Scherzer solid in return, but Mets lose

The New York Mets wasted a stellar performance by Max Scherzer in his return from an oblique injury, losing 1-0 to the host Cincinnati Reds on Mike Moustakas' game-ending sacrifice fly Tuesday night.

Scherzer struck out 11 while pitching six innings of two-hit ball in his first big league start since May 18. He had been sidelined by a strained oblique muscle on his left side.

Throwing mostly fastballs, Scherzer allowed only one runner to reach third. And he responded by striking out Matt Reynolds to get out of the second inning.

Reds rookie Nick Lodolo combined with four relievers on a six-hitter. Lodolo struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings in his return from a back injury.

Tommy Pham led off the Cincinnati ninth with a double against Seth Lugo (1-2). Tyler Naquin was walked intentionally before Donovan Solano walked to load the bases. Moustakas' deep fly ball to center drove in Pham with the game-winner. MARINERS 6, PADRES 2 >> Logan Gilbert earned his 10th win to tie for the major league lead, Sam Haggerty homered and visiting Seattle beat San Diego.

The Mariners, who have won 12 of their last 15 games, swept the two-game set to win their fifth consecutive series.

The Padres have lost nine of 12.

Gilbert (10-3) allowed one earned run, six hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

He matched Houston's Justin Verlander and the Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin atop the big league win chart.

Mike Clevinger (2-1) gave up four runs and six hits over six innings.

San Diego has scored 10 runs in six games, with four coming in the ninth against the Dodgers on Sunday.

ASTROS 9, ROYALS 7 >> Yordan Alvarez threw out Hunter Dozier at the plate from just short of the warning track in left field to preserve a two-run, eighth-inning lead, then hit his 25th homer as host Houston topped Kansas City.

The Astros also got homers from Jeremy Peña, Alex Bregman and Aledmys Díaz as they extended their winning streak to a major league-best eight games.

Houston trailed 4-3 entering the fifth inning before Peña homered off Zack Greinke (2-5) to tie it. Bregman's two-run shot later in the fifth put the Astros ahead 6-4.

PHILLIES 11, NATIONALS 0 >>

Kyle Schwarber homered twice and Philadelphia won at home against Washington.

J.T. Realmuto hit a tworun shot and a sacrifice fly as the Phillies won for the fourth time in five games. Alec Bohm had two hits and three RBIs.

Schwarber opened the game against Paolo Espino (0-2) with his third leadoff homer this season and No. 16 for his career.

The Phillies got a nice boost from Cristopher Sánchez (1-1), who tossed twohit ball over five shutout innings in his first start since he was called up from Triple-A Lehigh to start for the injured Ranger Suarez (back spasm).

PIRATES 5, YANKEES 2 >>

Rookie outfielder Jack Suwinski hit his 14th home run, Daniel Vogelbach added his 11th and host Pittsburgh spoiled Jameson Taillon's return to PNC Park with a win over New York.

Taillon (9-2), a high draft pick by the Pirates who spent more than a decade in the organization before being traded to the Yankees in January 2021, lost for the first time since April 11. He gave up a solo shot to Vogelbach in the first inning and a two-run homer by Suwinski in the fourth. Taillon was pulled with one out in the sixth after allowing five runs and six hits with five strikeouts.

BRAVES 7, CARDINALS 1 >> Austin Riley homered and drove in three runs, Ian Anderson allowed one run in a bounce-back start, and host Atlanta defeated St. Louis.

Riley hit a two-run homer, his 21st, and William Contreras also went deep in the first inning as Atlanta took a 5-0 lead.

Anderson (7-5) allowed eight hits and one walk in five innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, getting an inning-ending groundout from Dylan Carlson.

Anderson had allowed a combined 11 earned runs in back-to-back losses.

The Cardinals have lost three straight and five of six.

Cardinals rookie righthander Andre Pallante was pulled in the fourth after allowing consecutive runscoring doubles to Matt Olson and Riley. Pallante (2-4) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

TWINS 8, WHITE SOX 2 >> Alex Kirilloff hit two of Minnesota's five homers and the Twins beat host Chicago.

Kirilloff went back to back with Jorge Polanco against slumping White Sox starter Michael Kopech in a three-run fifth, and hit a two-run drive against Vince Velasquez in the seventh.

Max Kepler and Jose Miranda also connected for the AL Central-leading Twins.

Josh Winder (4-2), recalled from Triple-A St. Paul earlier in the day, pitched five solid innings. He gave up two runs and seven hits in his fifth start for the Twins.

Kopech (2-6) got tagged for six runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in losing his fourth straight start.

CUBS 8, BREWERS 3 >> Seiya Suzuki homered for the second straight night as Chicago overcame Kyle Hendricks' early exit and won at Milwaukee.

Hendricks left after three innings with a sore right shoulder. He threw 69 pitches, with his velocity slightly lower than usual.

Chicago's bullpen stepped up in Hendricks' absence. Matt Swarmer (23), Rowan Wick and Michael Rucker combined to allow just one run over the last six innings.

Suzuki broke a 2-all tie by lining a two-run shot just to the right of the leftfield foul pole in the fifth. He also had an RBI single in the Cubs' four-run sixth.

Rowdy Tellez hit a tworun homer for Milwaukee in the first inning.

After starter Jason Alexander (2-1) held Chicago scoreless for the first three innings, the Cubs totaled eight runs over the next three frames to turn a 2-0 deficit into an 8-2 lead. TIGERS 11, GUARDIANS 4 >> Riley Greene and Victor Reyes drove in three runs apiece, Eric Haase blasted a tworun homer and Detroit pounded visiting Cleveland.

Miguel Cabrera added three hits, two runs scored and an RBI for the Tigers, who have won the first three games of the fourgame series.

Drew Hutchison (1-4) got his first victory since last Sept. 25, allowing two runs — one earned — and five hits in five innings.

Guardians starter Cal Quantrill (4-5) surrendered six runs — three earned — and eight hits in four innings.

RAYS 8, RED SOX 4 >> Kevin Kiermaier hit an early threerun double and broke a tie with an RBI grounder during a four-run sixth inning that sent Tampa Bay past Boston at Fenway Park.

Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story homered for the Red Sox, who had won five straight at home.