Right-hander Dylan Cease threw a one-hit shutout, missing a no-hitter, and Elvis Andrus threw a grand slam as host Chicago White Sox routed the Minnesota Twins 13-0 on Saturday evening.
Cease just missed the 21st no-hitter in club history, allowing a single to American League batting leader Luis Arraez with two outs in the ninth. Also the major league leader in walks, Cease (13-6) delivered free passes to Jake Cave in the top of the third inning and Gilberto Celestino in the sixth in addition to striking out seven.
The White Sox scored four runs in the first inning against Twins starter Tyler Mahle, three on a home run by Eloy Jimenez to right-center field. White Sox rookie Romy Gonzalez connected for a three-run homer in the fourth, his first major league homer.
Mahle recovered to strike out six of the next seven batters he faced to close out an abbreviated night. Making his first appearance since going on the disabled list with an inflamed right shoulder, Mahle (6-8) allowed four runs and five hits in two innings while throwing 37 pitches. He left the game after aggravating the injury.
Giants 5, Phillies 4
Joc Pederson continued his RBI rampage with three more and San Francisco picked up back-to-back wins over visiting Philadelphia.
After two lead changes and four draws, the Giants scored what proved to be the run that made the difference when Pederson walked Brad Hand (3-2) for a 5- 4 in sixth grade.
Bryson Stott and Jean Segura had big games for the Phillies. Stott hit a home run, two singles and three runs, while Segura cut two doubles, a single and two RBIs.
Red Sox 5, Rangers 3
Brayan Bello pitched six shutout innings and Rafael Devers drove in two as Boston held on to beat Texas.
Bello (1-4) allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out five en route to his first career major league victory, leading Boston to its fourth straight triumph.
Devers, Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story all went 2 for 4. Bogaerts scored twice, while Story had two doubles to reach 20 this season. Devers hit a brace in the first inning to ignite Boston’s offense, reaching base for his seventh straight plate appearance since breaking an 0-for-24 skid on Thursday.
Rays 2, Yankees 1
Corey Kluber threw seven stellar innings and host Tampa Bay moved within four games of collapsing New York in the American League East with a victory.
The Rays won their fifth straight and are the closest to the lead since May 11. Tampa Bay has improved to 16-4 since Aug. 13. Yandy Diaz hit a two-run single off Clarke Schmidt (5-4) as the Rays beat the Yankees for the fourth time in five meetings. New York is 1-6 in its last seven games.
Aaron Judge hit his 52nd major-league home run to top the ninth, tying his career high from his rookie season in 2017. Schmidt allowed two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked none.
Royals 12, Tigers 2
Four Kansas City players homered in their win at Detroit.
MJ Melendez went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for Kansas City. Nick Pratto went 2-for-4 with a home run, Bobby Witt Jr. had a three-run home run, Kyle Isbel hit a grand slam and Nick Eaton went 4-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Royals 15- hit attack.
Jonathan Heasley (3-7) pitched seven innings for the victory, allowing two runs and eight hits.
Nationals 7, Mets 1
Luis Garcia had four hits, including a homer, and Lane Thomas homered as part of his three-hitter night to lead Washington past host New York.
Patrick Corbin, who leads the majors in losses, had one of his best outings of the season. The southpaw (6-17) allowed just one run on three hits with five strikeouts and one walk in seven innings before being relieved by Carl Edwards Jr. in the bottom of the eighth.
Mets starter Max Scherzer didn’t factor in the decision after allowing a run on three hits with five strikeouts and a walk in five innings before being relieved by Tommy Hunter. Scherzer was looking to join Justin Verlander (242 wins) and Zack Greinke (223) as the only active pitchers with at least 200 wins.
Blue Jays 4, Pirates 1
Bo Bichette scored a decisive three-run brace in the seventh inning to give Toronto a win over Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jays have won 11 of 16 as they battle for one of the last American League playoff spots. Toronto went with a bullpen play, with Trevor Richards opening. He pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walk, with three strikeouts. Yimi Garcia (4-4) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Jordan Romano pitched the ninth for his 29th save.
