MINNEAPOLIS: Lonnie Chisenhall hit two home runs for Cleveland in the second game after Jose Ramirez went deep twice in the opener, helping Cleveland take over first place in the AL Central by sweeping a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins with 9-3 and 6-2 victories on Saturday.
Austin Jackson hit a solo shot in the nightcap against Twins starter Adalberto Mejia (1-3) in the fourth inning, before Chisenhall homered to put Cleveland in front. Following a 75-minute rain delay, Chisenhall crushed a three-run drive against Tyler Duffey for his 10th home run of the season and a 5-1 lead in the fifth.
Francisco Lindor went deep in the eighth, too, giving the Indians six home runs for the day against a depleted Twins pitching staff that forced rookies into starting roles for the first three games of this pivotal midseason series.
The rain stopped Mike Clevinger’s start in the second game after four innings, so reliever Nick Goody (1-1) was credited instead with the win, the first of his career after 56 appearances.
Zach McAllister (1-0) pitched two hitless innings in the first game for the victory. He worked in relief of starter Ryan Merritt, who made his season debut before being sent back to Triple-A. He had a big lead before he even stepped on the mound.
Athletics 5 Yankees 2: In Oakland, California, Ryon Healy went deep twice for his third multihomer game in two weeks and Matt Joyce also hit a long ball as Oakland beat New York.
Joyce reached base five times, Jesse Hahn (3-4) pitched five innings to defeat New York for the first time in his career and Jed Lowrie had an RBI single to keep the A’s rolling at home. Oakland has won six of its last eight at the Coliseum, including three straight against the Yankees.
Austin Romine and Brett Gardner drove in runs for New York, which has lost a season-high five straight. The Yankees entered the day with a one-game lead over Boston in the AL East.
Nationals 7 Mets 4: In New York, Trea Turner hit a leadoff homer and Washington backed Stephen Strasburg (8-2) with three long balls, beating New York to stay undefeated at Citi Field this season.
Adam Lind added a two-run shot and Jose Lobaton also went deep for the NL East leaders, who can finish a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon. Washington is 6-0 in Queens this year — part of an impressive 24-12 mark on the road — and has won 12 of 16 at the Mets’ home ballpark since the start of last season.
Yoenis Cespedes homered and had four hits for third-place New York, which dropped 11 1/2 games out of first. Seth Lugo (1-1) allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Strasburg (8-2) permitted two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, rebounding from his worst start of the season. He struck out five and walked two.
Padres 7 Brewers 5, 11 innings: In Milwaukee, Cory Spangenberg and Chase d’Arnaud each hit solo home runs in the 11th inning, lifting San Diego over Milwaukee in yet another slugfest.
The teams have combined for 15 home runs in the first two games of the three-game series. The Padres totaled a season-best five home runs Saturday, including two by Yangervis Solarte and one by Wil Myers, while Milwaukee got a homer each from Orlando Arcia, Eric Thames and Keon Broxton. On Friday night, Thames’ game-ending shot in the 10th was the seventh home run of the game.
Spangenberg hit the first pitch from reliever Oliver Drake (2-2) leading off, and two outs later, d’Arnaud followed with his first homer of the season.
Pirates 4 Cubs 3: In Pittsburgh, Gregory Polanco broke out of a slump with a two-run homer, Andrew McCutchen hit his 12th home run of the season and Pittsburgh edged Chicago.
Ivan Nova (7-4) pitched seven strong innings and Pittsburgh’s bullpen made it stand up a night after collapsing late in a 9-5 loss. Felipe Rivero got the final five outs for his third save.
Jake Arrieta (6-5) hit the fifth home run of his career but struggled with his command late. He is winless in his last five starts against the Pirates. Arrieta was removed in the fifth inning following a sequence in which he uncorked two wild pitches and hit a batter.
The defending World Series champion Cubs dipped back below .500 (33-34).
Astros 7 Red Sox 1: In Houston, Jose Altuve hit a solo homer, Carlos Beltran had a two-run shot and three RBIs, and Houston beat Boston.
Altuve led off the third with his homer off the train tracks above the left-center field facade, and Beltran followed three batters later with his ninth home run of the season to put Houston ahead 6-0.
Houston jumped on Boston starter Rick Porcello (3-9) for three runs in the first. Altuve had an RBI double, and Brian McCann and Beltran followed with sacrifice flies.
David Paulino (1-0) allowed one run and three hits with four strikeouts in six innings for his first career win.
Orioles 15 Cardinals 7: In Baltimore, Jonathan Schoop homered twice and drove in four runs, Manny Machado went deep in a seven-run second inning against Adam Wainwright and Baltimore beat St. Louis.
Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo got Baltimore started with successive first-inning shots, and Schoop finished the long-ball display with drives in the fourth and seventh.
Wade Miley (3-4) picked up his second win since April 14 despite allowing six runs, five earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
Wainwright (7-5) gave up nine runs and seven hits, including three home runs, over 1 2/3 innings — the shortest of his 268 career starts. The nine runs and three homers matched the most he’s allowed in any outing.
Dodgers 10 Reds 2: In Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig hit two of the Dodgers’ four homers, powering Los Angeles to a victory that took the edge off Cincinnati’s latest honor for its banned hits king.
Pete Rose unveiled a bronze sculpture of his headfirst slide in front of Great American Ball Park before the game. Thousands of packed-in fans cheered when he said, “Let’s get those Reds in high gear.”
Instead, the Dodgers flexed their muscle and added to their domination of Cincinnati, beating the Reds for the seventh straight time.
