J.T. Realmuto hit a go-ahead, two-run single to highlight a five-run rally in the ninth inning that carried the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-5 victory against the Washington Nationals on Monday night.
Kyle Gibson pitched into the seventh inning in his Phillies debut and got plenty of support as Philadelphia avoided a series sweep by pounding the Pittsburgh Pirates 15-4 on Sunday.
Jacob Stallings drove in the winning run with a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. With the scored tied 2-all, Bryan Reynolds led off the inning with a double into the gap in left-center off Jose Alvarado (6-1). Reynolds moved to third on Gregory Polanco’s slow roller groundout, and John Nogowski followed with a walk. Stallings hit a chopper toward third baseman Alec Bohm, whose throw home was too late to get Reynolds. It was the seventh game-ending RBI of Stallings' career, and his fourth this season.
The New York Mets have acquired flashy shortstop Javier Báez and pitcher Trevor Williams from the Chicago Cubs for outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Báez, a two-time All-Star and 2020 Gold Glove winner, gives the NL East leaders an immediate fill-in for injured buddy Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Lindor is sidelined with a strained oblique and isn’t expected back until at least mid-to-late August. Báez, who can become a free agent after the season, is batting .248 with 22 home runs and 65 RBIs. He also leads the National League with 131 strikeouts and has made 18 errors in 88 games. When Lindor returns, Báez could move to second base or even third.
Wil Crowe and two relief pitchers combined on a one-hitter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
The Philadelphia Phillies got three pitchers from the Texas Rangers in a trade completed just before Friday's deadline. Philadelphia received All-Star starter Kyle Gibson, closer Ian Kennedy and prospect Hans Crouse. Texas got rookie right-hander Spencer Howard and two other pitching prospects. Gibson is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 19 starts and was a first-time All-Star this season. But the 33-year-old right-hander has lost his last three starts. Kennedy had 16 saves in 17 opportunities for the last-place Rangers.
Freddy Galvis is back with the Philadelphia Phillies, returning to the franchise where he started his career in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
The New York Yankees have acquired Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and cash for two minor leaguers in their second major trade this week for desperately needed left-handed bats. The swap came ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline Friday at 4 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Yankees announced they had gotten All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from Texas. Rizzo is batting .248 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. The 31-year-old Rizzo is a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner. He can become a free agent after this season. New York is fourth in the AL wild-card chase for two spots. The Yankees lost 14-0 at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Max Scherzer delivered a signature performance in what might be his last start for the Nationals, allowing three hits in six innings in the opener of a doubleheader that Washington ultimately split with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
A person familiar with the swap tells The Associated Press that the New York Yankees have reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the deal had not yet been announced and is subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. The 27-year-old Gallo would give the heavily right-handed Yankees much-needed punch from the left side. The Gold Glove-winning right fielder would presumably play left field for New York, which has Aaron Judge as its regular right fielder.
Four Washington Nationals players and eight staffers have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing Major League Baseball to postpone their game against the Phillies in Philadelphia. The postponement came one day after Nationals star Trea Turner exited the game against the Phillies in the first inning following his positive test for the virus. Washington manager Dave Martinez said Turner was among four players who tested positive. He didn’t identify the others. The Nationals-Phillies matchup was scheduled to be made up as part of a straight doubleheader on Thursday starting at 12:05 p.m. This was the ninth MLB game called off this year because of coronavirus concerns.
The Pittsburgh Pirates indeed traded left-hander Tyler Anderson on Tuesday to a playoff contender — the Seattle Mariners, not the Philadelphia Phillies.
Trea Turner singled in the first inning and scored on Josh Bell’s three-run homer that put the Washington Nationals ahead to stay, but their shortstop was then pulled from the game because of a positive COVID-19 test and never played defense in a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
Anderson was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday, indicating a deal was imminent.
Tyler Trumbauer
Web Producer
Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-5 victory over the sinking Washington Nationals on Monday night.
The Yankees acquired right-hander Clay Holmes from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league infielders Diego Castillo and INF Hoy Park.
Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs to shake Fenway Park and storm past the New York Yankees 5-4. The old ballpark was almost silent all afternoon until Verdugo opened the eighth with a long double for Boston’s first hit. By the time Kiké Hernández slid home headfirst on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly with the go-ahead run to cap the rally, fans were in a frenzy. The AL East-leading Red Sox beat New York for the 10th time in 13 games this year. The Yankees absorbed another brutal loss in a season full of them. They dropped three of four in the series and fell nine games behind Boston.
Aaron Nola came within one out of a shutout, and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Atlanta Braves 2-1 Sunday to earn a split of their four-game series.
Freddie Freeman, Abraham Almonte, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Joc Peterson homered to lead Atlanta to a 15-3 rout of the Phillies.
Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 win. Devers had a two-run shot in the fifth inning and followed it with a three-run homer in the seventh. It marked the second consecutive game the Red Sox rallied from a 1-0 deficit. They earned their ninth victory over their New York in 11 meetings this season. The Red Sox also maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees.
