Rafu Wire and Staff Reports
Lars Nootbaar broke up a no-hitter in the sixth with an opposite field home run and scored twice, as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Atlanta Braves, 6-3.
Shohei Ohtani hit his first homer in 10 games as the visiting Los Angeles Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 to complete a three-game series sweep on Sunday.
Ohtani had a two-run homer in the seventh among his three hits, and Mike Trout, Kurt Suzuki and Luis Rengifo also homered to highlight the Angels’ 13-hit offense.
With two more, Ohtani, who hit 46 homers last season, will become the first Japan-born MLB player to have back-to-back 30-homer seasons.
Yusei Kikuchi worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the ninth inning as the last of the Blue Jays pitchers to take the mound, striking out the only batter he faced.
At American Family Field, Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and two walks as the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen blowup in the middle innings resulted in a 9-7 loss to the
Milwaukee Brewers. Keston Hiura had a hit and an RBI for the Brewers.
At Fenway Park, Hirokazu Sawamura allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in the sixth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays scored at least one run in five straight innings on their way to a 12-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Sawamura was designated for assignment after the game, according to major league sources. The 34-year-old has posted a 3.73 ERA over 49 relief outings this year but will now lose his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster.