Pete Alonso capped a six-run third with a homer as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 7-5 to salvage a split. The night also included Miami’s 2-0 win over Arizona, Juan Soto’s go-ahead seventh for New York, Detroit’s homer barrage against Minnesot
BALTIMORE — Pete Alonso didn’t wait long to make the damage count.
With the Baltimore Orioles rolling after a six-run third inning. Alonso sent a pitch deep into the left-field seats to help power a 7-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. It was the kind of finish that turns a series: the Orioles withstood three Seattle homers and salvaged a split of the four-game set with the AL West-leading Mariners.
Adley Rutschman drove in three runs, and Colton Cowser added a solo homer as part of Baltimore’s response. For Seattle, Cole Young, Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone each went deep, but those swings weren’t enough.
Kyle Bradish started for Baltimore and, for the most part, kept the Mariners in check. He had not allowed more than two homers in any of his previous 80 major league starts. Still, Bradish didn’t make it through the fifth. He lasted four innings and was replaced by Tyler Wells (1-1), who threw three hitless innings.
The Orioles struck first in a way that set the tone immediately. Young hit the third pitch of the game over the right-field wall for his first career leadoff homer. Later, Cowser’s homer leading off the third gave Seattle a jolt after Bradish had retired the first six Baltimore batters.
Then the game flipped again. After Woo let in a run with a bases-loaded wild pitch. Rutschman hit a two-run double. and Alonso followed with the big blast to make it 6-1. Bryan Woo (5-5) retired the first six Baltimore batters. but once the Orioles started taking advantage. the Mariners couldn’t slow them down.
On the back end, Baltimore protected the lead without drama. Grant Wolfram retired Colt Emerson with two on and two outs in the eighth, and Andrew Kittredge worked the ninth for his first save.
MIAMI — Tyler Phillips earned his first win of the season as the Miami Marlins defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0.
Phillips allowed two hits in five innings and struck out five while walking two on 70 pitches. The bullpen made sure the shutout held up: Michael Petersen, Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher combined to strike out six, and Pete Fairbanks earned his eighth save after striking out two more.
The first run came after an overturned call early in the game. Otto Lopez stole third in the first inning and was initially ruled out. After review. the call was overturned. and Xavier Edwards hit a sacrifice fly to send Lopez home for the early lead. In the fourth, Jakob Marsee delivered an RBI single that sent Kyle Stowers home.
Merrill Kelly (5-5) pitched six innings for Arizona, allowing both runs on four hits while striking out one and walking two. Ketel Marte, LuJames Groover and Jorge Barrosa accounted for the Diamondbacks’ three hits.
NEW YORK — Juan Soto turned the page in the seventh inning, and the New York Mets avoided another painful sweep with a win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Soto hit a go-a-ahead homer off JoJo Romero (0-2) in the seventh, sparing the Mets from being swept for the sixth time this season. Soto’s blast was his 14th of the year and was also the sixth homer of the game.
New York started fast. Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a two-out blast in the first. The Mets answered in their half of the first with Bo Bichette’s two-run shot, and Jared Young added a home run to give New York a 3-1 lead.
St. Louis fought back quickly. Lars Nootbaar hit a solo shot. and Jimmy Crooks launched a two-run homer in the second to put the Cardinals ahead 4-3. It was a hot, wind-aided afternoon—first-pitch temperature was 91 degrees, and the wind was blowing out to right at 8 mph. Every homer Thursday except Bichette’s went to right field.
Young also came through with the game’s only non-homer RBI, punching a game-tying fifth-inning single.
Christian Scott handled the start for New York, giving up four runs and striking out six in 4 2/3 innings. Hunter Dobbins for St. Louis allowed three runs with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Brooks Raley (2-1) threw a hitless seventh, and Devin Williams earned his ninth save with a perfect ninth.
DETROIT — Detroit turned it into a power display, and the Tigers rolled past the Minnesota Twins.
Spencer Torkelson hit one of Detroit’s six homers as the Tigers won. Colt Keith, Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene, Zach McKinstry and Wenceel Pérez also went deep.
Leading 2-0, Torkelson doubled down with a two-run shot in the fourth for his 10th homer of the season. Torres pushed the lead to 5-0 in the fifth before Keith—hitting for his first of the year—connected on a two-run homer in the sixth.
