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  • Cameron Cauley makes splash in big league debut as Rangers top Guardians 6-3 for 5th straight win

    CLEVELAND — — Cameron Cauley tripled in the seventh inning for his first hit in his major league debut before scoring the go-ahead run on a single by Nicky Lopez to help the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians 6-3 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory.

    Justin Foscue followed with a two-out double that scored Lopez from first to make it 4-2. That chased Guardians rookie Parker Messick (7-5), who allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.

    Foscue’s two-out double in the ninth off Erik Sabrowski accounted for the final two runs, the second one scoring when Steven Kwan overran the ball in left field for an error. Kwan had just thrown out Alejandro Osuna at home plate on a single by Evan Carter to keep it 4-3.

    Jacob Latz closed it out with two perfect innings for his 17th save.

    Tyler Alexander struck out two in a scoreless first inning for Texas to become the first pitcher to post a save in two straight games and then start the next one since saves became an official statistic in 1969.

    Chris Paddack replaced Alexander in the second after signing a one-year deal earlier in the day. The right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits in four innings. He left after a leadoff single by Kahlil Watson in the sixth, and Robby Ahlstrom (3-0) got three outs to keep it tied at 2.

    Jake Burger’s RBI groundout staked the Rangers to a 1-0 lead in the fourth, and his two-out single tied it 2-all in the sixth.

    Gabriel Arias hit the first pitch from Paddack in the fifth for his third home run and Chase DeLauter added an RBI double to put the Guardians up 2-1.

    Brayan Rocchio singled off Jakob Junis in the seventh and later scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 4-3. Junis came out for the eighth but left for an undisclosed reason without throwing a pitch. Latz entered and retired the side on eight pitches.

    Texas called up Cauley from Triple-A Round Rock before the game and designated outfielder Jarred Kelenic and right-hander Joe Ross for assignment.

  • Ortiz homer gives Brewers 5-3 comeback win over Reds

    MILWAUKEE — — Joey Ortiz had a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.

    Held to one hit through five innings by Nick Lodolo, the Brewers tied it against Chase Petty with two runs in the sixth and Brice Turang’s solo homer, his 12th, in the seventh.

    Sal Frelick singled with one out in the eighth off Sam Moll (1-6) and advanced on a sacrifice. Tejay Antone relieved and Ortiz sent a 1-1 pitch 412 feet to center for his second homer.

    Aaron Ashby (11-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for his major league-leading 11th victory, and Trevor Megill finished with a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.

    Elly De La Cruz, activated off the injured list June 23 after almost three weeks with a strained right hamstring, put the Reds in front 3-0 in the fifth with his 13th homer, a two-run shot off Robert Gasser in his sixth game since returning.

    Edwin Arroyo singled with one out and De La Cruz followed with his first homer since May 23, sending the first pitch 412 feet to left-center.

    The Brewers scored twice in the sixth off Petty, who relieved to start the inning. Andrew Vaughn doubled with one out and Christian Yelich walked. Jake Bauers followed with a pinch-hit RBI single, sending Yelich to third. Yelich scored on a wild pitch.

    Reds centerfielder Dane Myers was removed from the field on a cart in the fourth inning after crashing into the outfield wall on a running backhanded grab on Vaughn’s leadoff drive.

    Myers’ RBI double in the first staked the Reds to a 1-0 lead.

  • Mets’ miscues lead to little league homer for Springer, Jays

    TORONTO — The first half of the season has been a messy one for the last-place New York Mets.

    Now, even the routine plays aren’t routine.

    Toronto designated hitter George Springer rounded the bases on a little league home run against the Mets on Monday night when New York star left fielder Juan Soto misplayed a sinking line drive and center fielder A.J. Ewing flubbed the throw backing up the play.

    Springer led off the bottom of the first by looping a ball to left field against Mets pitcher Sean Manaea. The ball bounced in front of Soto, and the highest-paid player in Mets history fanned while reaching for it.

