Braves’ winning streak reaches NL-best 9 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE BRAVES 4, PIRATES 2
ATLANTA — A move toward simplicity served Spencer Strider well in his first home start.
The adjustment could help Strider keep his new-found place in the Atlanta Braves’ rotation.
Strider outpitched Roansy Contreras in a matchup of hard-throwing rookies, Dansby Swanson had three hits, including a two-run home run, and the Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Friday night for their ninth consecutive win.
The winning streak is the National League’s longest this season. Houston and the New York Yankees have had 11-game streaks.
The Pirates have lost four in a row, matching their longest losing skid of the season.
Strider (2-2) allowed only 4 hits with 8 strikeouts and 1 walk in 52/3 scoreless innings. Strider, making his first home start and only his third overall, pitched into the sixth inning for the first time.
“I definitely wanted to simplify things,” Strider said, adding he felt he made things too difficult for himself in his last start, when he lasted only 41/3 innings and received no decision in a 6-2 win at Colorado on Saturday.
Strider said his plan was to “just focus on being in line to the plate.” He allowed only two hits through his first five innings.
The 23-year-old Strider began the season as a reliever before moving into the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He gave credit to Swanson for giving him a confidence boost, as well as some pointers, following his start at Colorado.
“He was just relaying to me that my stuff is good and he’s seeing it behind me,” Strider said, referring to Swanson’s view of his work from his shortstop position. “He can tell when I’m getting too complicated.”
CARDINALS 2, REDS 0 Andre Pallante took a shutout into the sixth inning in his second major league start, helping St. Louis snap a three-game skid with a win over Cincinnati. Pallante (2-0) allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 51/3 innings and had 3 strikeouts.
NATIONALS 11, BREWERS 5 Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz hit home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning, and Washington sent Milwaukee to its season-high seventh consecutive loss. PHILLIES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 5 Rhys Hoskins hit a pair of home runs and Kyle Schwarber added a three-run shot to lead red-hot Philadelphia over Arizona and to its eighth consecutive win.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
BLUE JAYS 10, TIGERS 1 Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer and Bo Bichette homered during a four-run second inning, Jose Berrios pitched eight strong innings and Toronto routed Detroit. GUARDIANS 3, ATHLETICS 2 Jose Ramirez doubled twice, then homered to begin a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning as Cleveland sent Oakland to its 10th consecutive loss. ROYALS 8, ORIOLES 1 Jonathan Heasley allowed one hit in a career-best seven sharp innings, Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in three runs and Kansas City defeated Baltimore for its third consecutive win. Michael A. Taylor also homered for Kansas City, which had a season-high eight extra-base hits — the Royals’ most in a game since April 2, 2021, against Texas.
TWINS 9, RAYS 4 Byron Buxton had his second consecutive two-home run game and Minnesota beat Tampa Bay. Buxton has gone deep five times in the last three days and moved into a tie for second in the major leagues with 17 home runs in just 43 games.
WHITE SOX 8, RANGERS 3 Yasmani Grandal hit a tiebreaking, two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning and Chicago beat Texas.
INTERLEAGUE
YANKEES 2, CUBS 1 (13) Pinch-hitter Jose Trevino broke a stalemate in the 13th inning with a game-winning single, giving New York a win over Chicago.
MARLINS 7, ASTROS 4 Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Aguilar hit two home runs each to power Miami to its fourth consecutive victory. Chisholm and Aguilar both had solo shots in the first inning before hitting two-run home runs in the fifth.