Pasquantino Drives In Five As Royals Beat Dodgers 9-5, Ending 11-Game Home Skid

Al Arabiya

a day ago

Vinnie Pasquantino homered, doubled, and drove in a career high–tying five runs, and the Kansas City Royals beat Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers 9–5 on Saturday to snap an 11-game home losing streak.
Ohtani made his third start of the season and threw the fastest pitch of his career, a 101.7 mph fastball that induced an inning-ending double-play grounder by Pasquantino in the first. The Dodgers' two-way superstar threw 27 pitches in two scoreless innings. He is working as an opener as he eases back into pitching following Tommy John surgery in 2023. Ohtani went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as LA's leadoff batter. Pasquantino's 430-foot, three-run blast to right-center off Ben Casparius (6–2) capped a four-run fifth inning for the Royals, who won at Kaufmann Stadium for the first time since May 31. They ended a six-game skid overall. Freddie Freeman went 3-for-3 with a homer for the Dodgers, whose five-game winning streak ended. Infielder Miguel Rojas pitched the eighth. Seth Lugo (5–5) threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and five walks while striking out eight.
Zach McKinstry had three hits, including one of Detroit's four home runs, and the Tigers went on to beat Minnesota. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Gleyber Torres also homered for the Tigers. Casey Mize (8–2) gave up two runs on five hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five as he improved to 5–0 with a 2.00 ERA in six starts at home this season. Bailey Ober (4–6) took the loss, allowing seven runs on 11 hits, including all four home runs. He walked one and struck out five. The Tigers took a 1–0 lead in the second when Spencer Torkelson doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly. After Minnesota went ahead 2–1 on Buxton's two-run homer in the third, Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Carpenter's homer. Colt Keith made it 3–2 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, and Torres followed with a two-run homer. Greene led off the fifth with Detroit's third home run to move the lead to 6–2, and McKinstry's lead-off homer in the sixth made it a five-run game.
Brent Rooker ended Clarke Schmidt's scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings with a solo homer in the fourth inning. Nick Kurtz added a three-run drive in the sixth, and the Athletics beat New York. Former Yankee JP Sears (6–7) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings for the A's, who had lost five of six and entered a major league-worst 11–31 since May 13. Jack Perkins, a 25-year-old right-hander who debuted last weekend, finished the three-hitter for his first big league save and extended his scoreless streak to 6 1/3 innings. New York was shut out for the sixth time, two shy of its 2024 total. Schmidt (4–4) had an extra day of rest after he threw a career high 103 pitches over seven no-hit innings against Baltimore on June 21. He gave up four runs and four hits in six innings. Rooker's fourth-inning homer on a hanging slider ended the longest scoreless streak by a Yankees starter since Don Larsen's 29 innings over 1957–58 and the longest within a season since Allie Reynolds' 30 in 1951, according to STATS. Kurtz's homer on a cutter followed a pair of four-pitch walks and landed behind the right field short porch. Yankees pitchers walked five, and four of those runners scored.
Adrian Houser pitched seven sharp innings, and Andrew Benintendi homered in the sixth as Chicago beat San Francisco. Houser (3–2) allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five before giving way to Grant Taylor. He fanned two in two hitless innings for his second save in his eighth career appearance. Benintendi hit his tenth home run–a two-out shot to right-center field on a 2–0 pitch from Robbie Ray (8–3), who gave up four hits and struck out six in six innings. Michael A. Taylor had a one-out double in the Chicago seventh but was thrown out at home by right fielder Mike Yastrzemski on Josh Rojas' hit when Taylor slid and failed to touch the plate. Giants rookie Christian Koss batted in the leadoff spot for the first time and had the only hit off Houser through five innings. Koss finished 2 for 4.
Quinn Priester struck out a career high 11 batters in seven innings of one-hit ball, Joey Ortiz homered for the third time in four games, and Milwaukee extended its winning streak to four with a victory over major league-worst Colorado. Priester (6–2) allowed a one-out single to Michael Toglia in the fifth and walked a pair while throwing 95 pitches in the longest and best start of his three major league seasons. Aaron Ashby and DL Hall completed the one-hitter. Brice Turang had three hits, including a run-scoring infield single in the first and an RBI double in the fifth. Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Antonio Senzatela (3–11) allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz each homered, Zack Littell pitched seven strong innings, and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore. Littell (7–7) gave up one run and three hits with two walks. It was the fifth time Littell has gone at least seven innings this season. Joe Rock got the last six outs in his major league debut and gave up Ramón Laureano's tenth home run–a two-run shot in the ninth. Tampa Bay, which won for the 11th time in 15 games, grabbed the lead two batters into the game against Zach Eflin (6–6) when Josh Lowe doubled and scored on Brandon Lowe's single that extended his hitting streak to 15 games. One out later, Aranda hit a 467-foot shot out to right field for his tenth home run and a 3–0 lead. Chandler Simpson drove in the final run of the inning with a grounder. Scott Blewett pitched two scoreless innings after replacing Eflin to begin the second before running into trouble in the fourth. Simpson walked, stole his 22nd base, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Walls for a 5–0 lead. Josh Lowe had a two-out single, Brandon Lowe worked a 10-pitch walk, and Díaz hit his 13th homer to make it 8–0.
