Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Ohtani (3-0) threw 102 pitches, walked two and gave up two hits — a leadoff single by Edward Olivares in the third inning and a one-out single to Vinny Pasquantino in the fourth. He lowered his ERA to 0.64.

The Angels didn’t muster much offense against four Kansas City pitchers, totaling six hits. But one of those hits was a two-run homer by catcher Chad Wallach in the third inning off Royals reliever Ryan Yarbrough (0-2).

Wallach, the son of former major leaguer Tim Wallach, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to replace the injured Logan O’Hoppe. Ohtani also had a hit, a single in the eighth inning, going 1 for 4.

Ohtani struck out the side in the first inning, and he finished his outing on quite a roll. After he walked Nicky Lopez to lead off the sixth inning, Ohtani struck out the next six hitters he faced.

The Royals’ biggest threat against Ohtani came in the fourth inning when they had runners on first and second with one out after a walk to MJ Melendez and a single by Pasquantino. Ohtani, though, got Salvador Perez to ground into an inning-ending double play, one of two double plays the Angels infield turned behind Ohtani.

Ohtani extended a streak to 76 innings in which he hasn’t allowed a home run, going back to last Aug. 21, the longest active streak in the majors.

Two Angels relievers finished off the shutout, getting a perfect eighth inning from Carlos Estevez and a scoreless ninth from Jose Quijada (fourth save).
Angels center fielder Mike Trout got the night off, Luis Rengifo starting in center field.

–Field Level Media

Alex Verdugo had a two-run homer and Nick Pivetta pitched effectively into the sixth inning to pace the visiting Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

Pivetta (1-1) allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven with one walk. Josh Winckowski followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, fanning four, and Kenley Jansen finished with a perfect ninth, including two more strikeouts, for his fifth save.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five with two costly walks.

Boston converted those walks into two runs in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Peralta was within a strike of finishing a 1-2-3 inning before walking Enrique Hernandez and Triston Casas. Hoby Milner relieved and pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder punched the tying-RBI single to right, sending Casas to third.

Jarren Duran then lined an RBI single off the glove of third baseman Owen Miller, who knocked the drive down, but had no play.

The Red Sox made it 5-3 in the seventh when Justin Turner walked with two outs and Masataka Yoshida doubled to left center.

Milwaukee had gone up 3-2 with two runs in the fourth. Rowdy Tellez tied the game with his sixth homer, a one-out line drive to right. William Contreras followed with a double and scored on Brice Turang’s single to right, sliding around the tag attempt at home.

Verdugo staked the Red Sox to a 2-0 lead in the third with his third homer. Duran singled to open the inning and advanced on a sacrifice. Verdugo then jerked a 2-1 pitch 366 feet down the right-field line.

Miller hustled up a run in the bottom half to make it 2-1. Miller singled with one out, stole second, and came home on Christian Yelich’s single to left.

–Field Level Media

Joey Meneses homered in the seventh inning and the Washington Nationals produced rare offense late in the game with a two-run rally in the eighth to squeak past the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Friday night in cold Minneapolis.

The Nationals’ late two-out rally gave them their first lead all night. They won for just the second time in their last eight games. The Twins have dropped five of their last six.

Erasmo Ramirez (1-1) was the winning pitcher in relief. Hunter Harvey, who struck out the side in the eighth, and Kyle Finnegan, who notched his fourth save, also each logged a shutout inning.

Minnesota starting pitcher Tyler Mahle was unscathed through six innings before surrendering the home run to Meneses. That was one of three hits he allowed in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

Washington had been shut out in its past two games — blankings by visiting Baltimore on Tuesday and Wednesday nights — and the team was off Monday and Thursday.

So the Nationals hadn’t scored since Sunday when Meneses’ seventh-inning homer cut their deficit to 2-1. It was his first homer of the season, coming in his 18th game.

Washington went ahead in the eighth, tying the game on Lane Thomas’ single. Thomas, who went to second on the throw to the plate on a failed attempt to nab CJ Abrams, scored on Keibert Ruiz’s single. Abrams ignited the rally with a double.

Griffin Jax (1-2) took the loss.

The Twins opened the scoring on Joey Gallo’s fifth home run of the year to lead off the third inning. They added another run in the inning on Max Kepler’s sacrifice fly.

But Nationals starter Trevor Williams made it through six innings, holding the Twins to two runs, four hits and one walk.

–Field Level Media

Pinch hitter Jordan Diaz made his first major league home run a memorable one, belting a tiebreaking solo shot with one out in the ninth inning to give the Oakland Athletics a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

Tony Kemp added a solo homer for Oakland, which snapped a seven-game losing streak. Zach Jackson (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Jeurys Familia worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth for his first save.

The Athletics ended the Rangers’ four-game winning streak and won for just the fourth time in their first 20 games.

Jose Leclerc retired leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz in the ninth before Texas manager Bruce Bochy called on Will Smith (0-1) to face Diaz, who deposited a 1-2 slider over the left field fence.

Jonah Heim hit a three-run homer for the Rangers, who had two on with no outs in the eighth before Jackson retired the next three batters in order to end the threat.

Texas jumped to an early lead with four runs in the first inning against Oakland starter JP Sears. After Adolis Garcia singled home a run with one out, Josh Jung struck out before Heim delivered his blast to left-center.

Sears settled in and struck out a career-high 11 batters with two walks over six innings. He allowed four runs on five hits while throwing 101 pitches.

Oakland pushed a run across in the fourth inning against Jon Gray when Brent Rooker drew a one-out walk, moved to third on Jace Peterson’s single and scored on a fielder’s-choice grounder by Aledmys Diaz.

