Jays’ Springer bites old team twice
Marlins win 7th straight; Diamondbacks top Cards
TORONTO — George Springer homered twice against his former team, leading José Berríos and the Toronto Blue Jays over Houston 2-1 Saturday to snap the Astros’ season-long winning streak at four.
Springer’s leadoff homer in the first was the 46th of his career. Starting at DH, Springer connected again in the third, his 19th multi-homer game.
“It boiled down to too much George,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.
Springer was hit by a pitch in his next atbat and stole second.
Of Springer’s six home runs this season, three have come against Houston. He was the MVP of the 2017 World Series when the Astros won their only championship.
“A home run is a home run,” Springer said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”
Berríos (2-0) gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked two.
“I got it in my mind to be aggressive, trying to be ahead of the hitters,” Berríos said. “We created a plan and then went out there and executed it.”
Yordan Alvarez homered off Berríos to begin the fourth, his sixth. But that was all Houston managed against the Blue Jays right-hander.
“Hats off to José,” Springer said. “He held a good team down.”
Adam Cimber pitched one inning, Tim Mayza went 1⅓ innings and Jordan Romano threw a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances. The Blue Jays improved to 8-2 in one-run games.
Both of Springer’s homers came off Luis Garcia (1-1), who allowed five hits in six innings.
MARLINS 3, MARINERS 1: In Miami, Jesús Luzardo allowed one run and two hits in six innings and the Marlins won their seventh straight game.
Brian Anderson had two hits for the Marlins, whose last seven-game win streak ran from April 24-30, 2016.
Luzardo (2-1) struck out five and walked one in his longest outing of the season.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, CARDINALS 0: In St. Louis, Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings and Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed homered in the eighth inning, raising Arizona.
Marte led off the eighth by taking a 1-1 changeup off Miles Mikolas (1-1) into the right-field bullpen for his first homer of the season. One out later, Ahmed sent a 1-1 fastball into the left-field bullpen for his second homer.
Kelly (2-1) pitched seven scoreless innings, holding the Cardinals to two hits with four strikeouts and one hit batter.
TWINS 9, RAYS 1: In St. Petersburg, Fla., Kyle Garlick hit two home runs off starter Shane McClanahan and Carlos Correa had three hits for the Twins, who have won eight of nine. Cody Stashak (2-0) got the win in relief.
McClanahan (1-2) struck out a career-high 11 in five innings, giving up three runs on four hits, including Garlick’s two homers. The left-hander leads the American League
with 42 strikeouts.
GUARDIANS 3, ATHLETICS 1: In Oakland, Calif., pinch-hitter Richie Palacios hit a twoout, two-run double in the ninth inning and Cleveland took advantage of a key error to beat Oakland.
It was 1-all with one out in the Cleveland ninth with a runner on first when Oscar Mercado hit a potential double-play grounder to rookie second baseman Nick Allen, who misplayed it for an error. Palacios hit a towering double on a 3-1 pitch from Dany Jiménez (1-1).
GIANTS 9, NATIONALS 3: In San Francisco, Jason Vosler homered and Darin Ruf had three hits as San Francisco overcame the absence of several players due to COVID-19 and beat Washington.
Giants starter Logan Webb (3-1) gave up a career-high 11 hits in six innings.
WHITE SOX 4, ANGELS 0: In Chicago, Tim Anderson and Luis Robert homered to help the Chicago end the Angels’ six-game winning streak.
Josh Harrison, AJ Pollock and Anderson had two hits apiece for the White Sox, who won for the second time in 12 games.
PHILLIES 4, METS 1: In New York, Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning as Philadelphia bounced back from being no-hit by beating New York.
Odubel Herrera added an RBI double, and Rhys Hoskins homered for Philadelphia.
RANGERS 3, BRAVES 1: In Arlington, Texas, Corey Seager homered in his third straight game, Dane Dunning allowed one run over a career-high 7⅔ innings and Texas beat Atlanta.
Seager’s solo homer gave Texas its first run in the first inning since opening day. The Rangers snapped a four-game losing streak.
PIRATES 7, PADRES 6, 10 INNINGS: In Pittsburgh, Ke’Bryan Hayes singled in the tying run and scored the winning run on an error as Pittsburgh scored twice in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat San Diego and snap a four-game losing streak.
Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado homered for the Padres, who had their four-game winning streak halted.
YANKEES 3, ROYALS 0: In Kansas City, Mo., Gerrit Cole pitched six sharp innings and New York won its eighth straight game by manufacturing runs against sloppy Kansas City pitching.
Cole (2-0) allowed five hits and two walks while striking out six. Aroldis Chapman worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
BREWERS 9, CUBS 1: In Milwaukee, Eric Lauer struck out 11 in seven innings as the Brewers beat Chicago.
Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Christian Yelich and Hunter Renfroe connected for consecutive home runs in the eighth.
ORIOLES 2, RED SOX 1, 10 INNINGS: In Baltimore, Jorge Mateo scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a throwing error by pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura, capping Baltimore’s comeback over Boston.
Jorge López (2-1) pitched two hitless innings for Baltimore. In the 10th, he retired Alex Verdugo with two outs and runners on the corners.
ROCKIES 4, REDS 3: In Denver, Chad Kuhl shook off a first-pitch homer by Tyler Naquin and lasted into the eighth inning, Ryan McMahon hit a go-ahead two-run triple in the sixth and Colorado dealt Cincinnati its ninth straight road loss.
Charlie Blackmon added an RBI double in Colorado’s four-run sixth inning. Aramis Garcia homered for the Reds.