MLB Roundup: Braves Grab Share of NL East Lead

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8/15/2021Updated: 8/15/2021

Austin Riley belted a go-ahead homer to lead off the seventh inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 4–2 victory over the host Washington Nationals and into a tie for first place in the National League East.

The Braves pulled level with the Philadelphia Phillies, with both teams a half-game ahead of the New York Mets.

Ozzie Albies homered in his third straight game and Dansby Swanson and Travis d'Arnaud also went deep for the Braves, who have won eight of their last 10 contests.

Juan Soto had an RBI single and Josh Bell added a sacrifice fly in the first inning for the Nationals, who have dropped five in a row and 10 of their past 11 games.

Giants 5, Rockies 4

Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run and Austin Slater scored after two of his three hits as host San Francisco beat Colorado for its season-best sixth consecutive win.

Anthony DeSclafani (11–5), reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day, worked five innings of two-run ball, helping the Giants add to a winning streak that is their longest since a seven-gamer last August.

Connor Joe smacked a two-run home run in the ninth inning while C.J. Cron collected two doubles and a single for the Rockies, who dropped their fourth straight.

Reds 6, Phillies 1

Joey Votto slammed a three-run homer and Tyler Mahle threw seven shutout innings to lead visiting Cincinnati to a win against Philadelphia.

Mahle (10–3) allowed three hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter for the second straight outing. He reached double digits in wins for the first time in his five-year major league career. Nick Castellanos and Eugenio Suarez also homered, and Tyler Naquin and Tucker Barnhart contributed two hits apiece for the Reds.

Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (10–7), coming off a two-hit shutout, gave up four runs on four hits in six innings.

Rays 10, Twins 4

Nelson Cruz singled and homered in his return to Minneapolis and Tampa Bay clubbed four homers while cruising to a victory over Minnesota.

Kevin Kiermaier hit an inside-the-park homer while Yandy Diaz and Mike Zunino also went deep for the Rays, who finished with 13 hits while winning for the seventh time in eight games.

Tampa Bay, which has hit 44 home runs over its past 22 games, improved to 33–9 this season in games in which it hit more than one homer.

Cardinals 6, Royals 0

Jack Flaherty threw six scoreless innings as visiting St. Louis defeated Kansas City for their fourth straight win.

Flaherty (9–1) threw 81 pitches in his first outing since going on the injured list May 31 with a left oblique strain. He allowed only two hits, struck out five, and didn’t walk a batter.

Whit Merrifield played in his 421st straight game for the Royals, the longest active streak in the majors. He tied Alcides Escobar for the longest streak in franchise history. He was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Diamondbacks 3, Padres 2

Daulton Varsho led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a long homer to right to give Arizona a victory over San Diego at Phoenix.

Varsho hammered the full-count pitch from Craig Stammen (5–3) an estimated 413 feet into the bleachers as Arizona defeated the Padres for the second straight night. Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner allowed two runs and nine hits over 6 2/3 innings.

Wil Myers went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Padres. Blake Snell gave up two runs and six hits over five innings.

Rangers 8, Athletics 6

Yohel Pozo belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in his big-league debut, and Texas halted visiting Oakland’s seven-game winning streak with a victory in Arlington, Texas.

Pozo became the 10th player in Rangers’s history to homer in his major league debut. The designated hitter also helped Texas end a five-game, head-to-head skid against the As.

Matt Olson hit his 29th home run while Mitch Moreland and Seth Brown each had two hits and combined for three RBIs as the As lost for the third time in 14 contests.

Indians 7, Tigers 4

Rookie Ernie Clement hit the first two home runs of his career to lift Cleveland past Detroit.

Yu Chang also homered and knocked in two runs while scoring two more for the Indians. Zach Plesac (7–4) held the Tigers to two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out nine in 7 2/3 innings.

Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera remained stuck at 499 career homers, going 0-for-4.

Dodgers 6, Mets 5 (10 innings)

Will Smith hit a two-run homer leading off the 10th inning for visiting Los Angeles, which went on to beat New York in the opener of a three-game series.

The Dodgers, who were victorious in extra innings for just the second time in 14 tries this year, have won five of six overall. The Mets had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Smith’s homer off Jeurys Familia (6–3) ensured the Dodgers would not lose a game in which they raced out to a 4-0 lead. Kenley Jansen (2–4) threw a perfect ninth before giving up an unearned run and stranding two runners in the 10th.

Marlins 14, Cubs 10

Rookie Bryan De La Cruz slugged a grand slam during an 11-run second inning, leading host Miami to a win over Chicago.

The Cubs lost their ninth straight game. Chicago starter Adbert Alzolay (4–13), who leads the league in losses, took the defeat, allowing six runs, five hits, and one walk in 1 1/3 innings. The Cubs have allowed 31 runs in their past two games and 41 in the past three.

Alex Jackson hit a three-run homer during the second inning as Miami rolled in the first game for manager Don Mattingly since he tested positive for COVID-19. Jesus Aguilar, who leads the league with 82 RBIs, added a two-run homer and a run-scoring groundout.

Red Sox 8, Orioles 1

Bobby Dalbec homered and drove in three runs, Kyle Schwarber scored twice in his Red Sox debut and Boston cruised past visiting Baltimore in the opener of a three-game series.

Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe also went deep and Jarren Duran had two RBIs as the Red Sox won for just the fourth time in their last 15 games. Schwarber had been sidelined by a hamstring injury since the Red Sox acquired him from the Washington Nationals ahead of the July trade deadline.

Richie Martin homered for the Orioles, who have lost nine straight.

Astros 4, Angels 1

Kyle Tucker hit a grand slam and Zack Greinke threw seven shutout innings to lead Houston over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Greinke (11–3) allowed two hits, struck out seven, and didn’t walk a batter. He improved to 6–0 with a 3.09 ERA against the Angels since 2015.

Ryan Pressly pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save, wrapping up the opener of a three-game series.

Mariners 3, Blue Jays 2

Jarred Kelenic drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as Seattle defeated visiting Toronto.

Tom Murphy hit a two-run homer for the Mariners, who have won three in a row.

With two outs in the ninth, Adam Cimber (2–4) walked Kyle Seager and Abraham Toro. Luis Torrens reached on an infield single as his grounder deflected off Cimber’s glove. Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo brought in Brad Hand to face the rookie, but the left-hander threw four consecutive pitches out of the strike zone to force home the winning run.

By Field Level Media