MLB roundup: Cal Raleigh hits No. 50, M’s prime Padres

Cal Raleigh became the first player whose primary position is catcher to hit 50 home runs in a major league season as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting San Diego Padres 9-6 Monday night.

Raleigh went deep into the second deck in left field in the first inning off San Diego starter JP Sears for his third homer in the past two games. He became the second player in franchise history to reach the 50-homer milestone, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (56 homers in both 1997 and 1998).

Raleigh, who went 1-for-4 as Seattle’s designated hitter on the night, joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch hitters to produce a 50-homer season. The New York Yankees great belted 52 homers in 1956 and 54 in 1961.

Seattle improved to 4-0 against the Padres this season to clinch the inaugural Vedder Cup, named for Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder who has ties to both cities. The clubs conclude their season series with games the next two days.

Athletics 8, Tigers 3

Shea Langeliers smoked a grand slam off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the seventh inning to help the Athletics post a victory over Detroit in West Sacramento, Calif.

Nick Kurtz and Colby Thomas also homered and Tyler Soderstrom had three hits for the Athletics, who won for the 10th time in their past 15 games. A’s reliever Michael Kelly (4-2) threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Skubal (11-4) struck out 12 in 6 2/3 innings but gave up six runs (though only one earned) and seven hits. Gleyber Torres homered and Wenceel Perez delivered a two-run double for the Tigers, who lost their second straight game.

Yankees 10, Nationals 5

Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Dominguez each homered while Cam Schlittler fired six scoreless innings as New York hammered visiting Washington.

Schlittler (2-2) allowed four hits and walked three while striking out eight in a 96-pitch effort. Brad Lord (4-7) absorbed the loss after yielding eight hits and seven runs — six earned — in 4 1/3 innings. He kept his team close until the Yankees blew it open with a five-run fifth inning.

Jose Caballero and Trent Grisham singled to start the inning. After Rice’s flyout moved Caballero to third, Aaron Judge doubled to right, scoring Caballero. Cody Bellinger contributed a two-run single and Chisholm knocked out Lord with a two-run homer into the second deck in right, his career-high 25th.

Dodgers 7, Reds 0

Andy Pages hit two homers and drove in four runs, Emmet Sheehan tied his career high with 10 strikeouts and Los Angeles routed visiting Cincinnati and Los Angeles native Hunter Greene.

Sheehan (5-2) did not allow a run over a career-best seven innings. He permitted two hits and one walk. Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda each threw an inning to complete a three-hit shutout.

Mookie Betts added a home run for the Dodgers, moved back into sole possession of first place in the National League West. Greene (5-4) gave up five runs (three earned) over five-plus innings for the Reds, who are 3-4 on a nine-game, three-city road trip that ends Wednesday.

Red Sox 4, Orioles 3

Jarren Duran slugged a three-run home run in the fifth inning to snap a personal power drought and lift Boston past host Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series.

The Red Sox trailed 3-1 when Duran belted his 13th home run of the season, ending a 17-game stretch without a long ball. It was his second homer in August. Roman Anthony led the game off with a home run for Boston.

Colton Cowser had three hits — half of the Orioles’ total — and drove in all three Baltimore runs, but he didn’t come through in a critical late-game situation. Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (10-6) was clipped for four runs on six hits in six innings. It marked his first loss in an eight-outing stretch.

Marlins 2, Braves 1

Edward Cabrera struck out 10 batters over seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball, leading host Miami over Atlanta.

Cabrera (7-7) tied his career high for wins and his strikeout total fell two short of his career high. Calvin Faucher registered his 12th save. Rookies Troy Johnston and Maximo Acosta provided the Marlins’ offense. Johnston smashed an RBI double in the fifth inning, and Acosta homered in the eighth.

Drake Baldwin had the Braves’ only big hit — a homer with two outs in the ninth. Spencer Strider (5-12) took a tough-luck loss, allowing three hits, two walks and one run in seven innings.

Rays 9, Guardians 0

Ian Seymour (2-0) struck out eight over five scoreless innings in his first big-league start as Tampa Bay handed host Cleveland its third consecutive shutout and sixth straight loss.

