Soto, 19, hits 3-run HR in 1st start as Nats top Padres 10-2
WASHINGTON (AP) Juan Soto, the youngest player in the majors at 19, hit a three-run homer in his first career start as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Diego Padres 10-2 on Monday night.
Mark Reynolds had two solo home runs for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Bryce Harper had a homer and an RBI double.
Soto's drive highlighted a five-run second inning. The promising outfielder, who played for three minor league teams this season, connected off Robbie Erlin (1-3). Soto also singled.
Soto's homer traveled an estimated 442 feet. He earned a standing ovation and responded by taking a curtain call. Per Baseball-Reference.com, Soto became the first teenager to hit a home run in a major league game since Harper on Sept. 30, 2012.
Gio Gonzalez (5-2) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Gleyber Torres hit two of the four Yankees homers off Bartolo Colon and New York denied the Texas starter a milestone victory only three days before his 45th birthday.
Aaron Judge and Neil Walker also went deep against Colon. Judge's 12th homer, leading off the fifth, snapped a 4-all tie and put the Yankees ahead to stay. Aaron Hicks added a two-run shot in the ninth for New York, which had a season-high 10 extra-base hits. It was the third straight game the Yankees hit at least four homers, marking the first time in team history they've done that. The Rangers were the last team to accomplish that feat, in May 2011.
Colon (2-2) allowed six runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings in his 178th career loss. The portly right-hander remained one win short of matching Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marchial's 243 victories, the most by a player born in the Dominican Republic.
No. 9 hitter Torres, the rookie second baseman in his 25th career game, was three months old when Colon made his big league debut on April 4, 1997. Torres hit a two-run homer in the second, and his solo shot in the sixth, his sixth homer of the season, ended Colon's night.
Masahiro Tanaka (5-2) limited the Rangers to three hits over five innings, but gave up two homers.
Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor and Ronald Guzman homered for Texas.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Nick Pivetta struck out seven in seven innings, and Nick Williams and pinch-hitter Aaron Altherr each homered to lead Philadelphia over Atlanta.
The Phillies took the opener of the three-game series and moved within a half-game of the Braves for first place in the NL East.
Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz faced Pivetta for the fourth time already this season, and the right-handers delivered outings worthy of two teams fighting for first.
Pivetta (4-2) allowed only four hits, walked one and won his third straight start. Hector Neris finished the five-hitter for his ninth save.
Foltynewicz (3-3) gave up six hits in six innings. The lone run he permitted came when Williams homered in the fourth. The Phillies have gone deep in 16 straight games.
Altherr batted for Pivetta in the seventh and crushed a two-run homer off Shane Carle.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Pinch-hitter Carlos Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single in the eighth inning and Colorado edged Los Angeles to move into first place in the NL West.
German Marquez (3-5) pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Gerardo Parra homered for the Rockies, who passed slumping Arizona for the top spot in the division.
Wade Davis worked the ninth for his major league-leading 17th save in 19 chances.
The loss snapped the Dodgers' four-game winning streak as they returned home after sweeping three games against the Nationals.
Los Angeles committed two errors in the eighth and another in the ninth in the first of 19 meetings with the Rockies this season.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler gave up one run and two hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked none.
Max Muncy homered for Los Angeles, and Pedro Baez (1-3) took the loss.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Miles Mikolas pitched a four-hitter for his first major league shutout, and Tyler O'Neill homered for the third straight game and drove in four runs to lead St. Louis over Kansas City.
Mikolas (6-0) threw 109 pitches and struck out a career-high nine. The Cardinals won for the third time in four games and beat the Royals for the fifth straight time.
O'Neill's three-run homer capped a four-run third inning in which the Cardinals strung together five two-out hits. O'Neill's double in the fifth scored Marcell Ozuna, who broke an 0-for-22 slump with an RBI single.
Matt Carpenter also homered as part of a three-hit night.
Ian Kennedy (1-5) gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings. He has lost his last five decisions and hasn't won since April 7.
The struggling Royals have dropped eight of nine.
NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Vargas returned to the rotation with five excellent innings, AJ Ramos pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and New York blanked Miami for its fourth straight victory.
Asdrubal Cabrera had an RBI double and pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores added a run-scoring single for the Mets.
The 35-year-old Vargas (1-3) had his previous turn skipped after three sloppy outings to open the season, but he shut down the Marlins with changeups and guile for his first win with the Mets. Ten of his outs came via the change, and he struck out seven without reaching 90 mph even once with his fastball. He allowed two hits and a walk before leaving after 86 pitches.
Jeurys Familia worked the ninth to cap a five-hitter for his 13th save and New York's second shutout this season.
Elieser Hernandez (0-1) allowed a run and five hits over five innings in his second major league start.
BREWERS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 2
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana and Lorenzo Cain homered off Zack Greinke as Milwaukee defeated skidding Arizona.
Jake Lamb homered for the Diamondbacks, who have lost five in a row and 11 of 12 - scoring just 24 runs in that span.
Greinke (3-3) struck out nine, walked none and gave up five hits in six innings, but the home runs did him in. He slipped to 1-4 at Miller Park after a 15-0 stretch while pitching for the Brewers from May 9, 2011 to June 6, 2012.
Chase Anderson (4-3) threw six strong innings in his return to the rotation. He'd been ill and on the 10-day disabled list. He allowed three hits in his first start since May 6.
Corey Knebel earned his second save.
CHICAGO (AP) - Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo homered, helping Andrew Cashner and Baltimore beat Chicago.
Machado hit his 15th homer, moving into a tie for the major league lead with Boston's Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. Trumbo connected against Hector Santiago, and Jones went deep after leaving Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox due to an illness.
Cashner (2-5) got his first win since April 5, helped by some terrific relief work from Mychal Givens. Cashner pitched five-plus innings and was charged with two runs and eight hits.
The last-place Orioles (15-32) had dropped four of five heading into the four-game series between two of the AL's worst teams.
Jose Abreu, Matt Davidson and Leury Garcia had two hits apiece for Chicago (13-31), which had won three of four. Santiago (0-2) went six innings but remains winless in four starts and nine relief appearances this year - with the White Sox losing all 13 games.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Logan Morrison forced in the go-ahead run with a four-pitch walk in the eighth inning after striking out in his first three at-bats, propelling Minnesota past Detroit.
Jose Berrios (5-4) struck out nine, giving up just three hits and two walks over eight innings.
Fernando Rodney closed for his 10th save in 13 tries. Rodney, who spent the first eight seasons of his major league career with the Tigers, has converted eight straight saves in 10 consecutive scoreless innings.
The more relevant reunion was the return of Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire to Minnesota, where he managed the Twins for 13 seasons. This was the first game between the division rivals since Gardenhire was hired by Detroit.
Nicholas Castellanos gave the Tigers an early 2-0 lead with a home run and an RBI single. Berrios retired 15 straight batters after that. Max Kepler hit a two-run double in the fifth off Tigers starter Blaine Hardy to tie it.
Daniel Stumpf (1-3) took the loss.
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