Kyle Hendricks took a no-hitter two outs into the eighth inning, Christopher Morel drove in three runs with a home run and a single and the Chicago Cubs made it two straight over the host San Francisco Giants with a 4-0 triumph Saturday night.
Hendricks was aiming for the Cubs’ first no-hitter since a four-man combined effort on June 24, 2021. Hendricks (1-2) had allowed just one baserunner — a Michael Conforto walk with one out in the second inning — before Mitch Haniger lashed a double off the left field fence on a full count with the right-hander just four outs away from history.
Matt Mervis provided Hendricks with an early lead with a leadoff home run in the third inning off Giants bulk-innings reliever Jakob Junis. It was Mervis’ third homer of the season. Morel did the rest of the Cubs’ offensive damage.
After opener John Brebbia had thrown two hitless innings, Junis (3-3) took the loss for the Giants, charged with all four Cubs runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Braves 6, Nationals 4
Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr. hit two-run homers in the second inning and host Atlanta rolled over Washington to extend its winning streak to seven games. The Nationals have lost six in a row.
Ozuna’s homer, his 13th, went 426 feet to left-center field and scored Travis d’Arnaud, who had walked. After Kevin Pillar’s double, Acuna connected with a curveball, sending it 413 feet to right center for his 13th homer. Both long balls came off starter MacKenzie Gore (3-5).
Acuna went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs. He is hitting .364 (8-for-22) on the current homestand. Atlanta starter Jared Shuster (3-2) pitched five-plus innings and allowed three runs on eight hits. A.J. Minter surrendered a homer to Stone Garrett to open the ninth but retired the next three batters for his ninth save.
Rangers 8, Rays 4
Corey Seager had a career day by going 5-for-5, including a two-run home run, and Texas went on to a victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rangers jumped out to a 6-0 lead by scoring three runs in the second inning and three more in the fourth. Seager played a key role in both innings, driving in two runs with a double in the second and two more with a home run in the fourth. Nathan Eovaldi (9-2) earned the win despite allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.
The Rays rallied with a four-run fourth, highlighted by a three-run homer by Francisco Mejia, who sent a 1-0 cutter from Eovaldi into the right field seats. Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley (4-3) took the loss after his shortest outing of the season, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 5, Tigers 0
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. returned from an injury to hit a three-run homer, and four pitchers combined on a six-hitter as visiting Arizona handed Detroit its eighth consecutive loss.
Gurriel had missed the previous four games due to a groin injury. Nick Ahmed added a two-run homer. Ryne Nelson (3-3) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings while notching four strikeouts for the Diamondbacks, who have won four straight and 10 of their last 12.
Matthew Boyd (3-5), Detroit’s starter, gave up all five runs and six hits in five innings. Kerry Carpenter had three hits and Miguel Cabrera had a pair of doubles, but the Tigers were blanked for the eighth time this season and the third time during their slide.
Reds 8, Cardinals 4
Rookie Andrew Abbott blanked St. Louis for 5 2/3 innings as visiting Cincinnati rolled to a victory.
Abbott (2-0), who allowed five hits and three walks, has started his big-league career with 11 2/3 scoreless innings. Luke Maile and Spencer Steer each drove in three runs for the Reds, who won for the fourth time in their last six games.
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (4-3) allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings. Dylan Carlson went 3-for-3 with two walks and a two-run homer to pace the offense. Nolan Arenado also went deep for St. Louis, which has lost six of eight.
Twins 9, Blue Jays 4
Carlos Correa hit his second career grand slam in a seven-run eighth inning as visiting Minnesota rallied to defeat Toronto.
Max Kepler added a three-run homer for the Twins in the eighth. Trevor Larnach hit a solo shot in the seventh for the Twins, who have won the first two games of the three-game series. Minnesota starter Joe Ryan allowed three runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four in six innings. Jorge Lopez (2-2) earned the win in relief.
Adam Cimber (0-2) took the loss after getting tagged for six runs on five hits and recording just one out in the eighth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Santiago Espinal and Nathan Lukes each had an RBI for the Blue Jays.
