The Chicago Cubs set a franchise record by bashing eight home runs in a single game on their way to an Independence Day annihilation of the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, winning 11-3 on Friday.
Michael Busch enjoyed his first career three-homer game, and Pete Crow-Armstrong provided his 22nd and 23rd dingers of the season. Dansby Swanson and Busch went back-to-back off reliever John King in the seventh inning to break the team record.
The Cubs raced out to a 7-0 lead with six home runs in the first three innings. Seiya Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong both went yard in the first inning, Busch and Carson Kelly took a turn in the second for a 4-0 advantage, and Crow-Armstrong and Busch pummeled pitches 414 and 428 feet, respectively, in the third.
Miles Mikolas (4-6) served up those six home runs on his way to a forgettable Fourth of July. He stayed in for six innings, yielding eight runs on 10 hits without a walk. The veteran right-hander had never given up more than four homers in a game.
The run support was a welcome sight for Colin Rea (6-3), the Cubs starter whose only hit allowed over 6 2/3 innings was a fourth-inning solo shot by Brendan Donovan. Rea struck out four and walked two.
Red Sox 11, Nationals 2
Trevor Story homered among four hits, Lucas Giolito pitched into the eighth inning, and visiting Boston routed Washington.
Story added three singles, drove in four runs and scored three for Boston, which won for the third time in four games. Jarren Duran had two hits and three RBIs for the Red Sox, who collected four hits on the day.
Michael Soroka (3-6) was charged with seven runs on nine hits in four-plus innings for the Nationals. Washington’s Daylen Lile extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth-inning RBI double.
Reds 9, Phillies 6
Spencer Steer reached base four times, drove in two runs and scored twice as visiting Cincinnati topped Philadelphia in a matinee.
Steer’s two hits and two walks highlighted a productive offensive day for Cincinnati, which has won back-to-back games after losing four of its previous six contests. Elly Da La Cruz added two hits and two RBIs for the Reds, while Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl each notched a pair of hits.
The Phillies jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first inning against Reds starter Andrew Abbott. Alec Bohm’s sacrifice fly opened the scoring before Castellanos delivered a two-run homer.
However, Cincinnati responded with a run in the second, followed by a five-run rally in the third inning.
Mets 6, Yankees 5
Juan Soto went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Mets, who rallied past the visiting Yankees in the opener of a three-game Subway Series.
Trailing by one in the seventh and with Pete Alonso on, Jeff McNeil mashed a changeup into the second deck in right field off reliever Luke Weaver (1-3) to put the Mets in front 6-5. Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban (4-2) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win, and Reed Garrett did the same in the eighth and ninth for the save
Jasson Dominguez homered twice and Marcus Stroman allowed three runs on seven hits across five innings for the Yankees, who have lost five straight.
Twins 4, Rays 3
Harrison Bader hit two home runs, including a walk-off blast to lead off the bottom of the ninth, to lift Minnesota to a win over Tampa Bay in Minneapolis.
Bader belted the first pitch he saw in the ninth to clinch the win for the Twins, who scored the final three runs of the game. Byron Buxton doubled and drove in a run for Minnesota.
Josh Lowe and Junior Caminero each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Tampa Bay. Yandy Diaz doubled and drove in a run.
Mariners 6, Pirates 0
Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, his major league-leading 34th and 35th of the season, as Seattle defeated visiting Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Randy Arozarena and Dylan Moore also went deep and Bryan Woo (8-4) pitched six scoreless innings for Seattle, which snapped the Pirates’ six-game winning streak. Raleigh tied the franchise record for most before the All-Star break, established by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998.
Pirates starter Bailey Falter (6-4) allowed just three hits over 5 2/3 innings, but all of them cleared the outfield fence. Falter gave up four runs (three earned). The Pirates’ pitching staff, which shut out St. Louis in each of the previous three games, had a 31-inning scoreless streak snapped.
Orioles 3, Braves 2
Jordan Westburg returned from a lingering hand injury to hit a home run, leading visiting Baltimore to a win over Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series.
Baltimore starter Charlie Morton (5-7), who missed his previous turn in the rotation because of elbow tendinitis, returned to face his former team. The veteran pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits. Morton has won five consecutive decisions.
Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (3-7) went six-plus innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He has lost his past two outings despite making quality starts each time.
Tigers 2, Guardians 1
Wenceel Perez and Zach McKinstry hit solo home runs and four Detroit pitchers combined for a nine-hitter in a victory over free-falling host Cleveland.
Perez went deep in the third and McKinstry cleared the fence in the fourth, both off Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (3-4) in the series opener. Tyler Holton (4-3) earned the win with 2 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief and Will Vest pitched the final four outs for his 14th save in 17 opportunities.
All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez homered in the first for defending AL Central champion Cleveland, which lost its eighth straight and is 1-9 since June 23. The Guardians matched their longest skid since 2021. Ramirez homered in the first to put Cleveland ahead 1-0, snapping an 0-for-21 streak that equaled the longest of his career.
Brewers 6, Marlins 5
Jackson Chourio stroked a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning, leading visiting Milwaukee past Miami in the opener of a three-game set.
No. 8 hitter Caleb Durbin had a strong game for the Brewers, going 2-for-3 with two steals, two runs, one RBI and one walk.
Otto Lopez homered and drove in three runs to lead Miami, which has lost two out of three following an eight-game winning streak.
Padres 3, Rangers 2 (10 innings)
Jake Cronenworth delivered an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as San Diego rallied for a win over visiting Texas.
Manny Machado homered for the Padres, and he and teammates Luis Arraez, Gavin Sheets and Trenton Brooks each had two hits. Adrian Morejon (5-3) pitched the top of the 10th to earn the win over Robert Garcia (1-4).
Marcus Semien hit a two-run double for the Rangers, whose two-game winning streak ended.
Blue Jays 4, Angels 3 (10 innings)
A throwing error on Ernie Clement’s 10th-inning bunt allowed the winning run to score as Toronto defeated visiting Los Angeles for their sixth straight victory.
After Nathan Lukes led off the 10th with a walk, Clement dropped a bunt. Angels reliever Sam Bachman (1-2) threw wildly to first, and automatic runner Myles Straw scored.
The Blue Jays extended their lead in the American League East to two games over both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jo Adell had a three-run homer and a double to extend his hit streak to 15 games for the Angels, who have alternated wins and losses for eight games.
White Sox 3, Rockies 2
Adrian Houser tossed a season-high eight innings, Edgar Quero hit his first major league home run, and Chicago beat Colorado in Denver.
Houser (4-2) allowed two runs, both unearned, and struck out six. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings.
Mike Tauchman had two hits against his former team, Miguel Vargas also contributed two hits and Grant Taylor got the final three outs for his third save for Chicago. The White Sox snapped a three-game skid.
MLB roundup: Cubs blast team-record 8 HRs to beat Cards
