Cole returns from COVID, strikes out 9
Ex-Pirates pitcher raises mark to 11-6 after N.Y. Yankees hold off Angels, 2-1
Gerrit Cole pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning and struck out nine in his return from the COVID-19 injured list, Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer and the New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels, 2-1, Monday night at Yankee Stadium in New York.
New York has won 10 of 13 and pulled within two games of idle Boston for an American League wild-card spot. The Yankees open a three-game series against the Red Sox with a day-night doubleheader Tuesday.
Cole (11-6) went 5⅔ innings, the only damage against him coming on Justin Upton’s homer in the first. The Yankees ace walked one batter and threw 90 pitches. Gallo hit his 29th homer in the first against José Suarez (5-6).
Other games
Rays 9, Orioles 2: Brett Phillips had an inside-the-park homer, Brandon Lowe went deep twice, and American League East Division-leading Tampa Bay handed Baltimore its 12th consecutive loss.
Braves 12, Marlins 2: Freddie Freeman and Adam Duvall homered in a sevenrun fourth, and surging Atlanta beat host Miami. The Braves have won four in a row and 11 of 13.
Reds 14, Cubs 5: Jonathan India homered and drove in five runs, Wade Miley threw seven shutout innings and host Cincinnati beat Chicago, handing the free-falling Cubs their 12th consecutive loss. Joey Votto, 37, Cincinnati first baseman who has been on a tear since the AllStar break, got the 2,000th hit of his career, a single in the seventh.
White Sox 5, Athletics 2: Eloy Jiménez hit a tiebreaking RBI single and Liam Hendriks got the save against his former team, leading host Chicago past Oakland.
Royals 7, Astros 6: Salvador Perez drove in the goahead runs with a two-out single in the eighth, helping host Kansas City edge Houston Rockies 6, Padres 5: C.J. Cron hit a solo homer in the ninth to give Colorado a win.
Notes
A woman wrapped her own hair around her neck as she sat on the witness stand to demonstrate the way she said Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer used it to choke her into unconsciousness. The San Diego woman, 27, is seeking a five-year restraining order against Bauer, who was placed on paid administrative leave July 2 by MLB. That leave was extended through Friday. MLB and police in Pasadena, Calif., are investigating the woman’s allegations, and Bauer could face punishment under baseball’s domestic violence policy. ... Jake Arrieta caught on with a playoff contender after getting released by the Chicago Cubs, signing a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. The former NL Cy Young Award winner is expected to make his first start for San Diego Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. ... The Houston Astros agreed to a settlement with the parents of a 2-year-old girl struck by a foul ball in a 2019 Astros game at Minute Maid Park, the family’s attorney said. The girl, who is now 4, suffered a skull fracture and brain injury and has been on anti-seizure medication since the incident. But her doctors have been weaning her from the medication gradually, and she hasn’t had a seizure in 22 months.