Dodgers 9, Phillies 0
J.D. Martinez belted a three-run homer and rookie Bobby Miller scattered three hits over six innings to lift visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Philadelphia.
Martinez’s blast capped a six-run seventh inning for the Dodgers, who have won two of their last three contests. The homer was Martinez’s 16th of the season and seventh in the last 12 games. Mookie Betts had a pair of RBI singles and joined James Outman in scoring twice. Freddie Freeman also had an RBI single.
The offense was more than enough for Miller (3-0), who struck out seven batters during his 104-pitch performance. The 24-year-old has permitted two runs on 12 hits with 23 strikeouts in 23 innings. Aaron Nola (5-5) was charged with six runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss for Philadelphia.
Padres 3, Rockies 2
Manny Machado had three hits, Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and drove in a pair of runs and San Diego beat Colorado in Denver.
Drew Carlton (2-0) tossed two innings of relief and Josh Hader earned his 15th save for the Padres, who have won three straight and four out of five. Nolan Jones homered and Ezequiel Tovar had two hits for Colorado, which has lost six in a row.
Jake Bird (1-1) relieved Rockies starter Kyle Freeland and gave up the lead in the sixth. Xander Bogaerts singled and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Tatis then singled to right to drive in two runs and give San Diego the lead.
Mets 5, Pirates 1
Mark Canha drove in three runs, including a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh, as visiting New York snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Pittsburgh.
Francisco Alvarez homered and Brandon Nimmo added an RBI single for the Mets, whose losing streak had been their longest of the season. New York starter Kodai Senga (6-3) gave up one unearned run and two hits, both singles, in seven innings, with six strikeouts and four walks.
Ji Hwan Bae had an RBI fielder’s choice for the Pirates, who have lost three of four. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo (3-5) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, with five strikeouts and two walks.
Orioles 6, Royals 1
Cole Irvin pitched 5 1/3 strong innings for his first victory of the season as Baltimore beat visiting Kansas City.
Anthony Santander doubled twice and scored two runs and Gunnar Henderson and Adam Frazier each homered for the Orioles. Irvin (1-2), who is in his first season in Baltimore’s organization, allowed one run on six hits without a walk, striking out five.
Royals starter Brady Singer (4-5), who had won his previous two decisions, worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits and three walks. Edward Olivares had three hits, but Kansas City lost its fifth consecutive game.
Athletics 2, Brewers 1 (10 innings)
Aledmys Diaz had three hits, including the game-winning single in the 10th inning, as visiting Oakland edged Milwaukee.
Diaz drove in automatic runner Tony Kemp with a single to center off Milwaukee reliever Joel Payamps (2-1) to give the A’s the lead in the top of the 10th. Oakland left-hander Sam Long, with automatic runner Victor Caratini on second, pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th for his first save.
The game started as a duel between Oakland’s Paul Blackburn and Milwaukee’s Julio Teheran. Teheran worked through the seventh, allowing six hits with one walk. He struck out six and threw 98 pitches, both season highs. Blackburn scattered just four singles, walked one and struck out five over six innings.
Astros 6, Guardians 4
Jose Abreu homered in the first inning for the second straight game and drove in three runs as visiting Houston snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Cleveland.
J.P. France (2-1) allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. Bryan Abreu followed and Ryan Pressly allowed an unearned run in the ninth before securing his 12th save in 14 opportunities.
Cleveland grounded into three double plays and had its three-game winning streak snapped. Josh Naylor went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. Houston recorded a season-high six stolen bases and jumped on Cleveland starter Triston McKenzie (0-1) for three runs in the first inning.
Marlins 5, White Sox 1
Jean Segura ripped a two-run double as part of a five-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted Miami past host Chicago.
The Marlins’ offense had been held in check, but it finally broke through against right-hander Joe Kelly (1-3) in the ninth. Miami left-hander A.J. Puk worked around Yoan Moncada’s double in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the victory. Steven Okert (3-0) earned the win.
Jorge Soler had three hits and Luis Arraez added two for the Marlins, who have won seven of their last eight games. Arraez raised his batting average from .400 to .402 by going 3-for-4. Andrew Vaughn homered for the White Sox, who totaled five hits.
–Field Level Media
