Reds outlast White Sox in 9-8 slugfest
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suárez and Tyler Stephenson homered, and the Cincinnati Reds held off the Chicago White Sox for a 9-8 victory on Thursday.
Stewart scored four times and Suárez drove in four runs as Cincinnati took the rubber game in the three-game series. Tejay Antone (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Julian Garcia worked a shaky ninth for his second save.
Randal Grichuk had three RBIs for Chicago, which had won three of four. Chase Meidroth and Sam Antonacci each had two hits and scored two runs.
Edgar Quero hit an RBI single for the AL Central leaders in the ninth, but Antonacci bounced to shortstop for the final out.
White Sox right-hander Davis Martin was ejected after threw up and in on Stewart on consecutive pitches leading off the third, hitting the rookie slugger with the second one. Both benches and bullpens cleared, but order was quickly restored.
Stewart hit a 419-foot solo shot in the first for his 26th homer. Stephenson was hit by a pitch with two outs, and Suárez made it 3-0 with a two-run drive to left for his 18th of the season.
Grichuk hit a two-run double in Chicago’s three-run second, but Suárez hit a tying sacrifice fly in the third and Cincinnati added four more in the fourth.
Stewart singled in Ke’Bryan Hayes, giving the Reds a 5-4 lead. One batter later, Stephenson connected for a three-run shot off Erick Fedde (6-8).
Cincinnati tacked on another run in the sixth when Tanner McDougal walked the bases loaded before hitting Suárez with a 3-0 pitch in his major league debut.
Chicago closed to 9-7 on Andrew Benintendi’s two-run single in the eighth. But Miguel Vargas struck out swinging on a full-count curveball from Pierce Johnson, stranding runners on the corners.
Up next: Reds RHP Chase Burns (13-2, 2.61 ERA) starts Friday night against Miami in the opener of an eight-game homestand. RHP Sandy Alcantara (13-6, 3.52 ERA) takes the mound for the Marlins.
PIRATES 13, MARLINS 1
MIAMI (AP) -- Braxton Ashcraft threw a complete-game three-hitter, Rafael Flores had a pair of three-run homers and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 13-1 on Thursday.
Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez also went deep for the Pirates, who snapped a three-game skid. Pittsburgh’s Jake Mangum went 3 for 4 with three runs scored.
Ashcraft (12-5) struck out 10 and walked one in his 85-pitch outing. The right-hander, who was aided by three double plays, faced the minimum until Owen Caissie homered to lead off the ninth.
Ashcraft became the first Pirate to throw a nine-inning complete since Mitch Keller against the Los Angeles Angels on May 26, 2024. He also was the first Pirate to complete a game under 100 pitches since Ivan Nova accomplished the feat against Miami on April 29, 2017.
The Pirates’ Nick Gonzales had a walk and two singles. His two singles increased Gonzales’ multi-hit games to a major league-leading 48.
The Pirates broke through with a two-run fifth off Tyler Phillips (3-6). Mangum hit a leadoff triple and scored on a balk by Phillips. Triolo followed with his second homer of the season. Triolo went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
A video review confirmed Triolo’s homer after the Marlins appealed that his drive bounced off and over the wall instead of center fielder Jakob Marsee’s glove.
Pittsburgh added to its lead in the sixth. Reliever Cade Gibson inherited two runners and walked Gonzalez, then hit Mangum with the bases loaded. Triolo followed with a two-run single to make it 5-0.
Flores broke it open for the Pirates with a drive off reliever John King in the eighth. Miami position player Javier Sanoja pitched the ninth and allowed Gonzalez’s two-run drive and Flores’ second three-run blast.
Phillips gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Up next: Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (5-8, 4.26 ERA) will start the opener of a three-game home series against Boston on Friday. The Red Sox will go with LHP Jake Bennett (7-5, 3.17 ERA).
TIGERS 3, GUARDIANS 0
DETROIT (AP) -- Keider Montero pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers blanked the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Thursday despite failing to record a strikeout.
The Tigers became the first team to blank an opponent without a strikeout since Rick Porcello did it to the Athletics on July 1, 2014. The feat has only been accomplished seven times since 2000.
Montero (9-7) allowed one walk over 6 1/3 innings, holding the Guardians scoreless despite not recording a strikeout. Tyler Holton worked 1 2/3 strong innings, and Kenley Jansen earned his 15th save in a perfect ninth.
Dillon Dingler drove in the game’s first run with an RBI groundout in the third before Eduardo Valencia added his fifth homer of the season on a ball that sailed into the left-field seats.
Spencer Torkelson capped the scoring with a one-run single in the eighth.
Parker Messick (9-7) worked 5 2/3 innings for the Guardians, allowing two runs and three hits while fanning six.
Cleveland’s Steven Kwan had his career-high on-base streak of 27 games snapped, finishing 0 for 4.
Up next: Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (11-6, 3.55 ERA) starts the series opener versus the Padres this Friday.