Scherzer sharp as visiting Mets defeat Braves
Max Scherzer pitched seven strong innings, Luis Guillorme homered and drove in two runs, and the New York Mets beat Max Fried and the host Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Monday night in the opening game of their NL East showdown.
Pete Alonso also had two RBIs and Scherzer (6-1) gave up only three hits, including Austin Riley’s 24th homer in the seventh. That cut the Mets’ lead to 2-1, but Guillorme answered with his homer off Darren O’Day in the eighth.
All-Star closer Edwin Díaz struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save.
Scherzer had nine strikeouts with no walks in his second consecutive impressive start after missing almost seven weeks because of an oblique injury.
Fried (9-3) gave up two runs on five hits and five walks in five innings.
PADRES 6, ROCKIES 5 » Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth and C.J. Abrams homered, and San Diego stopped a 10-game losing streak at Coors Field with a victory over Colorado.
Cronenworth had three hits, including a solo homer in the third. Machado’s 446-foot solo homer made it 3-1 in the seventh, and Abrams’ three-run drive in the eighth made it 6-2.
Padres left-hander Sean Manaea (4-4) gave up five hits in 6 1/3 innings, departing after Randall Grichuk’s homer got the Rockies within 3-2 in the seventh. Manaea struck out five and walked one.
Connor Joe and Charlie Blackmon hit twoout RBI doubles in the ninth before Taylor Rogers got C.J. Cron to ground out for his 24th save.
CARDINALS 6, PHILLIES 1 » Miles Mikolas pitched into the eighth inning, Albert Pujols passed Stan Musial on the career extra-base hits list, and Corey Dickerson and Lars Nootbar homered as St. Louis beat visiting Philadelphia.
The teams split the four-game series and are tied for the final NL wild-card spot.
Mikolas (6-7) gave up six hits, including a first-inning home run to Rhys Hoskins, struck out five and walked none in 7 1/3 innings.
Aaron Nola (6-6) cruised until the bottom of the Cardinals order touched him for three runs in the fifth. Nola went seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Pujols doubled off the right field wall to lead off the seventh to take sole possession of third place with 1,378 extra base hits.
PIRATES 5, MARLINS 1 » Mitch Keller pitched onerun ball over seven innings, Jake Marisnick homered and Pittsburgh won at Miami.
Keller (3-6) scattered five hits and struck out five in his longest outing of the season.
RAYS 10, RED SOX 5 » Yandy Díaz had three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs, sending Tampa Bay to the home win over Boston.
GUARDIANS 8, WHITE SOX 4 » Rookie Nolan Jones drove in four runs in his home debut for Cleveland in a win against Chicago.
Jones hit a two-run single in the first off Lance Lynn (1-2). He then chased the righthander with a two-run double in the fifth.