Cody Bellinger had three hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs. Joc Pederson homered for the second straight game as the Dodgers piled up seven extra-base hits.
Austin Jackson hit a solo shot in the nightcap against Twins starter Adalberto Mejia (1-3) in the fourth inning, before Chisenhall homered to put Cleveland in front. Following a 75-minute rain delay, Chisenhall crushed a three-run drive against Tyler Duffey for his 10th home run of the season and a 5-1 lead in the fifth.
Francisco Lindor went deep in the eighth, too, giving the Indians six home runs for the day against a depleted Twins pitching staff that forced rookies into starting roles for the first three games of this pivotal midseason series.
The rain stopped Mike Clevinger’s start in the second game after four innings, so reliever Nick Goody (1-1) was credited instead with the win, the first of his career after 56 appearances.
Zach McAllister (1-0) pitched two hitless innings in the first game for the victory. He worked in relief of starter Ryan Merritt, who made his season debut before being sent back to Triple-A. He had a big lead before he even stepped on the mound.
Athletics 5 Yankees 2: In Oakland, California, Ryon Healy went deep twice for his third multihomer game in two weeks and Matt Joyce also hit a long ball as Oakland beat New York.
Joyce reached base five times, Jesse Hahn (3-4) pitched five innings to defeat New York for the first time in his career and Jed Lowrie had an RBI single to keep the A’s rolling at home. Oakland has won six of its last eight at the Coliseum, including three straight against the Yankees.
Austin Romine and Brett Gardner drove in runs for New York, which has lost a season-high five straight. The Yankees entered the day with a one-game lead over Boston in the AL East.
Nationals 7 Mets 4: In New York, Trea Turner hit a leadoff homer and Washington backed Stephen Strasburg (8-2) with three long balls, beating New York to stay undefeated at Citi Field this season.
Adam Lind added a two-run shot and Jose Lobaton also went deep for the NL East leaders, who can finish a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon. Washington is 6-0 in Queens this year — part of an impressive 24-12 mark on the road — and has won 12 of 16 at the Mets’ home ballpark since the start of last season.
Yoenis Cespedes homered and had four hits for third-place New York, which dropped 11 1/2 games out of first. Seth Lugo (1-1) allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Strasburg (8-2) permitted two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, rebounding from his worst start of the season. He struck out five and walked two.
Padres 7 Brewers 5, 11 innings: In Milwaukee, Cory Spangenberg and Chase d’Arnaud each hit solo home runs in the 11th inning, lifting San Diego over Milwaukee in yet another slugfest.
The teams have combined for 15 home runs in the first two games of the three-game series. The Padres totaled a season-best five home runs Saturday, including two by Yangervis Solarte and one by Wil Myers, while Milwaukee got a homer each from Orlando Arcia, Eric Thames and Keon Broxton. On Friday night, Thames’ game-ending shot in the 10th was the seventh home run of the game.
Spangenberg hit the first pitch from reliever Oliver Drake (2-2) leading off, and two outs later, d’Arnaud followed with his first homer of the season.
Pirates 4 Cubs 3: In Pittsburgh, Gregory Polanco broke out of a slump with a two-run homer, Andrew McCutchen hit his 12th home run of the season and Pittsburgh edged Chicago.
Ivan Nova (7-4) pitched seven strong innings and Pittsburgh’s bullpen made it stand up a night after collapsing late in a 9-5 loss. Felipe Rivero got the final five outs for his third save.
Jake Arrieta (6-5) hit the fifth home run of his career but struggled with his command late. He is winless in his last five starts against the Pirates. Arrieta was removed in the fifth inning following a sequence in which he uncorked two wild pitches and hit a batter.
The defending World Series champion Cubs dipped back below .500 (33-34).
Astros 7 Red Sox 1: In Houston, Jose Altuve hit a solo homer, Carlos Beltran had a two-run shot and three RBIs, and Houston beat Boston.
Altuve led off the third with his homer off the train tracks above the left-center field facade, and Beltran followed three batters later with his ninth home run of the season to put Houston ahead 6-0.
Houston jumped on Boston starter Rick Porcello (3-9) for three runs in the first. Altuve had an RBI double, and Brian McCann and Beltran followed with sacrifice flies.
David Paulino (1-0) allowed one run and three hits with four strikeouts in six innings for his first career win.
Orioles 15 Cardinals 7: In Baltimore, Jonathan Schoop homered twice and drove in four runs, Manny Machado went deep in a seven-run second inning against Adam Wainwright and Baltimore beat St. Louis.
Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo got Baltimore started with successive first-inning shots, and Schoop finished the long-ball display with drives in the fourth and seventh.
Wade Miley (3-4) picked up his second win since April 14 despite allowing six runs, five earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
Wainwright (7-5) gave up nine runs and seven hits, including three home runs, over 1 2/3 innings — the shortest of his 268 career starts. The nine runs and three homers matched the most he’s allowed in any outing.
Dodgers 10 Reds 2: In Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig hit two of the Dodgers’ four homers, powering Los Angeles to a victory that took the edge off Cincinnati’s latest honor for its banned hits king.
Pete Rose unveiled a bronze sculpture of his headfirst slide in front of Great American Ball Park before the game. Thousands of packed-in fans cheered when he said, “Let’s get those Reds in high gear.”
Instead, the Dodgers flexed their muscle and added to their domination of Cincinnati, beating the Reds for the seventh straight time.
Cody Bellinger had three hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs. Joc Pederson homered for the second straight game as the Dodgers piled up seven extra-base hits.
