AROUND THE HORN
The White Sox tied a major league record with four consecutive HRs, all against reliever Roel Ramirez in his major league debut, and went on to beat the visiting Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday. Ramirez is the first pitcher to allow four straight HRs in his debut. Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez connected during a six-run fifth.
■ Reds, Pirates: Reds players and staff were tested for COVID-19 again as MLB tried to determine if more than one player has been exposed to the coronavirus. The last two games of a series between the Reds and visiting Pirates were postponed Saturday after the player tested positive. Both teams had scheduled days off Monday, creating a potential opportunity for a makeup doubleheader, but MLB was waiting on further testing.
■ Nationals: Max Scherzer struck out 10 over seven innings, and the Nats scored an unearned run in the eighth to break a tie and squeeze past the host Orioles 6-5. With the victory, the defending World Series champions climbed out of last in the NL East. Scherzer (2-1) gave up five runs and eight hits. It was his 96th game with at least 10 K’s, leaving the threetime Cy Young winner one short of Sandy Koufax for fifth on the career list.
■ Yankees: AL batting leader DJ LeMahieu was placed on the 10-day IL because of a sprained left thumb. LeMahieu was hurt during an awkward swing in Saturday night’s victory over the Red Sox. He’s hitting .411 . ... J.A. Happ won in his return to Yankees rotation after being skipped for a turn, Mike Ford drove in three runs and the Yankees beat the Red Sox 4-2 for their ninth straight victory over the Red Sox, their best spurt against their rival in nearly 70 years. The Yankees are 9-0 at home for the first time since 1987 and are on their longest winning streak against the Red Sox since taking 12 in a row from Aug. 16, 1952, to April 23, 1953.
■ Indians: The Indians beat the Tigers for the 20th straight time, nearing the major league record for most wins by a team over a single opponent, as Franmil Reyes hit two HRs in an 8-5 road victory. The Orioles hold the mark with 23 consecutive wins over the Royals in 1969-70. The Yankees have an active streak of 18 straight wins against the Orioles.
■ Extra innings: Stephen Piscotty, Chad Pinder and Marcus Semien homered during a nine-run fifth, powering the A’s to a 15-3 win and three-game series sweep over the host Giants. The A’s, who have the best record in the AL, have won four straight . ... Keibert Ruiz homered in his first major league at-bat, Corey Seager hit a three-run HR and the visiting Dodgers capped a three-game sweep of the Angels with an 8-3 win. The Dodgers, who have the best record in the NL, have won five straight . ... The Blue Jays placed SS Bo Bichette on the 10-day IL, a day after he strained his right knee in a suspended game against the Rays. Bichette, who’s hitting .361 for second-best in the AL, was scheduled to undergo an MRI.