Tucker, Alvarez provide home run power as Astros take down Mets

Kyle Tucker gave Astros starter Framber Valdez all the support he needed with a three-run homer in the first inning.

Houston piled on anyway.

“We scored early and we kept scoring,” manager Dusty Baker said. “That's the thing we got to do.”

Tucker had a key early drive and a stolen base, Yordan Alvarez hit his 23rd home run and Valdez pitched a gem to lift the Astros over the New York Mets 9-1 Tuesday night.

Alvarez reached base five times, Yuli Gurriel also homered and Alex Bregman had three hits as Houston beat the Mets for the third time in a week. The AL West leaders swept a two-game series at home to begin a stretch of nine straight games against the Mets and Yankees. Houston is 5-2 in that string so far.

“You know, we're playing high-quality teams,” Baker said. “I mean, these guys can score, just like the Yankees can score, and just like we can score.”.

BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 3 >> Matt Olson homered twice, Travis d'Arnaud also connected and Atlanta beat Philadelphia.

Olson had his second two-homer game this season and the 13th of his career. He broke a 3-all tie in the eighth with his second homer, driving an 86 mph slider from Andrew Bellatti (1-3) out to right.

A.J. Minter, filling in for injured closer Kenley Jansen, pitched a perfect ninth for first save in his third chance. Collin McHugh (1-1) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Kyle Schwarber stayed red-hot in June with a home run for Philadelphia.

YANKEES 2, ATHLETICS 1 >> JP Sears stretched his big league scoreless streak to 12 2/3 innings and won his second spot start, pitching New York over Oakland for its 15th win in 19 games.

Sears (3-0) limited the A's to three hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out one and

The Astros' Kyle Tucker runs the bases after hitting a threerun homer in the first inning against the Mets in New York.

walked one.

Josh Donaldson backed him with an RBI double in the first off trade candidate Frankie Montas (38), and Marwin Gonzalez homered in the second.

Clay Holmes allowed an RBI single to Elvis Andrus but stranded two runners to get his 13th save in 14 chances.

BLUE JAYS 6, RED SOX 5 >>

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a game-ending single in the ninth inning to complete Toronto's rally over Boston.

The Blue Jays trailed 5-4 when pinch-hitter Alejandro Kirk singled to begin the ninth against Tyler Danish (2-1). Hansel Robles gave up Bo Bichette's tying RBI single, and Guerrero followed with his base hit. The blown save was Robles' fifth.

Jordan Romano (2-2) worked the ninth as Toronto improved to 7-2 against the Red Sox.

Boston lost back-to-back games for the first time since May 30-31.

GUARDIANS 3-0, TWINS 2-6

>>Jorge Polanco drove in three runs in his first game back from the injured list and rookie Josh Winder pitched six stellar innings as the Minnesota Twins earned a day-night doubleheader split with a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Amed Rosario's clutch two-run single in the eighth inning rallied Cleveland to a 3-2 win in

the opener.

RANGERS 8, ROYALS 3 >> Marcus Semien homered and drove in four runs, Jon Gray pitched seven effective innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals.

Corey Seager hit a tworun double as the Rangers handed last-place Kansas City its fourth consecutive defeat. They've outscored the Royals 18-7 in the first two games of the series.

Semien had three hits and scored three times.

BREWERS 5, RAYS 3 >> Brandon Woodruff struck out 10 over five innings in his return from the injured list, Andrew McCutchen and Luis Urías homered during a four-run sixth, and Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay.

Woodruff (6-3) allowed one run and two hits.

Matt Wisler (2-2) replaced Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz with one on and two outs in the sixth, and it took eight pitches for the Brewers to turn a one-run deficit into to a 4-1 lead.

Josh Hader struck out the side in the ninth for his 23rd save in 24 chances.

CARDINALS 5, MARLINS 3 >> Dylan Carlson drove in a pair of runs and the St. Louis bullpen held Miami scoreless over four innings.

Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson (6-4) went five-plus innings, allowing three runs. He was lifted after issuing a leadoff walk to Jorge Soler in the sixth.

Junior Fernández pitched two innings, Giovanny Gallegos

worked the eighth and Ryan Helsley struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save in eight opportunities.

The Cardinals knocked Braxton Garrett (1-3) out of the game during a fourrun fifth.

NATIONALS 3, PIRATES 1 >> Patrick Corbin matched a career high with 12 strikeouts, Yadiel Hernandez delivered a go-ahead two-run double, and the Washington rallied in the eighth inning for the second straight game to beat Pittsburgh.

Corbin (4-10) allowed one run in eight innings for Washington, which has won three in a row and six of eight.

Pittsburgh has lost five in a row by a combined seven runs.

Hernandez came on to pinch-hit against former Washington prospect Wil Crowe (3-5) with two on and two outs in the eighth. Hernandez hit a shot over Diego Castillo in right, scoring both runners.

Tanner Rainey worked the ninth for his 11th save in 14 attempts.

REDS 5, CUBS 3 >> Luis Castillo struck out 11 over six shutout innings in his first win in a month, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Keegan Thompson and the Chicago Cubs.

Castillo (3-4) allowed five hits and walked three while throwing a career-high 123 pitches.

The right-hander, one of the top players on the market ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, had gone 0-2 with a 4.07 ERA in four starts since his last win May 31 at Boston.

Jonathan India hit a three-run homer for Cincinnati in the opener of a three-game series between the worst teams in the notvery-good NL Central.

MARINERS 2, ORIOLES 0 >> Jesse Walker's double in the eighth inning that scored J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez proved to be the only offense that Seattle would need as it shutout the Orioles.

Robbie Ray pitched seven innings and struck out eight to get the victory.