Aaron Judge homers for 7th time in 7 games, Yankees beat Reds 6-2

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge watches his solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning of a baseball game in Cincinnati, Friday, May 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his seventh home run in seven games and the New York Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Friday night.

Anthony Rizzo also homered for the surging Yankees, who improved to 9-3 in their last 12 games.

Judge, who received a standing ovation from the many Yankees fans in attendance following his pregame batting session, wasted little time making his presence felt in the teams’ first meeting in Cincinnati since 2017. The reigning AL MVP took the fifth pitch he saw from Reds starter Ben Lively (1-2) 431 feet to center field for his 13th home run of the season.

It was Judge’s only hit of the night, but he has homered in five of the last seven games — including hitting two in two games during that stretch.

With New York still leading 1-0 lead before the bottom half of the fifth inning, all four umpires administered a foreign substance check on Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt (2-4). The umpires allowed Schmidt to stay on the mound after he appeared to clean off his glove hand.

But Reds manager David Bell was ejected while disputing the umpires’ decision to allow Schmidt to continue his scoreless outing. Cincinnati had just three hits off Schmidt at that point.

Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán was suspended for 10 games Wednesday by Major League Baseball and fined for violating the sport’s prohibition of foreign substances on the mound.

RAYS 1, BREWERS 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Francisco Mejía had an eighth-inning sacrifice fly and major league-leading Tampa Bay beat Milwaukee.

Luke Raley was hit by a pitch from Peter Strzelecki (2-3) leading off the eighth. Raley stole second, went to third on catcher William Contreras’ throwing error and came home on Mejía’s fly to left.

Jason Adam (1-1) struck out Willy Adames to end the eighth with Owen Miller on third. Peter Fairbanks worked the ninth for his fourth save, stranding a runner at third. Tampa Bay (33-13), coming off a 4-6 trip, improved to 20-3 at home.

Rays ace Shane McClanahan failed in his bid to become the majors’ first eight-game winner despite seven shutout innings. He had seven strikeouts and dropped his ERA from 2.34 to 2.05.

METS 10, GUARDIANS 9, 10 INNINGS

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso tied it with a grand slam in the seventh inning and Francisco Lindor hit an RBI single in the 10th as the New York Mets overcame a 5-0 deficit to beat Cleveland.

Gabriel Arias hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th against Drew Smith (3-1). In the bottom half, Mark Vientos and Francisco Álvarez tied it with RBI singles against Emmanuel Clase (1-4). Brandon Nimmo beat out an infield single before Lindor — facing his former team for the first time — singled past diving second baseman Andrés Gimenez. The Mets have won three straight.

Josh Naylor had five RBIs for the Guardians and hit a three-run first-inning homer into a staircase alongside the first deck in right field to drop the Mets — who have been outscored 41-10 in the first inning this season — into another early hole.

DODGERS 5, CARDINALS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer, Tony Gonsolin combined with four relievers on a two-hitter and Los Angeles beat St. Louis.

Gonsolin (2-1) continued his comeback from his spring training ankle injury. He allowed just one hit and two walks in five innings.

One day after slugging seven home runs and scoring 16 runs, the Cardinals were shut out while managing only two singles. Brusdar Graterol, Shelby Miller, Caleb Ferguson and Tyler Cyr followed Gonsolin to the mound and shut down the Cardinals.

Steven Matz (0-5) allowed six hits, including four doubles, in 4 2/ 3 innings.

ASTROS 5, ATHLETICS 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Tucker homered, José Altuve made his season debut and Houston beat Oakland for its fifth straight victory.

Tucker hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning that landed deep in right where many fans wore metallic gold crowns in honor of “King Tuck.” It was Tucker’s bobblehead night, honoring his 2022 Gold Glove. His seventh homer of the year came off Ken Waldichuk (1-3) and scored José Abreu.

Tucker also doubled in the fourth to score Yordan Alvarez, who led off with a double of his own off the top of the wall in center. The Astros have won eight of their last nine games.