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero went 4-for-5 with two home runs, one double, one stolen base, four runs and three RBIs against the franchise that signed him in 2019. Yandy Diaz added a home run as the Rays produced 14 hits.

Seymour and three relievers teamed up for a 2-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee (9-10) had his five-game winning streak snapped as he allowed eight hits and five runs over six innings.

Blue Jays 10, Twins 4

Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run homer in a four-run first inning and Toronto defeated visiting Minnesota.

Andres Gimenez added a solo shot and scored three runs for the Blue Jays in the opener of the three-game series. Nathan Lukes contributed a pair of hits, runs and RBIs. Max Scherzer (5-2) allowed four runs and fanned five in six innings.

Matt Wallner bashed two homers and had three RBIs for the Twins. Toronto rocked Joe Ryan (12-7), who allowed six runs, seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in five innings.

Mets 13, Phillies 3

Mark Vientos continued his recent resurgence by hitting a tiebreaking RBI double with one out in the fifth inning as host New York routed Philadelphia.

Luis Torrens helped the Mets surge further ahead in the seventh with a three-run homer off reliever Jordan Romano. Torrens tied a career high with 5 RBIs. Jose Castillo (1-2) was one of five Mets relievers to keep the Phillies off the board.

Cristopher Sanchez (11-5) allowed a season-worst six runs (five earned) and tied a season high by permitting eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Alec Bohm also had a two-run single in the third for the Phillies.

Brewers 7, Diamondbacks 5

Andruw Monasterio and Caleb Durbin homered as Milwaukee held off visiting Arizona. Monasterio’s one-out solo shot in the fourth, put the Brewers up 6-0. The D-backs rallied to within 6-5, but Durbin opened the eighth inning with a long ball.

The Brewers scored five times in the home third, highlighted by a two-RBI single by Christian Yelich. Brandon Woodruff (5-1) allowed five runs, all in the sixth inning, and five hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight and walking one.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. helped rally the D-backs, hitting a 3-run homer in the sixth to trim the deficit. Corbin Carroll went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Eduardo Rodriguez (5-8) surrendered six hits and five runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Angels 4, Rangers 0

Zach Neto led off the game with a homer and Jose Soriano combined with four relievers on a shutout as Los Angeles blanked Texas in the opener of a three-game series at Arlington, Texas.

Soriano (9-9) pitched for his first time in eight days, having returned to the team from extended paternity leave. He outdueled Rangers ace Jacob deGrom by hurling 5 2/3 innings and allowing four hits and a walk while striking out six. Los Angeles’ Logan O’Hoppe also homered, and Travis d’Arnaud had a pair of run-scoring hits.

deGrom (10-6), coming off a season-high nine days of rest, lasted five frames, surrendering two runs on three hits and two walks. He fanned seven. He is winless in five starts since July 28 and dropped his fourth straight decision.

White Sox 7, Royals 0

Shane Smith and Tyler Gilbert combined on a two-hit shutout and Korey Lee and Brooks Baldwin smacked back-to-back home runs as host Chicago blanked Kansas City.

Chicago collected seven extra-base hits while securing its third winning streak of at least three games since the All-Star break. An early barrage boosted the White Sox to just their third win against the Royals in 11 tries. Edgar Quero, Lenyn Sosa and Curtis Mead delivered RBI doubles in a four-hitter span to stake Chicago to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Smith (4-7) seized the support to win for the first time since June 10. The rookie right-hander pitched a career-best seven innings in his 24th start, allowing one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

Cardinals 7, Pirates 6

Alec Burleson hit a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the ninth to lift St. Louis past visiting Pittsburgh. Burleson was 4-for-5 with two runs scored for the Cardinals and Willson Contreras drove in a pair.

St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy allowed four runs on six hits in six innings. Reliever Riley O’Brien (2-0) earned the victory after blowing the save in the top of the ninth.

Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer and Spencer Horwitz had a homer and two RBIs for the Pirates, whose four-game winning streak ended. Reliever Dennis Santana (4-5), the fifth pitcher of the night for Pittsburgh, allowed Burleson’s 409-foot blast.

–Field Level Media