    “It just took a weird hop on me and bounced a little different,” Soto said. “I thought I had a chance and then it just kept dying. I definitely took a good first step, but the ball kept just dying.”

    The ball rolled all the way to the wall as Springer chugged around the bases.

    Ewing came over to field it behind Soto, only to have the ball slip out of his glove as he tried to pick it up. The ball rolled back to the fence for a second time. Soto picked it up, but by the time he had it in his hand, Springer had rounded third and was heading for home.

    Interim Mets manager Andy Green said Soto played Springer’s ball aggressively but was beaten by a turf bounce.

    “I think every single time I’ve come to Toronto I’ve seen that particular play,” Green said. “Not necessarily the finish of that play. I know A.J. usually makes the transfer fine, but that play happens frequently here and it got us in the first.”

    Springer was given a triple, his first of the year, with a one-base error.

    “It was funny after the fact that he was out of breath for the next three innings,” Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage said of his veteran teammate.

    Springer jokingly disputed Yesavage’s account.

    “Like nine (innings),” he said of his fight for wind. “Had to get this old body ready to run a little bit faster, but it’s all good.”

    The error was Ewing’s second of the season.

    Shortstop Francisco Lindor made an error later in the game, boosting New York’s total to 56 on the season, third most in the majors behind the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants.

    New York went on to lose 2-1 as it fell to 35-50 on the year.

  • Yankees’ Fried to throw live BP that will include Stanton

    NEW YORK — Though Cam Schlittler and Tarik Skubal are scheduled to face off in a marquee pitching showdown at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, another matchup between teammates a few hours earlier will draw the attention of Yankees officials.

    Left-hander Max Fried is slated to face hitters for the first time since going on the injured list in mid-May in a live batting practice session, manager Aaron Boone said, and the plan is for Giancarlo Stanton, also on the IL, to face him.

    Boone said Fried would throw “close to 30 pitches” over two simulated innings. He then could begin a rehab assignment or throw another live BP session.

    The three-time All-Star posted a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts before he was sidelined.

    Stanton has been out since straining his left calf April 24 and experienced a setback running the bases earlier this month. Boone said the slugger had resumed his running program, but he didn’t have a date for Stanton’s return in mind.

    The slugger batted .256 with three home runs and a .724 OPS in 24 games this season before suffering the calf injury.

    “He’s moving again with a little more intensity and hitting again against velo,” Boone said.

    While Stanton’s timetable is unclear, the reeling Yankees, coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, soon should receive reinforcements with center fielder Trent Grisham and third baseman Ryan McMahon both expected to come off the injured list by the end of the week.

    Boone said Grisham, who has been out because of a right hamstring strain since June 13, is scheduled to play in a rehab game Tuesday before possibly being activated Wednesday or Friday.

    McMahon is in line to come off the injured list Friday, the earliest day he’s eligible. He landed on the IL last Wednesday because of a throat and ear infection. Boone said there was a chance McMahon, who was already ready to return, could play in a rehab game before activation.

  • Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. in concussion protocol after collision

    NEW YORK — Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left Monday night’s 7-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers following a violent collision with New York right fielder Jasson Domínguez and was placed in concussion protocol.

    With the Yankees down 7-0 in the fourth inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit a high popup to shallow right field. Chisholm ran back and attempted to make the catch, but Domínguez, a novice in right field, charged in and caught the ball as his glove struck Chisholm in the face.

    “They were playing infield in, so as soon as they hit the ball, in my mind, I decided I gotta go catch that ball,” Domínguez said. “I called it, but obviously I didn’t call it loud enough. Really unfortunate what happened.”

    Chisholm immediately fell down on the grass and was on his back for several minutes as athletic trainer Tim Lentych and manager Aaron Boone checked on him. After a few minutes, Chisholm stood up and walked slowly off the field under his own power. He was replaced at second base by Oswaldo Cabrera.

    After the game, the Yankees’ fifth straight loss, Boone said Chisholm remained in concussion protocol and that his status will be clearer on Tuesday. Domínguez remained in the game and crashed hard into the outfield wall on the next play while catching Kerry Carpenter’s drive to end the fourth.

