Ronel Blanco tossed seven no-hit innings and Jose Altuve clubbed a three-run home run as the Houston Astros claimed the rubber match of their three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.
Blanco (7-2) continued his breakout campaign and flirted with a second no-hitter this season. He allowed two walks and recorded seven strikeouts when he no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1 and was equally dominant against the Tigers.
Blanco retired the first 14 batters he faced, eight by strikeout, before issuing a two-out walk to Gio Urshela in the fifth. Blanco then walked Akil Baddoo and Carson Kelly to load the bases before Zach McKinstry flied out to shallow center to end the threat.
Tigers rookie right fielder Wenceel Perez ended the combined no-hit bid when he dumped a two-out single to center off Astros reliever Ryan Pressly in the eighth.
Houston closer Josh Hader surrendered an RBI double to pinch hitter Andy Ibanez in the ninth but preserved the win. Detroit starter Kenta Maeda (2-3) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings.
Dodgers 3, Royals 0
Tyler Glasnow threw seven shutout innings and Los Angeles used three solo home runs to beat visiting Kansas City.
Glasnow (7-5) got the win, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out nine. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani ripped solo homers in the third and sixth innings, and Freddie Freeman followed Ohtani’s second homer with one of his own. Los Angeles shortstop Mookie Betts fractured his left hand after getting hit with a pitch in the seventh inning.
The Royals got through a tough stretch of 12 games against teams leading their respective divisions — the Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Dodgers — with a 5-7 record.
Rays 8, Braves 6
Jose Siri hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to lift visiting Tampa Bay to a win over Atlanta, allowing it to salvage one win in a three-game series.
Siri connected on his eighth home run of the season off Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias (0-1), who walked Randy Arozarena to start the inning. Pete Fairbanks worked around a leadoff walk to pitch a scoreless ninth and earn his 10th save. Jason Adam (3-1) was the winner.
Ben Rortvedt hit a grand slam to give the Rays a 6-2 edge before Atlanta rallied. The Braves tied the game in the eighth when Austin Riley hit a two-run shot.
Cardinals 2, Cubs 1
Rookie Pedro Pages belted a two-run homer and Miles Mikolas tossed 6 1/3 strong innings, lifting St. Louis to a victory over host Chicago.
Paul Goldschmidt had two of the nine hits for the Cardinals, who won the rubber match of the three-game series. Mikolas (5-6) allowed one run on four hits and struck out five batters. He did not issue a walk.
Michael Busch had an RBI single in the seventh inning for the Cubs, who have lost 16 of their past 23 games.
Chicago starter Jameson Taillon (3-3) gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings.
Orioles 8, Phillies 3
Gunnar Henderson drilled a home run in the first inning, one of four homers for Baltimore on its way to defeating visiting Philadelphia in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg also homered in the first five innings, making it a rough game for Phillies starter Zack Wheeler (8-4).
Starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (8-2) gave the Orioles another strong outing, going six innings and surrendering two runs on seven hits. Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, finishing the series with eight hits.
Nationals 3, Marlins 1
Mitchell Parker fired six strong innings as host Washington completed a three-game sweep of Miami.
Parker (5-3) scattered six hits, allowing one run and striking out four without walking anyone. Lane Thomas and Jacob Young hit solo home runs for the Nationals, who won for the eighth time in their past nine games and pulled within one victory of .500.
Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo (3-6) gave up two runs on five hits to go along with three walks and two strikeouts. Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove in the Marlins’ only run on an infield single.
Blue Jays 7, Guardians 6
Daulton Varsho hit a grand slam, Ernie Clement belted a two-run home run and Toronto held on to defeat visiting Cleveland.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits and a walk for the Blue Jays in the rubber match of the three-game series. Starter Jose Berrios (6-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings.
Daniel Schneemann had three hits, including a two-run home run, and Brayan Rocchio also had a two-run homer for the Guardians. Steven Kwan went 4-for-5 with four singles and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Ben Lively (6-3) was charged with four runs on six hits over four-plus innings.
Mets 11, Padres 6
Pete Alonso homered and finished with five RBIs as surging New York completed a three-game sweep of visiting San Diego.
Francisco Lindor also homered and Luis Torrens sparked a four-run eighth inning with a solo shot for the Mets, who have won 11 of their past 15. Winning pitcher Tylor Megill (2-3) allowed two runs on five hits over five innings.
Six players had an RBI for the Padres, who fell to 6-9 this month. Losing pitcher Dylan Cease (6-6) gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.
Brewers 5, Reds 4
Willy Adames hit a go-ahead three-run homer and center fielder Blake Perkins threw out the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning as host Milwaukee beat Cincinnati in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Colin Rea (6-2) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over six strong innings for the Brewers. Trevor Megill earned his 13th save after Perkins threw out Stuart Fairchild, who was attempting to score from second base on Santiago Espinal’s two-out single.
Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz hit solo homers for the Reds, who have lost their past eight series against Milwaukee.
Twins 6, Athletics 2 (Game 1)
Carlos Correa went 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs and Minnesota pulled away for a win over Oakland in the first game of a split doubleheader in Minneapolis.
Royce Lewis and Carlos Santana added one home run apiece for Minnesota, which won its fourth consecutive game. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (6-4) earned his first victory since May 24, giving up one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Daz Cameron hit a solo home run for Oakland, which lost its eighth in a row. Athletics left-hander JP Sears (4-6) gave up four runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Pirates 8, Rockies 2
Rowdy Tellez went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, Jason Delay hit a three-run double and Pittsburgh beat Colorado in Denver.
Bryan Reynolds singled to extend his hitting streak to 14 games as the Pirates pounded out 15 hits to win two of three games in the series. Jared Triolo added two hits and drove in a pair of runs for Pittsburgh, which also received two hits apiece from Andrew McCutchen, Nick Gonzales and Jack Suwinski.
Nolan Jones had three hits and Jacob Stallings contributed two for Colorado, which has lost five of its past six home games.
Giants 13, Angels 6
Jorge Soler contributed a three-run home run to a nine-run fourth inning, Spencer Bivens recorded a win in his major league debut and host San Francisco overcame another injury to its starting staff to beat Los Angeles.
The victory came after the Giants had to scratch scheduled starter Kyle Harrison, who sprained his right ankle while working out in the team’s weight room on Saturday. He was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Bivens (1-0) was summoned from Triple-A Sacramento and took over after emergency opener Erik Miller had allowed a run in the top of the first