A’s keep stumbling
Luis Torrens hit a tiebreaking two-run single, Chris Flexen pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners swept a quick two-game series against the Oakland Athletics with a 5-1 win Tuesday.
The A’s managed three straight singles in the first against Flexen, who settled in and struck out five over 6 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits and walked one, and the Mariners improved to 17-7 in his outings.
The A’s lost their fourth straight game — all but Tuesday’s result by two or fewer runs — and eighth in 10 following a 12-3 stretch.
White Sox 5, Blue Jays 2 — Dylan Cease pitched seven effective innings, José Abreu hit a three-run homer and Chicago stopped a threegame slide.
Cease retired his first 11 batters, fanning six, before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a single to right in the fourth. Cease allowed one run and four hits.
Rangers 7, Indians 3 — Nathaniel Lowe was 5-for-5 with a three-run homer in the first inning, and Texas beat Cleveland after adding catcher Jonah Heim on the COVID-19 list before the game, bringing their total to five players on the list.
National League
Giants 8, Mets 0 — Brandon Belt hit two of San Francisco’s four home runs to push his career-best total to 19, rookie Sammy Long pitched into the sixth inning and the Giants trounced slumping New York.
LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski also connected in the first four innings as the Giants jumped to a 7-0 advantage against rookie Tylor Megill.
The lone concern for the Giants: seven-time All-Star catcher Buster Posey was removed with left knee discomfort in the fifth.
Nationals 5, Marlins 1 — Tres Barrera had three hits, including a homer, and Washington sent Miami to its eighth straight loss.
Yadiel Hernádez singled and tripled, while Ryan Zimmerman also went deep for the Nationals.
Pirates 4, Diamondbacks 2 —
Brubaker pitched five scoreless innings for his first win in nearly three months, and Pittsburgh beat Arizona.
Brubaker allowed four hits with six strikeouts, stranding five runners in scoring position. Since last winning May 29, Brubaker went 0-9 with a 7.08 ERA in 12 starts.
Michael Chavis homered in his second game with the Pirates.
Interleague
Rays 3, Phillies 1 — Nelson Cruz returned from the COVID-19 list, played first base for the first time in his career and hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning as Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia.
The 41-year-old Cruz, Tampa Bay’s designated hitter who had never played first, handled all his chances cleanly in his first action anywhere on defense since he played right field for Seattle in 2018. He singled in the first and sixth innings before his big hit in the eighth, a line drive off Archie Bradley that scored Brett Phillips and Randy Arozarena.