Escobar home run, single lead Nationals past Padres in series finale

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcides Escobar homered in the eighth inning and hit a winning single in the ninth Sunday as the Washington Nationals wrapped up a disturbing weekend with an 8-7 win over the San Diego Padres.

A day after the game was suspended in the sixth inning because of a shooting outside Nationals Park, the Padres completed a 10-4 victory. Washington then came back to end a six-game losing streak.

Tres Barrera singled off Mark Melancon (2-2) with one out in the ninth and, after failing on a bunt attempt, Victor Robles was hit by pitch. Escobar hit a flyball that center fielder Trent Grisham couldn't corral and Barrera scored.

Brad Hand (5-2) earned the victory. Juan Soto joined Josh Harrison with three hits and added a two-run homer.

Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Jackson Profar homered for the Padres.

Nationals ace Max Scherzer allowed four runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight.

In the completion of Saturday's suspended game, Fernando Tatis Jr. had his third four-hit game of the season and scored twice for the Padres, and Tommy Pham had three hits and two walks.

Reliever Craig Stammen (4-2) pitched a scoreless fifth inning for the win. Starter Blake Snell allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in four innings.

YANKEES 9, RED SOX 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres and Rougned Odor homered to back another strong start from Jameson Taillon as depleted New York beat Boston.

Playing without All-Star slugger Aaron Judge and five of his teammates who also tested positive for COVID-19 recently, the Yankees won their second straight against rival Boston.

Taillon (5-4) pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings of four-hit ball in his 100th major league start.

Ryan LaMarre added a tworun homer in the eighth and DJ LeMahieu extended his on-base streak to 30 games, longest in the big leagues this season, with a single that set up a third-inning run.

METS 7, PIRATES 6

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to complete a rally from six runs down and New York overcame an embarrassing gaffe by All-Star pitcher Taijuan Walker to beat Pittsburgh.

Conforto connected off closer Richard Rodriguez (4-2). Dominic Smith led off the ninth with a single and Conforto followed with his fourth homer.

Walker, hurt himself with a huge misplay in the first inning.

Bryan Reynolds hit an RBI single and John Nogowski doubled for a quick 3-0 lead, and two walks loaded the bases with one out.

Kevin Newman hit a dribbler down the third base line and the ball started out in foul territory, but then began spinning back toward the line. Walker swooped in and swatted at the ball, trying to make contact while it was still in foul ground. But TV replays showed the ball was touching the chalk when Walker hit it, and plate umpire Jeremy Riggs correctly called it a fair ball.

Walker turned to argue the call as the ball rolled toward the Pirates dugout, and no Mets reacted to retrieve it. The three Pittsburgh runners took off and kept running, and all came around to score.

The Mets began to rally with Smith's RBI single in the third. In the fourth, pinch-hitter Travis Blankenhorn hit his first major league homer, a three-run shot to the riverwalk beyond rightcenter field to make it 6-4.

Jeff McNeil scored on right fielder Gregory Polanco's throwing error in the sixth to bring the Mets to within a run.

Jeurys Familia (5-1) pitched two innings. Trevor May earned his second save.

RAYS 7, BRAVES 5

ATLANTA (AP) — Yandy Diaz homered during a four-run rally in the seventh inning and Tampa Bay beat Atlanta.

The Rays completed their 28th come-from-behind win and took two of three in the series. A.J. Minter (1-4) took the loss. Wander Franco's third homer in the sixth off Braves starter Drew Smyly made it 3-all.

Tampa Bay starter Rich Hill allowed three runs in four innings. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (5-1) gave up one hit while recording two outs. Pete Fairbanks pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Veteran catcher Stephen Vogt, acquired by Atlanta from Arizona late Friday night, drove in a run and got three hits in his Braves debut. Joc Pederson drove in two runs with two hits in his second start as the Braves' right fielder and leadoff hitter.

CARDINALS 2, GIANTS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader put St. Louis ahead with a checked-swing single off the glove of first basemen LaMonte Wade Jr. in the seventh inning in a win over San Francisco.

The Cardinals won the season series, taking two out of three against the Giants in both series against them.

Matt Carpenter hooked a ground-rule double down the right-field line off former teammate John Brebbia (0-1) in the seventh. José Rondón was brought in to pinch-run, and he advanced to third on a flyout by Paul DeJong (homer). With the infield in, Bader hit a grounder that deflected off Wade's glove, scoring Rondón.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, CUBS 4

PHOENIX (AP) — Merrill Kelly threw eight solid innings, Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run homer and Arizona avoided a three-game sweep with a win over Chicago.

Kelly (6-7) needed just 75 pitches to navigate the Cubs' lineup through eight innings and threw 59 strikes. The righthander gave up four runs and six hits, struck out six and walked none. Joakim Soria earned his fourth save.