Twins stun Yankees with homers in 9th
Josh Donaldson and Nelson Cruz hit tworun homers off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, and the Minnesota Twins beat the visiting New York Yankees 7-5 Thursday night to avoid a three-game sweep.
Giancarlo Stanton drove a slider off the end of his bat 422 feet for a three-run, first-inning homer off J.A. Happ, Gio Urshela also homered and an all right-handed New York Yankees lineup built a 5-2 lead by the sixth inning.
But Chapman blew a save for the second time in 14 chances. He threw just five of nine pitches for strikes and his velocity was down from his usual 99-100 mph as he allowed all four batters to reach.
Jorge Polanco singled on a 3-1 pitch leading off the ninth, and Donaldson hit a 438-foot homer on a 95.5 mph pitch with a 1-0 count. Willians Astudillo singled and Cruz homered on the next offering, a 97.8 mph fastball.
PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3, 10 INNINGS » Jean Segura hit a two-run single in the 10th and Philadelphia rallied to beat Atlanta.
Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer off closer Hector Neris with one out in the ninth to tie it, and the Braves scored two runs off José Alvarado on a wild pitch and passed ball in the 10th.
But Alec Bohm’s RBI single off Chris Martin in the bottom half cut it to 3-2. Odubel Herrera followed with a double down the left-field line. Segura then hit a drive to deep left-center.
The Phillies took two of three from the threetime defending NL East champions, including a walkoff win Wednesday night on Dana Hills High graduate Luke Williams’ first big league homer with two outs in the ninth.
Zack Wheeler struck out 12 in eight dominant innings and Segura hit an RBI double in the eighth to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
RED SOX 12, ASTROS 8 » J.D. Martinez hit his 13th homer, Christian Arroyo had a three-run drive and Boston took advantage of a big error in a five-run sixth inning to beat Houston, avoiding a three-game sweep at Fenway Park.
Right fielder Kyle Tucker dropped Martinez’s sacrifice fly that tied the score at 8 for an error as the batter reached,
BREWERS 7, REDS 2 » Jace Peterson drove in three runs, Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run homer and Milwaukee downed Cincinnati.
Peterson blooped a tiebreaking, two-run single in a three-run sixth and added an RBI double in the eighth as the Brewers won for the 11th time in 13 games.
MARLINS 11, ROCKIES 4 » Starling Marté had four hits, including a homer and double, and host Miami defeated Colorado.
Trevor Rogers (7-3) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. Miami’s rookie lefthander struck out eight, walked one and has yielded two runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts.