The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Homers help Braves move back into deadlock for first
Austin Riley and Matt Olson hit back-to-back homers off Jacob degrom in the second inning and Dansby Swanson later connected off the Mets ace as the Atlanta Braves beat visiting New York 5-2 Friday night to move into a tie for the NL East lead.
Both teams are 98-59 with five games to go in the regular season.
Riley and Olson became the first players to hit backto-back homers off degrom (5-4) since Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson did it for the Braves on June 18, 2019.
Swanson homered in the sixth off degrom after he had retired seven in a row to make it 3-1.
Max Fried (14-7) retired 10 straight through Tomas Nido’s groundout to end the fifth and was done for the night because he was feeling ill. The lefty allowed four hits and one run with no walks in five innings. ORIOLES 2, YANKEES 1 >> Aaron Judge didn’t come close to hitting his 62nd home run, going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks as Baltimore edged New York at Yankee Stadium.
One game after tying the American League home run record that Roger Maris set in 1961, Judge struck out in the first inning, singled in the third and walked in the sixth against Jordan Lyles, then was intentionally walked in the eighth by Félix Bautista.
Orioles starter Jordan Lyles (12-11) allowed four hits in seven-plus innings. He struck out nine and walked one.
Domingo Germán (2-4) walked his first two batters in the sixth and retired Ryan Mountcastle on a groundout, Zack Britton relieved and walked Gunnar Henderson and then threw a pitch to pinchhitter Jesús Aguilar that went to the backstop and allowed a run to score that broke a 1-1 tie. CARDINALS 2, PIRATES 1 >> Albert Pujols hit his 701st home run, Jack Flaherty allowed one run in six innings and St. Louis won at home against Pittsburgh.
Pujols mashed a slider from Johan Oveido 398 feet to left field in the fourth, his 22nd homer of the year.
Oviedo became the 456th different pitcher Pujols has homered against. He hadn’t homered since hitting Nos. 699 and 700 at Dodger Stadium last Friday.
After a lengthy standing ovation, Pujols came out of the dugout and tipped his cap to the sellout crowd.
Flaherty (2-1) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked two.
The right-hander improved to 9-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 career starts against the Pirates.
RAYS 7, ASTROS 3 >> Drew Rasmussen pitched seven effective innings and Tampa Bay won at Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the fourth straight season.
The Rays (86-71) began the day in the third and final AL wild-card spot, trailing Toronto and Seattle.
Despite the loss, the Astros (102-55) clinched home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
Rasmussen (11-7) held Houston to two runs and five hits.
Yandy Díaz doubled and singled twice, driving in two runs and scoring two.
PHILLIES 5, NATIONALS 1 >>
Rhys Hoskins hit his 30th home run, Bailey Falter pitched six scoreless innings and Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak with a win at Washington in what was to be the opener of a day-night doubleheader. The second game was rained out and will made up in a doubleheader today.
J.T. Realmuto had two hits and stole three bases, giving him 21 steals and 21 home runs. He is the second 20-20 catcher in major league history after Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers in 1999 (35 homers, 25 stolen bases).
BREWERS 1, MARLINS 0 >>
Corbin Burnes (12-8) outpitched Sandy Alcantra, aloowing four hits and striking out seven in eight innings to lead Milwaukee at home against Miami.
Milwaukee (84-73) remained a half-game back of the Phillies for the third NL wild-card spot.
Alcantara (14-9) struck out eight and yielded five hits over eight innings.
Rowdy Tellez’s sacrifice fly in the sixth drive in the game’s lone run.