MLB roundup: Royals edge Tigers 1-0 in pitchers’ duel

After Kansas City’s Michael Wacha and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal were locked in a classic pitchers’ duel for seven innings, the host Royals managed to break through via Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI single in the eighth for a 1-0 win on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Wacha retired the first 10 batters he faced and didn’t yield his only hit until Colt Keith singled into center field with one out in the seventh inning. The veteran right-hander fanned six with one walk while facing 23 batters over 99 pitches before leaving after seven. John Schreiber (2-2) struck out two and allowed a walk in the eighth to earn the decision.
Coming off a two-hit shutout for his first complete game last weekend against Cleveland, Skubal allowed only singles to Freddy Fermin and Nick Loftin, while fanning seven without a walk on 90 pitches in the seven innings he lasted. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner faced just 22 Kansas City hitters.
Neither team placed a runner in scoring position until Loftin doubled off the left field fence against Beau Brieske (1-2) with one out in the eighth. Pasquantino then lined the ball into left, where Detroit’s Riley Greene gloved it with momentum, but was unable to nab Loftin at the plate.
Cubs 2, Reds 0
Seiya Suzuki doubled in a run in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie, and four Chicago pitchers combined on a one-hitter as the Cubs beat visiting Cincinnati.
With two runners on and one out against Graham Ashcraft (3-4), Suzuki hit a fly ball into the right field corner that landed just fair and allowed Ian Happ to score from second base. The Cubs then loaded the bases with two outs before they added an insurance run on Dansby Swanson’s infield single.
Chicago’s Ben Brown followed opener Drew Pomeranz to start the second inning and retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. The Cubs opted to use an opener in front of Brown, who has struggled in the first inning this season but responded Saturday by allowing one hit with one walk and nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
Blue Jays 8, Athletics 7
George Springer hit two home runs, and Toronto held on for a victory over the visiting Athletics.
Addison Barger added a two-run blast and Bo Bichette had a solo shot for the Blue Jays, who have won four straight games.
Tyler Soderstrom hit a three-run homer and Denzel Clarke and Brent Rooker added two-run blasts for the Athletics, who have lost the first three games of the four-game series with Toronto and 16 of their past 17 games overall.
Orioles 4, White Sox 2
Jorge Mateo’s first home run of the season — a two-run shot — and Dean Kremer’s six solid innings of pitching led Baltimore past visiting Chicago.
The Orioles won for the fifth time in seven games despite managing only five hits. They’ve won the first two games of the three-game series between the teams with the two worst records in the American League.
Kremer (5-5) gave up one run and six hits over six innings against Chicago, which got three hits from Mike Tauchman but stranded 12 runners.
Cardinals 2, Rangers 0
Willson Contreras drove in a run and scored one to back the solid pitching of Sonny Gray and two relievers as St. Louis defeated Texas in the second contest of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas.
The Cardinals managed just five hits, but that total was enough to beat the Rangers, who posted four hits but had only one runner reach third base.
Gray (6-1) went seven scoreless innings for St. Louis, scattering four hits and walking one while tying a season high with 10 strikeouts.
Brewers 17, Phillies 7
Rhys Hoskins blasted a pair of three-run homers to help visiting Milwaukee hammer Philadelphia in the second game of their three-game series.
Jackson Chourio went 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored and Christian Yelich also had four hits for the Brewers, who have won a season-high six in a row. Starter Chad Patrick (3-4) went six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts.
Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo (5-1) came in with the second-lowest ERA in the NL (2.15), but he was tagged for career highs of 12 runs and 12 hits while lasting just 3 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 3.58. Alec Bohm singled, homered and scored twice and Brandon Marsh also homered for Philadelphia, which has dropped three in a row.
Braves 5, Red Sox 0
Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. each hit home runs to support Spencer Schwellenbach’s strong start and host Atlanta blanked Boston to even their three-game interleague series.
