YANKEES KEEP BATTERING BIRDS
New York has hit 59 home runs against Baltimore alone this season after Monday’s doubleheader sweep.
NEW YORK — Gleyber Torres hit three more home runs, including a pair of three-run drives in the night game that gave him 13 of New York’s record 59 long balls against Baltimore this season, and the Yankees completed a doubleheader sweep with an 11-8 win on Monday night that stretched their winning streak versus the Orioles to 14 games.
Gio Urshela had six hits in the twinbill, including a 461-foot homer as the Yankees won the opener 8-5, and raised his average to .332 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs.
AL East-leading New York hit seven homers and has five doubleheader sweeps to go along with one split. The Yankees improved to 15-2 against Baltimore with two games left and have won 12 of their past 14 overall.
Torres set a big league record with his fifth multihomer game against a team in a season, breaking a tie with Ralph Kiner (1947), Gus Zernial (1951) and Roy Sievers (1955). His 26 homers are two more than his total as a rookie last year, and the 13 against Baltimore matched Roger Maris in 1961 against Cleveland for the
second-most against one team in a season by a Yankees player, one behind Lou Gehrig’s total in 1936 versus Cleveland.
When Torres came to the plate with runners on first and second in the eighth, Baltimore intentionally walked him.
Didi Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the day game and had four RBIs. Urshela, Torres and Cameron Maybin added solo shots, all off Gabriel Ynoa (1-7).
INDIANS 6, RED SOX 5: In Cleveland, Carlos Santana homered leading off the ninth inning to send Cleveland to a win over Boston and back into first-place in the AL Central.
After the Red Sox tied it in the top of the inning, Santana connected on a 2-2 pitch from Marcus Walden (7-2), driving it barely over the wall in left to give the Indians their biggest win this season.
The Indians moved past the idle Minnesota Twins and are alone in first for the first time since April 19.
José Ramírez hit a three-run homer and Franmil Reyes had a two-run shot as the Indians improved to a MLB-best 43-17 since June 4, when they trailed the Twins by 10 ½ games.
Down 5-1 after three innings, the Red Sox chipped away and finally tied it in the ninth on a twoout double by Xander Bogaerts off Indians closer Brad Hand (6-3).
But Santana bailed him out and added a new chapter to his own comeback season with Cleveland.
J.D. Martinez and Jackie Bradley Jr. homered, but Boston lost for the 12th time in 15 games. The defending World Series champions came in trailing the New York Yankees by 16 games in the AL East and 7 ½ back in the wildcard race. NATIONALS 7, REDS 6: In Washington, Trea Turner and Matt Adams homered, Erick Fedde pitched well after allowing a solo shot on the game’s first pitch and depleted Washington held on to edge Cincinnati.
Washington led 7-2 but blew most of that advantage before Sean Doolittle got his 27th save in 32 chances. He entered in the ninth with a 7-4 lead, but the struggling lefty closer’s first pitch of the evening became Phillip Ervin’s pinch-hit homer. The next batter singled, and came around on Joey Votto’s two-out double off the wall in left. Doolittle finally ended things on Josh VanMeter’s foul pop to third baseman Anthony Rendon. PIRATES 10, ANGELS 2: In Anaheim, Calif., Mitch Keller earned his first major league victory, Jacob Stallings had a homer and a two-run double, and Pittsburgh snapped its eight-game losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles.
Kevin Newman, Josh Bell and Bryan Reynolds also homered for the Pirates, who won for just the third time in 21 games and only the fifth time since the All-Star break. BLUE JAYS 19, RANGERS 4: In Toronto, Brandon Drury hit his first career grand slam, Justin Smoak had a two-run homer among his three extra-base hits, and Toronto routed Texas.
Bo Bichette had the first fourhit game of his career and Randal Grichuk had three hits, including a solo homer, as the Blue Jays won for the 10th time in 15 games.
Drury had five RBI, while Smoak and Grichuk each had four. Danny Jansen had a tworun homer.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, ROCKIES 6: In Denver, Jake Lamb, Nick Ahmed and Carson Kelly homered during a four-run sixth inning as Arizona rallied for a victory over Colorado.
Over the course of 13 pitches, Arizona went from trailing 6-3 to leading 7-6. Lamb started the comeback with a solo shot off reliever Jake McGee. Ahmed later hit a two-run homer and Kelly followed with a solo shot off Chad Bettis (1-6). ASTROS-WHITE SOX, PPD.: In Chicago, Zack Greinke’s second start with the Houston Astros has been postponed by rain.
The Astros were scheduled to begin a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
The teams will play a traditional doubleheader today. Greinke and Gerrit Cole will pitch for Houston, and rookie Dylan Cease and Iván Nova are the scheduled starters for Chicago.