ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García keeps driving in runs for the Texas Rangers, and the two guys filling in for the AL West leaders' injured stars keep contributing as well.
Dane Dunning was solid again while pitching in the rotation spot of injured ace Jacob deGrom, and fill-in shortstop Ezequiel Duran homered — after García extended his MLB-best RBI total to 44 with a two-run shot — as the Rangers beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 in a matchup of division leaders Tuesday night.
Dunning (4-0) allowed one run over six innings in his third start since deGrom went on the injured list April 29 because of elbow inflammation. The right-hander has won two of those games, and his other two wins came in games when he took over after deGrom exited early because of injury concerns.
"I'm just trying to be the best Swiss Army knife that I can," Dunning said. "It's just whatever role they want me to do. I'm just going to try to fill that spot and do the best that I can."
Dunning had four strikeouts without a walk while throwing 60 of 92 pitches for strikes on the same day that deGrom, the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, threw off a mound for the first time since going on the IL.
"Dane just has so much value wherever you put him, starting or relieving, and good for him, because he's been relentless since spring training," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I can't tell you what going to happen ... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Duran got at least another game starting at shortstop when Corey Seager's return from the IL was delayed because of a stomach bug, Seager, who hasn't played since straining his hamstring running the bases on April 11, wrapped up a three-game rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco over the weekend.
Seager could return for the series finale Wednesday. But that doesn't mean Duran suddenly will quit playing. His sixth homer was a solo shot in the eighth, right after Atlanta scored three times in the top of the inning.
"He just has a really good knack of getting the barrel on the ball. That's a big run at that point," Bochy said. "He'll still be getting a lot of playing time."
Ronald Acuña Jr. homered for the third game in a row for the NL East-leading Braves (26-16), who lost for the fifth time in the past six games. They still have a five-game lead over second-place Miami in the division.
After a 12-0 loss to the Braves in the series opener, AL West leader Texas (26-16) got its eighth win in the last 11 games after Will Smith pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
Left-hander Jared Shuster (0-2), Atlanta's top pitching prospected recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make the start, didn't allow a hit until Robbie Grossman's leadoff single in the fourth. Nathaniel Lowe then drove him home with a double before García's 11th homer, a 365-foot liner over the right-field wall that made it 3-1.
"Just came undone there in that one inning, in the beginning. But overall, it was a lot better," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "If you would have told me we're going to get five innings out of him, I would have said that'll be great."
Jonah Heim drove in a run and extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active in the majors, with a single in the sixth. Marcus Semien and Grossman had back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh.
Acuña's 10th homer of the season was a 455-foot drive to straightaway center leading off the eighth against Jonathan Hernandez. The second Rangers reliever then hit Matt Olson with a pitch before Sean Murphy followed with his 10th homer to get Atlanta within 6-4.
YANKEES 6, BLUE JAYS 3
Aaron Judge's tiebreaking, two-run homer broke a large maple leaf attached to the front of the Rogers Centre's restaurant, lifting New York to a contentious win over Toronto Blue after pitcher Domingo Germán was ejected for sticky stuff.
Judge was booed while striking out in his first two at-bats following allegations of sign stealing Monday, when he hit a pair of solo homers in a 7-4 win.
With the score 3-3 in the eighth inning Tuesday, Judge stared straight ahead at Erik Swanson (2-2). His 448-foot drive to center chipped a corner of a white maple leaf below the windows of a redesigned social area that opened this year as part of the ballpark's renovation. He has 11 homers this season.
Ryan Weber (1-0) allowed three hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for his first Yankees decision. Wandy Peralta earned his third save. Gleyber Torres had two hits and two RBIs. Torres and Harrison Bader each drove in a run in the third and Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit his first homer of the season.
Germán was ejected after he walked to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and umpires checked his hands for banned sticky stuff.
Toronto got four straight two-out hits in the fifth. Kevin Kiermaier homered, Bo Bichette hit an RBI double and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. chased Ron Marinaccio with an RBI single.
Guerrero was removed from the game after eight innings. He appeared to hurt a leg while fielding Torres' popped bunt in the top half.
MARLINS 5, NATIONALS 4
MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Soler hit a two-run, walk-off homer as Miami rallied to beat Washington.
The Marlins were down to their last out when Garrett Cooper doubled off reliever Hunter Harvey (2-1). Luis Arraez singled to score Cooper and pull Miami within 4-3. Pinch-runner Jon Berti stole second before Soler drove a 3-2 pitch by Harvey over the wall in left-center for his 10th homer and the come-from-behind win.
Arraez and Cooper each had two hits, Andrew Nardi (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth and earned the victory.
Trailing 2-1, the Nationals scored three runs in the eighth inning against relievers Huascar Brazoban and Steven Okert. Jeimer Candelario hit a game-tying single off Brazoban, and Dominic Smith tagged Okert for a two-run single and a short-lived 4-2 lead.
Washington starter Josiah Gray gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked three. Lane Thomas hit a solo homer in the sixth inning.
RED SOX 9, MARINERS 4
BOSTON (AP) — Masataka Yoshida doubled, tripled and drove in three runs while scoring on a wild pitch, and Boston ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Seattle.
Justin Turner, Triston Casas and Jarren Duran homered for Boston, which was swept by the last-place St. Louis Cardinals and lost the series opener to Seattle.