Riley and Acuna both went deep in the fourth inning when the Braves rallied for four runs to take control. Schwellenbach (4-4) pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed five hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts. It was his second straight appearance with 11 strikeouts, matching his career high.
Red Sox starter Walker Buehler (4-3) threw a season-high 106 pitches, only 64 for strikes, during 5 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs on 10 hits, two walks and six strikeouts. He had allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last six starts.
Rays 16, Astros 3
Junior Caminero posted four extra-base hits and five RBIs as visiting Tampa Bay pounded Houston’s bullpen for the second time in three games.
Caminero went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two home runs and now is 16-for-37 with 12 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs over his last nine games. The Rays bashed five home runs — also getting homers from Yandy Diaz, Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum — and had 18 hits.
Tampa Bay right-hander Zack Littell (5-5) was the beneficiary of the run support. He allowed a leadoff homer to Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena in the first, and Pena added a two-run shot off Littell in the third for his ninth homer and second career multi-homer game. But Littell stranded the bases loaded in the ninth inning for his first complete game, tossing 117 pitches.
Marlins 1, Giants 0
Outfielders Heriberto Hernandez and Dane Myers made run-saving catches against the outfield fence, Edward Cabrera outdueled previously unbeaten Robbie Ray and host Miami held off San Francisco.
Javier Sanoja delivered the game’s only run with a two-out single in the second and relievers Ronny Henriquez, Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher teamed with Cabrera on an eight-hit shutout, allowing the Marlins to successfully rebound from a 2-0 defeat in Friday’s series opener.
Cabrera (2-1) allowed six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, and he kept the Giants hitless with runners in scoring position before turning the ball over to Henriquez with two outs and runners at first and second in the sixth. Henriquez struck out Tyler Fitzgerald to retain the 1-0 lead.
Guardians 7, Angels 5
Gabriel Arias had a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh inning as Cleveland rallied from four runs down and held on for a victory over visiting Los Angeles.
The Guardians trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth before scoring seven times over the next four innings. Carlos Santana’s solo homer and Arias’ double both occurred after the Angels’ Ryan Zeferjahn (2-1) retired the first two batters in the seventh, failing to protect a 5-4 lead.
Jose Ramirez had a solo home run in the fifth for the Guardians, tying Earl Averill’s franchise mark with his 10th double-digit homer season in a row. Steven Kwan also went deep and Nolan Jones had an RBI triple. Yoan Moncada, Taylor Ward and Jo Adell homered for the Angels in building the four-run lead.
Mets 8, Rockies 2
Brett Baty hit a bases-clearing triple in a four-run first inning, Kodai Senga pitched 6 1/3 strong innings and host New York cruised past MLB-worst Colorado.
Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer and Juan Soto added a homer off the Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela (1-10) when the Mets hit back-to-back drives in the fourth. Tyrone Taylor added an RBI single in the first and Jeff McNeil homered in the eighth and Francisco Lindor reached base four times as New York won for the sixth time in seven games.
Right-hander Senga (6-3) struck out seven and walked two in an outing that began when Colorado leadoff hitter Jordan Beck struck out on a pitch clock violation. Ezequiel Tovar homered after Beck’s game-opening strikeout and Thairo Estrada had an RBI single that chased Senga in the seventh. Senzatela allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings. The right-hander struck out two, walked two and lost his seventh straight start.
Dodgers 18, Yankees 2
Max Muncy hit two home runs and tied a career high with seven RBIs as Los Angeles scored 10 runs in the first two innings and rolled past visiting New York to take the opening two games of a World Series rematch.
Rookies Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing added home runs as the Dodgers finished with a season-high 21 hits. Starter Landon Knack (3-2) gave up one run on five hits in six innings with three walks and six strikeouts. Freddie Freeman had two hits, finishing with a .410 batting average in May. He’s hitting .374 on the season.
Aaron Judge hit two home runs for the Yankees. Judge has three home runs in the first two games of the series and 21 on the season. New York rookie right-hander Will Warren (3-3) was crushed for a season-high seven runs in 1 1/3 innings.