Major leagues:
Yan Gomes hit a game-ending single in the ninth inning, Erick Fedde extended his scoreless streak to 20 innings and the Washington Nationals two-hit the first-place New York Mets in a 1-0 victory Friday night.
Juan Soto opened the ninth with a walk and moved to third on Ryan Zimmerman’s single to right. Gomes then singled to left to beat Edwin Díaz (1-2).
Brad Hand (4-2) pitched the ninth to close out Washington’s gem. The Nationals have won a season-high five straight.
Fedde pitched seven dominant innings, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out six. His last out was Tomás Nido’s grounder to third, and the typically stoic Fedde yelled and flexed his arms on his way off the field.
Atlanta 9, St. Louis 1: Ozzie Albies and William Contreras homered off Carlos Martínez in a four-run second inning, Max Fried allowed two hits in seven innings, and the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-1.
Contreras’ seventh homer, a solo shot to left, made it 2-1, and Ronald Acuña Jr. kept the inning alive by walking, stealing second base and scoring on Freddie Freeman’s single. Albies, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, followed with his 10th homer, a two-run shot to right that put Atlanta up 5-1.
The three-time defending NL East champion Braves, who began the night 6½ games back in the division, have won two straight after losing six of seven. St. Louis, which began the night four games back in the NL Central, has dropped five straight and eight of nine on the road.
American League
Baltimore 7, Toronto 1: Cedric Mullins homered twice and Thomas Eshelman pitched effectively into the fifth inning to help the Baltimore Orioles snap their eight-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mullins had three hits, including a homer to lead off the bottom of the first and a three-run shot that capped a five-run eighth for Baltimore. Eshelman, called up from the minors to make this start when the Orioles put Bruce Zimmermann on the injured list, held the powerful Blue Jays without a hit until Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered in the fifth.
Eshelman allowed three hits in 4 2/3 innings before being relieved by Tyler Wells (2-0). The Baltimore bullpen did not allow a hit until Cavan Biggio singled with two outs in the ninth.
Ohtani to be in HR Derby: Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Denver’s Coors Field on July 12.
The Los Angeles Angels star will be the first Japanese-born player in the derby, held the night before the All-Star Game.
“I always wanted to see a Japanese player participate in the derby and it happens to be me, so it’s really exciting for me,” he said through a translator on Friday.
Some players have gone into slumps after hitting in the derby, finding their swings get out of whack.
“Obviously, I’ve never experienced this, so I can’t really tell you how it’s going to effect me in the second half of the season, so I’m just going to just do it and see how it goes,” he said.
Ohtani said Angels bullpen catcher Jason Brown will pitch to him.
The 26-year-old outfielder, designated hitter and pitcher has 19 home runs, three behind major league leaders Fernando Tatis Jr. of San Diego and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto. Ohtani is hitting .270 with 47 RBIs, and he is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts.
Ohtani won Japan’s home run derby in 2016, when he also was MVP of the second of Japan’s two All-Star Games.
O’s Zimmerman to IL: The Baltimore Orioles put left-hander Bruce Zimmermann on the 10-day injured list with left bicep tendinitis.
Zimmermann was supposed to be Baltimore’s starter Friday night against Toronto, but the Orioles instead will go with right-hander Thomas Eshelman. They selected Eshelman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.
Baltimore also designated catcher Chance Sisco for assignment.