the seats in left field with two outs in the first to give Houston an early lead. The Astros went back-to-back when Bregman connected off Domingo Germán (0-1) four pitches later to make it 2-0.
There were runners on second and third with two outs in the second when Alvarez doubled off the wall in left-center to score two more and extend the lead to 4-0. Bregman singled to left field to send Alvarez home and make it 5-0.
Judge walked with one out in the third before the Yankees cut the lead to three on a home run by Torres.
The doubleheader coming out of the All-Star break was scheduled to help make up a series that was postponed because of the lockout. Houston won the first game of the series on June 30.
“It’s definitely news to watch us play each other,” New York’s Giancarlo Stanton said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to stay ahead of them for home-field (advantage) and every game is important. But there’s obviously a bit more spice on these games.”
Houston manager Dusty Baker echoed the sentiments of Stanton as it relates to his team.
“It’s just July, but it’s mid-July and these things count,” Baker said. “We’re trying to chase a team.”
Germán allowed six hits and five runs in three innings in his season debut after missing the first half of the season with a shoulder injury.
Houston starter Luis Garcia (8-5) yielded three hits and two runs in five innings for his fifth straight win after losing his previous four decisions.
McCormick’s home run came off JP Sears to extend the lead to 7-2 in the sixth.
In Game 1, Bregman led off the Houston ninth with a single against Michael King (6-3). Bregman advanced to third on Aledmys Díaz’s double. After Yuli Gurriel struck out, pinch-hitter Alvarez was walked intentionally to load the bases.
King looked as if he might be able to escape the jam after he struck out McCormick, but Matijevic drove in Bregman with an infield single to shortstop.
“The bullpen did a great job and boy, that was an exciting win for us and the fans and for J.J.,” Baker said. “I was happy for J.J.”
The Astros carried a 2-1 lead into the ninth. But Aaron Hicks singled against Héctor Neris (3-3) and scored on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s twoout single, a grounder that rolled just past shortstop Jeremy Peña for the tying hit.
Rangers 8, Marlins 0
MIAMI — Jon Gray pitched six innings of four-hit ball, Adolis García homered and the Texas Rangers beat the reeling Miami Marlins 8-0 on Thursday.
García drove in three runs, helping Texas stop a four-game slide. Marcus Semien had two hits and reached base four times.
The Marlins lost their fourth straight, and their scoreless streak reached 34 innings. They last scored in the second inning of their 2-1 loss against Philadelphia on July 15.
Miami also tied a club record with its ninth consecutive game without a home run. Marlins teams in 1993 and 2019 had similar droughts.
Gray (7-4) struck out five and walked two. Matt Moore, Matt Bush and Dennis Santana each got three outs, finishing the Rangers’ seven-hitter.
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager rejoined the team in Miami after appearing in the All-Star Game. But he got the day off.
Texas jumped in front on consecutive RBI singles by Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Helm and García in the third. García added a two-run shot in the fifth, driving the first pitch from Miami starter Pablo López over the wall in right for his 16th homer.
López (6-5) was lifted after five innings. The right-hander was charged with five runs and five hits.
Tigers 7, Athletics 2, 1st game Athletics 5, Tigers 0, 2nd game
OAKLAND — Sean Murphy hit a three-run homer to highlight Oakland’s five-run sixth inning that broke up a scoreless game, and the Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Thursday to split a doubleheader.
In the first game, Jeimer Candelario homered and Robbie Grossman doubled twice and drove in three runs against his former team as Detroit won 7-2.
Murphy connected for his 10th homer — his second straight season in double digits — off Garrett Hill (1-2), a rookie making his third major league start.
Stephen Vogt added a sacrifice fly and Tony Kemp an RBI single in the fifth for the A’s, who started an eight-game homestand Thursday to begin the second half.
Frankie Montas started the second game, returning from missing two turns with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He went three innings before Domingo Acevedo (2-2) worked the sixth for the win. He was the third of six Oakland pitchers in a four-hit gem that took 2 hours, 45 minutes.
It was the sixth shutout of the season for the A’s.
Montas had been forced out of his last outing July 3 at Seattle and wasn’t expected to work deep into the game.
In the opener, Candelario connected leading off the seventh to help back Tarik Skubal (7-8), who struck out nine and didn’t allow an earned run over six impressive innings while pitching back home in the East Bay.
He is back on track after losing five straight starts from June 12 to July 3, utilizing his steady slider.