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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

MLB capsules: Yankees finish off sweep of Mariners with 4-3 victory

All the Mariners’ pitchers, like James Paxton, right, were happy to see veteran catcher Mike Zunino return from the disabled list on Sunday. (Bill Kostroun / Associated Press)
Associated Press

NEW YORK – Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers off James Paxton in the first inning that sent the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Thursday for a three-game sweep.

Luis Severino and the Yankees boosted the best record in the majors to 50-22. They’ve won four in a row and 17 of 21. Seattle has lost a season-high four straight.

Severino (11-2) wasn’t at his best. He gave up Kyle Seager’s two-run homer in the second and permitted eight hits overall, matching a season most. He was pulled with two outs in the sixth after Ben Gamel’s RBI single cut Seattle’s deficit to one run.

David Robertson and Dellin Betances protected the lead, and Aroldis Chapman struck out Dee Gordon on three pitches with a runner on second for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

Paxton (6-2) had been 5-0 in 10 starts since April, including a no-hitter at Toronto. He went five innings and threw 107 pitches, the same total as Severino.

Giants 3, Padres 0

SAN FRANCISCO – Madison Bumgarner pitched eight innings of three-hit ball for his first win of the season, Mark Melancon earned his first save in a year and the Giants beat the San Diego Padres.

The Giants won for the fourth time in five games and sent the last-place Padres to their fifth straight loss.

Bumgarner (1-2) struck out eight and walked two in his best start since coming off the disabled list. He also drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. The ace left-hander outdueled Tyson Ross (5-5), who gave up one run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked three.

Bumgarner began the season on the DL with a broken pinkie on his pitching hand sustained in his final spring training start when he was hit by a line drive. He was 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three previous outings since being reinstated.

Red Sox 9, Twins 2

MINNEAPOLIS – Rick Porcello allowed one hit in seven innings, Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi homered, and Boston beat Minnesota to avoid a series sweep.

Xander Bogaerts had two RBIs for the Red Sox, who had a season-high 16 hits, and finished 6-4 on a road trip through Baltimore, Seattle and Minnesota.

After a first-inning single by Logan Morrison, ending an 0-for-30 stretch against Boston, Porcello (9-3) retired 19 of 20 Twins hitters, including the last 16. Throwing 97 pitches, he struck out five and walked one.

Porcello finished seven innings for the first time in 10 starts since April 29.

Kyle Gibson (2-5) allowed seven hits and two earned runs in six innings for Minnesota.

Rockies 6, Mets 4

DENVER – Nolan Arenado homered for the third straight game and drove in five runs to help Colorado beat New York.

Arenado also doubled to back another strong outing from Kyle Freeland (7-6). Freeland has pitched at least six innings in 10 of his last 11 starts and has emerged as the team’s most reliable starter.

Arenado had just two home runs in his first 15 games of June, but has four in his last seven. He put the Rockies ahead 3-1 with a three-run homer in the first off Steven Matz (3-5), his 16th of the season. He delivered a two-run double in the second to drive in five for the second time this season. He also had five RBIs at the Chicago Cubs on May 2.

Todd Frazier gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first with his eighth homer.

The Mets got within two runs when Frazier and Michael Conforto led off the eighth with singles. Yency Almonte, making his major league debut, relieved Chris Rusin and allowed one inherited runner to score that made it 5-3 before getting an inning-ending double play. It was the fifth double-play grounder by New York on the afternoon.

Nationals 4, Orioles 2

WASHINGTON – Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and the Nationals beat the Baltimore Orioles in the deciding matchup of a three-game interleague series between neighboring rivals.

Anthony Rendon homered for the Nationals, who received seven strong innings from starter Max Scherzer and flawless work from their bullpen. Seeking to end a rare run of two straight losses, Scherzer left a tied game after allowing two runs – both on solo homers – and striking out nine.

Bryce Harper led off the eighth with a double off Mychal Givens (0-4) and Trea Turner followed with a single. After Rendon struck out, Soto hit a liner into the gap in left-center. Soto, a 19-year-old rookie, is batting .326 with 16 RBIs in 28 games.

Newcomer Kelvin Herrera (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 20th save in 21 tries.

Activated from the 60-day disabled list before the game, Colby Rasmus homered for the Orioles in his first at-bat since April 6. Mark Trumbo also homered for Baltimore.

Diamondbacks 9, Pirates 3

PITTSBURGH – Ketel Marte and Alex Avila each hit two-run homers and the Arizona Diamondbacks scored eight runs in the first three innings to power their way past the Pirates.

Marte’s blast capped a three-run first, while Avila’s shot in the third extended the NL West-leading Diamondbacks’ advantage to 8-0.

Jon Jay doubled in each of the first two innings, the second of which drove in two runs. The center fielder is hitting .340 in 13 games since being acquired June 6 from Kansas City in a trade.

Staked to the early cushion, Zack Godley (8-5) won his third straight start. He gave up three runs – two earned – and four hits in six innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

Chad Kuhl (5-5) lasted just two-plus innings and was lifted following Avila’s homer. Kuhl was tagged for eight runs and eight hits after allowing three earned runs or less in seven of his previous eight starts.

Reds 6, Cubs 2

CINCINNATI – Jesse Winker hit his first career grand slam during a big sixth-inning rally, putting Matt Harvey in line for his second win for the Reds.

Cincinnati sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times in the sixth, matching their biggest inning of the season. Kyle Hendricks (5-7) walked three to set up the two-out rally, including Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded. Hendricks has equaled his career high with four walks in each of his last two starts.

Winker connected on the second pitch from left-hander Randy Rosario, who hadn’t allowed a homer this season. The Reds’ sixth grand slam of the season moved them into a tie with Boston for most in the majors.

Harvey (2-5) went six innings for his first victory since May 22, allowing five hits, including Javier Baez’s two-run double. He’d lost his last three decisions with the Reds, who got him from the Mets for catcher Devin Mesoraco in a deal on May 8. Jared Hughes pitched out of a two-on jam in the eighth and finished for his fifth save in six chances.

Brewers 11, Cardinals 3

MILWAUKEE – Brent Suter pitched seven strong innings, Manny Pina homered and the Brewers capitalized on a season-high four errors by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Suter (8-4) retired 12 straight after Matt Carpenter’s leadoff home run. He went a career-high seven innings for the second time this season and third overall. The left-hander limited the Cardinals to two runs and two hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He is 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA in his last seven starts.

Carlos Martinez (3-4) struggled in his fourth start since returning from the disabled list (right lat strain). He allowed seven runs – five earned – on eight hits in four innings with two walks, three strikeouts and two wild pitches. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA since being activated on June 4.

Angels 8, Blue Jays 5

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Luis Valbuena homered twice, Kole Calhoun connected for the second consecutive game and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.

Mike Trout went 0 for 2 with three walks in his 1,000th career game, ending his hitting streak at eight games. Trout, who has reached base in 31 of 47 plate appearances over his last nine games, was the designated hitter and is not expected to be used in the outfield during the series against Toronto because of a sprained right index finger.

Calhoun hit a two-run homer off John Axford (1-1) in the fourth to put the Angels ahead 4-3. Valbuena made it 6-3 with his two-run shot in the fifth, ending an 18-game drought without a home run. He added a solo drive to right in the seventh for his eighth career multihomer game.

Noe Ramirez (3-3) retired all eight batters he faced in relief, striking out four. Justin Anderson got his third save.