PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11, Bryce Harper homered and the first-place Philadelphia Phillies finished off a three-game sweep for their eighth straight victory, 3-0 over the fading New York Mets on Sunday.

Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto also homered for the Phillies, who moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the Mets in the NL East. The streak is Philadelphia’s longest since winning eight straight in July 2010.

The Mets got a pregame pep talk in the clubhouse from owner Steve Cohen before losing for the seventh time in eight tries. New York arrived at Citizens Bank Park this weekend leading the division.

Following an emotional ceremony to retire the jersey of Roy Halladay, Wheeler (10-6) pitched like the late Hall of Famer.

Wheeler gave up a double to Brandon Nimmo to start the game and then retired 22 consecutive batters until Michael Conforto walked in the eighth. Nimmo singled with one out in the ninth and Wheeler soon struck out slumping slugger Pete Alonso for his fourth career complete game, three of them shutouts.

Wheeler walked only one. He threw 80 of his 108 pitches for strikes.

BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 4: Ozzie Albies and Adam Duvall each hit a two-run homer off Patrick Corbin, Max Fried pitched six strong innings and Atlanta won at home.

Albies was 3 for his last 26 when he went deep for the 18th time to make it 2-1 in the third inning.

Corbin has allowed 27 homers, most in the National League, and is 0-4 with a 7.22 ERA in his last five starts. The lefty has lost his last five starts against Atlanta.

REDS 3, PIRATES 2: Tyler Mahle struck out 10, Kyle Farmer delivered another key hit and Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh for a four-game sweep in Cincinnati.

Nick Castellanos added a double and scored as playoff-chasing Cincinnati continued its dominance of the Pirates, improving to 9-1 against them this season, including 7-0 at Great American Ball Park. Dating to last season, the Reds have won 13 of 14 games from Pittsburgh, and 12 straight at home.

Mahle (9-3) allowed six hits without walk in seven innings. He pitched seven innings for just the third time this season.

GIANTS 5, BREWERS 3: Pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and San Francisco won in Milwaukee to take two of three in the series between division leaders.

Brandon Belt had tied it in the seventh with a two-run pinch-hit homer off Daniel Norris.

La Stella’s single up the middle off Brad Boxberger (4-3) in the eighth scored Brandon Crawford, who had punched a roller into left against the shift and legged it out for a double.

ROCKIES 13, MARLINS 8: C.J. Cron hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and finished with a career-best seven RBI as Colorado beat Miami to complete a three-game sweep in Denver.

Connor Joe also had two homers, including the first pinch-hit home run of his career, and Dom Nunez and Sam Hilliard also connected for the Rockies.

Colorado hit 11 homers in outscoring the Marlins 34-14 over the three games. Cron also hit two in Friday’s 14-2 win.

PADRES 2, DIAMONDBACKS 0: Blake Snell struck out 13 over seven sharp innings, Jake Cronenworth homered and drove in both runs, and San Diego defeated Madison Bumgarner and Arizona in San Diego.

Snell (6-4) did not allow a hit until the fifth and won a second straight start for the first time this season. The left-hander tied his longest outing since joining the Padres this year, yielding just two hits and walking three.

Bumgarner (6-7) allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings. He struck out five and walked one.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RAYS 9, ORIOLES 6: Brett Phillips capped his first career two-homer game with a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay rallied for a three-game sweep in Baltimore.

After Orioles starter Jorge López flustered Tampa Bay’s potent offense for six innings, the AL East-leading Rays feasted on Baltimore’s shoddy bullpen to erase a 5-2 deficit and soar a season-high 24 games over .500 (68-44).

Phillips launched the comeback with a solo homer off Cole Sulser in the seventh, and Tampa Bay punished two more Orioles relievers in the eighth. Paul Fry (4-5) gave up a leadoff single and three straight walks to force in a run before Dillon Tate entered and allowed a sacrifice fly to pinch-hitter Yandy Díaz.

Tate then walked Manuel Margot to load the bases for Phillips, who sent a 1-2 pitch deep into the seats in left-center to make it 9-5.

MARINERS 2, YANKEES 0: Yusei Kikuchi and the Seattle bullpen combined on a six-hitter, Kyle Seager doubled to break a scoreless tie in the eighth inning and the Mariners avoided a four-game sweep in New York.

The Yankees had won five in a row. They lost for only the third time in 13 games, ending a tightly contested series between playoff contenders.

New York rookie starter Luis Gil pitched two-hit ball for five scoreless innings, striking out eight. In his big league debut Tuesday against Baltimore, he threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits and fanning six.

Kikuchi and Mariners relievers Casey Sadler, Paul Sewald (7-3) and Drew Steckenrider combined to strike out 12.

INDIANS 7, TIGERS 5: Bradley Zimmer hit a tie-breaking home run in the seventh and Cleveland beat Detroit in Cleveland.

Derek Hill’s first major league home run in the second inning helped Detroit build a 5-2 lead, but Cleveland rallied and went ahead on Zimmer’s two-run homer off Erasmo Ramírez (1-1).

Myles Straw reached on a one-out single and Zimmer hit a 1-1 pitch to the seats in right for his third homer of the season.

TWINS 7, ASTROS 5: Jorge Polanco homered twice and drove in four runs, Miguel Sanó also hit a home run and Minnesota won in Houston.

Polanco hit a solo home run in the fifth and a three-run shot to right in the sixth to help the Twins build a 7-3 lead. Sanó hit a monstrous two-run homer to left in the fourth.

Trevor Larnach tied it at 1 in the second with an RBI single. Max Kepler had three hits for Minnesota, which won three of four against the Astros.

A’S 6, RANGERS 3: Starling Marte went 4 for 5 with an RBI, Seth Brown homered and host Oakland beat Texas to complete a three-game sweep.

Sean Murphy and Jed Lowrie each drove in two runs for Oakland, which won its fourth straight game to move into the top AL wild-card spot.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered for Texas, which lost its 14th consecutive road game, two shy of the franchise record. The Rangers have lost six straight games overall.

A’s rookie right-hander James Kaprielian came off the injured list to pitch six strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Kaprielian (6-4) missed his previous start with a right shoulder impingement.

INTERLEAGUE

DODGERS 8, ANGELS 2: Albert Pujols hit his first home run against the Los Angeles Angels since they released him in May, sending Walker Buehler and the Dodgers to an 8-2 win.

Cody Bellinger, the former NL MVP who has struggled mightily this season, homered for the second straight game, helping the World Series champions take two of three at Dodger Stadium in the Freeway Series.

Trea Turner, making his second start as the leadoff batter for the Dodgers since being acquired with Max Scherzer in a trade with Washington, scored twice.

Pujols hit a two-run homer in the second inning, connecting as a pinch-hitter for Justin Turner, who exited with left groin discomfort.

WHITE SOX 9, CUBS 3: Eloy Jiménez drove in five runs with two homers and a double, and the Chicago White Sox beat the crosstown Cubs 9-3 for their first sweep of a three-game series at Wrigley Field since May 2012.

Jiménez and Andrew Vaughn hit two-run shots after Tim Anderson led off the game with a solo drive as the White Sox hit Zach Davies hard in a five-run first inning. The outburst put the AL Central leaders ahead early on a warm night with the wind blowing out at the iconic ballpark.

Anderson also finished with three hits as the White Sox won their fourth straight and moved 10 ½ games ahead of second-place Cleveland. The Cubs have dropped four straight and 10 of 12.

« Previous

Sports Digest: Saco Little League wins first game of New England region tournament

Next »

Women send powerful message in Olympic track and field