The Los Angeles Angels beat the major league-leading Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Monday night, with solo homers from Luis Rengifo, Randal Grichuk, and Chad Wallach off Charlie Morton, while Chase Silseth won his second straight start.
Matt Olson’s NL-leading 36th homer and major league-leading 89th RBI put the Braves up 2-1 in the fifth, joining the 2019 Minnesota Twins as the only clubs with 200 long balls before August. Atlanta started the game with 31 more home runs than the No. 2 team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves (67-37) were coming off a three-game sweep of the Brewers in which they scored 29 runs and hit 11 home runs.
‘We had a really excellent ballgame pitched against us offensively,’ Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. ‘The starter was excellent, and the bullpen was outstanding. We struggled to generate much offense.’
Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP and the majors’ homer leader with 39 hit 2 for 3 for Los Angeles. In the first, he was hit by a pitch and intentionally walked in the second. He singled 113.3 mph to right in the fourth, singled off A.J. Minter in the seventh, and was denied a three-run homer in the ninth by center fielder Michael Harris II.
Harris expertly timed his leap at the wall, elevating his glove over the 9-foot wall to retrieve the ball. Ohtani propelled it 406 feet.
Rengifo hit the third pitch of the game to right center. Grichuk, making his Angels debut a day after being acquired in a deal with Colorado for first baseman C.J. Cron, launched an opposite-field shot to right in the fourth. In the sixth inning, Wallach hit his fifth home run 441 feet to left-center, putting the team up 3-1.
Cron’s RBI single in the ninth inning increased the score to 4-1.
The Angels (56-51) have won 10 of their last 13 games and are 11-5 since the All-Star break. Los Angeles began the night with a five-game deficit in the AL West and a four-game deficit in the final wild-card spot.
‘It’s thrilling,’ Wallach remarked, referring to the team’s postseason drive. ‘It’s always fun baseball when you’re in that.’
Reynaldo López earned his fifth save after working the last 1 2/3 innings.
Silseth (3-1) began in place of Griffin Channing, who was scratched with ‘general soreness’ a few hours before the game. Silseth, making his third major league start, allowed three hits and one run over five innings.
‘We pitched wonderfully,’ said Angels manager Phil Nevin. ‘Silseth was fantastic. We informed him yesterday that he might be able to start today. I got the official word this morning, so maybe that helps. López is extended there. That’s a lot of pitches in two or three days. He was incredible. I’m going after the men right away. That fastball has a lot of life on it.’
Morton (10-9) has now lost three straight starts and has a 6.46 ERA in that stretch. In six innings, the 39-year-old surrendered six hits and three runs.
‘I was encouraged by my curveball and my delivery,’ Morton explained. ‘And, with the exception of the first inning, my ability to throw strikes encouraged me.’
GUARDIANS 3, ASTROS 7
After Noah Syndergaard left his Cleveland start with an injury, Yordan Alvarez launched a three-run homer in the sixth inning to put Houston ahead.
Houston moved within a half-game of idle AL West leader Texas after J.P. France threw seven solid innings.
In the weak AL Central, Cleveland fell one game below.500 and one game behind first-place Minnesota. The Guardians sent starting pitcher Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay earlier Monday in exchange for a minor league outfield prospect.
Syndergaard, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal last week, had just allowed two singles and Cleveland was ahead 2-0 when Jeremy Pea hit a ball that glanced off the pitcher’s lower right thigh. Syndergaard fielded the ball and got the out at first. However, manager Terry Francona lifted him.
France (7-3) won his sixth straight game after allowing seven hits and two runs in seven innings. After taking over for Syndergaard, Eli Morgan (4-2) suffered the loss.
YANKEES 5, RAYS 1
To beat New York, Tyler Glasnow pitched seven good innings and Tampa Bay scored four early home runs off relief pitcher Jhony Brito.
Brandon Lowe hit a two-run home run in the first, Wander Franco added a solo shot in the third, and Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth.
Glasnow (5-3) struck out eight batters and allowed three hits for Tampa Bay, which is second in the AL East and first in the wild-card standings. The three-hitter was completed by Robert Stephenson and Pete Fairbanks.