    “I was just out of breath,” Domínguez said. “But I’m OK.”

    Chisholm struck out in his only at-bat. He is hitting .222 with 12 homers and a .703 OPS in 81 games this season. He was ejected Sunday night from New York’s 5-4, 10-inning loss in Boston by first-base umpire Todd Tichenor when he spiked his helmet in the dirt behind home plate following a strikeout on a check swing against Sonny Gray.

    Losing Chisholm for an extended period would be a significant blow for a Yankees position player group already with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon on the injured list. Grisham (hamstring) and McMahon (infection) are expected to return by the end of the week, but Judge (ribs) and Stanton (calf) will remain sidelined for a longer stretch.

    Without them, the Yankees have compiled three or fewer hits in four straight games for the first time in franchise history, according to ESPN Insights. They are the fourth team since 1900 and the first since the 2010 Washington Nationals to go that long with three or fewer hits. No team has ever reached five consecutive games. Their nine games with three or fewer hits are tied with the San Diego Padres for the most in the majors.

    On Monday, Tigers right-hander Casey Mize held New York to one hit with 10 strikeouts and no walks over seven scoreless innings. He threw just 88 pitches.

    “We’ve got to get some guys putting a little more pressure and doing our thing offensively,” Boone said.

  • Ian Happ’s 3-run homer sparks Cubs’ 8-2 win as David Peterson steadies after 1st-pitch HR

    MILWAUKEE — — Ian Happ hit a three-run homer, newly acquired left-hander David Peterson bounced back for the win after giving up a home run on his first pitch as a Cub, and Chicago beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-2 on Saturday night.

    Happ’s 17th homer capped a four-run sixth that put the Cubs up 6-2.

    Peterson (4-6), acquired Thursday from the Mets to bolster an injury-riddled rotation, allowed Jackson Chourio’s 11th homer on his first pitch, but then settled in to allow two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

    Seiya Suzuki and Michael Conforto also homered for the Cubs, who moved 6 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers, who had won the first four meetings between the teams this season.

    Chad Patrick (5-4) relieved to open the sixth and retired the first two hitters before issuing a pair of walks. Nico Hoerner followed with an RBI single to put the Cubs up 3-2. Happ then sent the first pitch 381 feet to right for his first homer since June 13.

    Alex Bregman’s sacrifice fly in the seventh increased the lead to 7-2. Conforto added a pinch-hit homer in the ninth.

    Kyle Harrison retired the first 10 hitters before Matt Shaw singled up the middle with one out in the fourth. Suzuki followed with his 12th homer to put Chicago up 2-1.

    The Brewers tied it 2-all in the fifth when Blake Perkins doubled to open and Sal Frelick followed with an RBI single.

    The Cubs acquired Peterson in exchange for minor-league infielder Cole Mathis after starters Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown joined three other starters on the injured list.

  • Twins hit 3 homers to back Matthews, then hold off Astros rally in 9th for 5-4 victory

    HOUSTON — — Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini hit back-to-back homers, Zebby Matthews pitched seven stingy innings and the Minnesota Twins held off a late rally by the Houston Astros for a 5-4 victory Monday night.

    Josh Bell launched a two-run shot for the Twins, who led 5-1 before Travis Adams gave up a two-run homer to Taylor Trammell with two outs in the ninth.

    Yoendrys Gómez entered and immediately served up Cam Smith’s second home run of the game before retiring Joey Loperfido on a grounder for his ninth save.

    Houston had won five of six.

    Matthews (4-5) limited the Astros to one run and four hits while striking out seven and walking one.

    Peter Lambert (6-5) held Minnesota hitless until Lewis and Caratini went deep in the fourth. Bell’s drive made it 4-1 in the sixth, and Kody Clemens added an RBI groundout in the seventh.

    Lambert allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had won four straight decisions.

    Smith pulled a hanging slider onto the train tracks above left field for a solo homer in the fifth.

    Astros reliever Miguel Ullola made his major league debut, striking out four in two scoreless innings.

