Joey Votto homered in his second at-bat of the season, then later hit a go-ahead, two-run single while leading the Cincinnati Reds to their ninth straight win, a 5-4 decision over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Votto, a six-time All-Star, came back from left shoulder and biceps surgeries last year to play his first major league game since Aug. 16, 2022.
One day after picking up his first career save, Alex Young (1-0) recorded the final out of a three-run sixth to earn the win. Alexis Diaz pitched out of a first-and-third jam with no outs in the ninth for his 19th save in as many chances this year.
Elias Diaz had a solo homer and an RBI single while Jorge Alfaro had two doubles for the Rockies, who lost their sixth straight and fell to 2-6 on their 10-game road trip. Austin Gomber (4-7) took the loss.
Marlins 11, Blue Jays 0
Jorge Soler homered and drove in three runs and Luis Arraez went 5-for-5 to push his batting average to a major-league-leading .400 as host Miami routed Toronto.
The Marlins also stroked a season-high 19 hits. Arraez has three career five-hit games, all coming this season. Only four players have ever had four games with at least five hits in the same season: Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Ichiro Suzuki and Tony Gwynn.
Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (7-5) had his four-decision winning streak ended as he gave up eight hits and five runs in four innings. The win went to reliever Huascar Brazoban (1-1), who pitched two innings.
Cardinals 8, Nationals 6
Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to help St. Louis rally from a five-run deficit to beat host Washington.
Jack Flaherty (4-5) made it through 6 1/3 innings for the victory as the Cardinals produced their first three-game winning streak in more than a month. Donovan’s seventh homer — and first since June 2 — was a three-run shot that tied the game. Goldschmidt followed with his blast to put St. Louis ahead for the first time.
The Nationals lost their fourth game in a row despite holding a 5-0 lead through two innings thanks to three of Luis Garcia’s four RBIs. Starter Josiah Gray (4-6) took the loss, giving up six runs on nine hits in five innings.
Mets 11, Astros 1
Daniel Vogelbach and Francisco Lindor slugged third-inning home runs while Max Scherzer carried a shutout into the seventh inning as visiting New York crushed slumping Houston.
Scherzer (6-2) allowed one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts over eight innings. Lindor had a three-run homer and a two-run double, and Vogelbach hit a solo shot and a two-run single.
Yainer Diaz homered in the seventh for the Astros’ lone run. Hunter Brown (6-4) surrendered a career-worst six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Tigers 6, Royals 4
Kerry Carpenter capped a five-run uprising in the seventh inning with a three-run homer as host Detroit rallied past Kansas City.
Carpenter’s sixth homer made a winner of Tyler Alexander (2-1), who tossed two scoreless innings and recorded four strikeouts. Alex Lange got the last three outs for his 11th save.
Jake Rogers contributed two hits, two runs and two RBIs for the Tigers, who have won four of their past five games. Maikel Garcia had a two-run home run and Bobby Witt Jr. hit a solo shot for Kansas City.
Cubs 8, Pirates 0
Mike Tauchman drove in three runs with a pair of singles and Drew Smyly combined with three relievers on a five-hit shutout as visiting Chicago spanked Pittsburgh.
Nico Hoerner added two RBIs and Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki each added one for the Cubs, who are 8-2 in their past 10 games. Smyly (7-4) pitched five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, tied a career high with five walks and struck out four.
In his second major league start, Pittsburgh’s Osvaldo Bido (0-1) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks. The Pirates have lost seven straight.
Red Sox 9, Twins 3
Alex Verdugo drove in four runs and Triston Casas added a two-run homer as Boston won its fifth straight game, beating Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Jarren Duran had three doubles and two RBIs for the Red Sox, who have averaged eight runs per game during their winning streak. Boston starter James Paxton (3-1) allowed three runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Christian Vazquez hit a three-run homer against his former team as the Twins lost for the fourth time in five games. Pablo Lopez (3-4) yielded five runs (four earned) on six hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Diamondbacks 9, Brewers 1
Alek Thomas, recalled from the minors earlier in the day, homered to cap a six-run first inning against Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes, and visiting Arizona rolled to a victory.
Thomas, sent down on May 17 after hitting .195 in 39 games, was promoted on Monday after hitting .348 with three homers in 26 games for Triple-A Reno. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly (9-3) allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings.
Milwaukee got its only run in the third on a Christian Yelich RBI triple. Burnes (5-5) was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in five innings.
Rangers 5, White Sox 2
Jonah Heim drove in two runs and Josh Jung had three hits, including a solo home run, to boost the visiting Texas to a win against Chicago.
The Rangers stretched their winning streak to three games while out-hitting the White Sox 12-9. Texas scored runs in the first, third and fourth innings to build a lead that proved too much for Chicago to overcome, as the hosts lost for the fourth time in five games.
Rangers starter Andrew Heaney (5-4) yielded two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. White Sox starter Tanner Banks (0-2) gave up three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