There was an added buzz in the Minute Maid Park atmosphere for Altuve’s 2023 debut. The 33-year-old veteran had been on the injured list since fracturing his right thumb March 18 while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Altuve went 0 for 4 with a walk.

Astros starter Brandon Bielak (1-1) pitched five innings, allowing one run on five hits while walking three and striking out nine.

RED SOX 6, PADRES 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rafael Devers homered twice and drove in four runs to help Boston hand staggering San Diego its 10th loss in 12 games.

Devers and his friend and former teammate, Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, took the lineup cards out for the pregame exchange and hugged. Devers then circled the bases in front of Bogaerts in consecutive innings in his 14th career multi-homer game.

Devers hit a solo shot to right so hard leading off the second that he stumbled back a few steps before starting his trot. He hit a three-run homer nearly to the base of the batter’s eye in straightaway center field with no outs in the third for a 6-0 lead. He has 13 homers this season.

Both came off lefty Blake Snell (1-6), who allowed six runs and five hits in four innings.

Other than Fernando Tatis Jr.’s leadoff homer in the third off James Paxton (1-0), the Padres’ offensive struggles continued on a day when slugger Manny Machado went on the 10-day injured list with a hairline fracture in his left hand.

Josh Winckowski pitched the final three innings for his second save.

ANGELS 5, TWINS 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mickey Moniak had three hits and made a game-saving catch at the wall in the seventh inning as Los Angeles rallied to beat Minnesota after Angels starter Reid Detmers took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Hunter Renfroe also had three hits for the Angels, who gave Mike Trout the day off after the team flew cross country Thursday after completing a four-game series in Baltimore.

Detmers tied a career high with 12 strikeouts and allowed only three Twins to reach base via walks before Byron Buxton lined a base hit to left with two outs in the sixth to end the left-hander’s bid for a second no-hitter. Carlos Correa’s walk and Buxton’s single started a three-run rally that allowed Minnesota to tie it. Detmers ended up allowing three runs and two hits.

Willi Castro homered in the seventh inning for the Twins to give them a short-lived 4-3 lead. Moniak, who was playing Trout’s usual spot in center field, was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. His triple in the seventh inning drove in Zach Neto and tied it at 4.

Zack Weiss (1-0) got the win and Carlos Estevez picked up his 11th save. Griffin Jax (2-6) was the loser.

BRAVES 6, MARINERS 2

ATLANTA (AP) — Orlando Arcia’s single off the right-field wall drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh, Marcell Ozuna had three RBIs and Atlanta Braves overcame another strong start by Seattle rookie Bryce Miller.

Miller, making only his fourth major league start, led 2-1 before fading and leaving the game in the seventh. Ozuna’s bloop single off Trevor Gott drove in Eddie Rosario with the tying run. Arcia’s 374-foot single off the bricks on the right-field wall drove in Ozzie Albies, who walked.

Matt Olson, who singled in a run off Miller (2-1) in the first, added a homer off Justin Topa in the eighth for a 4-2 lead. Ozuna’s two-run single off left-hander Tayler Saucedo pushed the lead to four runs. Collin McHugh (2-0) was the winner.

CUBS 10, PHILLIES 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nico Hoerner had two two-run doubles in his return from the injured list and Chicago beat Philadelphia to end a five-game losing streak.

Marcus Stroman (3-4) allowed one run and three hits in six innings for the victory. The Cubs have won seven straight games over the Phillies dating to the 2021 season.

The Phillies (20-24) have lost five in a row. Part of the issue has been starting pitching, with Ranger Suarez (0-1) lasting only two innings while allowing five hits and four earned runs. It was the third time this week that a Phillies starter did not go longer than two innings.

PIRATES 13, DIAMONDBACKS 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits and three RBIs, Bryan Reynolds homered for the first time in six weeks and drove in four runs and Pittsburgh rolled over Arizona ace Zac Gallen.