    Houston returned home from a 5-2 trip and entered Monday an AL-best 15-10 in June.

    Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña sat out with left leg discomfort.

    Minnesota placed left-handed reliever Anthony Banda on the 15-day injured list with a left lat strain. The Twins recalled right-hander Cody Laweryson from Triple-A St. Paul.

  • Reds’ Dane Myers taken to hospital after crashing into wall

    MILWAUKEE — Cincinnati Reds center fielder Dane Myers was taken to a hospital for further examination after he was removed from the field on a cart in the fourth inning of Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers after crashing into the outfield wall.

    Myers made a running backhanded grab on Andrew Vaughn’s leadoff drive, then hit the wall hard with what appeared to be his left shoulder. He held onto the ball for the out with the Reds leading 1-0.

    “He was X-rayed here and it came back negative,” Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game. “Saying that, we sent him to the hospital because he was in so much pain and so uncomfortable.

    “The kid was really hurt and it wasn’t going away. I think they want to check for a lot of things, because you saw how violent it was. He was really in pain, he’s already at the hospital. We’ll see what we can find out.”

    Myers, who entered hitting .252, accounted for the Reds’ run with a two-out RBI double in the first.

    “That was an amazing catch,” Francona said. “He’s fearless going into the wall, and probably like nobody I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe he held on, but he paid a pretty big price for it.”

    TJ Friedl, recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday after outfielder Blake Dunn was placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain, replaced Myers in center field.

  • Jays shut down Addison Barger (back) for weeks, delaying return

    TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger will be shut down for several more weeks because of a stress reaction in his back, further delaying his return in an injury-plagued season.

    Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Barger experienced back pain while hitting at the team’s spring training facility in Florida. Barger came to Toronto for an MRI, which revealed the stress reaction, a bone injury that leads to swelling and irritation.

    Barger, out since May 10 because of a sore elbow, has played just nine games this season. He’s batting .045 with no homers and two RBIs.

    He had one hit in eight games in March and April before missing 29 games because of a sprained left ankle.

    Barger returned May 9 against the Angels. In the second inning that day, he caught Vaughn Grissom’s fly ball and threw home at 101.2 miles per hour to retire Jorge Soler for an inning-ending double play. It was the fastest throw on an outfield assist by any Blue Jays player since 2015, and the fastest in the majors this season.

    Two days later, Barger went on the injured list with a sore elbow.

    Barger had 21 homers and 74 RBIs in 135 games last season, helping Toronto reach the World Series.

    He hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history in Game 1 against the Dodgers.

  • Conine smashes 3-run homer, Alcantara improves to 6-0 in June as Marlins beat Rockies 10-7

    DENVER — — Griffin Conine hit a three-run homer off the third-deck facade in right field and righty Sandy Alcantara improved to 6-0 in June as the Miami Marlins rallied for a 10-7 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

    Trailing 5-2 in the fifth, Otto Lopez started the inning with a solo homer. Conine entered the game as a pinch hitter and smashed a changeup from Victor Vodnik (2-3) that went an estimated distance of 433 feet to send the Marlins on their way to a seventh straight win over Colorado.

    It was Conine’s first homer since April 8. He returned from the 60-day injured list on June 21 after being sidelined with a strained left hamstring.

    Alcantara (9-4) went 5 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs. The right-hander became the third pitcher in team history to finish 6-0 in a calendar month. The late José Fernández accomplished the feat in May 2016 and Chris Hammond in June 1993.

    Miami finished with eight extra-base hits, including a two-run double from Leo Jiménez in the second and a bases-clearing triple from Javier Sanoja in the seventh. Sanoja also had a double and a single. He had a chance at the cycle in the ninth and popped out.

    Hunter Goodman crushed a solo shot in the seventh for his 13th homer in June. The only other Rockies player to homer at least 13 times in a calendar month was Troy Tulowitzki with 15 in September 2010.

    Rockies starter Sean Sullivan allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

    TJ Rumfield began a three-run second inning with a single that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.