Greene added a solo shot in the seventh, McKinstry followed with another in the same rhythm, and Pérez capped the surge with a two-run shot to left-center in the eighth.
Kevin McGonigle started Detroit’s scoring in the first inning with a leadoff double and later scored on Greene’s sacrifice fly.
On the mound, Keider Montero (3-4) went 6 1/3 innings for Detroit, allowing four hits, striking out four and walking one. Minnesota’s Zebby Matthews (2-4) struggled, giving up nine hits—including three homers—and seven runs while striking out four and walking one.
DENVER — Seiya Suzuki delivered the swing that snapped Chicago’s skid, and the Cubs earned a win over the Colorado Rockies.
Suzuki hit his third career grand slam, Alex Bregman added a two-run homer, and Chicago snapped a three-game skid with the victory.
The Cubs had scored three or fewer runs in seven of their last nine games before Thursday, and they ended that drought with their highest run total since beating Pittsburgh 10-4 on May 27.
The game included an argument that left a mark: Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the top of the sixth by home plate umpire Louis Krupa after Counsell argued that Moises Ballesteros’ double-play grounder appeared to hit off his shin guard and should have been ruled a foul ball.
Colorado got some early traction, but the key moment arrived in the fourth. After Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the fourth with a single. the Cubs added another single and walk to load the bases. Suzuki lined a sinker down the left-field line for his 10th homer of the season and first slam since September of last season.
Chicago added two more runs in the fifth. Bregman hit his sixth homer in the seventh, and Carson Kelly capped the scoring with a solo shot, his third, in the eighth.
For the Rockies, starter Ryan Feltner (2-2) retired the first nine batters he faced. Brett Sullivan hit two home runs for Colorado, and Cole Carrigg—making his MLB debut Tuesday night—added a solo shot.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas found its way back to the middle of the standings with another win, led by Corey Seager.
Seager homered and singled to help the Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals. The win lifted Texas to two of three in the series, and to nine of 12 games, while it also marked four straight series victories. The Rangers reached .500 for the first time since May 1 at 34-34.
Texas jumped ahead 2-0 on Brandon Nimmo’s RBI double in the first inning, and Elias Díaz’s squeeze bunt single in the second pushed the advantage further.
Leading off the third, Seager hit his ninth home run into the right field bullpen off Royals starter Michael Wacha. Kansas City responded in the fourth by loading the bases to open the frame against Kumar Rocker. The Royals scored a pair of runs on a double-play grounder and then added an RBI single from Kameron Misner. his first hit with the Royals.
Rocker left with two outs in the fifth after allowing two runs and five hits. Jacob Latz (2-1), the last of three Texas relievers, struck out three in two hitless innings. Evan Carter’s RBI single in the sixth capped the scoring.
Joc Pederson remained out of the Rangers’ lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game with left hip discomfort.
PITTSBURGH — Shohei Ohtani’s night didn’t end on his terms, but Los Angeles made the most of what he still had.
The Dodgers’ two-way star hit his 13th homer of the season before leaving the game due to left knee inflammation, and the Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ohtani launched a solo homer in the third inning. He also had a single and walked twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. It was not immediately clear when Ohtani began feeling discomfort in the knee.
The Dodgers also dealt with an injury scare early. Starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski left the game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring contusion after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. The ball ricocheted off Wrobleski to first baseman Freddie Freeman. and Wrobleski collided with Reynolds while taking Freeman’s toss at first base.
Andy Pages added two hits for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who took two of three in the series. Kyle Tucker hit a two-run single, and Miguel Rojas drove in two more runs.
Pittsburgh’s rookie Rafael Flores Jr. hit his first MLB home run, and Brandon Lowe also went deep. Flores, Nick Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece.
Wrobleski allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Mitch Keller (5-4) was tagged for five runs in four innings. Jack Dreyer (3-1) pitched a scoreless seventh inning, and Tanner Scott got the last four outs for his seventh save.
MLB Orioles Mariners Pete Alonso Adley Rutschman Bryan Woo Seiya Suzuki Juan Soto Mets Dodgers Shohei Ohtani Tigers Diamondbacks