WASHINGTON (AP) — Jake Irvin pitched six shutout innings, and the Washington Nationals dealt Atlanta ace Chris Sale his first loss in nearly two months on Friday night with a 2-1 victory over the Braves.
Washington snapped a four-game losing streak and won for only the second time in eight games since taking three of four at Atlanta late last month.
Sale (8-2) allowed two runs in seven innings in his first loss since April 13. The left-hander had won seven consecutive starts before giving up eight runs to Oakland in his previous outing on June 1.
The Braves were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, in part because of Irvin’s ability to escape jams.
Irvin (4-5) loaded the bases in the third inning before ending the threat, then prevented Orlando Arcia from scoring after he doubled to lead off the fifth. But his trickiest inning was the sixth, when Austin Riley singled and moved to third on Marcell Ozuna’s double.
Irvin induced Matt Olson’s foul out, then got Ozzie Albies to ground back to the mound before Adam Duvall’s flyout ended the threat.
The right-hander allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four.
Kyle Finnegan handled the ninth for his 17th save in 19 opportunities.
PIRATES 3, TWINS 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched six scoreless innings to win his sixth straight start, Oneil Cruz homered for a second consecutive game and Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota.
Keller (8-3) scattered seven hits while striking eight and walking two. He also pitched at least five innings for the 44th straight time, the longest active streak in the major leagues.
During his winning streak, Keller has allowed five runs in 39 2/3 innings for a 1.13 ERA.
Aroldis Chapman, Colin Holderman and David Bednar each pitched one scoreless inning of relief to finish the eight-hitter. Bednar notched his 13th save in 16 opportunities as the Pirates recorded their third shutout of the season and won for the third time in their last four games.
BREWERS 10, TIGERS 0
DETROIT (AP) — Tobias Myers allowed one hit in eight innings and Blake Perkins hit his first of two RBI triples in a five-run second, lifting Milwaukee to a win over Detroit.
Milwaukee had a breakout offensive performance after scoring a total of two runs while getting swept in a three-game series at Philadelphia.
Perkins was one of four Brewers with two RBIs.
The Tigers, meanwhile, went seven innings without a hit.
Myers (2-2) gave up a leadoff single to Matt Vierling, and the Tigers didn’t get another knock until the ninth. He walked three and struck out five.
Right-hander James Meeker made his major league debut in the ninth and completed the two-hitter.
REDS 3, CUBS 2
CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Lodolo allowed one run through six innings, Tyler Stephenson hit a two-run double and surging Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs for their sixth straight victory.
The Reds have won 11 of 14 to pull even with the Cubs in second place in the NL Central standings, both at 31-33. Chicago, meanwhile, has lost 11 of 15. The Brewers lead the division.
Justin Steele, who made his eighth start for the Cubs since coming off the injured list, retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Elly De La Cruz in the fourth.
Steele (0-3) pitched seven innings, allowing three runs and five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
ORIOLES 6, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg homered, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Friday night.
Baltimore leads the majors with 98 home runs. The Orioles had lost the final two games of a four-game set at Toronto, but still won for the 11th time in 15 games.
Cole Irvin (6-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Craig Kimbrel, the third Baltimore reliever, worked the ninth to get his 14th save in 17 chances.
Tampa Bay, which had won three in a row, got a solo homer from Jose Siri in the second.
MARLINS 3, GUARDIANS 2
MIAMI (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. broke an eighth-inning tie with an RBI single, Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell hit back-to-back homers in the third and Miami beat Cleveland Guardians 3-2.
Jake Burger hit a two-out double off Cleveland reliever Cade Smith (3-1) and scored on Chisholm’s grounder to center field to end the Marlins’ four-game losing streak.
Tanner Scott (5-4) got the final five outs to complete Miami’s first June victory.
Rookie Brayan Rocchio hit his first career homer for the Guardians.
DODGERS 2, YANKEES 1, 11 INNINGS
NEW YORK (AP) — Teoscar Hernández broke up a scoreless game with a two-run double in the 11th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Yankees to stop New York’s season-best eight-game winning streak.
In a matchup viewed as a possible World Series preview, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball in his Yankee Stadium debut. Anthony Banda, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Michael Grove (4-2) and Yohan Ramírez finished a five-hitter for the Dodgers.
Ramírez, pitching for his third big league team this season, got his first save in two years after allowing a one-out RBI single to Aaron Judge. Ramírez threw a called third strike past Giancarlo Stanton and retired Anthony Rizzo on a foul pop, dropping New York to 1-4 in extra innings this year.
