Yanks sweep Angels in doubleheader
Jameson Taillon took a perfect game into the eighth inning and pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth as the New York Yankees earned a 2-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, completing a doubleheader sweep.
Taillon (6-1) lost his bid for the 24th perfect game in baseball history when Jared Walsh hit an 0-2 curveball up the middle leading off the eighth. The ball deflected off shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa's glove to left fielder Miguel Andujar.
The Angels have lost eight in a row.
In the opener, Matt Carpenter ended an 11-pitch at-bat with a leadoff home run against Shohei Ohtani, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge added solo shots off the two-way star, and the Yankees beat the Angels 6-1.
Nestor Cortes delivered seven solid innings and DJ LeMahieu also homered for the Yankees.
Ohtani (3-4) slogged through another disappointing day at Yankee Stadium after getting two outs and allowing seven runs in his debut on the Bronx rubber last June.
The right-hander was only a touch better in front of a sparsely attended makeup of Wednesday's rainout, charged with four runs in three-plus innings. He did have a hit off Cortes, but he was promptly picked off by the left-hander.
Carpenter put Ohtani behind with his third homer in six games since joining the Yankees as a free agent. It's the second straight game Ohtani has allowed a leadoff homer after Toronto's George Springer got him to end an eight-pitch at-bat last Thursday.
BLUE JAYS 8, WHITE SOX 3 >> Alek Manoah pitched into the eighth inning, Teoscar Hernández homered and Toronto extended its winning streak to eight games by beating visiting Chicago.
Santiago Espinal had three hits and three RBIs as the surging Blue Jays won for the 12th time in 15 games. Chicago has lost six of eight.
Manoah (6-1) allowed three runs and six hits, walked one and struck out five in 7 2/3 innings. He's 9-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 13 career home starts.
Leury Garcia and Luis Robert each singled to begin the first against Manoah, and a two-out walk to Gavin Sheets loaded the bases. Manoah escaped unscathed by catching Yasmani Grandal looking at a slider for strike three.
That was the first in a streak of 16 consecutive outs for Manoah, who didn't allow another baserunner until José Abreu singled to begin the seventh. Sheets followed by grounding into a double play.
Johnny Cueto (0-2) allowed three earned runs and seven hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out five.
REDS 8, NATIONALS 1 >> Rookie Graham Ashcraft delivered another gem, throwing seven innings of one-run ball, and Joey Votto and Kyle Farmer hit threerun homers in Cincinnati's home win over Washington.
The 24-year-old Ashcraft (2-0) reached the upper 90s with his sinker and cutter. He struck out four and allowed just four hits, shutting out the Nationals until Josh Bell hit a one-out solo homer in the seventh.
Joan Adon (1-9) allowed three runs and six hits through 5 1/3 innings for the Nationals.
RAYS 3, RANGERS 1 >> Corey Kluber excelled again at Globe Life Field, pitching six solid innings as Tampa Bay beat host Texas.
In his previous appearance at the ballpark, Kluber threw a no-hitter on May 19, 2021, while with the New York Yankees.
In his only other game at Globe Life Field, which opened in July 2020, he left after one inning and 18 pitches in his only start as a member of the Rangers. He tore a muscle in his pitching shoulder and was lost for the rest of that year.
Kluber allowed one run and four hits, striking out four and walking none on Thursday.
Vidal Brujan hit an RBI double in the second inning and Yandy Diaz singled home a run in the third for Tampa Bay.
The lone run off Kluber (2-2) was a home run by Marcus Semien in the sixth. TIGERS 3, TWINS 2 >> Daz Cameron hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning and surging Detroit won at home over slumping Minnesota.
Cameron's 416-foot shot off Emilio Pagan (1-2) scored Eric Haase, who hit a one-out single.
AL Central-leading Minnesota, the division's only team with a winning record, has lost seven of 10.
The fourth-place Tigers, meanwhile, have won seven of their last nine games to make up some ground in the standings after a poor start. CANO CHOOSES TO BECOME FREE AGENT >> Veteran infielder Robinson Cano was demoted to the minor leagues after just 12 games with the San Diego Padres and elected to depart the club in order to become a free agent.
The Padres optioned Cano to Triple-A El Paso, but the 39-year-old declined to accept the assignment per his right as a player with more than five years major league service time.
Cano was released by the New York Mets on May 8 and signed with the Padres five days later. But he went just 3-for-33 in San Diego.
Cano is a career .301 hitter over 17 seasons with a .351 on-base percentage, but he did not play in 2021 after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He has 335 home runs with 1,306 RBIs for the New York Yankees (2005-13), Seattle Mariners (2014-18), Mets (2019-22) and Padres.