AROUND THE HORN
Giants: Tommy La Stella and Brandon Belt each hit three-run homers, and the Giants pounded the Cubs 15-4 on Saturday for their sixth straight win. La Stella, a former Cub, finished with three hits, including a double, five RBIs and scored three runs for the surging Giants, who improved to a major-league best 92-50. La Stella’s home run off Tommy Nance in the fifth thudded off Wrigley’s right-field videoboard and capped a six-run rally that allowed the Giants to pull away for its eighth win in nine games.
Blue Jays: George Springer hit a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Blue Jays an 11-10 victory over the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 43rd home run of the season to move within one of the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Danny Jansen also connected for the Blue Jays, who stayed in the thick of the AL wild-card race. They have played eight doubleheaders, one shy of their last six seasons combined and their most in a season since also playing eight in 1982.
Rangers: Jonah Heim hit a two-run home run with two outs in the eighth to cap a fiverun rally, lifting the Rangers past the Athletics 8-6. Trailing 6-2 after being held down by starter Cole Irvin, the Rangers took advantage of the A’s struggling bullpen. DJ Peters hit a two-run home run and Yohel Pozo added an RBI double off Sergio Romo before Heim’s homer on an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Chafin (1-3).
Rays: Rookie INF Wander Franco was placed 10-day injured list, a day after leaving a 10-4 loss to the Tigers with right hamstring tightness. He had just extended his on-base streak to 39 games. Manager Kevin Cash said that the recovery timetable is between two and three weeks.
Phillies: The team designated RHP Vince Velasquez for assignment. Velasquez, who was on a rehab assignment after going on the injured list for a middle finger blister, went 3-6 with a 5.95 ERA over 21 games, including 17 starts, this season.
Cubs: OF Jason Heyward left Saturday’s game with the Giants in fourth inning after sliding into third and getting kneed in the head by Giants SS Brandon Crawford as he tried to advance to third base on David Bote’s infield single.