Eflin’s seven shutout innings lifts Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Zach Eflin pitched seven strong innings to become the AL’s third 11-game winner, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Friday night in a matchup of the top teams in the American League.
Baltimore, which won 4-3 in 10 innings on Thursday night in the opener of the four-game set, leads the AL East with a .608 winning percentage compared to Tampa Bay’s .604.
Eflin (11-5) allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked one, improving to 10-1 in 11 starts at home.
After Colin Poche struck out the side in the eighth, Pete Fairbanks finished the two-hitter for his 11th save in 12 chances.
Isaac Paredes and Jose Siri homered for the Rays, who stopped a five-game skid.
Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish (6-5) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings.
DODGERS 11, RANGERS 5: In Arlington, Texas, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run double and a solo homer before scoring the go-ahead run as the Dodgers snapped the Rangers’ six-game winning streak.
J.D. Martinez hit two RBI singles and drew a bases-loaded walk for the Dodgers, who played at Globe Life Field for the first time since winning the 2020 World Series in the neutral-site postseason during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Corey Seager, the Dodgers’ shortstop when he was the MVP of both that World Series and NLCS, homered against his former team. But he departed after hurting his hand on a headfirst slide into second base.
Dodgers rookie center fielder Jonny Deluca had two incredible catches against consecutive batters to end the fifth inning.
BRAVES 6, BREWERS 4: In Milwaukee, Atlanta star Austin Riley homered for the fifth time in his last four games, and Orlando Arcia also went deep.
Riley hit a two-run homer in the third inning, and then singled and scored in the fifth to help the Braves win the matchup of division leaders. Riley is 8 for 17 with 13 RBIs over his last four games.
Arcia connected for a two-run homer in Atlanta’s three-run second, helping the Braves erase an early 2-0 deficit.
Willy Adames hit a two-run homer for NL Central-leading Milwaukee, and William Contreras went 2 for 4 and scored twice. Freddy Peralta (6-8) was charged with six runs in five innings.
GUARDIANS 6, PHILLIES 5: In Cleveland, Bryce Harper flashed some glove with a stunning catch in his first career start at first base, but Cleveland ended Philadelphia’s interleague winning streak at 12 games.
José Ramírez had four hits and David Fry drove in two runs for the Guardians. Trevor Stephan (5-4) got the win, and Emmanuel Clase worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 26th save in 33 tries.
The Phillies finished one win shy of matching the record of 13 consecutive interleague wins shared by the New York Yankees (2003-04), Tampa Bay (2004), Miami (2013-14) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017).
PADRES 5, TIGERS 4: In Detroit, Juan Soto hit two long home runs, powering San Diego to the win.
Soto connected for a 447-foot solo drive in the first inning. He added a two-run shot in the third that traveled an estimated 463 feet. He has 19 homers on the season.
REDS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 6: In Cincinnati, rookie Matt McLain hit his first career grand slam, and the Reds extended their win streak to three games.
Spencer Steer had two hits and three RBIs for the Reds. Alex Young (4-0) got one out for the win, and Alexis Díaz worked the ninth for his 28th save.
Cincinnati (53-46) pulled within 1 1/2 games of NL Central-leading Milwaukee.
TWINS 9, WHITE SOX 4: In Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Byron Buxton halted an 0-for-26 skid by homering in his first two at-bats, and Alex Kirilloff and Ryan Jeffers also took Lance Lynn deep.
The Twins (51-48) stayed two games ahead of Cleveland for the top spot in the AL Central.
Lynn (6-9) was tagged for nine runs — six earned — and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.
YANKEES 5, ROYALS 4: In New York, Billy McKinney hit a three-run homer and made two key catches in center field as the Yankees got a much-needed win.
Franchy Cordero homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees, who stopped a four-game slide and won for only the third time in 12 games since July 4.
Michael Massey hit a threerun shot in the fourth for Kansas City and a solo shot in the eighth. Alec Marsh (0-4) allowed five runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
CUBS 4, CARDINALS 3: In Chicago, Cody Bellinger hit a tworun homer, and the Cubs stopped the Cardinals’ six-game win streak.
Bellinger capped Chicago’s four-run third inning with a 400foot drive to right against Jack Flaherty. Bellinger, a possible trade target ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline, is 10 for 20 in his last five games.
All-Star left-hander Justin Steele (10-3) struck out a season-high nine in 6 1/3 innings for Chicago. Adbert Alzolay worked the ninth for his eighth save.
ROCKIES 6, MARLINS 1: In Miami, C.J. Cron, Jurickson Profar and Elias Díaz homered for Colorado, and Peter Lambert pitched five shutout innings.
Miami dropped its seventh straight game since the All-Star break.
Lambert (2-1) surrendered three hits in his return from a three-week stint with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes aimed at converting him into a starter after struggling as a reliever.
Miami starter Braxton Garrett (5-3) gave up six runs over three innings. Luis Arraez went 0 for 3 with a walk for the Marlins, dropping his major league-leading average to .373.
NATIONALS 5, GIANTS 3: In Washington, CJ Abrams and Lane Thomas homered for Washington, and rookie Jake Irvin struck out a career-high nine in 6 2/3 innings.
J.D. Davis and Joc Pederson homered for the Giants, who have dropped three in a row since a seven-game winning streak that spanned the All-Star break.