MLB roundup: Catcher Cal Raleigh smashes records as Mariners crush A’s

Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, breaking a pair of major league records, as the Seattle Mariners routed the visiting Athletics 11-4 on Sunday afternoon.
Raleigh hit two-run blasts in each of the first two innings off A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez (7-7), giving Raleigh an MLB-leading 49 homers this season. That eclipsed the MLB mark of 48 for a player who primarily plays catcher set by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez in 2021. It was also Raleigh’s ninth multi-homer game of the year, surpassing Mickey Mantle’s record for a switch-hitter set in 1961.
Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (4-5) was provided a 10-run lead through three innings and cruised. Gilbert allowed one run on three hits over six innings, with one walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts.
Lopez, who was 4-0 with a 0.70 ERA in four previous starts this month, struggled with his command. Lopez lasted just two-plus innings and gave up nine runs on six hits, with six walks and two strikeouts. He was evaluated after the game and diagnosed with left forearm tightness, according to manager Mark Kotsay.
Pirates 4, Rockies 0
Paul Skenes further bolstered his case for the National League Cy Young Award by tossing seven shutout innings while allowing only three hits to lead host Pittsburgh past Colorado.
Skenes (8-9) led the Pirates to their fourth consecutive win and a sweep of the three-game series against Colorado by striking out seven and not issuing a walk on 101 pitches. Jared Triolo hit a three-run home run off Rockies rookie McCade Brown (0-1), who made his major league debut.
Brenton Doyle had the only extra-base hit off Skenes as Colorado suffered its 13th shutout loss.
Braves 4, Mets 3
Jurickson Profar laced a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning to propel host Atlanta to a victory over New York and salvage the finale of the three-game set after being outscored 21-9 across two losses.
Profar and Sean Murphy each drove in a pair for the Braves. Atlanta starter Bryce Elder went six innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six and walking two. Tyler Kinley (2-3) earned the victory after throwing a scoreless eighth.
David Peterson allowed two runs on five hits across 5 2/3 innings for the Mets, striking out eight and walking four. Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer in the second for New York. Reliever Gregory Soto (1-4) entered a 2-2 game in the eighth and took the loss after yielding two runs on two hits and one walk with one strikeout in one inning.
Phillies 3, Nationals 2
Ranger Suarez pitched seven scoreless innings and Rafael Marchan knocked in three runs as host Philadelphia topped Washington to capture two of three in the weekend series.
Suarez (10-6) struck out 11 without a walk and allowed only three hits in lowering his ERA to 3.07. Nick Castellanos had two hits and scored a run for the Phillies, while Harrison Bader reached base three times.
Jake Irvin (8-9) lasted only 2 1/3 innings for the Nationals, allowing three runs, six hits and two walks. Luis Garcia Jr.’s pinch homer in the ninth highlighted a quiet offensive day for Washington.
Orioles 3, Astros 2
Trevor Rogers pitched seven splendid innings and Gunnar Henderson and Luis Vazquez homered as Baltimore avoided a series sweep, defeating visiting Houston.
After the Astros struck for a total of 26 runs in the first three games combined, the resurgent Rogers’ work on the mound proved critical. He limited Houston to one run on five hits, marking his fifth consecutive start in which he surrendered one run.
Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa and Yainer Diaz all posted two hits for the Astros, who had eight singles and no extra-base hits, leaving eight runners on base.
Royals 10, Tigers 8
Vinnie Pasquantino clubbed his sixth homer in seven games, a two-run shot, and Kansas City salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a win over host Detroit.
Kyle Isbel also drove in two runs, while Maikel Garcia had two hits, including a solo homer, and scored twice. Every starter in the Royals lineup contributed at least one hit. John Schreiber (3-2) tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory. Carlos Estevez got the last three outs for his 34th save.
Jahmai Jones had a three-run double for the Tigers, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped. Riley Greene smashed a solo homer and scored three runs. Wenceel Perez and Spencer Torkelson added solo shots. Starter Jack Flaherty (7-13) was charged with eight runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings.
White Sox 8, Twins 0
Kyle Teel had three hits and two RBIs, Colson Montgomery homered and four pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout as host Chicago defeated Minnesota to claim its first home series victory since July 28-30.
White Sox starter Yoendrys Gomez pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings, scattering two hits. Brandon Eisert replaced him, got out of a minor jam and threw 1 1/3 innings to earn the win. Mike Vasil followed Eisert with two scoreless innings of his own, and Wikelman Gonzalez worked a perfect ninth while notching one of 10 strikeouts for the pitching staff.
Twins starter Taj Bradley (6-7) spaced seven runs and nine hits in five innings, while the offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners on base.
