Photo: The Canadian Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kyle Wright allowed two hits over seven efficient innings, Matt Olson hit a grand slam that found the Allegheny River and the Atlanta Braves drilled the sloppy Pittsburgh Pirates 14-2 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
Wright (16-5) struck out eight and walked one to tie Houston’s Justin Verlander and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin for most victories in the majors. Wright needed just 73 pitches to record 21 outs while trimming his ERA to 2.99.
Atlanta has won 14 of 16 overall to keep pressure on the NL East-leading New York Mets.
The lone highlight for the Pirates came from rookie Oneil Cruz, who ripped the hardest-hit ball since Major League Baseball began measuring exit velocity in 2015. The ball left Cruz’s bat at 122.4 mph and slammed into the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field with two outs in the third. He was held to a single.
William Contreras added his 17th home run for Atlanta, bashing a pitch from Mitch Keller (4-10) into the left-field bleachers in the second inning.
GUARDIANS 7, PADRES 0
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Cal Quantrill shut down his former team through seven brilliant innings, All-Star José Ramírez homered in consecutive at-bats, and rookie Oscar Gonzalez connected again as AL Central-leading Cleveland completed a two-game sweep of San Diego.
Quantrill (10-5) kept San Diego scoreless while allowing five hits. The Padres scored only nine runs in a homestand against Washington and Cleveland.
Blake Snell (5-7) was a strike away from getting out of the first inning when Ramirez homered to left-center on an 0-2 pitch. He allowed six runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.
RANGERS 16, PIRATES 4
DENVER (AP) — Martín Pérez threw six scoreless innings and Nathaniel Lowe homered and drove in five runs as Texas pounded Colorado.
Texas posted its highest-scoring game since 2019 in winning for the fourth time in five games and improving to 6-4 under interim manager Tony Beasley.
Pérez (10-4) allowed four hits and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.69. He struck out seven to give the first-time All-Star a career-high 139.
José Ureña (2-5) needed 60 pitches to get four outs, allowing nine runs, 11 hits and three walks.
ATHLETICS 3, MARLINS 2, 10 INNINGS
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Skye Bolt led off the 10th with a sacrifice fly to score automatic runner David MacKinnon and Oakland beat Miami to avoid a three-game sweep.
MacKinnon had advanced to third on a wild pitch by Richard Bleier (2-2).
The Athletics’ Cole Irvin struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits without a walk. He had lost four straight decisions in August.
The Marlins’ Jesus Luzardo held Oakland hitless until Jonah Bride singled to open the sixth inning. Chad Pinder drove in two runs with a single later in the sixth.
AJ Puk (3-1) worked a scoreless 10th for Miami.
NATIONALS 3, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE (AP) — Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that lifted Washington over Seattle.
Mariners right-hander George Kirby set a major league record by throwing 24 straight strikes to start the game. Fellow Seattle rookie Julio Rodriguez hit his 20th homer, tying the game 1-1 in the eighth and becoming the fourth rookie in big league history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.
Vargas homered with two outs off Paul Sewald (3-4).
Kyle Finnegan (5-2) allowed a couple of baserunners in the ninth before retiring Cal Raleigh on a flyout.
TIGERS 6, GIANTS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Matt Manning threw six scoreless innings and Detroit scored all six of its runs in the fifth to split a two-game series with San Francisco.
Manning (1-1) allowed five hits, walked none and struck out a career-high eight in his first win since last Sept. 15 against Milwaukee.
Victor Reyes and Willi Castro each drove in two runs while Kody Clemens and Harold Castro each drove in one with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. All six runs were charged to Logan Webb (11-7), who was pulled after Harold Castro’s single made it 4-0.
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