Agustín Ramírez hit a run-scoring single in the tenth inning, Heriberto Hernández had a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth, and Miami stretched its winning streak to six games with a victory over Arizona. Arizona led 7–3 entering the eighth inning, but Miami's Otto Lopez hit a two-run homer off Jalen Beeks, and Liam Hicks followed with a run-scoring single to pull Miami to 7–6. Hernández tied it in the ninth on a sacrifice fly off Shelby Miller after Dane Myers singled and stole two bases. Ramírez lined a run-scoring single off Juan Morillo (0–2) in the tenth. Anthony Bender (2–5) was perfect over the final two innings to close out Miami's comeback. Arizona's Ketel Marte homered and had four RBIs in his second home game since an emotional road trip to Chicago. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt got off to shaky start, allowing two runs in the first inning–one on shortstop Geraldo Perdomo's fielding error. Pfaadt struck out the next three batters and allowed three runs–two earned–on five hits and struck out seven in five innings.
Wilyer Abreu hit a three-run homer in the first inning to jump-start Boston's offense, Ceddanne Rafaela added a two-run shot in the sixth, and the Red Sox snapped a season high six-game losing streak with a victory over Toronto. Romy Gonzalez also had a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who halted their worst skid since September 2022. Wearing their yellow alternate jerseys a day after getting shut out 9–0 on four hits in the series opener, the Red Sox scored three runs in each of the initial three innings against Chris Bassitt (7–4). They scored three in the sixth when Rafaela hit his drive over the Green Monster. Lucas Giolito (4–1) gave up an unearned run and six hits over seven innings to win for the third time in four starts. Bassitt lasted two-plus innings, getting tagged for nine runs–eight earned–with eight hits and four walks. Abreu drove in four runs, while Trevor Story, Abraham Toro, Rafaela, and Gonzalez each had two RBIs.
Victor Scott II had two hits and two RBIs as St. Louis rallied for a 9–6 victory over Cleveland. Masyn Winn added three hits for St. Louis, and Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras both homered. Donovan and Alec Burleson each drove in two runs. Kyle Manzardo and Gabriel Arias went deep for the Guardians (40–41), who have lost three straight and dropped under .500 for the first time since April 9. Cleveland snapped a 21-inning scoreless drought with six runs in the third to take a 6–1 lead before St. Louis came back. Burleson had a two-run single in the fifth, and Scott tied it with a two-run double during a five-run sixth. Yohel Pozo scored the go-ahead run on Donovan's sacrifice fly, and Scott came home on an RBI groundout by Winn. Contreras added a solo homer in the ninth. Matt Svanson (1–0) got the win, and Ryan Helsley earned his 16th save. Matt Festa (1–2) took the loss.
Gavin Sheets hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning, and San Diego rallied past Cincinnati. After the Padres were no-hit for eight innings in Friday night's 8–1 loss, their bats woke up against the Cincinnati bullpen. Jake Cronenworth took Scott Barlow deep in the sixth for a two-run shot that got San Diego within 4–3. Sheets then made it 6–4 with a 422-foot blast to right-center against Lyon Richardson (0–2). Bryan Hoeing (1–0) got five outs in relief of Padres starter Randy Vasquez, and Robert Suarez worked the ninth, striking out Spencer Steer–who hit three homers on Friday–with two men on to secure his 23rd save. Andrew Abbott had another strong start for the Reds, departing with a 4–1 lead after five innings. He allowed Luis Arraez's homer in the fifth. Sheets finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and saved a run with a diving catch of Rece Hinds' liner to left in the fifth.
Marcus Semien had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the tenth inning, and Texas beat Seattle. Mariners reliever Andrés Muñoz (3–1) hit Josh Smith with his first pitch after striking out Sam Haggerty to begin the tenth. Corey Seager–who homered in the third to give Texas a 2–1 lead–fell behind in the count 1–2 before working a walk to load the bases with one out for Semien. Semien fouled off fastballs from Muñoz reaching from 100.2 mph and 99.7 mph before hitting the game-winner to right field on a 100.1 mph pitch with a full count. Shawn Armstrong (3–3) struck out two in a scoreless tenth for the win. Dominic Canzone led off the third with his fifth home run–a 425-foot shot to right field on a 0–2 pitch from Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker to give the Mariners a 1–0 lead. J.P. Crawford had a two-out throwing error, and Seager followed with his ninth home run to give Texas the lead against Mariners starter Bryan Woo in the bottom of the inning. Randy Arozarena's RBI single in the sixth tied it 2–all. Woo pitched six innings and matched his career high with nine strikeouts for the second straight start. He gave up five hits and has pitched at least six innings in all 16 starts. Félix Hernández set the Mariners' single-season record with 18 in 2014. Rocker allowed two runs and five hits in six innings with six strikeouts. He has allowed just four runs in his last three starts covering 16 1/3 innings.
Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds hit consecutive two-run doubles during a six-run eighth inning as Pittsburgh pulled away for a victory over New York. The Pirates led 3–2 when Ke'Bryan Hayes singled in a run before McCutchen and Reynolds broke open the game. Hayes also had an RBI single in a three-run second that put Pittsburgh ahead 3–1. The game was delayed for 89 minutes during the top of the second with the Mets leading 1–0. The Pirates lifted starter Bailey Falter after the wait. However, the Mets stuck with Paul Blackburn when play resumed, and he gave up five straight singles to start the bottom of the second. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza removed Blackburn (0–3) after the fifth hit. Mendoza didn't stick around much longer as he was ejected in the fourth by plate umpire Roberto Ortiz for arguing balls and strikes. Braxton Ashcraft (2-0) relieved Falter and allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings.