Bregman extends Astros’ streak to 12
Jose Altuve upped the pressure on Alex Bregman as he walked to home plate with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth.
“Altuve told me ... that he’s not bringing his bat or batting gloves to the on-deck circle, so I better get the job done,” Bregman said.
Bregman hit a gameending two-run double and the Houston Astros beat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 to match a franchise record with their 12th straight win.
Houston trailed 4-0 after three innings but cut the lead to one entering the ninth. Sergio Romo walked Marwin Gonzalez to start the ninth, then allowed a single to Max Stassi. Houston loaded the bases when George Springer reached on interference by catcher Wilson Ramos.
Bregman then drove a ball that bounced off the wall in left-center. He lifted both arms as he trotted into second base, and teammates mobbed him in the infield.
It was Houston’s second game-ending hit of the season, the other also from Bregman. He also walked off Houston with a single in Game 5 of the World Series last season.
“You do it as often as Alex has done it, we know it’s going to be a good at-bat,” manager A.J. Hinch said. Indians 6, White Sox 2: Trevor Bauer shut out Chicago for seven innings before a rain delay ended his night in Cleveland. Bauer allowed just three hits, struck out eight and was in line to potentially pitch his first shutout. But the game was halted by rain in the seventh inning for 35 minutes, and manager Terry Francona pulled the right-hander after 100 pitches. Mets 12, Rockies 2: Brandon Nimmo homered twice during a huge night at the plate, including an inside-the-park shot to begin the game, and New York finally gave Jacob deGrom some run support. Nimmo had four hits and four RBIs. DeGrom allowed two runs, one earned, in eight innings in Denver to win for the first time in six starts. He struck out seven and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.51. The 12 runs New York scored Monday were more than the team managed in his previous eight starts combined.
Rangers 6, Royals 3: Bartolo Colon earned his 244th win, passing Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most by a pitcher born in the Dominican Republic, as visiting Texas beat skidding Kansas City. The 45-year-old allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings. Only Dennis Martinez, a native of Nicaragua, has more victories among pitchers from Latin America. The Royals have lost seven straight games and 13 of their past 14.
Nationals 5, Yankees 3; Yankees 4, Nationals 2: Aaron Hicks’ go-ahead two-run homer sparked chants of “Let’s go, Yankees!” on the road and helped New York beat Washington in the second game of an unusual semi-doubleheader. Juan Soto’s pinch-hit tiebreaking two-run shot for the Nationals won the opener. These games were scheduled more than a month ago, and Game 1 resumed at 3-all after being suspended because of rain in the middle of the sixth. So, technically, Soto managed to homer in a game played before he made his majorleague debut. The 19-year-old was called up five days after Game 1 started May 15. Pirates 1, Brewers 0: In Pittsburgh, Trevor Williams pitched one-hit ball over seven innings and two Pittsburgh relievers closed out a two-hitter to send first-place Milwaukee to its third straight loss. Williams struck out seven and walked two for his first victory in a month.
Diamondbacks 7, Angels 4: Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run homer and Zack Greinke pitched seven-hit ball into the seventh inning as visiting Arizona got its 12th victory in 16 games in June. Jarrod Dyson took away a possible game-tying grand slam from Los Angeles’ Justin Upton in the seventh inning with a leap in center field. Phillies 6, Cardinals 5: Aaron Altherr’s two-out, two-run double, which went past Marcell Ozuna after the left fielder dived for it, gave host Philadelphia the win in the 10th. Dodgers-Cubs postponed: The rematch of the past two NL Championship Series was postponed by poor weather and a power outage at Wrigley Field. It will be made up Tuesday as part of a doubleheader.