Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suárez throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday in Cincinnati.
AP photo
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The Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm, right, safely slides into home to score on a sacrifice fly by teammate Bryson Scott as Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, left, looks to tag in the second inning of a game on Monday in Cincinnati.
AP photo
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene follows through in the forth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in Cincinnati.
AP photo
CINCINNATI — Ranger Suárez allowed two hits in seven innings and Kody Clemens hit a three-run homer as the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games with a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Suárez (4-0) ran his scoreless streak to 25 innings. He’s won his last four starts, including a 112-pitch shutout against Colorado last Tuesday. This time, he yielded two singles, struck out five and walked one.
Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman completed the two-hitter for Philadelphia’s fourth shutout this season, tying Cleveland for most in the majors.
Cincinnati was blanked for the first time.
Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said after the complete game less than a week ago, he planned to limit Suárez to 80 pitches. The left-hander came out after 88.
“That was a pullback game for Ranger,” Thomson said. “He could have kept going, I’m sure. It’s a long year. We want to make sure we’re taking care of him.”
Suárez attributed his string of strong innings to finding the formula for mixing his pitches successfully.
“As always I tried to mix up my pitches, especially my changeup. I don’t throw hard, so those are the things I have to do,” the 28-year-old Venezuelan said through an interpreter. “I have to mix up my pitches so I can get hitters off balance and get the outs.”
Minus slugger Bryce Harper, the Phillies put up runs on sacrifice flies in the second and third, then scored another in the fourth on a groundout.
They added one in the fifth when Kyle Schwarber led off with a walk and came around on J.T. Realmuto’s double down the left-field line.
Clemens, promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday to play first base when Harper went on paternity leave, homered to right off Casey Legumina in the ninth.
Hunter Greene (0-2) permitted four runs on seven hits and struck out seven in seven innings for the Reds.
“Overall, I thought I pitched well,” said Greene, whose fastball velocity was consistently hitting the high 90s. “Did a better job of attacking the zone. I have to do a better job of getting the first guy out. I think that is what threw off those three or four innings.”
Bryson Stott had two RBIs for Philadelphia, which has scored at least seven runs in five straight games.
ATHLETICS 2, YANKEES 0
NEW YORK — Zack Gelof hit a two-run homer off Victor González in the ninth inning, and the Oakland Athletics stopped an eight-game losing streak in the Bronx by beating the Yankees following the ejection of New York manager Aaron Boone just five pitches in.
After New York’s Carlos Rodón and Oakland’s JP Sears matched each other with shutout ball, Abraham Toro reached off González (1-1) leading off the ninth when the pitcher slipped while trying to pick up his dribbler between the mound and the third-base line.
Gelof hit an opposite-field drive into the right-field seats on a flat sinker for his third home run this season.
Lucas Erceg (1-1) pitched two innings and Mason Miller struck out Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to remain perfect in five save chances, finishing a three-hitter and the fourth shutout against the Yankees in 23 games this season.
PIRATES 4, BREWERS 2
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz broke out of a slump with three hits, Jared Jones allowed one run in six innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their skid at six games, beating Milwaukee to stop the Brewers’ four-game win streak.
Cruz capped a three-run sixth with a two-out, two-run single. He also singled in the second and dropped a double into right-center in the fourth. The 6-foot-7 shortstop was 4 for 44 in his previous 12 games.
Jones (2-2) gave up four hits and two walks. The 22-year-old rookie struck out seven and has 39 strikeouts through five starts, with at least seven in each.
The Pirates, following an 11-5 start, were outscored 36-9 in back-to-back three-game sweeps by the Mets and Red Sox. The Brewers were coming off a three-game sweep at St. Louis.
TIGERS 7, RAYS 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out nine over six scoreless innings, Mark Canha and Parker Meadows homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tigers improved to 9-3 on the road this season.
Skubal (3-0) scattered three hits in winning his seventh consecutive decision, dating to last September. The left-hander is 2-0 in four starts against the Rays. allowing two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.
José Caballero homered in the eighth inning off Shelby Miller as the Rays have lost three of four and six of 10. Tampa Bay had one runner reach second base against Skubal.
Canha hit a solo homer in the first inning and Javier Báez had an RBI single off Zack Littell (1-1) in a two-run second as the Tigers grabbed a 3-0 lead.
BRAVES 3, MARLINS 0
ATLANTA (AP) — Travis d’Arnaud hit his fifth home run in four games and Bryce Elder pitched 6 2/3 spotless innings in his return from the minors as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins.
David Fletcher capped a three-run fourth with an RBI single to help the Braves win for the seventh time in eight games.
Recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day, Elder (1-0) scattered eight hits in his first major league start this season. The right-hander struck out four and walked none.
Elder was picked for the NL All-Star team last year, when he made 31 starts for Atlanta and finished 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA. But he struggled in the second half, got hit hard in his lone playoff appearance against Philadelphia and began the 2024 season in the minors.
TWINS 7, WHITE SOX 0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Kepler had two hits and three RBIs in his return from the injured list and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox.
Chris Paddack struck out 10 in seven innings to win as a starter for the first time in nearly two years. Edouard Julien homered among his three hits for Minnesota.
Blanked for the eighth time this season and once in each series, Chicago has lost 10 of 11. Danny Mendick had two hits, and Gavin Sheets and manager Pedro Grifol were ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning.
BLUE JAYS 5, ROYALS 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bo Bichette had a bases-clearing triple, Daulton Varsho hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals.
The Jays have won seven of nine. The Royals lost their third straight at home after winning their previous nine at Kauffman Stadium.
Yusei Kikuchi (2-1) was efficient early, allowing one baserunner on 48 pitches in the first five innings.
CARDINALS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Gorman snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
It was the fourth home run this season for Gorman, who entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth. Paul Goldschmidt, who homered earlier, reached on an infield single before Gorman hit left-hander Kyle Nelson’s only pitch into the right-field seats.
Ryan Helsley (2-2) worked a scoreless inning to help the Cardinals halt a four-game losing streak.
Ryan Thompson (0-1) took the loss.
Eugenio Suárez sparked Arizona with three hits and two RBIs.
PADRES 3, ROCKIES 1
DENVER — Dylan Cease permitted one hit in seven dominant innings and pinch-hitter Tyler Wade singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth, sending the San Diego Padres to a victory over the struggling Colorado Rockies.
Cease (3-1) struck out eight and walked none, allowing only one baserunner in a 90-pitch outing. Acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a March 13 trade, the right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.82 — his best mark through five outings in six major league seasons.
Luis Campusano had two hits for the Padres and scored the go-ahead run. San Diego has won 10 of the past 12 meetings between the NL West rivals dating to last April.