First baseman Pete Alonso scored off a solo home run to become the first MLB player to reach 20 home runs this season despite the New York Mets losing to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.
The Mets lost a three-game series to the Chicago Cubs before beating the Rockies in a best-of-three matchup on Friday (5-2).
On Saturday, however, ace Justin Verlander couldn’t catch a break against Colorado. A night after Max Scherzer gave a seven inning performance, Verlander gave up five runs in the second inning alone.
The Mets came back from a 6-0 deficit by the end of the sixth. Verlander, who stayed in the game despite a torrid time on the mound, was rewarded for his perseverance when Francisco Alvarez hit a blast to tie the game.
New York then took the lead in seventh before the Rockies clawed back to leapfrog the Mets by the end of the inning.
The Mets eventually lost 10-7 in the second game of a three-game series and will now face the Rockies for a third and final time on Sunday at Coors Field.
Pete Alonso scored off a solo home run to be the first player to reach 20 homers this season
Yankees 3-2 Padres
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a game-ending single with one out in the 10th inning as the New York Yankees beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Saturday.
After Anthony Volpe and Aaron Judge hit into double plays in the eighth and ninth, the Yankees got their fifth walk-off win when Kiner-Falefa sent Nick Martinez’s 2-0 pitch down the line just past the glove of third baseman Rougned Odor to score Greg Allen.
‘I was just trying to see if he was gonna come after me,’ Kiner-Falefa said. ‘He threw two balls out of the zone and I was just looking for something. I thought he was going to throw something elevated and I was going to be able hit a pop fly to left field right there, but I was a little bit out front and I was able to hook it in the line.’
It was Kiner-Falefa’s third career walk-off hit and first since joining the Yankees to play shortstop last season. This time, he got the hit while continuing to play as an outfielder for the first time in his career.
‘Whatever role it’s been in, he’s worked his tail off to acclimate himself to it and be ready for it,’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ‘And now he’s gotten some more starts lately. You get him in matchups where you feel like he can be really successful and he’s done a really nice job here for us.’
Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa (L) runs to first base on a single that scores teammate Greg Allen (R) for a tenth inning win against the San Diego Padres on Saturday
Astros 6-3 Athletics
Astros’ shortstop Jeremy Peña hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat since getting a planned day off, backing another solid outing from Framber Valdez as Houston sent the Oakland Athletics to their 10th consecutive loss with a 6-3 win Saturday.
Alex Bregman had three hits and three RBI for Houston, which has won 13 of 16. The Astros (30-21) are a season-high nine games over .500 after opening the season 3-6.
‘We’ve known we had a great team from the jump,’ Peña said. ‘It’s just the flows of the season. We know that. Now it’s just a matter of showing up and doing that every day.’
The victory was the 2,123rd of Astros manager Dusty Bake’s career, two shy of Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy for eighth on the all-time list.
Valdez, who six days earlier pitched his second career shutout against the A’s, was almost as dominant this time, too, despite three walks.
Fans watch from behind signs hanging in right field during the fifth inning of Astros-Athletics
Twins 9-7 Blue Jays
Willi Castro had his first career multi-homer game, Matt Wallner homered amongst his career-high four hits, and the Minnesota Twins held off the Toronto Blue Jays 9-7 on Saturday.
Edouard Julien also homered as part of a three-hit day, and Alex Kirilloff and Kyle Farmer each had two of Minnesota’s 14 hits.
All but Castro have spent time in Triple-A St. Paul this season, although Farmer’s was only a four-game rehab assignment.
‘When you call guys up, you’re looking for them to help you win a game and then they just take over the game and it’s a bonus,’ said manager Rocco Baldelli. ‘We knew we’re gonna rely on them at some point in the year and that time’s now.’
Bo Bichette had three hits, including a home run for the second straight game, but the Blue Jays lost for the 10th time in 13 games. Daulton Varsho also went deep.
Phillies 2-1 Braves
Zack Wheeler struck out 12 in eight shutout innings, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat Charlie Morton and the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Saturday.
Wheeler (4-4) allowed three hits, walked one and hit a batter in his first win since April 29. The right-hander went 0-3 with a 4.44 ERA in four previous May starts.
Wheeler said manager Rob Thomson asked him how he was feeling after the seventh.
‘(Thomson) told me if I got the first two guys in the eighth, I would get a chance to get through it,’ said Wheeler, who then struck out the first two batters before retiring Matt Olson on a bouncer to first. ‘I worked really hard this past bullpen working up and hitting my spots.’
Wheeler felt it was his best outing of the season.
‘That was a very well-pitched game against us,’ Braves manager Brian Snitker said. ‘I felt like he probably could’ve thrown out there all day long.’
Mariners 5-0 Pirates
Luis Castillo struck out 10 in six crisp innings, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Saturday.
Castillo allowed one hit – Tucupita Marcano’s double on the game’s first pitch – and walked two. The right-hander earned his second straight win since dropping consecutive starts.
Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, Trevor Gott and Justin Topa then combined for three innings of one-hit ball for Seattle. It was a sharp contrast from Friday night, when Pittsburgh slugged seven homers in a series-opening win.
‘I saw they came out aggressive,’ Castillo said. ‘So in my mind, I said, ”OK, I just gotta throw a variety of different pitches.” And that’s what I did.’
Castillo’s 10 strikeouts matched his most since he was acquired in a trade with Cincinnati in July.
Reds 8-5 Cubs
Jonathan India homered twice and drove in five runs, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the struggling Chicago Cubs 8-5 on Saturday night.
TJ Friedl and rookie Matt McLain each had two hits and scored two runs as Cincinnati won for the fourth time in six games. Tyler Stephenson also had two hits.
Buck Farmer (1-3) got five outs for the win, and Alexis Díaz worked a shaky ninth for his 11th save. Farmer, Ian Gibaut, Alex Young and Díaz combined for 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in relief of Brandon Williamson.
‘It was really a matter of if we really believed if we could keep it right there after they got out to a lead, that we could chip away at it,’ Reds manager David Bell said. ‘Brandon did a really nice job after giving up some runs in the first two innings of keeping it right there while he was still in.’
Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ each had two RBIs for Chicago, which blew a 4-1 lead. Jameson Taillon was charged with four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.
Cardinals 2-1 Guardians
Brendan Donovan scored on a passed ball in the 10th inning after homering in the second, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals – who had just two hits – to a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night.
Donovan began the 10th on second as the automatic runner, stole third base and came home when third-string catcher David Fry mishandled a pitch by Nick Sandlin (2-2) to Oscar Mercado.
‘Nick made a good pitch, threw a sinker, and I thought I had my glove right there on the dirt,’ said Fry, who entered in the eighth after starter Cam Gallagher was lifted for a pinch-hitter. ‘Unfortunately, it went right under my glove to the backstop.’
St. Louis won for the 14th time in its last 20 games despite managing only two hits against Guardians starter Tanner Bibee and four relievers. The Cardinals didn’t get a hit after Alec Burleson singled in the third.
It was only the third time Cleveland lost while allowing two or fewer hits in an extra-inning game. The others were in 1901 and 1977.
Tigers 7-3 White Sox
Zach McKinstry homered in a three-run seventh inning as the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 on Saturday.
McKinstry went 3 for 4 with a sacrifice fly and has reached base 19 times in the last seven games.
The Tigers trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, but McKinstry tied the game with a one-out homer off Joe Kelly (1-3), and back-to-back doubles by Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson gave Detroit a 4-3 lead.
‘I was facing an old teammate in Joe, I got a good pitch and I drove it into the stands,’ said McKinstry, who played with Kelly with the Dodgers in 2020-21. ‘Our offense is really buzzing right now.’
Torkelson took third on a wild pitch and Eric Haase punched a single over the drawn-in infield to make it 5-3. Zack Short hit a two-run homer to make it 7-3 in the eighth.
Rangers 5-3 Orioles
Andrew Heaney pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a pivotal two-run single and the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Saturday.
Robbie Grossman and Jonah Heim each had an RBI single for the Rangers, who have won 10 of 13. Their 33-18 record is best in Rangers history after 51 games, and they passed Baltimore (33-19) for second-best in the majors behind Tampa Bay.