Nick Pivetta (3-3) allowed four runs on six hits and four walks, striking out six in 5 1/3 innings.
Taylor Trammell homered for Seattle, which had won three out of four and 10 of 14 since starting the season 11-16.
Luis Castillo (2-2) allowed seven runs — five earned — on six hits and two walks while striking out six in five innings.
RAYS 8, METS 5
NEW YORK (AP) — Isaac Paredes homered twice and drove in five runs, ruining Justin Verlander's home debut for New York, as Tampa Bay rolled to the win.
Jose Siri also went deep and Harold Ramírez had two RBI singles among his three hits for the Rays, who improved the best record in baseball to 32-11. Yonny Chirinos (2-1) got 14 outs in relief after opener Jalen Beeks tossed two scoreless innings.
New York trailed 6-0 before Brett Baty homered and Pete Alonso launched a two-run shot. Pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar connected for a two-run homer in the ninth off Jake Diekman.
The 40-year-old Verlander (1-2) served up both long balls to Paredes and was tagged for six runs on eight hits over five innings in his third start for the staggering Mets.
ORIOLES 7, ANGELS 3
BALTIMORE (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer and doubled after entering the game as a pinch-hitter, and Baltimore defeated Los Angeles.
Dean Kremer (5-1) rebounded after allowing a homer by Mickey Moniak to lead off the game, winning his third straight start, and Ryan O'Hearn also homered for Baltimore. O'Hearn started as designated hitter in the No. 9 spot, but after his solo shot in the second tied the game at 1, Mountcastle pinch-hit for him after the Angels lifted right-hander Chase Silseth (0-1) in the fourth.
Cedric Mullins, Jorge Mateo and Tarrin Vavra also drove in runs for Baltimore.
Zach Neto hit an RBI single for the Angels in the fifth and Gio Urshela added one in the sixth. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout each went 0 for 4.
TIGERS 4, PIRATES 0
DETROIT (AP) — Michael Lorenzen had a season-high seven strikeouts in six innings, Spencer Torkelson doubled twice and Detroit beat slumping Pittsburgh.
Lorenzen (2-2) gave up five hits and two walks and has allowed just two runs in his last three starts. Riley Greene had three hits.
Shut out for the second time in three games, Pittsburgh has lost 12 of 14 games while scoring just 22 runs. Luis Ortiz (0-2) allowed four runs, three earned, and seven hits in three-plus innings.
The Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first on Javier Baez's run-scoring single and Torkelson's RBI double.
WHITE SOX 8, GUARDIANS 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered for the fourth straight game, Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger went deep off Shane Bieber in Chicago's six-run fifth inning in a victory over Cleveland.
Lance Lynn (2-5) allowed three runs — one earned — on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked none.
Robert's solo shot to deep left in the eighth was his AL-leading 12th homer of the season. He became the first White Sox player to homer in four consecutive games since Matt Davidson in 2017.
Sheets' three-run shot and Burger's two-run drive were among six straight hits by the White Sox with two outs in the fifth as Chicago jumped ahead 6-0.
Bieber (3-2) was charged with six runs, five earned, on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Cleveland's Steven Kwan drove in runs with a sacrifice fly and a double.
ASTROS 7, CUBS 3
HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez had two hits and drove in two runs and Chas McCormick added two hits and made a nifty grab in Houston's win over Chicago.
Justin Steele (6-1) hadn't given up more than three runs in a game this season before the Astros jumped on him for four runs in the fourth inning for a 5-1 lead. Steele allowed five hits and five runs with eight strikeouts in six innings.
The Astros had four of their season-high six doubles in that inning en route to their third consecutive victory. Houston starter Cristian Javier (4-1) allowed two hits and one run in six innings for his second straight win.
Chicago rookie Matt Mervis hit his first major league homer and Seiya Suzuki added a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning of the loss that extended Chicago's skid to four games.
REDS 3, ROCKIES 1
DENVER (AP) — Nick Senzel hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping Cincinnati past Colorado.
Colorado's Ezequiel Tovar ended an 0-for-8 skid before breaking up a scoreless game in the bottom of the sixth inning with his third home run of the season. He connected on a 2-1 offering from the Reds' Brandon Williamson, who was making his major league debut and had retired 14 in a row.
Williamson, a 25-year-old left-hander, struck out six in 5 2/3 innings and had allowed only a single to Charlie Blackmon in the first inning before Tovar hit a 415-foot shot to right-center.
Tyler Stephenson drew a two-out walk in the seventh from Peter Lambert (0-1) before Senzel drove the first pitch he saw 429 feet over the center field wall for his fourth homer. The Reds added a run in the top of the eighth on Matt McLain's RBI single.
Derek Law (3-4) earned the win and Alexis Díaz got three outs for his 10th save.
BREWERS 3, CARDINALS 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado homered for the fifth straight game for St. Louis in a loss to Milwaukee, which got homers from Joey Wiemer and Brian Anderson.
Milwaukee starter Wade Miley came out with a left lat strain in the second inning after throwing 22 pitches. Joel Payamps (2-0), the fourth of six pitchers, got the victory with 1 2/3 innings of work. Devin Williams pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his sixth save.
St. Louis starter Jordan Montgomery (2-6) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. He is 0-6 in seven starts since winning at Milwaukee on April 8.
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