Wednesday's MLB: Baty HRs in 1st at-bat, Mets end Braves' 8-game win streak

Atlanta — Brett Baty homered his first time up in the big leagues, Starling Marte went deep twice and the New York Mets defeated the Braves 9-7 Wednesday night to snap Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak.

The NL East-leading Mets jumped to a 6-1 lead and barely made it stand up to push their advantage over the Braves back to 4 1/2 games.

Vaughn Grissom had a two-run single in the ninth, but Trevor May retired Ronald Acuña Jr. on a flyout to the warming track to end the game.

Baty, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, came up for the first time in the second with a runner aboard and the Mets ahead 2-0 on back-to-back homers in the first off Jake Odorizzi (4-5). Baty connected on a hanging curve on his very first swing in a New York uniform, becoming the fifth player in Mets history to homer in his first at-bat.

Atlanta knocked out nemesis Matt Scherzer (9-2) in the seventh without getting a ball out of the infield. He was charged with four runs over 6 1/3 innings, despite surrendering just three hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Former Detroit Tiger Robbie Grossman made a game of it, launching a three-run homer that brought the Braves within a single run. That was as close as they got. Pete Alonso’s two-run single highlighted a three-run ninth that provided some breathing room.

Jon Daniels out as Rangers president after 17 years leading club

Arlington, Texas — Jon Daniels was the general manager of the Texas Rangers for their only two World Series appearances more than a decade ago. His 17 years leading the club ended with a string of really bad seasons.

Daniels was relieved of his duties as president of baseball operations Wednesday, when team owner Ray Davis informed him that his contract wouldn’t be renewed at the end of this season. Davis said he had been contemplating the move for several months.

“Bottom line is we’re not good, and we haven’t been good for six years,” Davis said. “To be competitive going forward, I felt that we needed to make a change.”

The dismissal of Daniels came two days after manager Chris Woodward was fired in his fourth season. It also occurred less than nine months after the Rangers committed more than a half-billion dollars to free agent infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, and starting pitcher Jon Gray.

Daniels was the youngest GM ever in the majors when he got the job with the Rangers at age 28 in October 2005. He added the title of president of baseball operations in 2013, and held both roles until Chris Young was brought in as the team’s general manager in December 2020.

Young now assumes oversight of all aspects of the team’s baseball operations department. The former big league pitcher was a senior vice president for Major League Baseball before joining the Texas front office.

“I think Chris will come in with a new vigor and new enthusiasm and be able to build an organization that we can be consistent for many years,” Davis said.

Young was expected to speak to reporters on Thursday, and then go with the team on its trip to Minnesota this weekend to talk with players.

The Rangers went to the World Series in 2010 and 2011, then won AL West titles again in 2015 and 2016. They have since slipped into a rebuilding phase and the longest streak of consecutive losing seasons since moving to Texas a half-century ago.

After splitting their first two games under interim manager Tony Beasley, they would have to win 29 of their last 46 games to avoid another losing season.

Texas lost 102 games last year, after going 22-38 during the shortened 2020 season.

Addressing Woodward’s firing on Monday, Daniels said he took a lot of responsibility for the team’s performance over the last six years, and acknowledged that the Rangers haven’t been good enough in that span.

“But ultimately, this is a team effort. … When we were good, it wasn’t about me. It’s always been a team effort,” Daniels said. “We have a ways to go. We have a lot of good people here. As far as my personal accountability or situation, that’s something we’ll address down the line.”

That came Wednesday when Davis met with Daniels, whom the owner described as being surprised by the decision. Davis then spoke with Young to inform him of what was happening.

While Davis had already made up his mind on the bigger changes, he kept those plans to himself when Daniels and Young approached him Monday about the managerial change. The owner said he agreed on firing Woodward since Young was part of that decision.

“So I separated the two, and did Woody then and Jon now,” Davis said.

The 6-foot-10 Young is a Dallas native who played played baseball and basketball at Princeton. He pitched in 13 major league seasons with five teams. His big league debut was with the Rangers in 2004, and he won a World Series title with Kansas City in 2015.

Davis said he made the move now to give Young a head start on the offseason. The owner said the Rangers need a couple of front-end starters and a middle-of-the-lineup bat to go with last winter’s additions of Seager ($325 million, 10 years), Semien ($175 million, seven years) and Gray ($56 million, four years).

“I don’t plan on spending as much money as we did last offseason,” Davis said. “But we plan on spending some money.”

Trout plans to return in Detroit

Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout intends to return to the Angels' lineup on Friday in Detroit.

