Alonso hits game-ending HR, Mets sweep Nats
NEW YORK » Pete Alonso hit a game-ending homer with one out in the seventh inning and the Mets quickly bounced back from blowing the lead, beating Washington 5-4 Thursday for a doubleheader sweep.
The Mets won the opener 4-1 as Brandon Nimmo homered and drove in four runs and Marcus Stroman took a shutout into the sixth.
New York took a 4-1 lead, too, into the seventh of the second game before the Nationals rallied against Trevor May and Jeurys Familia (6-2). A run-scoring wild pitch by Familia and Andrew Stevenson’s twoout, two-run single tied it.
Alonso capped a long, humid day with his 25th homer, lifting a 2-0 sinker against Kyle Finnegan (44) for a high-arcing drive to left field beyond the leaping try of Stevenson.
“I know I clipped it pretty good when I got it,” Alonso said. “I saw it go up. With the winds here because it was pretty storming, it was like a hurricane winds there.”
Alonso flung his helmet in the air and was mobbed by his teammates at the plate. Before heading into the clubhouse, the All-Star Home Run Derby champ ripped off his jersey to the cheering fans.
Nimmo tied a career high with four RBIs in Game 1. He hit a three-run homer in the second against Sean Nolin (0-1) and singled in the fourth to make it 4-0.
REDS 12, BRAVES 3 » Jesse Winker hit a grand slam in the second inning, the Reds added four more homers, and Cincinnati snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Atlanta.
Winker’s 24th homer, the second grand slam of his career, cleared the wall in right field to give the Reds a 4-1 lead after singles by Tyler Naquin and pitcher Vladimir Gutiérrez and a walk to Jonathan India.
The loss dropped Atlanta, which had won three straight and eight of 10, one game behind the first-place Phillies and into third place in the NL East.
ATHLETICS 17, INDIANS 0 » Mitch Moreland homered twice, Chris Bassitt posted his AL-leading 12th win and Oakland routed Cleveland for its seventh straight victory.
By the end, the only drama involved Matt Chapman, who walked in his first five plate appearances for Oakland. With a chance to tie the major league record for walks in a game, he struck out swinging in the ninth.
BREWERS 17, CUBS 4 » Luis Urías tied a major league record with five extra-base hits and Manny Piña drove in six runs as Milwaukee routed Chicago.
MARINERS 3, RANGERS 1 » Marco Gonzales pitched a two-hitter, J.P. Crawford and Jake Fraley homered and Seattle beat Texas.
CARDINALS 7, PIRATES 6 » Six St. Louis relievers combined to allow three runs in seven innings, Paul DeJong and Lars Nootbaar homered, and the Cardinals hung on to complete a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh.
TIGERS 6, ORIOLES 4 » Renato Núñez homered in his return to Baltimore, and Detroit dealt the Orioles their eighth straight loss as Miguel Cabrera sat out while one homer shy of 500.
RAYS 8, RED SOX 1 » Wander Franco hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning, Drew Rasmussen threw four strong innings in a spot start and Tampa Bay added to its lead in the AL East with a win over Boston.