Dansby Swanson hit three home runs and Michael Conforto hit two as the host Chicago Cubs hammered the San Diego Padres 23-3 on Wednesday.

The Cubs, who had not hit more than three homers in a game all season heading into the series, hit five on Tuesday in a 9-7 win and eight on Wednesday to sweep the series and win their fifth straight contest. Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch also homered for the Cubs, who tied a franchise record for long balls in a game.

Swanson, who had a career-high eight RBIs, has five homers in the past two games and nine home runs in his last 13 games. Colin Rea (6-5) was the beneficiary of all the Cubs’ power, giving up two runs and six hits in five innings.

The Padres lost their fifth straight game while sustaining the worst defeat in franchise history. They previously lost by 19 runs on three occasions (twice in 1969, once in 2005). Walker Buehler (5-4) gave up a career-high nine runs on seven hits in four innings.

Rays 4, Royals 0

Junior Caminero became the youngest player in major league history to homer in six consecutive games, socking a two-run shot in the first, and Shane McClanahan allowed three hits over six strong innings as visiting Tampa Bay beat Kansas City for its seventh straight win.

At 22 years, 361 days old, Caminero topped a mark set by then-23-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. with his ninth home run in the past eight games. Cedric Mullins added a solo shot and an RBI single while Taylor Walls had three hits for the Rays, who matched their longest winning streak of 2026. McClanahan (7-5) yielded three singles, did not walk a batter and struck out four.

The Royals have lost six of seven, including four straight against the Rays. Jac Caglianone had two of the Royals’ six hits. Seth Lugo gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings.

Twins 8, Astros 3

Josh Bell, Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall belted home runs while Taj Bradley matched his career high for strikeouts as visiting Minnesota claimed the rubber match of its three-game series against Houston.

Bell extended his career-best road hitting streak to 16 games with a two-run blast in the first inning before Clemens socked a three-run homer an inning later. Bradley (7-3) worked five innings and allowed four hits and one run. He fanned 11.

Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (5-4) allowed five runs on four hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings, marking his third start of fewer than two innings.

Orioles 6, White Sox 1

Dean Kremer pitched six strong innings in his return from the injured list, and Baltimore avoided a three-game sweep by defeating visiting Chicago.

Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras each homered as the Orioles made good use of seven hits to snap a four-game losing streak. Blaze Alexander had two hits, including a run-scoring triple. Kremer (1-1), who hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since April 18 as he recovered from a quadriceps injury, held the White Sox to one run on four hits.

Sam Antonacci homered for one of Chicago’s four hits. He also had a single, but the White Sox lost for just the third time in their last nine games. Starter Noah Schultz, also fresh off the injured list, went 4 1/3 innings and was charged with three runs on two hits.

Phillies 10, Pirates 6

Trea Turner homered for the third straight game as Philadelphia hammered Paul Skenes and the visiting Pirates.

Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm also hit home runs for the Phillies, who tagged Skenes (6-8) for eight runs, seven earned, in four innings. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner had never allowed more than five runs in any of his first 72 major league starts.

Jared Triolo drove in three runs, and Nick Gonzales had three hits and an RBI for the Pirates. Henry Davis homered in a losing effort.

Nationals 10, Red Sox 2

Andres Chaparro and Nasim Nunez hit their first home runs of the season and James Wood added a three-run shot as visiting Washington rolled past Boston.

Chaparro’s two-run shot in the first inning and Nunez’s fourth-inning solo shot were all that Washington needed to claim the series. Four Nationals had multi-hit games, while Wood, Chaparro and Luis Garcia Jr. each drove in multiple runs. Andrew Alvarez (2-1) allowed two hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Washington had a 13-9 hits advantage. Three Red Sox players had multi-hit games, but Boston pitchers issued a combined 10 walks.

Tigers 6, Yankees 2 (11 innings)

Zach McKinstry ripped a bases-loaded two-run single off Camilo Doval to highlight a four-run 11th inning for Detroit, which completed a three-game sweep with a victory at New York.

The Tigers completed their first road sweep of the Yankees since 2008 after Detroit reliever Drew Anderson blew a two-run lead in the ninth. Spencer Torkelson gave the Tigers the lead in the 11th by working a walk before McKinstry delivered on a 1-1 cutter from Doval (3-1).