Gallen (6-2) lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed a career-high eight runs – five earned – and eight hits as his six-game winning streak ended. He walked four and struck out two. Gallen had given up a total of six runs in his previous seven starts.

Andrew McCutchen, Ji Hwan Bae and Josh Palacios also had three hits apiece as part of the Pirates’ 17-hit outburst. Johan Oviedo (3-3) won for the first time in five starts.

RANGERS 7, ROCKIES 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis Garcia homered for the fifth time in five games, Corey Seager and Josh Jung hit two-run doubles in a five-run fifth inning and Texas beat Colorado.

Martin Perez (5-1) allowed two runs and seven hits in a season-high seven innings and matched a season high with seven strikeouts. The Rangers have won nine of their last 13 games.

Karl Kauffmann (0-1) allowed five runs, including four earned, in 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut. The 2019 second-round draft pick out of Michigan gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four.

Garcia’s opposite-field homer to right opened the scoring in the fourth inning. It was his AL-leading 14th and gave him a majors-best 48 RBIs. He hit two homers in his previous game and has five in his last five.

GIANTS 4, MARLINS 3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco scored three runs in the sixth following a throwing error by Miami pitcher Sandy Alcantara, offsetting another big night by Luis Arraez.

Mitch Haniger had two hits, including an RBI double, as the Giants won their fourth straight.

Bryan De La Cruz homered and drove in three runs for the Marlins. Arraez singled twice, doubled and scored, raising his average to .388 with his 17th multi-hit games this season.

Miami manager Skip Schumaker and catcher Jacob Stallings were ejected in the ninth inning after J.D. Davis walked. There was a brief delay as both managers emerged from the dugouts, and all four umpires conferred before Davis was awarded first base.

Scott Alexander (4-0) retired two batters to get the win, and Tyler Rogers got the last four outs for his second save. Alcantara dropped to 1-5.

ORIOLES 6, BLUE JAYS 2

TORONTO (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a three-run homer, Anthony Santander and Adam Frazier also went deep and Baltimore beat Toronto.

Kyle Gibson (5-3) allowed one run in seven innings to snap a three-start losing streak as the Orioles won for the third time in four games. Gibson gave up five hits, walked two and struck out five.

Toronto has lost four of five since sweeping a three-game series against Atlanta last weekend.

Mountcastle connected in the third inning off Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi (5-1), his 11th of the season.

WHITE SOX 2, ROYALS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Kopech allowed only one hit over a career-high eight innings to help Chicago beat Kansas City.

Kopech simply toyed with the Royals as the White Sox opened a weekend series between teams with two of the majors’ worst records on a winning note. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out 10 on 98 pitches.

Kopech (2-4) retired the first 16 batters before giving up a single to Michael Massey, who was erased on a double play. Kendall Graveman retired the side in the ninth for his third save.

The White Sox took a 2-0 lead against Zach Greinke (1-5) in the second. Yoán Moncada led off with a single and scored on Gavin Sheets’ base hit. Romy González drove in Andrew Vaughn with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

TIGERS 8, NATIONALS 6

WASHINGTON (AP) — Akil Baddoo hit one of Detroit’s four homers and drove in four runs, Matthew Boyd pitched effectively into the sixth inning and Tigers held on to beat Washington.

Zack McKinstry’s solo shot and Baddoo’s three-run homer helped the Tigers to a 6-0 lead after three innings against rookie Jake Irvin (1-2). Detroit has won 10 of its last 15.

Washington rallied for six runs late, thanks to a pair of two-run shots from Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz. The Nationals have lost four in a row and five of six.

Matt Vierling and Riley Greene also went deep for Detroit, which has 35 homers this season.

Backed by a pair of double plays, the 32-year-old Boyd (3-3) did not allow a hit through five innings. That changed in the sixth, when Ruiz led off with a scorching double to right-center. CJ Abrams doubled him home, and Thomas’ sixth homer of the season made it 8-3. Boyd was pulled with two outs in the sixth. Alex Lange got the final four outs for his eighth save.

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