The Athletics pulled within 4-3 by scoring twice in the fifth inning. After Kemp snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a leadoff homer, Kevin Smith reached second base on Jung’s throwing error and was sacrificed to third before scoring on a wild pitch.

Gray was replaced by Jonathan Hernandez with two runners on and one out in the sixth. Hernandez struck out Smith before Ruiz singled, scoring Conner Capel from second.

Gray gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

Yordan Alvarez’s two-run home run in the ninth inning completed the comeback for the Houston Astros, opening their weekend road series against the Atlanta Braves with a 6-4 win on Friday.

Alvarez’s game-winning home run – his fifth round-tripper of the season – came on a full count with two outs in the top of the ninth, driving in Mauricio Dubon.

Dubon got aboard with a single, completing a 3-for-5 night for the Houston second baseman, then advanced to second when Atlanta reliever A.J. Minter was called for a balk.

Ryan Pressly came on to sew up the win, recording a strikeout in his first save of the season in the Astros’ third win in four games. His ninth inning capped eight straight scoreless innings for the Astros, including a clean inning from Hector Neris (1-1), who picked up the win after striking out two and retiring the Braves in order in the eighth.

Both teams got on the scoreboard in the first inning, kicking off when Houston’s Alex Bregman drove in Dubon with a double after Dubon reached on an Austin Riley throwing error.

Atlanta, which has lost two straight following an eight-game winning streak, responded in its half of the first with four runs off Houston starter Hunter Brown. Riley drove in Ronald Acuna Jr. after both doubled. Ozzie Albies followed with a two-run double, plating both Riley and Sean Murphy, who drew a walk.

Vaughn Grissom capped the big opening inning with a single to score Albies, and the Braves sat on the resulting 4-1 lead until the seventh. Brown went 4 2/3 innings, keeping Atlanta off the board after the four-run first. He allowed seven hits and two walks and struck out seven.

Bryce Elder went six innings, giving up only one run on five hits and struck out six, but did not get the decision thanks to a huge top half of the seventh for Houston. Minter (1-1) took the loss.

Following a leadoff Corey Julks walk, Yainer Diaz sent him home on a double that turned into three bases on a Acuna fielding error.

Jake Meyers drove Diaz in with a single on the next at-bat, then Dubon sent Meyers home on a double to center to even the game. Jesse Chavez was responsible for all three runs and was pulled before recording an out.

–Field Level Media

Adam Frazier brought home the game-winning run on a ninth-inning fielder’s choice as the Baltimore Orioles eked out a 2-1 win over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

Ryan Mountcastle scored the game-winning run and Austin Hays had a solo homer for Baltimore, which has won eight of its last 10 games. Tyler Wells tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out five. Felix Baustista (1-2) got the win after blowing the save.

Javy Baez snapped the Orioles’ 34-inning scoreless streak with a ninth-inning RBI single.

Tigers starter Michael Lorenzen gave up three hits and a walk and struck out four in five innings.

Neither team had a baserunner get past first until the bottom of the fourth. Cedric Mullins drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a balk. He never got closer to scoring as Lorenzen struck out Adley Rutschman and got the next two batters to fly out.

Gunnar Henderson whacked a two-out double to right-center in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lorenzen left him at second by striking out Ramon Urias.

Mullins slashed a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth against Chasen Shreve. Mullins moved to third on a Rutschman groundout. Mountcastle then flied out to right.

Hays broke the deadlock with two outs in the seventh. He drilled a fastball from Jose Cisnero over the center-field wall for his fourth homer this season.

Pinch hitter Akil Baddoo led off the ninth with a single to right. Baddoo stole second before Bautista struck out Nick Maton. Riley Greene then bounced out before Baez ripped a single to left to bring in Baddoo and tie the score. Baez also stole second but was left stranded when Kerry Carpenter flied out.

Jason Foley (0-1) entered in relief with one out in the ninth. Mountcastle greeted him with a single and advanced to third on Anthony Santander’s base hit.
Frazier then hit a bouncer to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, and Mountcastle beat the throw home.

–Field Level Media

Edmundo Sosa hit the go-ahead single in the eighth inning and the host Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

Kyle Schwarber had two hits, including a solo home run, and Jake Cave added an RBI single for the Phillies.

Philadelphia leveled the four-game series at one victory apiece by winning for the fourth time in six games. Colorado had snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over the Phillies on Thursday.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola tossed a season-high seven innings and allowed four hits and three runs with three strikeouts and three walks.

Seranthony Dominguez (1-1) earned the win in relief, and Jose Alvarado tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save in four chances. Sosa made a stellar catch for the second out on C.J. Cron’s sharp line drive to third.

Ryan McMahon hit a three-run home run for the Rockies, who managed only four hits.

Rockies starter Noah Davis gave up six hits and two runs, one earned, with five strikeouts and no walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Brad Hand (0-1), who surrendered the single to Sosa, took the loss.

J.T. Realmuto doubled off Hand to open the bottom of the eighth. Realmuto stole third and scored on Sosa’s RBI single to left for a 4-3 lead. Colorado left fielder Jurickson Profar nearly caught the ball and managed to trap it.

Sosa was playing for the first time since April 15, having recovered from a back ailment.

The Rockies went ahead 3-0 in the first inning when McMahon blasted a three-run home run to center field, his fourth long ball of the year.

Rockies manager Bud Black was ejected by plate umpire Alex Tosi in the fourth after Realmuto appeared to be hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Rockies had already used their challenge and it was unclear whether Realmuto was grazed on the elbow.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies closed within 3-2 when Davis was called for a balk to force in a run and Cave added an RBI infield single.

Nola retired the side in order on just 10 pitches in the seventh before exiting.

Schwarber launched a solo homer to right off Dinelson Lamet in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 3.

–Field Level Media