
Rockies beat White Sox 6-4 to avoid sweep in series between majors' worst teams
DENVER (AP) — Mickey Moniak finished a double shy of a cycle, Michael Toglia hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 on Sunday to avoid a sweep in a series between the two worst teams in the majors.
At 21-69, the Rockies also avoided tying the 1907 St. Louis Cardinals and 1916 Philadelphia Phillies for the most losses in the first 90 games of a season in the modern era.
Moniak had a leadoff home run in the first inning and a two-run triple in the fifth. The former No. 1 overall pick has 13 homers this season, eight in the past month.
In his third career MLB game, Colson Montgomery had two hits and an RBI for the White Sox. With two hits and an RBI, Mike Tauchman improved his batting average to .372 over the past 11 games.
Zach Agnos (1-3) got the win for the Rockies after giving up one earned run in 1 1/3 innings. Seth Halvorsen pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his eighth save.
On the day he was selected for the All-Star Game, White Sox starter Shane Smith (3-7) allowed five earned runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Key moment
Toglia's homer to center field off Altavilla in the fifth capped a four-run inning for the Rockies and broke a 4-4 tie. Key stat
Nine of the Rockies' MLB-worst 10 home wins this season have come in the final game of a series in which Colorado lost the first two matchups. Up next
LHP Austin Gomber (0-1, 5.49 ERA) will take the mound for Colorado against RHP Richard Fitts (0-3, 4.50) at Boston on Monday night. RHP Sean Burke (4-7, 4.03) will pitch for the White Sox against RHP José Berríos (4-3, 3.64) and visiting Toronto.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
recommended

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Barger's walk-off single in 11th lifts Blue Jays over Angels for 7th straight win
TORONTO (AP) — Addison Barger hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays extended their season-best winning streak to seven by beating the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Saturday. George Springer added a two-run home run, his fifth in five games, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits for the Blue Jays, who won their second straight in extra innings. Toronto won 4-3 in 10 innings Friday. Advertisement Barger lined the winning hit to right field off Angels right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn (5-3). Toronto's Braydon Fisher (3-0) pitched two shutout innings for the win. Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer allowed two runs and five hits in four innings, the shortest of his three starts since coming off the injured list last month. Scherzer threw 72 pitches, 46 strikes. Angels outfielder Jo Adell opened the scoring with a bases-loaded walk in the first, but the inning ended when right fielder Barger caught Jorge Soler's fly ball and threw Mike Trout out at home plate. The outfield assist was Barger's sixth. Advertisement Barger's RBI single off Jack Kochanowicz tied the score in the bottom of the first but Adell restored the lead with a sacrifice fly in the third. Nathan Lukes walked to begin the third and Springer followed with a 413-foot homer to straightaway center, his 16th. The Angels tied it in the seventh on Nolan Schanuel's two-out single off rookie Lazaro Estrada. Key moment Barger broke his bat over his thigh in frustration after striking out against Kenley Jansen to send the game to extra innings, but was celebrating after his winning hit in the 11th. Key stat After throwing a ball to Logan O'Hoppe on his first pitch of the second inning, Scherzer struck out the side on nine straight pitches. Advertisement Up next RHP Kevin Gausman (6-6, 4.18 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday's series finale against Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (2-5, 4.12). ___ AP MLB: Ian Harrison, The Associated Press