Oneil Cruz hit an RBI triple for the Pirates, who are down three straight and 17 of 21. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras allowed one run and four hits over six innings, with five strikeouts and two walked, while Duane Underwood Jr. (1-4) took the loss.
Cardinals 8, Cubs 4
Yadier Molina hit a three-run double and Paul Goldschmidt homered a two-run homer as St. Louis rallied against Chicago.
Tommy Edman and Tyler O’Neill hit solo home runs for the National League Central leaders Cardinals, who won for the sixth time in seven games. They improved to 44-22 at home and 37-20 in their division.
Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (10-9) allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks in five innings. Wainwright and Molina made their 323rd career starts as drum mates, one behind the Detroit Tigers’ Bill Freehan and Mickey Lolich for most in baseball history.
Orioles 8, Athletics 1
Ryan Mountcastle hit a pair of two-run homers and Baltimore beat visiting Oakland for its fourth straight win.
Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander and Adley Rutschman also went deep as the Orioles tied their season high with five homers.
Baltimore starter Austin Voth was lifted after 70 pitches with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, and Keegan Akin (3-1) worked two scoreless innings for the win.
Sailors 4, Guardians 0
Robbie Ray pitched six shutout innings to help Seattle win against Cleveland.
Ray (12-8) allowed six hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter midway through the three-game series. It was the defending AL winner Cy Young’s second straight appearance against the Guardians, after shutting them out on three hits in seven innings in a 4-0 win on Aug. 28.
Ty France homered for the Mariners, who have won six straight to tighten their grip on an AL wildcard spot. Steven Kwan and Owen Miller had two hits apiece for the Guardians, who combined for a run while losing their last four games but remain one game ahead of the Minnesota Twins for first place in the AL Central.
Braves 2, Marlins 1
Robbie Grossman tied and Austin Riley homered for his fourth straight game, leading Atlanta after visiting Miami.
Working off reliever Steven Okert (5-2) in the ninth inning, Matt Olson singled and reached third on the double with an out of Michael Harris II. After Vaughn Grissom was intentionally walked and Travis d’Arnaud fielded, Grossman took a low pitch 3-1.
Miami’s Edward Cabrera allowed just four hits and one run while striking out seven batters in five innings. However, he walked three batters, increasing his pitch count (98) and forcing his early exit.
Dodgers 12, Padres 1
Mookie Betts set his career high for homers in a season and Julio Urias had six solid innings as Los Angeles picked up a win over visiting San Diego to end a three-game losing streak.
Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Will Smith also hit home runs as the Dodgers improved to 24-8 since July 31 despite their recent slip.
Manny Machado hit a home run for the Padres, while starter Sean Manaea (7-8) was roughed up for eight runs on nine hits and three homers in 4 1/3 innings. San Diego saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
Brewers 8, Diamondbacks 6 (10 innings)
Tyrone Taylor hit a pair of home runs — including a two-run blast in the top of the 10th inning — as Milwaukee rallied to beat host Arizona.
After dropping the first two games of the four-game series, Milwaukee led 6-5 with one out in the ninth inning before pinch hitter Rowdy Tellez laid down a solo homer in the center field seats against Ian Kennedy.
Taylor had three hits and scored three runs, and he capped the comeback with his first homer at 10th against Joe Mantiply (2-5), scoring auto-runner Esteury Ruiz. Devin Williams (6-3) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the win, and Taylor Rogers caught his 30th save.
Angels 2, Astros 1 (12 innings)
Matt Duffy’s two-out single late in the 12th inning brought Taylor Ward down from second base to lift Los Angeles over Houston in Anaheim, Calif.
Duffy hit a full throw from Astros reliever Seth Martinez into the shallow right center, where center fielder Mauricio Dubon tried to dive for the ball. A replay confirmed Dubon popped the ball, giving the Angels the win.
Angels reliever Ryan Tepera (3-2) pitched a scoreless 12th inning for the win over Will Smith (0-2). Tepera and the Angels escaped a jam in the top of the 12th. The Astros had runners on the corners with no outs when they hit in a double play, but the runner couldn’t score from third, and the next batter was out to end the threat.
-Field level media