Braves Rout Bucs
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ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a grand slam in the second inning off Tyler Anderson, pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza added another slam in the eighth against position player Wilmer Difo and the Atlanta Braves homered seven times in a 20-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Austin Riley homered twice for his first multihomer game, and Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna and Dansby Swanson also went deep for the Braves, who became the first team in major league history to have seven or more homers in a game that included two slams, according to STATS.
Acuna had five RBIs and gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead with his 14th homer, which tied the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead. Acuna's first slam came against Pittsburgh's Alex McRae on June 10, 2019.
Difo, a 29-year-old middle infielder in his seventh major league season, relieved to start the bottom of the eighth with the Pirates trailing 12-0.
He threw at up to 88 mph, and Adrianza homered on a first-pitch 80 mph offering. Difo allowed three walks and six hits in his one inning, giving up run-scoring singles to Kevan Smith and Guillermo Heredia, Ozuna's RBI double and Riley's sacrifice fly.
Difo left with a 72.00 career ERA.
Atlanta avoided falling what would have been a season-worst five games under .500.
The three-time defending NL champions had lost seven of their previous 10 games.
Atlanta's Ian Anderson started against Pittsburgh's Tyler Anderson, after Ian Anderson started and won at Milwaukee last Saturday in a game the Brewers started Brett Anderson.
This marked the first time since 1900 that a pitcher started consecutive games against different pitchers with the same last name as him, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Ian Anderson (4-1) gave up six hits in six scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks as the Braves won for the seventh time in his last eight starts. He stranded two runners in the first, one runner in the second, one in the fifth and two in the sixth. Two of the hits came on bunts and another was an infield single.
Anderson improved to 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in eight career home starts. Atlanta starters have combined for a 2.50 ERA over the last 17 games.
Tyler Anderson (3-4) gave up nine runs, 10 hits -- seven for extra bases -- and two walks in five innings. The Pirates had won five of his previous six starts.
NATIONALS 4, ORIOLES 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, allowing just one hit as the Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles.
Strasburg (1-1) started for the first time since April 13. He had been sidelined with right shoulder inflammation. He picked up his first win in a regular-season game since Sept. 26, 2019.
YANKEES 2, WHITE SOX 1
NEW YORK (AP) -- Gleyber Torres homered and singled home the winning run in the ninth inning as New York -- moments after a turning a clutch triple play -- beat Chicago.
Chicago put two runners on to open the ninth against closer Aroldis Chapman (3-0). .
TWINS 10, INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Max Kepler and rookie Alex Kirilloff drove in two runs apiece in Minnesota's nine-run fourth inning and the Twins shook off a couple long days of cross-country travel by pounding Cleveland.
The Twins didn't arrive in Cleveland until 4:30 a.m. after flying back from California following a doubleheader in Anaheim on Thursday.
RED SOX 11, PHILLIES 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Rafael Devers and Danny Santana hit homers to back Martin Perez, and Boston beat Philadelphia.
Perez (2-2) allowed three runs and five hits, striking out seven in six innings.
REDS 9, BREWERS 4
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Jesse Winker hit three solo home runs while going 4 for 4, leading Cincinnati over Milwaukee.
Tyler Naquin added a three-run homer. He got things started with his 10th homer, a drive in the first inning off Adrian Houser (3-5).
ROCKIES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1
DENVER (AP) -- German Marquez scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings, Ryan McMahon homered twice and drove in three runs, and Colorado beat Arizona to snap a five-game losing streak.
Raimel Tapia also homered and C.J. Cron had two hits and two RBIs for the Rockies. Marquez (3-4) struck out eight and walked three in putting together consecutive wins for the first time this season after losing three in a row.
CUBS 12, CARDINALS 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Joc Pederson homered on the first pitch of the game, Ian Happ got two hits during an eight-run burst in the eighth inning and Chicago halted St. Louis' five-game home winning streak.
Kyle Hendricks (4-4) pitched into the seventh inning as the Cubs won in the first of 19 games between the NL Central rivals this season.
METS 6, MARLINS 5, 12 INNINGS
MIAMI (AP) -- Rookie Khalil Lee hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 12th inning for his first major league hit after strikeouts in his first eight at-bats -- a major league record -- and New York beat Miami, despite totaling only eight hits against 10 Marlins pitchers.
Jake Hager's leadoff single in the Mets 12th off Adam Cimber (0-1) advanced the automatic runner to third. After Lee's hit, Johneshwy Fargas hit a two-run triple but was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into an inside-the-park homer.
TIGERS 7, ROYALS 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer and a grand slam, doubling his season total to four home runs and leading Detroit over Kansas City.
The 38-year-old homered in the second off Mike Minor for the game's first run, then overcame a 5-3 deficit in the seventh against Greg Holland with his sixth slam, the 491th home run of his big league career.
RAYS 9, BLUE JAYS 7, 12 INNINGS
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -- Francisco Mejia hit a grand slam in the 12th inning and Tampa Bay won its eighth consecutive game by beating Toronto.
After Jeremy Beasley (0-1) intentionally walked Joey Wendle to load the bases, Mejia drove the next pitch over the right-field wall.