San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sense of budding optimism envelops Giants as they head home for a tough week
WEST SACRAMENTO — Optimism — and toasty Sacramento Valley heat — was radiating off the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The happy vibe was perhaps surprising for a team that had been scuffling badly, going 4-8 since winning two of three against Boston in the wake of the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade heading into Sunday's game. But baseball is a sport of the moment and on Sunday, the team was buoyed by the news that a quarter of the Giants' pitching staff had made the All-Star team: starters Logan Webb and Robbie Ray and super setup man Randy Rodriguez. There were also good feelings carrying over from local boy Webb's successful outing on Saturday night. There was the confidence in knowing that, despite the rough stretch, the Giants are still in a tie for second in the N.L. West and very much in the wild-card picture. And, just maybe, the positive feelings also had something to do with the odd innocence of the detour into a minor league ballpark, a place that took a lot of Giants players back to the days when their major league dreams weren't quite real. Sutter Health Park is a nice little ballpark by the Sacramento River with a serious identity crisis. The A's call it their major league temporary home while they wait for the mythical Las Vegas ballpark to be built. Yet the organization refuses to have the name Sacramento anywhere on their uniforms and also gets very angry if any player disparages the rinky-dink experience — as pitcher Luis Severino has. So much so that the team anonymously expresses its burning desire to get rid of him to national baseball writers. And whether they're in Sacramento or Oakland or anywhere else, the A's remain consistent in one thing: they are last in MLB in attendance. John Fisher has effectively killed off the once-vibrant fan base. The Giants also call the ballpark home, but in a more appropriate fashion: it is the full-time residence of their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento (no shame in the name) River Cats. The ballpark certainly felt like home to the Giants. The sellout crowds all weekend were overwhelmingly pro-Giants, to the surprise of no one, least of all Webb, who grew up an A's fan in Rocklin. 'Not at all,' Webb said. 'I was one of the lonely A's fans. I'm not surprised at all by the Giants' crowds. Sacramento is a pretty heavy Giants town.' It was a pretty sweet weekend for Webb, whose young A's-loving self probably wouldn't have dared even daydream about such a 24-hour stretch. On Saturday night he took the field at the same ballpark where he made starts on his way up through the Giants' system. Now, as the Giants' ace, he was feted by an adoring crowd, who shouted 'Go Thunder' and 'Rocklin!' as he took the field. He received a standing ovation when he left the game and said he felt like the whole crowd was cheering for him. His excellent weekend didn't end there. On Sunday morning, he went golfing with his father and brother at Granite Bay, his first time playing there. While he was on the course, he got a phone call from manager Bob Melvin, who congratulated him. Webb had just made the NL All-Star team for the second straight year. This time, he was voted in by his peers. 'Baseball is a game of respect,' Webb said. 'And when you gain the respect of your peers, the guys you're playing against, it's pretty cool.' Ray, too, is familiar with Sutter Health Park, having made rehab starts there last year as the former Cy Young award winner worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. The setting where he celebrated his second All-Star selection was a reminder of the hard work it took to get back. West Sacramento is also a known entity to Rodriguez. He made many appearances there in 2022 and '23. Last year, when he reported to the River Cats, he looked like a different pitcher, making a leap in command and maturity: he recorded a 1.69 ERA with 10 strikeouts before earning his first call-up to the big league team last May. This season, the right-hander has been the most valuable member of the Giants very valuable bullpen, rescuing them time and again in high-leverage situations. On Sunday, team members seemed particularly thrilled for the 25-year-old. 'Randy was my first call,' Melvin said. 'When I saw that, I got a huge smile on my face. I've been doing this a long time, but for someone like him to make the All-Star team. The job that he does is typically not rewarded with an All-Star berth. Where he's come from last year to where he is right now, to be one of the elite pitchers in the game and in the role that he has, it's very rewarding.' Before the Giants trio heads off to the All-Star Game in Atlanta, they face a tough homestand against the NL East-leading Phillies and the mighty Dodgers. But they're heading into the week, and the break beyond it, full of optimism. 'The stretch that we're going through, we haven't played the best baseball, we haven't scored a ton of runs, and we've been a little banged up,' Melvin said. 'You want to persevere through these times. ... I think we're on the verge of getting a little bit healthier. 'And I think we have all the makings of a really good second-half team.' A convincing 6-2 win over Sacramento, in front of a home crowd on the road, in a tiny ballpark that evokes — at least for the Giants — lots of good memories, provided reason for optimism.


San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Adames has HR, 3 RBIs as Giants beat Athletics 6-2
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Willy Adames homered and drew a pair of bases-loaded walks, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Athletics 6-2 on Sunday night. Tyler Fitzgerald also hit a solo homer, and Rafael Devers and Wilmer Flores each had two hits to help back an uneven but effective outing by San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong. One night after setting a season high with four RBIs, Adames stayed hot at the plate to help the Giants take two of three from their former Bay Area rivals. Adames walked to force in a run in the first inning, hit a solo home run off A's starter Jacob Lopez leading off the fourth then walked again with the bases full in the fifth. It's the first time that a Giants shortstop has had three RBIs in consecutive games since Rich Aurilia in 2000. Tyler Soderstrom had two hits including his 15th home run for the A's. Birdsong (4-3) pitched around traffic most of the evening and didn't allow a run until Soderstrom's solo home run leading off the fourth. He had six strikeouts and overcame control problems to win for the first time since June 1. Spencer Bivens and All-Star reliever Randy Rodríguez each retired three batters. Camilo Doval allowed a run in the ninth before getting Jacob Wilson to ground out and complete the five-hitter. Lopez (2-5) allowed four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. After issuing a bases-loaded walk on a checked-swing, Lopez retired the next eight batters including seven consecutive swinging strikeouts. Key stat Birdsong walked five batters, none of which scored. Up next Giants RHP Landen Roupp (6-5, 3.48 ERA) faces Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (7-2, 2.68) on Monday. Athletics LHP Jeffrey Springs (6-6, 4.07) pitches against Braves RHP Didier Fuentes (0-2, 9.00) on Tuesday. ___