AROUND THE HORN
Diamondbacks:
Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings and Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed each homered in the eighth inning, lifting the Diamondbacks 2-0 over the Cardinals on Saturday.
Blue Jays: George Springer homered twice against his former team, leading José Berríos and the Blue Jays over the Astros 2-1 Saturday and snapping 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, the 19th multi-homer game of his career. Springer was hit by a pitch in his next at-bat and stole second. Of Springer’s six home runs this season, three have come against the Astros. He was the MVP of the 2017 World Series when the Astros won their only championship.
Reds: Reds cut outfielder Aristides Aquino, clearing a roster spot for right-hander Connor Overton to start Saturday night at Colorado. Aquino was in his fifth season with the Reds and struggled this year, batting .049 with 23 strikeouts in 41 at-bats over 15 games. The 28-year-old Overton made his major league debut last season, pitching for the Blue Jays and Pirates. His contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville. Aquino was designated for assignment. The 28-year-old hit .205 with 32 homers in 179 games for the Reds. Manager David Bell said Aquino’s steadying clubhouse influence — he was a member of the Reds organization for 10 years — will be missed.
Guardians: Pinch-hitter Richie Palacios delivered a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning and the Guardians took advantage of a key error to beat the Athletics 3-1 on Saturday. Steven Kwan had two hits in his return to the lineup as the Guardians won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak. The rookie outfielder, batting .354 in his first big league season, had missed five games with a sore hamstring.
Twins: Kyle Garlick hit two home runs off Rays starter Shane McClanahan and the Twins beat the Rays 9-1. The second homer, Garlick’s third of the season, came with Carlos Correa on base in the sixth inning and broke a 1-1 tie. Correa had three hits for the Twins, who have won eight of nine.
Giants: Jason Vosler homered and Darin Ruf had three hits for the Giants, who were missing several players with COVID-19 but still beat the Nationals 9-3 on Saturday. Giants starter Logan Webb (3-1) gave up a career-high 11 hits in six innings in which he struck out three, walked one and allowed three runs. The Giants snapped a two-game skid with their sixth win in eight games. Vosler homered for a second straight day leading off the sixth, sparking a five-run inning that put the Giants up 8-3.
Rangers: Corey Seager homered in his third straight game, Dane Dunning allowed one run over a career-high 7 innings and the Rangers beat the Braves 3-1 on Saturday night. Seager’s solo homer gave Texas its first run in the first inning since opening day. The Rangers snapped a fourgame losing streak.
Marlins: Jesús Luzardo allowed one run and two hits in six innings and the Marlins won their seventh straight game, beating the Mariners 3-1 on Saturday night.Brian Anderson had two hits for the Marlins, whose last seven-game win streak ran from April 24-30, 2016. Luzardo struck out five and walked one in his longest outing of the season.