Lester’s first career hit boosts Orioles
Josh Lester drove in two runs with his first major league hit during his season debut, and
Tyler Wells won for the first time in his last four starts as the Orioles beat the Giants, 8-3, on Sunday in San Francisco.
James McCann reached base three times for Baltimore, including his third home run. Adley
Rutschman added two hits and Ryan Mountcastle drew a bases-loaded walk to help the Orioles, the second-place team in the American League East behind the Rays, to their 13th series victory of the season. A year ago, Baltimore didn’t win its 13th series until July 13.
“What a cool moment for Josh Lester,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Somebody that’s never been on a top-prospect list. His story is a great one. Grew up in a baseball family, was grinding at Triple A, he gets a start and a big hit for us. One we haven’t been getting, honestly.”
A day after being shut out for the second time in five games, the Orioles jumped on Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani early and batted around in the third inning, including Lester’s single to center.
A 13th-round draft pick by Detroit in 2015, Lester spent eight seasons and played 795 games in the minors before making his major league debut in a brief stint last year with the Tigers. With third baseman Gunnar Henderson unavailable due to injury, Lester got the call to start the series finale in San Francisco and made it a memorable one.
“It’s something that I’ve looked forward to for my entire life since I was 5 years old. But for it to come at a big moment in the game with guys on was even better,” Lester said. “Obviously, spending that much time in the minor leagues and kind of grinding your way up, it definitely means a lot to me.”
Wells (4-2) had a career-high nine strikeouts in 5‚ innings.
Yankees win without Judge
Anthony Rizzo scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a grounder and the Yankees edged the Dodgers, 4-1, in a game played in Los Angeles without star Aaron Judge.
Anthony Volpe provided insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth for the Yankees, who were without Judge after he injured his right foot crashing into the right field bullpen door while making a catch on Saturday.
J.D. Martinez homered for the Dodgers, who dropped the final two in the three-game series.
Domingo Germán and Bobby Miller, a Dodgers rookie, matched zeroes as the teams combined for only four hits in the first six innings.
Miller allowed only one hit in his six innings, becoming the first Dodgers’ pitcher since at least 1901 to allow one hit or fewer within his first three big league starts. The 24-year-old righthander struck out seven and walked two in his third start.
Germán went 6„ innings and allowed one run and four hits, including Martinez’s solo shot to tie it at 1-all in the seventh.
New York starter Nestor Cortes is expected to be placed on the injured list Monday or Tuesday with a shoulder issue.
Belt, Jays sweep up Mets
Brandon Belt broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run homer and the Blue Jays beat the Mets, 6-4, in New York for a three-game sweep.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep for the Blue Jays, who blew a four-run lead but quickly recovered. Toronto has won four straight and six of seven.
Tommy Pham hit two of New York’s four solo homers. Pete Alonso and Starling Marte also connected for the Mets.
Guerrero, who homered in the third off Mets starter Kodai Senga, ripped a single to center field in the seventh. Belt followed by hitting a slider off the protective wall surrounding the home run apple in center.
Pham homered in consecutive at-bats off Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed two runs and four hits in five innings.
Semien, Eovaldi power Rangers
Marcus Semien extended MLB’s longest hitting streak this season to 23 games, Jonah Heim homered and had five RBIs, and the Rangers’ offense kept rolling in a 12-3 win that finished a sweep of the Mariners in Arlington, Texas. Nathan Eovaldi (8-2) allowed one hit with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings for his seventh consecutive win. Corey Seager also went deep as the Rangers won consecutive games by a combined score of 28-9 after taking the opener, 2-0. The AL West leaders scored at least 10 runs for a majors-high 16th time in 58 games ... Jake Burger’s game-ending grand slam handed Liam Hendriks his first win since returning from treatment for cancer, and the White Sox beat the Tigers, 6-2, in Chicago for a three-game series sweep . . . Triston McKenzie tossed five scoreless innings and struck out 10 in his season debut after a shoulder injury, and the Guardians beat the Twins, 2-1, in Minneapolis . . . Rich Hill had his longest start of the season and the Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals in Pittsburgh with a 2-1 victory. Hill allowed one run on four hits in sixplus innings . . . Kyle Schwarber hit a pair of three-run homers, Drew Ellis hit his first two home runs of the season, and the Phillies defeated the Nationals, 11-3, in Washington.
Bogaerts rests sore wrist
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts (left wrist) was out of the Padres’ lineup for a 7-1 loss to the Cubs in San Diego. He exited Saturday’s win against Chicago in the eighth inning because of the injury . . . The 35-25 Diamondbacks extended the contract of manager Torey Lovullo through the 2024 season, his third straight oneyear extension.