The Yankees, who totaled seven hits, are on their first seven-game skid since losing nine straight from Aug. 12-22, 2023. New York fell to 4-10 in its past 14 meetings with the Tigers.

Blue Jays 9, Mets 3

Sean Keys hit a three-run blast for his first career major league home run and Toronto defeated visiting New York in the decisive match of the three-game series played on Canada Day.

The Blue Jays finished a disappointing 3-7 homestand. The Mets were outhit 12-5 to start 1-2 on their seven-game road trip.

Carson Benge hit a two-run homer for the Mets and Francisco Lindor had a solo shot. Starter Freddy Peralta allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings.

Braves 5, Cardinals 1

Ozzie Albies hit a home run and Atlanta pitchers retired the final 20 batters as the Braves beat visiting St. Louis.

Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak and evened the three-game series at one game apiece. Albies went 2-for-4, scored two runs and had two RBIs. Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez (4-1) threw five innings and allowed one run on two hits, all coming in the first inning.

St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy (3-7) tossed six innings and allowed two runs on three hits. The Cardinals’ offense managed just the two hits.

Guardians 9, Rangers 4

David Fry belted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run second inning, fueling host Cleveland to a victory over Texas.

Austin Hedges launched a two-run homer and Chase DeLauter had an RBI single among his three hits to help the Guardians salvage the finale of their three-game series. Joey Cantillo (7-3) allowed two runs on three hits in five innings to improve to 3-0 in his past four starts.

Elias Diaz launched a solo homer, Nicky Lopez ripped a two-run double and Ezequiel Duran collected three hits for the Rangers, who saw their six-game winning streak end. MacKenzie Gore (5-7) permitted five runs on seven hits in five innings.

Brewers 4, Reds 2

Garrett Mitchell capped a 4-for-4 game with a tiebreaking RBI triple in the seventh inning, leading host Milwaukee past Cincinnati.

Mitchell’s two-out triple into the left-center-field gap gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Mitchell then scored on a wild pitch from Brock Burke (3-4). Milwaukee reliever Aaron Ashby (12-1) increased his major-league-leading win total as he tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Trevor Megill pitched around a double in the ninth for his 12th save.

Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer for the Reds, who took their fourth loss in a row. Reds starter Andrew Abbott allowed two runs and five hits in five innings with five walks.

Rockies 6, Marlins 3

Mickey Moniak doubled, tripled and homered for Colorado in a win over Miami at Denver.

Hunter Goodman and Kyle Karros also homered for the Rockies, who had lost three in a row. Kyle Freeland (2-7) earned his first win since April 7 by limiting the Marlins to two runs and six hits over five innings.

Joe Mack hit an inside-the-park home run and Liam Hicks had two hits and scored a run for Miami, which had won two in a row and six of seven. Max Meyer’s bid to win his first 10 decisions this season was derailed by four unearned runs in the fourth. Meyer (9-1) allowed five runs (one earned) and six hits over six innings.

Giants 6, Diamondbacks 4

San Francisco finally broke through against Arizona, riding home runs from Heliot Ramos and Victor Bericoto to a victory in Phoenix.

Trevor McDonald (3-6) threw six shutout innings for the Giants, who had dropped their first eight matchups with the Diamondbacks this season. Caleb Kilian breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.

Despite seeing his run of four straight games with a homer end, Ketel Marte had an RBI double and a single for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen (3-8) permitted six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Athletics 7, Dodgers 1

Jonah Heim, Shea Langeliers and Alika Williams hit homers and J.T. Ginn pitched six solid innings to help the Athletics cruise past Los Angeles in West Sacramento, Calif.

Heim drove in two runs, and he, Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Henry Bolte each had two hits for the Athletics, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Ginn (7-4) gave up one run and three hits.

Freddie Freeman homered and Miguel Rojas had two hits for the Dodgers, who finished a 7-2 road trip. Los Angeles had just five hits after totaling 18 runs and 31 hits while winning the first two games of the three-game series. Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Trea Turner and the Philadelphia Phillies have scored 25 runs in their three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week.

The Phillies hope to author another strong offensive performance Thursday afternoon, when the Pirates visit for the finale of a four-game set.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the series opener on Monday before Pittsburgh rallied for an 11-7 victory. The Phillies took back the momentum with an 8-0 triumph on Tuesday, then carried over their good fortunes into a 10-6 victory on Wednesday.

