MIAMI — Luis Arraez went 5 for 5 again to raise his batting average to .400, and Jorge Soler homered as the streaking Miami Marlins routed the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0 on Monday night.
Jon Berti had three hits and Jesús Sánchez doubled twice for the Marlins, who finished with a season-high 19 hits and won their fifth straight. Miami improved to a season-high 11 games over .500 at 42-31.
It was the second time in his past three games that Arraez went 5 for 5, following an 0-for-15 slide that dropped his average to .378. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the fourth major leaguer since 1900 to have three five-hit games in a calendar month, joining three Hall of Famers: George Sisler (August 1921), Ty Cobb (July 1922) and Dave Winfield (June 1984).
Arraez has 102 hits in 67 games played, the second-fastest player to 100 in Marlins history. Dee Strange-Gordon reached the century mark in 65 games in 2015.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CARDINALS 8, NATIONALS 6:Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning, and visiting St. Louis rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to beat Washington in a Juneteenth matinee.
Donovan’s three-run shot to right-center off Josiah Gray (4-6) tied the game 5-all, and Goldschmidt put the Cardinals ahead to stay when he lined a hanging curveball from Gray over the wall in left.
The Cardinals (30-43) won their third straight since falling a season-worst 16 games under .500, but they have their worst record through 73 games since 1990. St. Louis has only had one losing season since 2000, and Manager Oliver Marmol said before the game his last-place team still expects to win the NL Central.
CUBS 8, PIRATES 0: Drew Smyly gave up three hits in five innings, Mike Tauchman hit a two-run single during a brief downpour and surging Chicago won at Pittsburgh.
Smyly (7-4) worked around five walks to win his second straight start following a three-game losing streak. Tauchman finished with three hits and drove in three runs. Dansby Swanson added two hits as Chicago spoiled the major-league debut of highly touted Pirates prospect Henry Davis.
Davis, the top pick in the 2021 draft, started in right field and doubled down the left-field line in his first at-bat. The 23-year-old, who will play in the outfield for now while fine-tuning his work behind the plate, later walked but it wasn’t enough as Pittsburgh lost its seventh straight. The Pirates finished with just five hits, the 18th time this season they’ve had five hits or fewer.
Chicago has won 7 of 8.
REDS 5, ROCKIES 4: Joey Votto homered and hit a go-ahead, two-run single in his return to the lineup after a 10-month absence that followed surgery, helping host Cincinnati extend its longest winning streak in a decade to nine.
Cincinnati is on its longest winning streak since taking 10 in a row from July 19-29, 2012.
Colorado has lost six in a row and 12 of 15.
Returning 10 months to the day after surgery on his left biceps and rotator cuff, Votto was greeted with a standing ovation when he walked to the plate in the second inning. He took off his helmet and waved to the crowd, then tapped it against his heart before lining out to center.
He drove a first-pitch, belt-high fastball from Austin Gomber (4-7) about a dozen rows into the right-field seats for a 3-1 lead in the fifth. After circling the bases on his 343rd home run, Votto emerged from the Reds’ dugout for a curtain call, wearing the celebratory Viking helmet and cape that have followed Cincinnati long balls this season. He had not homered since last Aug. 6 against Milwaukee’s Jake McGee.
Votto’s two-run single to center off Jake Bird put the Reds ahead 5-4 in the sixth.
DIAMONDBACKS 9, BREWERS: Alek Thomas homered during a six-run first inning against Corbin Burnes, Merrill Kelly continued his road dominance and Arizona beat Milwaukee.
Kelly (9-3) moved into the NL lead for wins by striking out seven and allowing three hits and one run in seven innings. Kelly has produced five consecutive quality starts.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Kelly has gone 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in seven road starts.
After getting called up from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day, Thomas went 2 for 4 and scored twice. His two-run homer into the second deck of the right-field seats capped the Diamondbacks’ first-inning outburst against Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner.
Milwaukee’s loss and Cincinnati’s victory enabled the Reds to overtake the Brewers for the NL Central lead.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
TIGERS 6, ROYALS 4: Kerry Carpenter’s three-run homer capped a five-run seventh inning as Detroit rallied to beat visiting Kansas City.
NOTES
YANKEES: At the start of June, the Yankees made a decision to farm out one of their kids who’d been playing regular in the first two months, mostly in left field.
Oswaldo Cabrera had been slumping badly for weeks, so they optioned the switch-hitter to Triple-A.
Two days later, Cabrera was back before playing a game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a replacement for injured extra outfielder Greg Allen.
Since returning, Cabrera didn’t play much even though two more Yankees outfielders went on the injured list, center fielder Harrison Bader and right fielder Aaron Judge.
Cabrera’s reprieve ended late Sunday night.
After the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox in a day-night doubleheader, they made a couple roster moves before flying home for an off day. Reliever Greg Weissert, the Yankees’ 27th man for the DH, was returned to Triple-A along with Cabrera, who was optioned for the second time this season.
Cabrera got his first start in a week in the Yankees’ 4-1 Game 2 loss and was 0 for 4 with a strikeout, but his fate probably was sealed no matter what he did.
Bader is coming off the injured list on Tuesday, so somebody had to go and Cabrera was the obvious choice. The switch-hitting Venezuelan has options and three other outfielders who have been contributing more after starting the season in the minors do not — Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and Billy McKinney.
Also, going to Triple-A probably will help Cabrera, who has been one of many Yankees position players in a bad slump.
Cabrera was robbed out of a hit on Sunday when his second-inning liner was caught by leaping Red Sox shortstop Pablo Reyes, but his hitless night dropped his average to .190 with four homers, 18 RBI and a very poor .536 OPS in 60 games. In his last 24 games, 12 of them starts, Cabrera hit just .120 with six hits in 50 at-bats.
Cabrera started 37 of the Yankees’ first 47 games, but mostly has been a late-inning replacement of late. He homered in his first at-bat back two Saturdays ago at Dodger Stadium, then had just one hit in his other 13 prior to his option.
DIAMONDBACKS: Slumping utilityman Josh Rojas is heading to the minors.
The Diamondbacks optioned Rojas to Triple-A Reno after Sunday’s game with the Cleveland Guardians and recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from Reno.
Rojas, who turns 29 on June 30, was batting .235 with no homers and 26 RBI in 57 games while primarily playing third base. He had an OPS of .607, down from .739 in 2022 and .752 in 2021.
Since the start of May, Rojas has batted .188.
BLUE JAYS: Catcher Alejandro Kirk was put on the 10-day injured list by the Toronto Blue Jays because of a cut on his left hand.
Kirk was hit by a pitch in the second inning of Sunday’s 11-7 loss to Texas.
Kirk has three homers and 21 RBI in 59 games this season.
Catcher Tyler Heineman and right-hander Trent Thornton were recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. Right-hander Bowden Francis was optioned to the Bisons.
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