Nationals secure their first four-game series win over the Braves since 2016

ATLANTA (AP) — Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter and Washington beat Atlanta 3-1 on Thursday night for the Nationals’ first four-game series win over the Braves since 2016.

Williams (5-0) gave up only four hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings. It marked the seventh start in his last eight outings he has allowed no more than one earned run. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.22.

The Nationals won three of four for their first four-game series win against Atlanta since Aug. 18-21, 2016 — the year before the Braves moved to Truist Park. The Braves have won the season series against the Nationals in each of the last six years, overlapping Atlanta’s six-year run of NL East titles.

Washington closer Kyle Finnegan walked Ozzie Albies to open the ninth. Albies stole second, but Finnegan retired the next three batters for his 15th save.

Joey Meneses gave Washington a 2-0 lead over Ray Kerr (1-2) with a two-run double in a three-run third inning.

Atlanta is 12-14 in May and has scored three or fewer runs in 11 of the losses.

The Nationals entered the game with 89 stolen bases, the most in the majors, and added to that total with three in the third inning. Jesse Winker and Jacob Young each stole third base with Kerr on the mound — each time without drawing a throw.

MILWAUKEE 6, CUBS 4

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning and Milwaukee defeated Chicago.

The NL Central-leading Brewers won three of four games against Chicago in a series that marked Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s return to American Family Field. Counsell, the winningest manager in Brewers history, was showered with boos every time he left the dugout this week.

After the Cubs twice came from behind with game-tying homers off Bryan Hudson (4-0), Sánchez delivered the biggest shot of all to put Milwaukee back in front for good. His 422-foot drive over the center-field wall came on a 3-2 sweeper from Tyson Miller.

The Brewers earlier wasted a golden opportunity to score in the eighth. After Luke Little (1-1) walked Christian Yelich and Willy Adames to start the inning, pinch-hitter Owen Miller grounded into a double play on a 3-2 pitch.

Tyson Miller came out of the bullpen and gave up the towering homer from Sánchez.

This wasn’t the first time Sánchez has won a game with an eighth-inning blast this season. He had a two-run, pinch-hit homer off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of a 7-5 victory at Pittsburgh on April 25.

RAYS 6, ATHLETICS 5, 12 INNINGS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jose Siri tied the game in the ninth with a home run and Richie Palacios hit an RBI single in the 12th to give Tampa Bay a win over Oakland.

Siri pulled the Rays even at 4 on his second homer of the game, a solo shot off Mason Miller. It was the rookies’ first blown save in 12 chances.

Abraham Toro started the 10th with an RBI single off Pete Fairbanks, who then got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam without further damage. Randy Arozarena had a sacrifice fly to keep the Rays in it.

In the 12th, Richard Lovelady (1-3) left runners stranded at second and third. Palacios’ RBI then gave Tampa Bay its second win of the three-game series and third in its past 10 games.

Tyler Ferguson (0-1) got the loss for the A’s after pitching 1 1/3 innings. T.J. McFarland replaced him in the 12th and gave up the hit to Palacios.

Isaac Paredes had a two-run first-inning homer before Siri had a solo shot in the second against Oakland starter Hogan Harris.

TWINS 7, ROYALS 6

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Jeffers homered twice and Carlos Correa added a two-out, bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning and Minnesota rallied from a four-run deficit for a win over Kansas City.

Reliever Chris Stratton (2-3) allowed pinch-hitter Max Kepler’s RBI single and walked two batters to load the bases with two outs.

Correa lifted a 3-1 fastball down the right-field line to break a 4-4 tie. It was Correa’s second triple of the season.

Jeffers’ first home run of the game, a two-run blast into the left-field bullpen in the bottom of the fourth, cut the Royals’ 4-0 lead in half. Jeffers, who leads the Twins with 12 home runs, had gone 5 for 43 since his previous homer on May 14.

Reliever Caleb Thielbar (2-1) got the win for the Twins, who took three of four in the series.

Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez each homered for Kansas City. Starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV allowed two earned runs in five innings just hours after being called up from Triple-A Omaha.

ASTROS 4, MARINERS 0

SEATTLE (AP) — Spencer Arrighetti allowed two hits over six shutout innings to help Houston beat Seattle and avoid a four-game series sweep.

Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer in the fourth against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (3-3). Kyle Tucker led off the inning with a single and Bregman put Houston up by a pair of runs with the shot that barely cleared the left-field wall.

Bregman added a triple in the sixth inning that just escaped the grasp of a leaping Julio Rodríguez in center field, and scored on a groundball to second base from Victor Caratini to give Houston a four-run lead.

Caratini also hit a solo homer in the fifth against Gilbert, who allowed four earned runs and eight hits over six innings of work.

While the Astros found success against Gilbert, the Mariners offense couldn’t do much against Arrighetti (3-5), who allowed just a pair of singles while walking three and striking out a career-high eight Seattle hitters.

Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford had a highlight-reel play in the seventh when he dove for a groundball off the bat of Mauricio Dubón and flipped it with his glove to second baseman Dylan Moore, who threw to first for the out.

METS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning home run, Francisco Lindor had four hits and drove in the tying run after Pete Alonso doubled as a pinch hitter and New York kept up their domination of Arizona with a victory.

Arizona ace Zac Gallen got hurt on his sixth pitch, forcing the NL champions to use relief pitchers for nearly the entire game. The Diamondbacks then wasted a two-run lead and lost their fourth straight, matching their season high of six games under .500. Arizona has scored nine runs in its last six games.

New York stopped a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 10 games. The Mets have won 20 of their last 24 games against the Diamondbacks and 16 of their last 18 against Arizona at Citi Field.

Ketel Marte had a two-run double in the third off rookie Christian Scott, who allowed four hits in six innings.

Lindor hit a third-inning homer against Brandon Hughes and an RBI single in the seventh against Ryan Thompson (2-2) after Alonso doubled in his first pinch-hit appearance since 2021. Alonso left Wednesday’s game when hit on the right hand by a pitch; scans were negative.

TIGERS 5, RED SOX 0

BOSTON (AP) — Jack Flaherty allowed one hit over 6 2/3 innings, Akil Baddoo, Riley Greene and Gio Urshela hit home runs and Detroit beat Boston.

Flaherty (2-4) carried a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings. His bid was snapped when Boston outfielder Rob Refsnyder singled into left field on a 3-2 pitch. The only other Red Sox player to reach against Flaherty came in the fifth when Rafael Devers opened the inning with a walk.

Flaherty struck out nine and threw 66 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He was still featuring a mid 90s fastball before getting taken out with Detroit up 2-0.

The Red Sox were held hitless through six innings as recently as last Saturday against Milwaukee. Boston finished Thursday’s game with two hits and four runners.

After walking the leadoff batter, Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-4) tied Roger Clemens for the Red Sox record with eight consecutive strikeouts. His bid for nine straight punchouts was snapped on a groundball to second base that led off the fourth inning.

Recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, Baddoo snapped produced the game’s first run with one swing. With one down in the fifth, the Detroit outfielder jumped sent the ball into the first row of Green Monster seats.

YANKEES 8, ANGELS 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 275th home run, Juan Soto broke things open with a bases-clearing triple in the seventh inning and New York beat Los Angeles when a pair of streaks ended.

Anthony Volpe went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at 21 games. He matched Arizona’s Ketel Marte for the longest in the majors this season.

Carlos Rodón (7-2) allowed three runs in six-plus innings, ending the starting staff’s MLB-record run in which they had gone at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer at 16 games.

Logan O’Hoppe hit his fourth home run in eight games, but the Angels’ home woes continued. They dropped five of six during their homestand and are 7-21 at The Big A this season.

Judge has 18 homers, which is tied with Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Houston’s Kyle Tucker for the MLB lead. Judge joined Lou Gehrig as the only Yankees players to have at least 12 home runs and 12 doubles in a calendar month with a two-run shot off Patrick Sandoval (2-8) in the fourth inning. Gehrig accomplished the feat in July 1930.

After Soto led off the inning with a walk, Judge put the Yankees on top when he connected on a sweeper by Sandoval that didn’t have much break and drove it 433 feet into the stands in left-center. The homer also tied Judge with Jorge Posada for eighth in franchise history.

The Associated Press