Olson homers twice as Braves top Phils
Matt Olson homered twice and Travis d’Arnaud also went deep to lift the Braves to a 5-3 victory over the Phillies on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
It was the second time this season that the former A’s first baseman hit two homers in a game, and the 13th time in his career. He broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth with his second HR, driving an 86 mph slider from Andrew Bellatti (1-3) to right.
A.J. Minter, subbing for injured closer Kenley Jansen, pitched a perfect ninth for first save in his third chance. Collin McHugh (1-1) tossed 12⁄3 scoreless innings of relief.
The Braves improved to 20-5 this month and are a win away from tying the club record for victories in June with two games remaining. Philadelphia, which began a resurgence when Rob Thomson replaced fired Joe Girardi on June 3, is 18-7 this month.
Kyle Schwarber stayed redhot in June with a home run for Philadelphia, leading off the seventh with a line drive off Dylan Lee that cleared the fence in center and tied the game.
It was the 11th homer of the month for Schwarber, whose career average of a HR every 9.76 at-bats in June is tops in MLB history for the month among players who have at least 400 career at-bats.
D’Arnaud and Olson went deep in consecutive at-bats with one out in the first to put the Braves in front. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler had allowed just three homers in 75 innings this season before those two drives.
Wheeler was lifted after surrendering three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and a walk in 61⁄3 innings. Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 5: Host Toronto got RBI singles from Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the ninth inning to rally past Boston.
Astros 9, Mets 1: Kyle Tucker had a three-run homer and a stolen base, Yordan Alvarez hit his 23rd home run and Framber Valdez (8-3) pitched eight shutout innings to lift visiting Houston over New York.
Twins, Guardians split: Jorge Polanco drove in three runs in his first game back from the injured list and rookie Josh Winder pitched six stellar innings as visiting Minnesota won 6-0 in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Amed Rosario’s clutch two-run single in the eighth inning rallied Cleveland to a 3-2 win in the opener, snapping the Guardians’ five-game losing streak.
Brewers 5, Rays 3: Luis Urias homered, doubled and had three RBIs as visiting Milwaukee won its third straight game. Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz left with a 1-0 lead before Matt Wisler surrendered a two-run homer to Andrew McCutchen.
Nationals 3, Pirates 1: Patrick Corbin (4-10) matched a career high with 12 strikeouts, Yadiel Hernandez delivered a go-ahead two-run double, and host Washington rallied in the eighth inning for the second straight game. Pittsburgh has lost five games in a row by a combined seven runs.
Cardinals 5, Marlins 3: Dylan Carlson hit a go-ahead double in the fifth inning and had an RBI single in the fourth to put host St. Louis on the board as the Cardinals rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Miami.
Briefly: Philadelphia outfielder Bryce Harper will have surgery Wednesday to repair his broken left thumb and the team hopes the 2021 NL MVP can play again this season . ... Mets right-hander Max Scherzer had his minor-league rehab start with Double-A Binghamton pushed back a day to Wednesday, but New York manager Buck Showalter says there has been no setback in his recovery from a strained oblique . ... Jansen was put on the 15-day injured list because of an irregular heartbeat . ... The Astros have placed five-time All-Star Michael Brantley on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort . ... Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges went on the seven-day injured list with a concussion, forcing the team to acquire journeyman Sandy Leon in a trade with Cincinnati.