Trout hasn't played since July 12, missing the Angels' past 30 games with an injury to his upper back and ribcage. He faced live pitching Monday and worked out Wednesday, leaving him confident he will be able to play against the Tigers when the Angels open a 10-game trip.

“Ultimately, I want to be out there with the guys,” Trout said Wednesday before the Angels hosted the Mariners. “I miss it. I think with downtime, you come to the field, go home. It’s good to spend time with your son and your wife. That was good. But ultimately, you want to be out on the field. I’m excited. If everything goes well, hopefully I’ll be in there Friday.”

Trout earned an All-Star selection this summer while batting .270 with 24 homers and 51 RBIs in 79 games, but he has missed significant playing time — and the All-Star Game — due to injuries for the second straight season. The center fielder played only 36 games last season before he was sidelined for the year in mid-May by a calf strain.

After Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad said last month that Trout's current injury might be something he must monitor for the rest of his career, Trout rushed to assure fans that his career isn't over.

A return to the lineup underlines that commitment by Trout, who is in the fourth season of a 12-year, $426 million contract. He also said he plans to develop a workout plan to strengthen his back during another long offseason for the Angels.

Although his injury might benefit from some light days of action, Trout says he'll keep playing center field to allow AL MVP Shohei Ohtani to remain the Angels' designated hitter.

Girardi to join Cubs booth

Former Phillies manager Joe Girardi has joined Marquee Sports Network as a game analyst for the Cubs, one of his former teams.

Marquee said that Girardi will be in the booth with Jon Sciambi and former big league pitcher Jim Deshaies for this weekend’s series against Milwaukee. He also will work next month’s series at Miami.

“Growing up a Cubs fan and then having the chance to play for the team for a number of years, I’m honored to now have the opportunity to broadcast from the historic television broadcast booth,” Girardi said in a statement.

Marquee Sports Network is jointly owned by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The 57-year-old Girardi was the manager in Philadelphia before he was fired in June. He had a 132-141 record over three years with the Phillies.

Girardi also has managed the Marlins and New York Yankees. He skippered the Yankees to a 910-710 record in 10 seasons, including the franchise’s last World Series championship in 2009.

The Peoria, Illinois, native played college ball at Northwestern before he was selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft. The catcher made his big league debut with Chicago in 1989 and spent 15 years in the majors, finishing with a .267 batting average, 36 homers and 422 RBIs.

More MLB

(At) Toronto 6, Baltimore 1: George Springer broke a scoreless tie with a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning, and Toronto beat Baltimore behind a stellar effort by Ross Stripling.

Springer’s liner to center was career hit No. 1,000, and Toronto poured it on from there. Santiago Espinal followed Springer with a two-run double, and Alejandro Kirk capped the Blue Jays’ six-run seventh with another two-run double.

Toronto snapped a five-game losing streak against Baltimore and won for the third time in 11 games. It broke through against the Orioles’ bullpen after Stripling carried a perfect game into the seventh.

Stripling retired his first 18 batters before Cedric Mullins singled to center on the first pitch of the seventh. He matched a season high by striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings.

Yimi Garcia (2-4) got two outs for the win. Joey Krehbiel (4-4) was charged with the loss.

Seattle 11, (at) Los Angeles Angels 7: Cal Raleigh homered twice, Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker each hit a two-run shot, and Seattle completed a three-game sweep of Los Angeles.

Shohei Ohtani had a two-run homer, a triple, two singles and four RBIs for the Angels.

George Kirby (5-3) pitched six-hit ball into the sixth while getting ample run support in his third consecutive victory.

Spot starter Touki Toussaint (1-1) took the loss for Los Angeles.

(At) Minnesota 4, Kansas City 0: Emilio Pagán pitched two scoreless innings after Tyler Mahle departed with right shoulder fatigue, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.

Jose Miranda hit a two-run homer for Minnesota, which is fighting with Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox for control of the crowded AL Central.

After Mahle left in the third, Pagán (4-6), Griffin Jax, Jhoan Duran, Michael Fulmer and Trevor Megill finished Minnesota’s second straight shutout. A diving catch by center fielder Gilberto Celestino saved a run in the seventh.

Mahle is going to be further evaluated and the team is expected to provide an update later Wednesday or Thursday.

Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino each had two hits for Kansas City. Daniel Lynch (4-8) allowed four runs — three earned — in six innings.

San Diego 10, (at) Miami 3: Jake Cronenworth hit a grand slam in the first inning, Ha-Seong Kim also drove in four runs, and San Diego avoided a three-game sweep by Miami.

