Harper is grand in the ninth
Bryce Harper blasted a grand slam with one out in the ninth inning, capping a six-run rally that sent the Philadelphia Phillies over the Chicago Cubs 7-5 Thursday night for a three-game sweep.
Harper delivered his biggest hit yet in his first season with the Phillies, celebrating while running around the bases and then getting mobbed by teammates at the plate.
Cubs starter Yu Darvish struck out 10, silencing Philadelphia’s bats for seven innings one night after the Phillies scored 11 runs in former manager Charlie Manuel’s debut as hitting coach.
But the Phillies rallied against Chicago’s bullpen and moved within one game of the Cubs for the second wild-card spot in the NL.
Ranger Suarez (4-1) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win. Pedro Strop (2-5) took the loss. Kyle Schwarber slammed his 100th career homer and team-high 28th this season, and Anthony Rizzo hit his 22nd homer.
Reds 2, Cardinals 1: Sonny Gray struck out 10 while pitching five scoreless innings, and Cincinnati held off St. Louis. Gray, Robert Stephenson, Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias combined for a two-hitter. Iglesias surrendered Kolten Wong’s check-swing RBI double in the ninth before retiring Matt Wieters to finish his 24th save.
Mets 10, Braves 8: Pete Alonso drove in six runs with five hits, including a three-run home run. Alonso’s 39th homer tied the NL rookie record set by the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger in 2017. Atlanta’s Julio Teheran recorded only four outs in his shortest career start.
Giants 7, Diamondbacks 0: Evan Longoria had a 412-foot homer among his three hits and four RBIs, Dereck Rodriguez pitched seven strong innings in his first day back in the majors and San Francisco pulled even with Arizona on the fringe of the NL wild-card race.
American League
Indians 19, Yankees 5: Jose Ramirez hit two early homers, including his first career grand slam in a seven-run opening inning, and Cleveland pummeled New York in the start of a four-game series between AL pennant contenders.
Mariners 7, Tigers 2:
Dylan Moore homered and Kyle Seager drove in three runs in Seattle’s win over Detroit. Mallex Smith stole two bases, giving him 34, the most in the majors. The Mariners won two of three after losing eight of their previous nine.
Twins 13, Rangers 6: Minnesota hit three more homers and kept its slim lead in the AL Central. Minnesota never trailed after rookie Luis Arraez hit a two-run homer in a five-run second inning. The Twins built an 11-0 lead for starting pitcher Michael Pineada in his return from the injured list. Minnesota has 236 homers, 31 short of the MLB record set last year with 41 regular-season games remaining.
Athletics 7, Astros 6: Matt Chapman hit two home runs for the second straight day, connecting for the tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning to lead Oakland over Houston. The teams combined for a Coliseum record 10 home runs, five by each team. Four players hit two home runs: Chapman and teammate Matt Olson along with Houston’s Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa. Since 1908, it marked the fifth time in major league history that four players hit at least two home runs, with Minnesota and Baltimore also doing so on April 20.