Brito (4-5) was brought up from the minor leagues earlier in the day to replace Domingo Germán, who was scratched due to armpit discomfort that prohibited him from playing catch on Sunday. Germán came in from the bullpen in the fifth inning and pitched five scoreless innings of two-hit ball.
Jake Bauers homered in the second inning for the Yankees (55-51).
CUBS 5, REDS 6
Joey Votto, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Will Benson all got two hits as Cincinnati defeated Chicago in the first game of a crucial four-game series between NL Central contenders.
Six Cincinnati relievers combined for 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball after Andrew Abbott labored. Buck Farmer (3-4) earned the win with five outs, while All-Star Alexis Daz pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 33 chances.
Cincinnati (59-49) is now 4-3 on a 10-game road trip. It also extended its division lead to 1 1/2 games over Milwaukee.
For third-place Chicago (53-53), Dansby Swanson blasted his 13th home run, while Yan Gomes had three of the team’s eight hits. However, the Cubs were unable to overcome another shaky outing from Marcus Stroman (10-8).
MARLINS 2, PHILLIES 4
Taijuan Walker became the major league’s first 12-game winner, pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Philadelphia’s win over Miami.
Walker (12-4) won his eighth game by allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four.
The Phillies (57-49) moved a half-game ahead of the Marlins for the third NL wild-card berth, thanks to Alec Bohm’s double, single, two walks, and RBI.
Luis Arraez of Miami had three singles, raising his major league-leading batting average to.381. Jorge Soler’s two-run homer for the Marlins snapped a 12-game homerless streak. Tanner Scott (4-4) suffered the defeat.
BLUE JAYS 2, ORIOLES 4
In the ninth inning, Austin Hays made a diving, game-saving grab on Whit Merrifield’s liner, keeping AL-leading Baltimore unblemished in Toronto this season.
With one out in the ninth, Orioles closer Félix Bautista walked two batters before Merrifield lined a 99 mph fastball to left-center. Hays rushed at the ball, left his feet, and caught it moments before collapsing on the ground. After striking out Santiago Espinal, Bautista completed the five-out save, his 29th in 34 chances.
Baltimore, which won a three-game series at third-place Toronto in May, got a home run from Gunnar Henderson. Ryan Mountcastle doubled twice and drove in three runs to keep the Orioles’ AL East lead over Tampa Bay at 1 1/2 games.
Kyle Gibson (10-6) won for the first time in four starts, allowing one run and four hits across six innings.
Chris Bassitt (10-6) of Toronto suffered his first defeat since June 13 at Baltimore, surrendering four runs and seven hits over six innings.
BREWERS 3, NATIONALS 5
Joey Meneses homered and drove in three runs as Washington defeated Milwaukee for the fourth time in a row.
Lane Thomas drove in two runs for Washington, which has won seven of its past 11 games overall and eight of its last nine at home.
Joey Wiemer hit a home run for the Brewers, who are pursuing Cincinnati for first place in the NL Central.
Jordan Weems (2-0) earned the win with the final out of the eighth. Kyle Finnegan made his 15th save.
Washington took a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning against Elvis Peguero (2-4).
MARINERS 6, RED SOX 2
Cal Raleigh hit two solo home runs off Nick Pivetta, Julio Rodrguez added a two-run single in a four-run eighth inning, and Seattle climbed four games above.500 with a win against Boston.
Seattle (55-51) had its best month of the season, going 17-9 in July, and moved closer to the AL West and wild-card races.
Pivetta (7-6) had two errors in 7 1/3 innings of work, allowing five hits and striking out ten batters.
Boston has now lost three straight games and has scored three runs or less in four of them.
Matt Brash (6-3), one of the Mariners’ five relievers, earned the victory.
GIANTS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 4
The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Monday night after Ketel Marte delivered a tiebreaking double to the warning track in right-center with none out in the 11th inning.
Taylor Rogers (5-4) allowed Marte’s hit to bring in Geraldo Perdomo, who had started the inning on second base.
Emmanuel Rivera hit a game-tying single in the 10th, but the Giants tied it in the bottom half when Kevin Ginkel (5-0) threw a wild pitch that scored Brandon Crawford. Ginkel came back to win.
Scott McGough pitched the ninth inning and got his ninth save for the D-backs, who will have late-game bullpen help on Tuesday.
