Not even raccoon can slow Reds
Perhaps the only thing that could slow the Cincinnati Reds relievers in this five-game win streak was a raccoon in the bullpen on Sunday.
A raccoon at Dodger Stadium was found by a member of the cleaning crew in the visitor’s bullpen. Animal Control was called and by about 2½ hours before game time, an employee trapped the raccoon in a cage and took the critter away.
Many of the Reds players hadn’t arrived on their team bus from Pasadena while the raccoon wrapped himself around a bar in the bullpen.
Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto homered, and the last-place Cincinnati Reds beat Los Angeles 5-3 for their first four-game sweep of the Dodgers since the Big Red Machine accomplished the feat in August 1976.
Luis Castillo allowed three runs – two earned – and four hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. The defending NL champion Dodgers finished a 1-5 homestand and have lost seven of eight. At 16-23 they are fourth in the NL West, just one game ahead of San Diego.
San Diego 5, St. Louis 3: Clayton Richard matched his career high with 10 strikeouts in eight strong innings for his first win in more than a month, and the San Diego Padres beat struggling Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 to salvage a split of their four-game series.
Richard held the Cardinals to two runs and five hits while walking only one to win for the first time since April 9 at Colorado. Wainwright said he re-aggravated an elbow injury that had landed him on the disabled list.
Philadelphia 4, N.Y. Mets 2: New York’s Jacob deGrom lasted just one inning in his return from the disabled list, and pinch-hitter Nick Williams had a go-ahead, three-run homer off Paul Seward in the sixth inning that carried the Philadelphia Phillies over the Mets 4-2.
DeGrom needed 45 pitches to get through a scoreless and hitless first, which included 20 foul balls. New York said he was removed as a precaution because of the length of the inning and the 59-minute rain delay that preceded it.
Milwaukee 7, Colorado 3: Freddy Peralta took a no-bid into the sixth inning of his major league debut and set a Milwaukee rookie record with 13 strikeouts, leading the Brewers over the Colorado Rockies 7-3.
Atlanta 4, Miami 3: Sean Newcomb allowed no runs for the third start in a row and gave up only one hit in six innings to help the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 4-3.
N.Y. Yankees 6, Oakland 2: Giancarlo Stanton went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, sending Luis Severino and the New York Yankees to a 6-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics after a long rain delay.
Baltimore 17, Tampa Bay 1: Joey Rickard had his first big league multihomer game and drove in four runs following his recall from the minor leagues, and the Baltimore Orioles scored their most runs in three years in a 17-1 rout over the Tampa Bay Rays.
L.A. Angels 2, Minnesota 1: Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 while pitching three-hit ball into the seventh inning, and Zack Cozart got a walk-off RBI single in the Los Angeles Angels’ 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Boston 5, Toronto 3: J.D. Martinez homered and had three RBIs, Mookie Betts had two hits and made a sensational diving catch, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3.
Cleveland 11, Kansas City 2: Corey Kluber became the American League’s first six-game winner and the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 11-2.