UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays completed a doubleheader sweep by tossing a combined no-hitter that won’t count.
Five pitchers worked on the seven-inning gem, with Pete Fairbanks recording the final out in a 4-0, 7-inning victory over the scuffling Indians. However, Major League Baseball only recognizes no-hitters that go at least nine innings.
Oscar Mercado was one of the Indians’ three baserunners in the nightcap when Josh Fleming and Wander Franco collided on a third-inning grounder. Originally ruled a hit, it was changed to an error an inning later.
In Game 1, Kevin Kiermaier provided a two-run double and a three-run homer to finish with a career-high five RBIs in Tampa Bay’s 8-1 rout. Winning pitcher Michael Wacha allowed one run, four hits and struck out six in six innings.
Cleveland has dropped nine in a row, its longest skid under manager Terry Francona.
In other major league action:
— Shohei Ohtani broke the single-season big league record for home runs by a Japanese-born player, slamming his 32nd in the Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Red Sox. Ohtani broke Hideki Matsui’s record with his 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez, putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL East leaders.
— Vladimir Guerrero Jr. raised his major league-leading RBI total to 73 by providing three hits and driving in two runs in the Blue Jays’ 10-2 blowout over the Orioles. Bo Bichette drove in three runs and had three hits, including a two-run drive into the left-field seats. Matt Harvey was tagged for six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, leaving him 0-9 in 12 starts since May 1.
— Aaron Judge capped the Yankees’ early offensive outburst against All-Star Yusei Kikuchi with his 20th home run of the season before New York hung on to beat the Mariners, 5-4. Judge’s two-run shot landed in the second deck of the left field seats and gave the Yanks a 5-1 lead. Seattle’s Tom Murphy belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning, his first round-tripper since June 1.
— Lance Lynn is 9-3 after the All-Star allowed one run and four hits over six innings of the White Sox’s 6-1 win over the Twins. Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia led Chicago’s 15-hit attack on a day the White Sox cut outfielder Adam Eaton. Anderson had four hits and Garcia delivered a two-run homer, along with an RBI triple that helped the Sox improve to 10-2 versus the Twins this season.
— Miguel Cabrera had a go-ahead RBI infield single as a pinch-hitter in the Tigers’ 5-3 win at Texas. Jeimer Candelario hit a solo homer for Detroit, which tagged All-Star Kyle Gibson to five runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. Joey Gallo homered twice to become the first Rangers player ever with 10 in a 10-game stretch.
— Jose Altuve slammed a three-run homer, but the Astros needed Kyle Tucker’s tiebreaking solo shot in the seventh to beat the Athletics, 4-3. Altuve’s home run gave the Astros the lead in the third, but the A’s scored two in the sixth to tie it before Houston earned its sixth straight win and moved 5 1/2 games ahead of second-place Oakland in the AL West. The A’s lost for the fifth time in six games despite solo homers from Matt Olson and Elvis Andrus.
— Jacob deGrom’s ERA climbed over 1.00 for the first time all season, but the Mets rallied for two runs in the eighth inning to beat the Brewers, 4-3 in Game 1 of a twinbill. DeGrom struck out 10 and allowed four hits over seven innings, including solo homers by Luis Urias and Jace Peterson. Jose José Peraza tied it with a homer in the seventh and Jeff McNeil won it with a two-run single for the NL East leaders.
— Milwaukee won the second game 5-0 behind two-run homers by Manny Pina and Urías along with Willy Adames’ solo shot. Urías has 12 homers already this season after hitting none last year. Jake Cousins got his first big league win in the second game by pitching a perfect fifth in relief of starter Brett Anderson, who threw four innings for the NL Central leaders.
— The Cubs’ 11-game losing streak is over after Anthony Rizzo, Joc Pederson and Nico Hoerner each had two hits and an RBI in their 8-3 trouncing of the Phillies. Patrick Wisdom added a two-run double in Chicago’s three-run sixth inning after replacing third baseman Kris Bryant, who left in the fourth with right hamstring tightness. The Cubs raced to an early five-run lead off Zack Wheeler and avoided matching their longest skid since a 12-game slide in May 2012.
— Pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte had a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and added a two-run home run as the Braves clobbered the Pirates, 14-3 to avoid a series sweep. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his 24th home run for the Braves while going 3 for 5. Drew Smyly overcame a three-run home run by Jacob Stallings in the first inning to win his fifth straight start.
— The Reds rallied for three runs in the seventh inning and beat the Royals, 5-2. Jonathan India hit a two-run double that put Cincinnati ahead for good. Sonny Gray picked up his first win in four starts by allowing just two runs and scattering seven hits over seven innings.
— The Marlins pulled out a 9-6 win over the Dodgers on Jesús Aguilar’s three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. Garrett Cooper had his first career multi-homer game for Miami with solo shots in the first and sixth. Zack McKinstry hit a one-out solo homer in the ninth to tie it before L.A. dropped its third in a row.
— Alex Wood pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as the Giants downed the Cardinals, 5-2 to avoid a three-game sweep. Darin Ruf homered for San Francisco, which also received RBI doubles from Mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano. The Giants had lost six of nine but still owns the best record in the majors at 54-32 with three games left before the All-Star break.
— Eduardo Escobar had a three-run homer among his three hits to push the Diamondbacks past the Rockies, 6-4. Escobar’s team-leading 19th home run broke open a 3-1 game in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks own the majors’ worst record at 25-63 despite winning back-to-back games for the first time since mid May.
— All-Star Juan Soto smacked a three-run shot just three batters into the Nationals’ 15-5 assault on the Padres. Starling Castro and Josh Bell drove in three runs apiece, while Bell and Harrison each provided three of the Nationals’ 17 hits. San Diego’s Chris Paddack was rocked for eight earned runs over two-plus innings.