Rangers 5, Guardians 0
Merrill Kelly produced his best outing with his new team and Rowdy Tellez ripped a two-run home run as Texas defeated hapless Cleveland in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers blanked the Guardians for the second straight day and their starting pitchers yielded one run across 21 innings in the series. Kelly (10-7), acquired by Texas from Arizona at the trade deadline, pitched seven-plus scoreless innings and gave up just four singles and two walks while striking out eight.
Brayan Rocchio had two of those hits for Cleveland, which has dropped five straight games and eight of its last nine.
Marlins 5, Blue Jays 3
Rookie Jakob Marsee lined a three-run triple and also doubled to start another rally, leading host Miami to a victory over Toronto.
Eury Perez (6-3) earned the win, allowing just two runs, three hits and one walk in six-plus innings. He struck out four. Tyler Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth for his second career save. Eric Wagaman added a solo homer for the Marlins, who salvaged the last game of the weekend series.
Daulton Varsho blasted a three-run homer to power the Blue Jays, who still lead the American League East. Toronto ace Kevin Gausman (8-10) took the loss, lasting six innings while allowing four runs, seven hits and one walk.
Cubs 4, Angels 3
Nico Hoerner had an RBI double among his two hits, Kyle Tucker reached base three times while adding a run and an RBI and Chicago completed a three-game series sweep of Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Matt Shaw also had a double, two hits and a run for the Cubs, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Jameson Taillon (9-6) yielded one run on three hits over five innings while striking out three, and Daniel Palencia struck out back-to-back batters with runners on first and second in the ninth for his 20th save.
Taylor Ward went 2-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs and two RBIs for the Angels. Kyle Hendricks (6-9) allowed four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings in his first career start against Chicago, where he spent 11 seasons.
Reds 6, Diamondbacks 1
Spencer Steer’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run eighth inning, and Cincinnati broke a three-game losing streak with a victory over Arizona in Phoenix.
Austin Hays had three hits and an RBI, Steer doubled in addition to his 16th homer and Noelvi Marte had two hits and scored twice for Cincinnati. Graham Ashcraft (8-5) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the win in relief of starter Brady Singer.
Geraldo Perdomo tripled and scored on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. That proved to be the Diamondbacks’ only hit until Corbin Carroll singled with two outs in the eighth.
Giants 4, Brewers 3
Heliot Ramos drove in two runs with a two-out single in the top of the ninth inning to lift San Francisco past host Milwaukee and claim the three-game set.
The Brewers’ Trevor Megill (5-3) blew his second save of the series. Matt Chapman led off the ninth with a double and Luis Matos singled with one out. Pinch hitter Rafael Devers struck out, but Jung Hoo Lee kept the inning going with a walk, setting up Ramos’ winning hit.
Jose Butto (4-3) picked up the win in relief and Ryan Walker earned his 11th save.
Dodgers 8, Padres 2
Freddie Freeman homered twice and Dalton Rushing jacked a three-run shot that gave visiting Los Angeles the lead for good in a win over San Diego.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8) got the win after allowing four hits and two runs over six solid innings, walking two and fanning six. Four relievers combined to allow just one hit over the final three innings. Shohei Ohtani capped the scoring for the Dodgers in the ninth with a solo blast, his 45th of the year.
Padres starter Nick Pivetta was no-decisioned after six strong innings. He permitted just two hits and two runs, walking three and striking out seven.
Rays 7, Cardinals 2
Junior Caminero rocketed his team-leading 37th homer, a sixth-inning grand slam, to help Tampa Bay pull away from visiting St. Louis in a rain-delayed victory.
Christopher Morel was 3-for-4 with a solo homer, while Chandler Simpson had two hits, including a two-RBI triple, plus a run, walk and his 38th stolen base. In his team-leading 27th start, Ryan Pepiot (9-10) was limited to just 63 pitches in shutting down the Cardinals. He fired five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, fanned three and walked one.
St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore (6-11) was saddled with four runs on three hits. The former Rays first-round selection whiffed five and walked three in 4 1/3 innings.
Yankees 7, Red Sox 2
Trent Grisham hit solo homers in consecutive at-bats, Carlos Rodon pitched 5 2/3 innings and host New York salvaged the finale of a four-game series with a victory over visiting Boston.
Grisham went deep in the third and fifth innings off Red Sox starter Dustin May. His sixth career multi-homer game and fourth this season helped Rodon (14-7) win his third straight start.
Nathaniel Lowe had a pinch-hit two-run single in the sixth as Boston was held to five hits after getting 17 in Saturday’s 12-1 romp. May (7-10) allowed five runs on five hits 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three.