Drive win opening game of 20th season
After both teams traded zeroes through the first two innings, the Drive offense erupted in the bottom of the third. Kolby Johnson sparked the rally with an infield single, and a walk to Nazzan Zanetello set the stage for Nelly Taylor, who launched a three-run homer deep into the night sky in centerfield — the first long ball of the new season. Greenville kept the pressure on as Brooks Brannon swiped second and scored on a Marvin Alcantara RBI single to make it 4–0.
Drive starter Hayden Mullins dazzled in his season debut, tossing four shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out six. He turned the ball over to Max Carlson in the fifth, who added five more strikeouts over 2.2 innings despite a shaky seventh in which Bowling Green plated three runs to trim the deficit.
Greenville's offense kept rolling in the bottom of the fifth, plating three more runs on an RBI walk from Alcantara and a two-run single from Joe Riemer to push the lead to 7–0. Nazzan Zanetello added another spark in the sixth, scoring from second on a heads-up baserunning play during a rundown.
Things get dicey for the Drive in the top of the seventh when Robertson leads off with a single and Vellojin follows in up with a double. With runners on second and third Santana ropes a triple to deep left center to score two off Drive reliever Max Carlson. Pitre singles to shallow right to score Santana and chase Carlson from the game. The Drive then turn to right handed reliever Isaac Stebens who ends the threat in the seventh.
Brannon added an RBI single in the eighth to give the Drive their ninth and final run, capping a strong night that saw him go 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a stolen base.
Isaac Stebens closed it out with 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out two to close the door and help the Drive secure their first win of the Liam Carroll era and setting a strong tone for the homestand ahead.
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San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Royals score 5 runs in 10th, overwhelm Blue Jays 7-4
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Isbel hit an RBI double in the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 on Sunday. Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tying single with two out in the eighth, and Kansas City scored five in the 10th while taking two of three from the AL East-leading Blue Jays. The Royals are 24-12 in series finales, winning their past nine. Hunter Harvey (1-0) pitched one inning for the win as Kansas City returned to .500 at 56-56. Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger cut into Kansas City's lead with RBI singles in the bottom of the 10th, but Toronto (65-48) lost a home series for the first time since losing two of three to the White Sox from June 20-22. Isbel drove in the winning run with a double down the line against Seranthony Domínguez (2-4). Jonathan India walked and Bobby Witt Jr. was hit by a pitch before Tyler Tolbert added a two-run single. Witt scored on a throwing error by catcher Alejandro Kirk, and Maikel Garcia capped the rally with a sacrifice fly. Blue Jays outfielder Joey Loperfido had two hits, including an RBI single in the fifth. GIANTS 12, METS 4 NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Devers snapped out of a slump with a homer and four RBIs in San Francisco's victory over New York. Rookie Carson Whisenhunt (1-0) threw 5 1/3 innings for his first win in the majors to help the Giants take two of three from the Mets following a six-game losing streak. New York dropped a half-game behind Philadelphia for the NL East lead. The Mets have lost five of six. Making his second career start, Whisenhunt allowed two runs — one earned — on three hits, including Francisco Lindor's first-inning homer. Devers' three-run homer capped a four-run third against Frankie Montas (3-2). The 403-foot blast to right was just the fifth homer for Devers since he was acquired from Boston on June 15. Devers closed out a three-run fourth with a run-scoring single. The Giants piled on in the ninth. Dominic Smith had a two-run single, and Casey Schmitt hit a three-run homer off Ryne Stanek. Backup catcher Luis Torrens got the final out. BOSTON (AP) — Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela had consecutive RBI singles in a six-run fourth inning filled with five Houston mistakes, Lucas Giolito pitched a season-high eight stellar innings, and Boston beat the Astros to complete a series sweep. Connor Wong added a sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu was credited with a sacrifice on a safety squeeze for an RBI during the inning, sending Boston to its third straight win over the AL West leaders and fifth in a row overall. Giolito (8-2) gave up the run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk, eclipsing his previous season-high innings of 7 2/3 on July 4. Carlos Correa, acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, hit a homer for Houston, which has lost eight of 10. The game's first pitch was 11:38 a.m. EDT, the third time this season the Red Sox began a game in the morning. The others: their annual Patriots' Day game when they beat the White Sox and the Independence Day victory at the Nationals. Framber Valdez (11-5) gave up six runs, four earned, over six innings, ending his personal 10-game winning streak. He entered 10-0 with a 1.84 ERA in his previous 14 starts. DODGERS 3, RAYS 0 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Freddie Freeman scored one run and drove in another to snap Los Angeles' 18-inning scoreless drought and lead the Dodgers over Tampa Bay. Andy Pages singled off Mason Englert (0-1) in the sixth to drive in Freddie Freeman, who extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a first-inning single and added another RBI single in the seventh to make it 2-0. He had three hits on the day and seven RBIs in the series, which the Dodgers won two games to one. Shohei Ohtani doubled and scored on Mookie Betts' sacrifice fly in the ninth. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-7) held the Rays scoreless over 5 2/3 innings, scattering five hits and striking out six. Ben Casparius earned his second big-league save, coming in with the bases loaded in the ninth to get Yandy Diaz out. Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman left the game in the fifth with a right ankle sprain. Tampa Bay starter Joe Boyle held the Dodgers scoreless for five innings, working around three hits and two walks. He struck out two. BRAVES 4, REDS 2 BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Eli White hit a three-run homer and a solo shot, helping Atlanta beat Cincinnati in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. White's first homer of the afternoon gave Atlanta a 3-1 lead in the second inning at the historic racetrack. The ball hit the safer barrier after clearing the outfield wall and the track itself. He added his sixth homer of the season on a leadoff shot in the seventh. Cincinnati went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base. Brent Suter (1-2) got the loss. Atlanta came in having clinched the season series, winning four of the first six games. The teams split the first two in Cincinnati before coming to Bristol. The game was scheduled for Saturday, but it was suspended in the first inning because of persistent rain. Hurston Waldrep (1-0) was on the mound for Atlanta when play resumed. The right-hander was brought up from Triple-A Gwinnett and traveled about 250 miles to Bristol Motor Speedway early Sunday morning. He pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball for his first career win. TWINS 5, GUARDIANS 4 CLEVELAND (AP) — Trevor Larnach had a two-run single in a four-run first inning and Minnesota beat Cleveland to avoid a three-game sweep. Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis also drove in runs in the first against Joey Cantillo (2-2), who struck out a season-high nine over 5 2/3 innings. Kody Clemens' bunt single in the eighth plated DaShawn Keirsey Jr. with an insurance run. The Guardians trailed 5-2 going into the ninth, but Brayan Rocchio's pinch-hit single off Michael Tonkin scored Nolan Jones and C.J. Kayfus. Erasmo Ramírez entered and retired Daniel Schneemann and José Ramírez in order to close out the win. Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak. Kody Funderburk (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief, and Ramírez earned the save in his first big-league appearance since Aug. 30, 2024, with Tampa Bay. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the first and Schneemann had three hits for the second day in a row for Cleveland, which had won four straight. Kayfus doubled for his first hit in the majors, one day after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus. José Ureña, pitching for his sixth team in three years, started and gave up two runs in four innings for the Twins. Wallner and Clemens had two hits apiece. MARLINS 7, YANKEES 3 MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and Miami completed the first sweep of New York in franchise history. The Marlins (55-55) won all three games against the Yankees (60-52) to reach .500 for the first time since April 15. They became the first major league team to go from 16 or more games under .500 to a .500 record since the Rays in 2014. Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3 1/3 innings into his season debut. Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches. Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera's 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center. Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle. Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a two-run homer off Josh Simpson that pulled New York within 6-3 in the seventh, as 'Let's go Yankees!' chants erupted at loanDepot Park. Marsee then ripped an RBI triple to center in the bottom half that stretched the lead to four. Xavier Edwards had two hits, including an RBI single. Troy Johnston had a run-scoring double. BREWERS 14, NATIONALS 3 WASHINGTON (AP) — Brice Turang hit two two-run homers, and Milwaukee completed its first season sweep of Washington with a win. Milwaukee set a club record for a three-game series with 56 hits. The Brewers scored 60 runs in their six wins over the Nationals this season. Christian Yelich went 2 for 3 and walked three times, giving the Brewers the lead for good with an RBI single in the first against rookie Brad Lord (2-6). Turang hit his seventh homer in the second, a 399-foot shot to right-center. He also went deep against Ryan Loutos in Milwaukee's seven-run seventh, belting a 396-foot shot to right. Joey Ortiz had four RBIs as the Brewers upped the majors' best record to 67-44. Caleb Durbin had two of Milwaukee's 16 hits. Milwaukee's Logan Henderson was called up from Triple-A Nashville to start in place of All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shin contusion. Henderson allowed one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. Aaron Ashby (2-1) got five outs for the win. Drew Millas had two hits and two RBIs for the Nationals in their fifth straight loss. CUBS 5, ORIOLES 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give Chicago a victory over Baltimore. Leading off the ninth, Dansby Swanson reached on a throwing error on third baseman Jordan Westburg. Manager Craig Counsell then sent Turner to the plate to hit for Michael Busch. Turner drove the first pitch he saw from Keegan Akin (3-1), a 92.8 mph fastball, deep to left-center for the game-ending shot. It was Turner's third homer of the season. Chicago took two of three in the weekend set against Baltimore. The Cubs stayed two games back of NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which won 14-3 at Washington. PIRATES 9, ROCKIES 5 DENVER (AP) — Spencer Horwitz homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead Pittsburgh to a win over Colorado, avoiding a series sweep. Horwitz hit a two-run homer in the second inning, added a three-run shot in the sixth and knocked in his sixth run with a ground out in the eighth. The Pirates' 27-year-old leadoff hitter has five homers and 31 RBIs in 61 games this season. Nick Gonzales knocked in a run with an infield single in the first inning before Tommy Pham hit a two-run homer, his fifth, for Pittsburgh. Pirates starter Mitch Keller (5-10) worked five innings and allowed seven hits and five earned runs with four strikeouts. Mickey Moniak (two RBIs), Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck (two RBIs) hit consecutive homers in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Rockies closed within 8-5. Colorado starter Bradley Blalock (1-3) allowed seven earned runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts and four walks. MARINERS 5, RANGERS 4 SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and Seattle beat Texas. Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning. Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings on Sunday. The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but only tallied one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season. DIAMONDBACKS 6, ATHLETICS 4 WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Blaze Alexander homered to help Arizona beat the Athletics. Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo each had three hits as Arizona won the rubber game of the weekend set. Tyler Locklear had two hits and scored two runs. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-7) pitched five innings of two-run ball in his first win since June 23. The left-hander was 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA in his previous five starts. Kyle Nelson handled the ninth for his first save of the season. JJ Bleday hit a one-out solo homer for the A's, but Nelson closed it out when Gio Urshela flied to center and Max Schuemann struck out swinging. PADRES 7, CARDINALS 3 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dylan Cease allowed one hit over five innings, Jake Cronenworth and Ramon Laureano homered as San Diego beats St. Louis. Cease (4-10) struck out nine with a walk as the Padres (62-50) won for the seventh time in eight games and moved three games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (65-47). Jason Adams, Jeremiah Estrada and David Morgan followed Cease and put the Cardinals down in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Robert Suarez worked one inning and earned his 32nd save. Cronenworth opened the scoring with a two-run homer, his ninth, in the fourth. Laureano added a solo shot, his 16th, in the eighth inning. Jackson Merrill had a three-run triple in the seventh to extend the Padres' lead to 6-0. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (6-8) allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Gordon Graceffo gave up four runs on four hits in two innings before giving way to Roddery Munoz. The Cardinals got on the board at the top of the ninth on bases-loaded singles by Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker. ANGELS 8, WHITE SOX 5 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Taylor Ward hit a game-ending three-run homer in the ninth inning, Zach Neto had a home run and three RBIs and Los Angeles beat Chicago to avoid a three-game sweep. In a tie game, Nolan Schanuel doubled with one out in the ninth before Mike Trout was walked intentionally. Ward went deep against left-hander Tyler Alexander (4-10) to set a career high with 26 home runs. Right-hander Kenley Jansen (4-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for Los Angeles. Colson Montgomery hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs for the White Sox. They lost for just the third time in their last 12 road games. The White Sox took a 4-0 lead in the first inning when Robert had an RBI single and Montgomery followed with a three-run home run against Jack Kochanowicz Chicago made it 5-0 in the third on Montgomery's RBI single. The Angels started their rally in the sixth with a leadoff home from Neto. Ward had an RBI single, and Trout scored on a wild pitch. The Angels tied it in the seventh on a two-run double from Neto. PHILLIES 2, TIGERS 0 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cristopher Sánchez pitched eight sparkling innings, Kyle Schwarber hit his 38th homer and Philadelphia beat Detroit. Philadelphia took two of three in the weekend series to move back into first place in the NL East, a half-game better than the New York Mets. Sánchez (10-3) surrendered five hits, struck out six and walked one. He allowed only one baserunner to reach third. Jhoan Duran handled the ninth for his second save with the Phillies and No. 18 overall. The hard-throwing closer, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota on Wednesday, fanned Riley Greene with a 102.5 mph fastball for the final out.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago White Sox get walked off by the Los Angeles Angels and Miguel Vargas lands on the injured list
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable knew about eight minutes before Saturday's game that the team would be without infielder Miguel Vargas. 'A little scramble, but that's what we do,' Venable said before Sunday's game. 'It's all about adjustments.' The adjustments continued Sunday when the Sox placed Vargas on 10-day injured list (retroactive to Saturday) with a left oblique strain and recalled infielder Curtis Mead from Triple-A Charlotte. Vargas felt something during his last round of batting practice on Saturday. 'I didn't think it was anything crazy,' Vargas said Sunday. 'We always have (a) little something everywhere. I thought it wasn't that bad. And then in the cage (hitting before the game), I wasn't feeling good.' Vargas has a positive mindset. 'Everybody's process is different,' he said. 'I feel better than yesterday, for sure. I don't feel that bad. Hopefully I can come back soon.' He watched as the Sox suffered a tough loss Sunday, falling 8-5 to the Los Angeles Angels in front of 30,963 at Angel Stadium. Taylor Ward hit a game-ending three-run home run in the ninth. The Sox built a five-run lead — with four coming in the first inning. The Angels chipped away, scoring three in the sixth and two in the seventh to tie the score. Ward ended it with the three-run home run off reliever Tyler Alexander. 'It was kind of a tale of two games,' Venable said. 'First five innings, offense did a great job. (Starter Sean) Burke was outstanding, fastball was great. And then, it really just turned there. Offensively, we kind of stalled out and they had the momentum and we just didn't seem to be able to get any outs.' Burke allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in five-plus innings. All three runs came in the sixth when the four batters he faced reached. 'Felt good all day with my stuff,' Burke said. 'Frustrating to kind of end it like that, but one I could build off of going forward.' Colson Montgomery had a three-run home run and an RBI single in the loss. The Sox (42-70) had to settle for taking two of three from the Angels. They'll continue the trip on Tuesday in Seattle without the availability of Vargas, who said this marks the first time he's been on the injured list. '(Vargas) has been one of our guys the whole year,' Venable said. 'Leader in the clubhouse, leader on the field. A performer on the field. Especially after a tough start. We're going to miss him a lot, at least he'll be around, he can still impact the club and give us some energy, which he always does. It's a tough blow for us with everything he means for us on the field.' Vargas has a .229/.305/.402 slash line with 25 doubles, 13 home runs, 44 RBIs and 57 runs in 106 games this season. He is slashing .314/.352/.549 (16-for-51) with three doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs and 11 runs over his last 12 games. 'I've been working on a lot of things the whole year, I feel like I've been grinding the whole year,' Vargas said. 'It kind of sucks having this step back at this point of the season, but I want to be 100% when I come back to the field.' Vargas will try to aid the team in any way he can. 'I want to be on the field with my team, especially (at) this moment,' he said. 'We are playing so much better baseball and I've been really enjoying winning baseball games. Right now, for me, it's be on the bench and support my teammates the best way I can.' The Sox will mix and match in a variety of ways in the infield while Vargas, who has made 58 starts at third base and 42 at first base, is out of action. Brooks Baldwin filled in at third while Lenyn Sosa played first on Saturday and Sunday. Josh Rojas, who was originally slated to start at third on Saturday, shifted to second. He was at that position again on Sunday. 'We'll look at matchups and what it means on a given day, knowing that it can change,' Venable said. 'But we have some flexibility with Baldwin, Rojas, Sosa and now Mead in the mix. We'll see how it all shakes out.' The Sox acquired Mead on Thursday as part of the trade that sent pitcher Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays. Mead, 24, is 4-for-7 (.571) with two doubles, three walks, two RBIs and two runs in two games with Charlotte. He is slashing .300/.391/.517 with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs and 12 runs in 16 games between Charlotte and Triple-A Durham this season. He slashed .226/.318/.339 with three home runs, eight RBIs and 14 runs in 49 games with the Rays in 2025. 'Excited about Curtis,' Venable said. 'Versatility in the infield, can play second base, both corners. Probably prefer him on the corners in the infield. A right-handed bat with above-average bat speed. Really excited to have him.' The Sox claimed left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson and right-hander Elvis Peguero off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday and designated right-hander Jesse Scholtens for assignment. Hudson and Peguero were both optioned to Charlotte. Hudson, 26, was designated for assignment by the Brewers on July 31 after going 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA, 12 walks and 13 strikeouts in 12 relief appearances this season. Peguero, 28, was designated for assignment by the Brewers on July 31 after posting a 4.91 ERA and five strikeouts in six relief appearances during two stints with the major-league team in 2025. The Sox also released veteran pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who had reached Charlotte with the organization. He had a 10.13 ERA in two starts for the Knights.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Blaze Alexander homers as the Diamondbacks beat the Athletics 6-4
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Blaze Alexander homered to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Athletics 6-4 on Sunday. Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo each had three hits as Arizona won the rubber game of the weekend set. Tyler Locklear had two hits and scored two runs. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-7) pitched five innings of two-run ball in his first win since June 23. The left-hander was 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA in his previous five starts. Kyle Nelson handled the ninth for his first save of the season. JJ Bleday hit a one-out solo homer for the A's, but Nelson closed it out when Gio Urshela flied to center and Max Schuemann struck out swinging. The Diamondbacks scored three runs in the second against rookie Jack Perkins. Connor Kaiser walked with the bases loaded, driving in Jake McCarthy. Jose Herrera had a sacrifice fly, and Corbin Carroll singled in Thomas. Locklear reached on a two-out walk in the third, stole second and scored on Thomas' single for a 4-0 lead. Locklear was acquired from Seattle in the Eugenio Suárez trade. The A's got two runs back in the fifth on rookie Nick Kurtz's two-run single. Alexander hit a solo drive off Elvis Alvarado in the seventh for his first homer of the season. He also hit an RBI single off Michael Kelly in the ninth. Bleday went 4 for 4 and scored three times. Key moment The A's loaded the bases in the second before Schuemann bounced into an inning-ending double play. Key stat The A's dropped to 23-34 at temporary home Sutter Health Park after a second straight loss. Up next Diamondbacks: Host the San Diego Padres on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series. ___
