ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried pitched a three-hitter for Atlanta’s first nine-inning complete game since 2022, Adam Duvall had a two-run homer and and the Atlanta Braves blanked the Miami Marlins for the second night in a row, 5-0 on Tuesday.
After a dismal start, Fried (2-0) has recaptured the form that makes him one of baseball’s top starters. It helped to be facing the struggling Marlins, who dropped to 6-19 and have gone 20 innings without scoring a run.
They remained 0-for-Atlanta after getting blanked 3-0 in the series opener Monday. With a week still to go in April, Miami is already 11 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
Fried breezed through the night, throwing 69 of 92 pitches for strikes. He fanned six, didn’t walk anyone and needed only 1 hour, 54 minutes to dispatch the Marlins in the major leagues’ fourth complete game this season.
PIRATES 2, BREWERS 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom of the first with a home run for the second straight game, Bailey Falter took a shutout into the eighth inning and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee.
McCutchen hit the first pitch of Tobias Myers’ major league career down the left-field line for his 12th career leadoff homer and his 100th long ball at PNC Park. McCutchen connected off Joe Ross on Monday night in the Pirates’ 4-2 win.
McCutchen became the first Pirates player to hit a leadoff homer in back-to-back games since Adam Frazier in 2019. McCutchen is 5 for 8 in two games since manager Derek Shelton moved him to the top of the batting order, boosting his average from .173 to .233.
Pinch-hitter Connor Joe pushed the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
TIGERS 4, RAYS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Riley Greene went deep twice for his first multi-homer game, Mark Canha added a homer and Detroit Tigers beat Tampa Bay.
The Tigers have won the first two of the three-game set and have won four of their last five games.
With the Tigers trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Greene hit a two-shot off Colin Poche (0-1) and Canha added a solo drive to make it 4-2.
Greene put the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the third inning with a 426-foot homer to center off Ryan Pepiot. Greene, who started the day tied with Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the MLB lead in walks, drew his 21st free pass on an eight-pitch at-bat in the first.
GUARDIANS 4, RED SOX 1
CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyler Freeman and Bryan Rocchio had RBIs in the seventh inning when Cleveland finally scored against Boston’s Tanner Houck, and José Ramírez homered as Cleveland kept up their scorching start with a win over Boston.
Houck (3-2) threw a three-hit shutout against the Guardians last week. He held them scoreless for six more innings before Freeman hit a run-scoring single and Rocchio added a sacrifice fly off reliever Brennan Bernardino.
Ramírez connected leading off the eighth inning against Cam Booser for his fourth homer.
One of MLB’s early surprises, the Guardians won their fifth straight to improve the major leagues’ best record to 17-6, matching the club’s best start through 23 games.
REDS 8, PHILLIES 1
CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run home run, Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Cincinnati ended Philadelphia’s seven-game win streak with a victory.
Cincinnati’s Santiago Espinal also had three hits including a solo homer in the eighth inning, his first since July 29. Fernando Cruz (1-1) pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief.
The Phillies’ seven-game win streak was the franchise’s fourth-longest in April. They haven’t won eight straight games in April since 1953. The Phillies played without Bryce Harper, who’s expected to return from the paternity list on Thursday.
J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm hit back-to-back doubles in the first for the Phillies’ run. Philadelphia’s five hits matched a season low.
YANKEES 4, ATHLETICS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Rizzo snapped a lengthy power drought with a two-run homer that capped a four-run first inning, and the New York Yankees held on for a win over Oakland.
A day after getting shut out for the fourth time in their first 23 games, the Yankees fell behind when Seth Brown hit an RBI double in the first off Marcus Stroman (2-1).
Giancarlo Stanton had a go-ahead double against Paul Blackburn (2-1) in the bottom half and Rizzo hit second home run of the season and his first since April 7. He had just one extra base hit in 54 at-bats between homers.
Blackburn had not allowed a home run in four previous starts this season.
