CINCINNATI — Derek Dietrich hit three homers – all two-run shots for Cincinnati– and the Pittsburgh Pirates suffered yet another injury to their rotation Tuesday night as the Reds pulled away to an 11-6 victory.
Dietrich grounded out in his first at-bat and connected in the fourth off Jordan Lyles (5-2), who left after the inning with discomfort in his left hamstring. Dietrich then connected off Geoff Hartlieb in the fifth and again in the seventh for his first three-homer game. He didn’t get another at-bat.
Scooter Gennett was the last Reds player with so many homers, matching the major league record with four on June 6, 2017.
Signed to a minor league deal in February with a chance to compete for a spot off the bench, Dietrich has gotten playing time with Gennett sidelined since spring training with a groin injury. His 17 homers set a career high, and 12 of his last 17 hits have been home runs.
Lyles had an awkward follow-through on a pitch in the fourth but completed the inning. The Pirates already are missing starters Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams. They’ve had 22 players on the injured list this season, with starter Chris Archer also missing time because of a sore thumb.
With its seventh loss in nine games, Pittsburgh fell to 26-27, the first time the Pirates have been below .500 since May 3.
Lucas Sims (1-0) was called up pregame and struck out a career-high nine in 7 1/3 innings.
Pirates rookie Kevin Newman hit a grand slam in the eighth for his first major league homer.
MARLINS 11, GIANTS 3: Jorge Alfaro and Garrett Cooper hit Miami’s first three-run homers of the year against visiting San Francisco, which lost its sixth straight.
Trevor Richards (2-5) gave up a homer to Joe Panik on the game’s first pitch but blanked San Francisco thereafter. He allowed two hits and one run in seven innings for the Marlins, who earned their eighth victory in 11 games but still have the worst record in the National League.
It was another dismal all-around effort by the Giants (21-32), who have been outscored 45-11 in the past four games and are 11 games below .500 for the first time.
PHILLIES 4, CARDINALS 3: Cesar Hernandez hit a go-ahead two-run homer, Nick Pivetta threw five tough innings and host Philadelphia beat slumping St. Louis.
Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna hit homers in the first inning, but the Cardinals wasted a 3-0 lead and lost for the 11th time in 15 games.
NATIONALS 5, BRAVES 4: Stephen Strasburg matched his season high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings and Washington took the lead on three straight walks to win at Atlanta.
Howie Kendrick had three hits, including his ninth homer, and scored two runs for Washington. Trea Turner also had three hits.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
WHITE SOX SWEEP ROYALS: Lucas Giolito struck out 10 while winning his fifth straight start and host Chicago posted its second victory of the day, 4-3.
Hours after Yolmer Sanchez hit an RBI single in the ninth inning to give Chicago a 2-1 win in the resumption of a suspended game, Giolito (7-1) put on quite a performance.
The right-hander gave up a three-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first, then dominated the rest of the way. Giolito allowed three hits over eight inning and improved to 6-0 in his past eight starts. In his previous outing, he threw his first career shutout, a four-hitter against Houston.
TIGERS 3, ORIOLES 0: Matthew Boyd took a five-hitter into the seventh inning, Niko Goodrum homered and Detroit won at Baltimore.
JaCoby Jones had two doubles and an RBI for the Tigers, who won for only the second time in 14 games since May 12.
Boyd (5-4) struck out eight and allowed six hits in six-plus innings. The lefty permitted only two runners to reach second base until he gave up a walk and a single to open the seventh.
RAYS 3, JAYS 1: Austin Meadows homered for the third straight game and five pitchers combined to throw a six-hitter as Tampa Bay won at home.
The second-place Rays won for the fourth straight time, improving to a season-best 13 games over .500 before an announced crowd of just 5,786 – smallest ever for a Rays home game at Tropicana Field.
The Blue Jays have dropped six of their past seven games and fell to 0-8-1 in their series against Tampa Bay, dating to August 2017.
INTERLEAGUE
PADRES 5, YANKEES 4: Eric Hosmer hit a three-run homer during a big first inning against Masahiro Tanaka, and San Diego Manager Andy Green burned through his bullpen to help the Padres win at New York.
New York tried to rally in the rain, getting three runs in the seventh inning during a stretch when Green used six pitchers to face eight batters – not exactly endearing himself to fans huddled under ponchos and umbrellas. San Diego escaped the seventh on Gary Sanchez’s flyout, Craig Stammen pitched the eighth and former Yankee reliever Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 21 chances.
The game ended when video review overturned a safe call on DJ LeMahieu’s grounder, giving the Padres a double play.
Hosmer’s shot came during a four-run first, and Greg Garcia legged out a hit on a perfect safety squeeze in the sixth – one of two bunt singles for San Diego.
Sanchez hit a solo homer in the fourth for the AL East-leading Yankees, who lost for the third time in 15 games. It was Sanchez’s 17th homer, one shy of his total from an injury-spoiled 2018.
NOTES
YANKEES: Left-hander James Paxton will return from the injured list Wednesday to start against breakout Padres rookie Chris Paddack.
Paxton has been out with left knee inflammation since making his last start with New York on May 3. He got a cortisone shot May 4 and has been testing the knee in extended spring training.
Manager Aaron Boone says Paxton will have a limited pitch count, but a precise number hadn’t been set yet. Paxton is 3-2 with a 3.11 ERA in seven starts this season.
TWINS: The Minnesota Twins placed pitcher Michael Pineda on the 10-day injured list with right knee tendinitis and promoted Devin Smeltzer to take his place in the rotation.
Pineda struck out six Brewers in six innings on Monday night. He allowed three runs and three hits without a walk. There was no sign of injury during or after the game.
PHILLIES: Outfielder Odubel Herrera was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball, a day after his arrest in a domestic violence case at an Atlantic City casino.
Herrera was arrested Monday night on an assault charge at the Golden Nugget Casino.
Police said they were called on a report of a domestic assault and found a 20-year-old woman “with visible signs of injury to her arms and neck,” which they said were caused by Herrera, whom they described as her boyfriend.
The 27-year-old, whose full name is David Odubel Herrera, was released on a summons pending a municipal court date on June 17.
The NL East-leading Phillies did not play on Memorial Day following a seven-game trip. The team told Herrera not to report to the club while he’s on leave.
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