‘It’s a start. Just tell yourself that,’ manager Bruce Bochy said. ‘But these guys are playing so well right now. Starting pitching, Andrew goes out there and throws a beautiful game. We’re just getting it done.’
After outscoring the Orioles 17-5 in the first two games of this three-game set, Texas is assured of winning a fifth straight road series for the first time since 2016.
Austin Hays homered for the Orioles, who disappointed a crowd of 37,939 with a lackluster performance at the plate for the second consecutive game. Baltimore failed to score until Hays connected in the seventh and trailed 5-1 before an uprising in the ninth was blunted with the potential tying run at the plate.
Nationals 4-2 Royals
CJ Abrams hit a two-run double in Washington’s four-run sixth inning, Corey Dickerson got his 1,000th career hit and the Washington Nationals defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Saturday.
Dickerson sparked the Nationals’ big inning with his milestone hit on an RBI double. He became the 12th player to reach the milestone in a Nationals uniform and the first since Brian Dozier in 2019.
‘With how much failure there is in this game, getting 1,000 is cool,’ Dickerson said. ‘We just keep grinding as a team and trust each other which helped us rally like we did.’
After Josiah Gray gave up two runs and four hits in four innings, Mason Thompson (3-2), Carl Edwards Jr., Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan held the Royals scoreless – with Finnegan earning his 11th save of the season.
The Nationals have scored a combined 12 runs in the sixth inning through the first two games of the three-game series.
Dodgers 6-5 Rays
In a tense and tight matchup of division leaders, Freddie Freeman and the Los Angeles Dodgers came out on top.
Freeman extended his hitting streak to 16 games, Max Muncy and Miguel Vargas homered, and the NL West-leading Dodgers beat the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Saturday.
Freeman finished 2 for 3 with two walks and is hitting .444 (28 for 63) with 18 RBIs during his streak.
Mookie Betts had an RBI single and Freeman followed with a run-scoring double off Colin Poche (3-1) as Los Angeles took a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. Vargas added a solo shot in the eighth.
Harold Ramírez hit the Rays’ major league-leading 100th homer, but Tampa Bay dropped to 25-6 at home. Tampa Bay reached 100 home runs in 54 games, fifth-fastest of any team since 1901.
Giants 3-1 Brewers
Mitch Haniger hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and Logan Webb allowed one run over seven innings to pace the San Francisco Giants to a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
J.D. Davis singled with one out in the eighth off Peter Strzelecki, who relieved to open the inning. After Michael Conforto struck out, Haniger sent the first pitch he saw from Strzelecki (2-4) 419 feet to center for his fourth homer.
‘Webbie threw the ball great,’ Haniger said. ‘Unfortunately, they pushed a run across there in the bottom of the seventh, but to go out there and put a couple runs on the board for the win, extremely deserving. He threw the ball really well.’
That big hit came a night after Haniger, originally drafted by the Brewers, went 3 for 5 with a homer and four RBIs in the Giants´ 15-1 victory over Milwaukee.
Webb (4-5) allowed four hits, struck out 11 and walked one as the Giants won for the 10th in 12 games. Webb, 0-4 with a 4.94 ERA after his first four starts, is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in five starts in May.
Red Sox 2-1 Diamondbacks
The Boston Red Sox pulled out a win on Saturday thanks to a little unorthodox baseball strategy.
Manager Alex Cora enjoyed it, even if he couldn’t take credit for it.
Reese McGuire’s safety squeeze with the bases loaded brought home Triston Casas, which proved to be the difference as the Red Sox beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1.
‘You’re going to have to ask Reese – ballplayers making plays,’ Cora said. ‘Sometimes they don’t feel right, they feel like that’s the only way they can drive them in, and they do.’
Boston has won the first two games of the series and will go for a three-game sweep on Sunday. Kiké Hernández had an RBI single for the Red Sox in the fourth, and their small-ball strategy later in the inning took just about everyone by surprise – including Cora.
Batting ninth in the lineup, McGuire came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out, but instead of trying for a big swing that might break the game open, the catcher dropped a nifty sacrifice bunt down the first-base line.
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