Sunday MLB Roundup: Phillies Stage Stunning Rally, Cubs Erupt for 19 Runs
Schwarber completes six-run ninth, Tatis powers Padres and Athletics overcome six-run deficit
Sunday’s Major League Baseball schedule featured dramatic comebacks at both ends of the country, a pair of dominant pitching performances in Southern California and one of the season’s biggest offensive explosions in Seattle.
Philadelphia erased a four-run deficit in the ninth inning to extend its winning streak, the Athletics overcame an early six-run hole in Houston and the Cubs scored 19 runs behind two grand slams. Here is a newspaper-style recap of all 15 games played Sunday, Aug. 23.
Rays 3, Orioles 1
Nick Martinez carried a one-hit shutout through six innings as Tampa Bay avoided a three-game sweep in Baltimore. Martinez struck out four without issuing a walk and improved to 13-4. The Rays broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the sixth, providing enough support for a pitching staff that limited the Orioles to two hits. Baltimore scored its only run in the ninth, but Baker stopped the rally and collected his 37th save.
Star of the Game: Nick Martinez, Rays — 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB.
Phillies 6, Cardinals 4
Philadelphia produced a remarkable six-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to win its ninth consecutive game. St. Louis entered the inning with a 4-0 lead before the Phillies finally broke through against the Cardinals’ bullpen. Edmundo Sosa delivered a three-run double during the rally, and Kyle Schwarber finished the comeback with a walk-off home run. Philadelphia collected all six of its runs in the final inning after managing only three hits through the first eight.
Star of the Game: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies — Walk-off home run to complete a six-run ninth inning.
Yankees 8, Blue Jays 3
New York scored three times in the sixth, twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to pull away from Toronto. Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered, drove in two runs and scored twice as the Yankees finished with 11 hits. Paul Blackburn earned the victory, improving to 5-2 with a 1.73 ERA. Toronto scored individual runs in the third, fourth and eighth but could not match New York’s late offensive surge. The victory kept the Yankees three games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Star of the Game: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees — Home run, two RBIs and two runs.
Marlins 6, Nationals 2
Miami completed a three-game sweep by scoring twice in both the fifth and sixth innings. Joe Mack delivered a two-run double, helping the Marlins build an advantage Washington could not overcome. The Nationals managed only five hits and scored single runs in the fourth and sixth. Zach Petersen earned the victory in relief as Miami used an aggressive bullpen strategy to finish the series. The Marlins won their third straight and remained firmly involved in the National League wild-card race. MLB highlights
Star of the Game: Joe Mack, Marlins — Two-run double in Miami’s series-clinching victory.
Royals 11, Tigers 7
Kansas City completed an undefeated seven-game homestand and extended its overall winning streak to eight games. Nick Loftin went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs, two runs and a walk. The Royals scored five times in the second inning and four more in the fifth, answering Detroit’s six-run fifth-inning rally. Kansas City finished with 12 hits, while Detroit’s pitching staff could not protect an early one-run lead or maintain momentum following its comeback.
Star of the Game: Nick Loftin, Royals — Three hits, a homer and four RBIs.
Athletics 7, Astros 6
The Athletics erased a six-run deficit by scoring six times in the fifth inning, then added the go-ahead run in the seventh. Brian Serven hit a three-run homer during the comeback as the Athletics stunned the AL West-leading Astros for the second consecutive day. Houston scored three runs in the first, one in the second and two in the fourth before its pitching staff unraveled. Perkins earned the victory, and Hogan Harris recorded his 13th save.
Star of the Game: Brian Serven, Athletics — Three-run homer during the six-run fifth inning.
White Sox 2, Mets 1
Tristan Peters hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth as Chicago won a tense pitchers’ duel. The teams entered the eighth inning scoreless before the White Sox took a 1-0 lead. New York answered in the top of the ninth, but Peters ended the game in the bottom half. He finished with two of Chicago’s five hits. Grant Taylor earned the victory, while Mets pitcher Kodai Senga fell to 0-9 despite New York limiting Chicago’s offense for most of the afternoon.
Star of the Game: Tristan Peters, White Sox — Two hits, including the walk-off home run.
Rangers 5, Angels 3
Cal Quantrill threw six scoreless innings as Texas moved into a first-place tie with Houston in the AL West. Quantrill allowed six hits, struck out six and did not issue a walk. The Rangers scored three times in the second and twice in the fifth to build a 5-0 lead. Los Angeles rallied for three runs in the eighth but could get no closer. Jake Latz handled the ninth for his 26th save as Texas improved to 65-66.
Star of the Game: Cal Quantrill, Rangers — Six scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Guardians 7, Rockies 2
Chase DeLauter recorded two triples, a single, two RBIs and a walk as Cleveland completed a three-game sweep at Coors Field. The Guardians scored three times in the first and twice in the second, knocking Colorado starter Tomoyuki Sugano out after only two innings. Foster Griffin allowed two runs over five innings and earned his 15th victory. Cleveland extended its winning streak to four games and remained tied with Texas for the final AL wild-card position. Reuters recap
Star of the Game: Chase DeLauter, Guardians — Three hits, two triples and two RBIs.
Red Sox 5, Giants 4
Boston erased an early three-run deficit and completed a three-game sweep at Fenway Park. San Francisco scored three times in the first and added another run in the seventh, but the Red Sox responded with single runs in the second and third before moving ahead with three in the fourth. Bennett earned his eighth victory, and Aroldis Chapman secured his 29th save. Boston collected 11 hits and extended its winning streak to three games.
Star of the Game: Boston’s offense — Eleven hits and five unanswered runs after falling behind 3-0.
Dodgers 4, Pirates 0
Blake Snell dominated Pittsburgh as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep and earned its sixth consecutive victory. Snell led a pitching staff that held the Pirates to two hits and no runs. The Dodgers scored in the first, twice in the fourth and once in the fifth, providing more than enough support. Los Angeles allowed Pittsburgh only two baserunners by hit and finished the weekend having won all three games despite trailing during portions of the first two contests.
Star of the Game: Blake Snell, Dodgers — Led a two-hit shutout.
Cubs 19, Mariners 2
Chicago hit two grand slams and scored nine runs in the eighth inning during the day’s most lopsided victory. Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez each cleared the bases, while Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Conforto also homered. The Cubs scored five times in the third before turning the game into a rout with nine in the eighth and three in the ninth. Chicago collected 17 hits and snapped a three-game losing streak. Randy Arozarena homered again for Seattle in the loss. Reuters roundup
Star of the Game: Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez, Cubs — One grand slam apiece.
Padres 8, Twins 1
Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs as San Diego completed a three-game sweep. Minnesota tied the game on Brooks Lee’s fifth-inning homer, but the Padres answered with four runs in the sixth and three more over the next two innings. Jackson Merrill also homered for San Diego. Walker Buehler allowed one run on four hits over six innings without issuing a walk. The victory was the Padres’ 21st in their last 28 games. Reuters recap
Star of the Game: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres — Four hits, two homers and four RBIs.
Diamondbacks 5, Reds 3
Arizona erased a 3-0 deficit by scoring once in the sixth and four times in the seventh. Cincinnati had produced all three of its runs in the third, but the Reds were held scoreless over the final six innings. Jonathan Loáisiga earned the victory in relief, and Kevin Ginkel recorded his second save. Both clubs finished with eight hits, although Arizona capitalized on its best opportunity during the decisive seventh-inning rally.
Star of the Game: Arizona’s bullpen — Six scoreless innings after Cincinnati’s three-run third.
Braves 4, Brewers 2
Atlanta snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating Milwaukee in the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Tyler Mahle allowed one run over five-plus innings, lowering his ERA to 1.52 in four starts since joining the Braves. Also, Mauricio Dubón and Sean Murphy delivered run-scoring hits, while Michael Harris II added his 21st homer in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias recorded the final four outs for his 27th save. Reuters recap
Star of the Game: Tyler Mahle, Braves — Five-plus innings of one-run baseball.
Full MLB Standings
Standings through games played Sunday, Aug. 23. Records were verified using MLB’s official standings.
American League
East
- Tampa Bay Rays — 77-53
- New York Yankees — 74-56
- Boston Red Sox — 71-59
- Toronto Blue Jays — 64-68
- Baltimore Orioles — 63-68
Central
- Chicago White Sox — 68-62
- Cleveland Guardians — 65-66
- Minnesota Twins — 63-68
- Detroit Tigers — 61-69
- Kansas City Royals — 58-74
West
- Houston Astros — 65-66
- Texas Rangers — 65-66
- Seattle Mariners — 62-69
- Los Angeles Angels — 52-79
- Athletics — 51-80
National League
East
- Atlanta Braves — 76-55
- Philadelphia Phillies — 73-58
- Miami Marlins — 67-64
- Washington Nationals — 61-71
- New York Mets — 59-72
Central
- Milwaukee Brewers — 81-50
- Chicago Cubs — 75-56
- St. Louis Cardinals — 66-66
- Pittsburgh Pirates — 63-69
- Cincinnati Reds — 62-69
West
- Los Angeles Dodgers — 80-51
- San Diego Padres — 71-60
- Arizona Diamondbacks — 69-62
- San Francisco Giants — 52-78
- Colorado Rockies — 50-80
Scores, pitching decisions and inning-by-inning results were verified using the official MLB scoreboard for Aug. 23.
