Friday's MLB: Braves beat Pirates 4-2, extend NL-best winning streak to 9

Atlanta — Spencer Strider outpitched Roansy Contreras in a matchup of hard-throwing rookies, Dansby Swanson had three hits, including a two-run homer, and the Atlanta Braves stretched their winning streak to nine games with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

It’s the longest winning streak in the National League this season. Houston and the New York Yankees have had 11-game streaks.

Atlanta’s winning streak is its longest since another nine-game run from Aug. 13-22, 2021.

Strider (2-2) allowed only four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Strider, making his first home start and only his third overall, pitched into the sixth inning for the first time. Kenley Jansen got three outs in the ninth for his 17th save in 20 chances.

Contreras (1-1) had seven strikeouts in his fourth start. The 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic allowed four runs — three earned — and eight hits with one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

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(At) New York Yankees 2, Chicago Cubs 1, (13 innings): Pinch-hitter Jose Trevino broke a stalemate in the 13th inning with a game-winning single, giving New York a win over Chicago.

Gleyber Torres homered for New York in the fourth, but neither team managed a hit in extra innings until Trevino came off the bench and delivered with two outs and runners at second and third. Trevino lined a 1-1 pitch from Alec Mills (0-1) over shortstop to give the major league-leading Yankees (42-16) their ninth victory in 10 games.

Jason Heyward hit his first home run this season for the Cubs, making their first visit to Yankee Stadium since April 2014. Chicago (23-34) dropped its fourth straight.

Ron Marinaccio (1-0) worked a scoreless inning for his first major league win. Yankees reliever Clay Holmes worked the ninth, extending his shutout streak to 28 innings — the longest for New York since Mariano Rivera finished the 1999 season with 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

(At) Minnesota 9, Tampa Bay 4: Byron Buxton had his second straight two-homer game and Minnesota sent Drew Rasmussen to an early exit.

Buxton moved into a tie for second in the major leagues with 17 homers in just 43 games. Carlos Correa tacked on a two-run shot in the eighth inning for the Twins.

Randy Arozarena and Vidal Bruján hit back-to-back homers for the Rays in the seventh and Isaac Paredes went deep in the second against Twins starter Devin Smeltzer (3-0), who allowed only one other hit over six-plus innings and retired 10 straight batters at one point.

Arozarena’s home run was an inside-the-park drive, the second of the season for the Rays following Kevin Kiermaier’s on May 24.

Rasmussen (5-3) turned in his worst of 12 starts this year. He was charged with seven runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

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(At) Philadelphia 7, Arizona 5: Rhys Hoskins hit a pair of solo home runs and Kyle Schwarber added a three-run shot to lead Philadelphia to its eighth straight win.

The Phillies are 7-0 under interim manager Rob Thomson.

Hoskins staked Kyle Gibson (4-2) to an early lead with a one-out solo homer in the first inning. Schwarber hit a three-run shot in the second for a 5-0 lead.

Gibson gave up Daulton Varsho’s ninth homer of the year in the sixth. Corey Knebel worked the ninth for his 11th save.

Zac Gallen (4-2) gave up seven hits and six runs in just 1 1/3 innings and the shortest start of his career.

(At) Washington 11, Milwaukee 5: Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz hit home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning, and Washington sent Milwaukee to its season-high seventh straight loss.

Nelson Cruz and Maikel Franco also homered for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game skid in the opener of a 10-day, 11-game homestand. Washington’s 19 hits were its most since posting a season-high 22 at San Francisco on April 29.

Aaron Ashby (1-5) yielded six runs and 13 hits — five on 0-2 counts — and dropped back-to-back starts for the first time this season.

Jace Peterson hit a two-run homer in the second and added a sacrifice fly in the fourth off Washington starter Erick Fedde (4-4), who allowed four hits and struck out four in 5 2/3 innings.

(At) Cleveland 3, Oakland 2: José Ramírez doubled twice and homered to begin a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning as Cleveland sent Oakland to its 10th straight loss.

The A’s are struck in their first double-digit skid since 2011. Oakland has the worst record in the American League at 20-40 and has not won since May 29 against Texas.

Ramírez hit his 16th homer to lead off the ninth against Dany Jiménez (2-4) to make it 2-1. Cleveland then loaded the bases with no outs and Owen Miller hit a tying sacrifice fly. Sam Moll relieved and gave up an infield single to Steven Kwan that loaded the bases. Luke Maile followed with a sacrifice fly.

Converted outfielder Anthony Gose (2-0) struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.

Oakland starter Paul Blackburn pitched eight shutout innings in the longest outing of his career, allowing four hits and striking out three.

(At) Chicago White Sox 8, Texas 3: Yasmani Grandal hit a tiebreaking, two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning and Chicago beat Texas.

Danny Mendick homered to cap Chicago’s five-run eighth.

Nathaniel Lowe homered and doubled for Texas. Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager hit home runs, but the Rangers lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Kendall Graveman (2-1) pitched the eighth for the win. John King (1-2) took the loss.

(At) St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 0: Andre Pallante took a shutout into the sixth inning in his second major league start, helping St. Louis snap a three-game skid with a win over Cincinnati.

Pallante (2-0) allowed four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings and had three strikeouts. Génesis Cabrera and GIovanny Gallegos combined to pitch 2 2/3 scoreless innings before Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his fourth save in six chances.

Luis Castillo (2-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits in six innings as Cincinnati dropped its third straight.

Paul Goldschmidt scored when Nolan Arenado singled to right field. Arenado scored when Tyler O’Neill singled to third base and Brandon Drury’s throw to first skipped away.

(At) Kansas City 8, Baltimore 1: Jonathan Heasley allowed one hit in a career-best seven sharp innings, Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in three runs and Kansas City defeated Baltimore for its third straight win.

Michael A. Taylor also homered for Kansas City, which had a season-high eight extra-base hits — the Royals’ most in a game since April 2, 2021, against Texas.

Heasley (1-3) had the best start of his young career, allowing just one baserunner and struck out seven. He became the fifth Royals player — and first since 1992 — to pitch seven innings and allow one hit or fewer with no walks.

Bruce Zimmermann (2-5) gave up a career-high seven earned runs in 4 ⅔ innings while allowing 10 hits.

Anthony Santander homered off Albert Abreu in the ninth inning for Baltimore to end Kansas City’s shutout bid.

Miami 7, (at) Houston 4: Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Aguilar each hit two home runs to power Miami to its fourth straight win with an interleague victory over Houston.

Chisholm and Aguilar both had solo shots in the first inning before each hitting two-run blasts in the fifth to make it 6-1 in the first meeting between these teams since 2017. It was the fourth time in franchise history the Marlins have had two players hit multiple homers in a game and the first since Giancarlo Stanton and Garrett Jones did it on May 23, 2015.

Marlins starter Pablo López left in the fifth inning with a bruised right wrist after taking a comebacker off it. Cole Sulser (1-3) allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Tanner Scott pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

Houston starter Luis García (3-5) allowed five hits and five runs, including a career-high three homers, in 4 1/3 innings to lose his fourth straight decision. Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker both homered for the Astros.