WASHINGTON (AP) — Dylan Cease pitched the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday that completed a three-game sweep.
After falling one out short of a no-hitter two years ago when he gave up a single to current teammate Luis Arráez, Cease retired Ildemaro Vargas and Jacob Young on a groundouts for the first two outs of the ninth, then got CJ Abrams to hit a flyout to right on a 1-0 slider.
Cease (10-8) struck out nine and walked three in the 28-year-old right-hander’s third complete game in 145 big league starts. He threw a career-high 114 pitches in a game that included a 1-hour, 16-minute rain delay in the first inning.
Joe Musgrove pitched the Padres’ first no-hitter against Texas on April 9, 2021. Houston’s Ronel Blanco threw the only other no-hitter this season, against Toronto on April 1.
ORIOLES 7, MARLINS 6, 10 INNINGS
MIAMI (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning and Baltimore rebounded after wasting a six-run lead to beat Miami for their third win in 11 games.
AL East-leading Baltimore (61-41) avoided getting swept in the three-game series against the NL-worst Marlins (37-66).
Anthony Santander hit his 28th homer, and Colton Cowser and Connor Norby also went deep against Roddery Muñoz as the Orioles built a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning.
Josh Bell hit a solo homer in the sixth, and Miami closed to 6-3 in the eighth when Xavier Edwards hit an RBI single and scored on Bryan De La Cruz’s double.
TIGERS 3, GUARDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Javier Báez hit a three-run homer in the second inning and six pitchers combined on a four-hitter, sending Detroit to a victory over AL Central-leading Cleveland.
Báez homered for the first time since April 14, belting a 409-footer into the left-field bleachers in his second game at the bottom of the batting order. It was his second home run in 230 plate appearances this season and raised his average to .180.
The Guardians, who have the best home record in the AL at 33-15, lost for the eighth time in 12 games and had their lead in the Central cut to 4 1/2 games over Minnesota.
Easton Lucas (1-0) picked up his first major league win with two perfect innings of relief, while Shelby Miller earned his second save. Tyler Holton, Lucas, Alex Faedo, Jason Foley and Andrew Chafin also pitched on a bullpen day.
RANGERS 2, WHITE SOX 1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Max Scherzer struck out a season-high nine to take over 10th place on the career list, Marcus Semien homered and Texas beat the Chicago White Sox.
Scherzer pushed his career total to 3,400 after first passing former teammate and fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander with his third strikeout of the game, after Eloy Jiménez took a 93.3 mph fastball for a called third strike in the second inning. Scherzer leads among active pitchers.
Two days before his 40th birthday, Scherzer threw 62 of 85 pitches for strikes in his 464th game over 17 big league seasons. He allowed one run and walked one while pitching three-hit ball over six innings.
The reigning World Series champion Rangers (51-52) won their fifth game in a row to match their season-best streak and completed their first four-game sweep at home since 2017, three years before they moved into Globe Life Field. They have won 12 of 16, moving within a game of .500 for the first time since June 2.
RAYS 13, BLUE JAYS 0
TORONTO (AP) — Taj Bradley extended his scoreless streak to 23 innings in winning his fifth straight decision, Brandon Lowe homered into the upper deck and Tampa Bay beat Toronto.
Isaac Paredes had four RBIs and Alex Jackson drove in three as the Rays set a season high in runs and won for the 18th time in 30 games.
Lowe went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and walked twice, coming within a triple of the cycle. Amed Rosario had three hits for the Rays, who have won 13 straight when scoring four runs or more.
Bradley (6-4) allowed two hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one, improving to 5-1 with a 0.82 ERA in his past nine starts. The 23-year-old right-hander has not lost since June 8 against Baltimore.
DODGERS 6, GIANTS 4
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs over four innings in his return from shoulder surgery, Nick Ahmed and Shohei Ohtani homered on consecutive pitches in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat San Francisco.
Kershaw made his first big league appearance since last October’s NL Division Series opener against Arizona, when the three-time Cy Young Award winner was chased after one out and allowed six runs. Kershaw had surgery on Nov. 3 to repair ligaments in his shoulder capsule and started a minor league rehab stint in June.
Against the Giants, the 36-year-old left-hander gave up six hits, struck out six and walked two, getting 14 swings and misses, including eight on sliders, while throwing 47 of 72 pitches for strikes. He averaged 90.6 mph with 24 fastballs, threw 32 sliders, 10 curveballs and six changeups.
Tyler Fitzgerald hit a run-scoring triple in the third on an up slider and scored on the next pitch when Heliot Ramos singled on a fastball, part of a string of four consecutive hits.
METS 3, BRAVES 2, 10 INNINGS
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil hit a winning single in the 10th inning on a fly ball that fell when Ramón Laureano overran it in the right-field corner, and the New York Mets beat Atlanta for their fourth straight win.
Atlanta retired 17 straight batters before Pierce Johnson (3-2) intentionally walked Pete Alonso with one out in the 10th.
Mark Vientos struck out and McNeil lofted a fly that Laureano, shaded toward center, overran and couldn’t snag as he reached back over a shoulder near the foul line. The ball fell for the Mets’ third hit of the game, allowing automatic runner Jose Iglesias to score from second and giving McNeil nine RBIs in his last six games.