Cronenworth’s two-out blast against Pablo López (7-8) was his 12th homer this season and second career grand slam.

Adrían Morejón (2-0) relieved Padres starter Mike Clevinger in the fifth and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2, (at) Milwaukee 1: Tony Gonsolin pitched seven scoreless innings for his 15th victory, Austin Barnes and Max Muncy homered, and the Los Angeles beat Milwaukee.

Gonsolsin (15-1) matched the Astros’ Justin Verlander for the major league lead in wins. Craig Kimbrel allowed two baserunners in the ninth but escaped for his 21st save.

Milwaukee fell three games behind first-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

Eric Lauer (8-5) pitched seven solid innings for the Brewers, allowing four hits in seven innings, including the two homers.

Houston 3, (at) Chicago White Sox 2: Framber Valdez threw seven solid innings, Yordan Alvarez drove in a run and scored one, and Houston ended Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

The AL West-leading Astros hung on after blowing late leads in the first two games of the series. The White Sox trail AL Central-leading Cleveland by two games.

Valdez (12-4) gave up two runs and seven hits, struck out six and walked three. Ryan Pressly pitched the ninth for his 24th save in 28 chances.

Michael Kopech (4-9) took the loss, going six innings and allowing three runs and five hits. He struck out two.

(At) Cincinnati 1, Philadelphia 0: Jose Barrero hit a game-ending RBI single off Seranthony Domínguez with two out in the ninth inning, sending Cincinnati to the win.

Albert Almora Jr. helped set up Barrero’s winning hit with a one-out walk. Almora advanced to second on Alejo Lopez’s single and hustled home when Barrero hit a grounder back up the middle.

It was the first run allowed by Domínguez (6-4) since July 10. Alexis Díaz (4-1) got six outs for the win.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto announced after the win that he will have season-ending surgery Friday to repair a torn left rotator cuff. The 38-year-old Votto, a six-time All-Star and 2010 NL MVP, hit just .205 this year.

Chicago 3, (at) Washington 2:Yan Gomes hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, lifting the Cubs to the victory.

With two out and Franmil Reyes aboard after a leadoff double, Gomes hit a soft liner to right against Steve Cishek. Gomes played for the Nationals from 2019-21.

Erich Uelman (1-1) got two outs for his first major league win. Rowan Wick pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

P.J. Higgins homered for Chicago.

Lane Thomas hit two doubles for Washington, and rookie Joey Meneses extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Jake McGee (1-3) got the loss.

Boston 8, (at) Pittsburgh 3: Christian Arroyo had three hits and three RBIs, Alex Verdugo reached base five times and 42-year-old Rich Hill won for the first time in nearly two months in Boston's victory over Pittsburgh.

The Red Sox won for the fifth time in six games and got back to .500 at 59-59. Boston in four games behind Toronto in the race for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

Arroyo hit a two-run double and scored on Kike Hernandez’s sacrifice fly in the second inning as Boston went ahead for good 3-2. Arroyo also singled in a run in a three-run ninth that broke the gamer open.

Verdugo was 3 for 3 with two walks. Hill (5-5) allowed two runs on three hits in five innings for his first win since June 26. He struck out four and walked none.

Rookie Roansy Contreras (3-3) allowed four runs on six hits in six innings with four walks and three strikeouts.

(At) St. Louis 5, Colorado 1: Jordan Montgomery picked up his third win in as many starts with St. Louis, and Nolan Gorman drove in three runs in a victory over Colorado.

St. Louis won for the 12th time in 13 home games and beat Colorado for the 11th straight time at home while improving to a season-best 14 games over .500 at 65-51.

Colorado lost its fourth in a row and has dropped 18 of 26 since the All-Star break.

Montgomery (6-3), who was acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 2, gave up one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight.

Jose Iglesias had two hits for the Rockies, who have been held to one run or less six times since July 26. German Marquez (6-10) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings.

Oakland 7, (at) Texas 2: Sean Murphy had his second two-homer game and rookie Shea Langeliers hit his first major league home run in his second game with Oakland.

Murphy pulled a solo home run to left field in the first inning, launched an opposite-field, two-run shot in the third doubled and scored in the eighth inning. Langeliers, from nearby Keller, Texas, homered on an 0-2 pitch with one on during Oakland’s four-run eighth inning.

A’s rookie righthander Adam Oller (2-5) allowed one run — his fewest in 10 starts — on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Cole Ragans (0-2) gave up three runs on four hits and one walk in five innings while striking out three. It was Ragans’ third big league start.

The A’s, with the worst record in the American League, have won two consecutive games following a nine-game losing streak.