The Phillies got Paul Skenes to surrender a career-high eight runs (seven earned) in four innings on Wednesday, with Turner and Brandon Marsh homering against the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. Turner has gone 2-for-5 with a homer in all three games of the series.

“I feel like the last three or four weeks have been pretty solid,” Turner said. “I know how good I am. I know how good I can be, focusing on the last three weeks and getting back to two-strike hitting and scoring runs. I feel like I’ve scored runs at a really good clip because the guys behind me are playing so well. But that’s my job, to score runs, so I feel like the last few weeks have been really good.”

Alec Bohm also homered for Philadelphia, which has won seven of its past nine games.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, received three RBIs from Jared Triolo and a homer from Henry Davis but still lost for the fourth time in six games.

“I thought our approach was awesome off (Zack Wheeler),” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of the Philadelphia starter, who struck out 10 in 4 2/3 innings but also allowed four runs on nine hits. “To go 4 2/3 and get him over 100 pitches and find a way to score — we just need to find a way to keep them down and continue to hit like that.”

The Pirates will try to bounce back behind Jared Jones (1-1, 5.76 ERA), who has yet to work more than five innings in any of his first six starts this season. He lasted 4 2/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, allowing four runs (three earned) in a no-decision.

“Not in a good spot,” Jones said, assessing his season. “I have a five and a half ERA through six starts and giving up homers. Not in a good spot at all.”

Jones made one start against the Phillies two seasons ago and allowed three runs while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings during a defeat.

He will be opposed by Alan Rangel (0-1, 4.50 ERA), who will be making the first start of his major league career. The 28-year-old has made eight relief appearances over the last two seasons, although several of those were essentially starts where the team used an opener.

Rangel gave up four runs in four innings on Saturday during a 6-2 loss to the New York Mets.

“I felt like he kind of had those guys off-balance,” interim manager Don Mattingly said of Rangel. “Even that (four-run sixth) inning … nothing really scorched or anything. So I thought he was good.”

Rangel faced the Pirates in his major league debut last year, allowing two runs in three innings.

Philadelphia is 5-1 against Pittsburgh in the season series, which ends Thursday.

–Field Level Media

Everything points to the Thursday afternoon game between the Cincinnati Reds and the host Milwaukee Brewers being a miserable contest for hitters.

That’s because the contest features a pitching matchup of the major league’s ERA and strikeout leader, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (9-3, 1.45 ERA), and the Reds’ ace, Chase Burns (9-1, 2.36).

“It’s gonna be fun. He’s good,” Burns said. “He’s so good. I’m pumped about it.”

Misiorowski has 146 strikeouts in 99 innings. Burns is tied for fourth in the NL in wins, along with Misiorowski and three others. Burns has 112 strikeouts, tied for seventh in the league, in 91 2/3 innings.

In addition to his spectacular stats, Misiorowski made more news in his last start, a 6-2 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Friday in which he allowed a run on two hits in six innings with four walks and eight strikeouts. He unleashed a 105.5 mph pitch to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first inning.

It was the third-fastest pitch since tracking became official in 2008. Only Aroldis Chapman, who threw a 105.8 mph pitch in 2011 and a 105.7 mph offering in 2016, has thrown faster pitches. Misiorowski tied a 105.5 mph delivery from Ben Joyce in 2024.

“I think I slipped a little bit,” Misiorowski joked about the pitch after the game. “I think I’ve got a little more.”

He can hope the heat will faze the Reds, who have done well against him in his two appearances (one start). On Aug. 15, 2025, the Reds tagged him for five runs on four hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. He then faced Cincinnati in relief on Sept. 27, and he yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Misiorowski fanned three in each of those contests.

Burns got a no-decision in his latest outing, when the Reds defeated the host Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 on Saturday. He was uncharacteristically knocked around to the tune of five runs and nine hits in six innings, though he did not walk a batter and struck out 10.

Burns’ lone appearance against the Brewers came in relief last Sept. 28. He didn’t allow a run or a hit in 1 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out four.

The Brewers will be going for a sweep of the four-game series on Thursday after earning a 4-2 win on Wednesday.

Garrett Mitchell is 6-for-8 in the past two games after going 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run on Wednesday. He produced the game-winning RBI, as his two-out triple in the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie.

Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby (12-1) boosted his major-league-leading victory total after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Reds have lost four in a row.

Cincinnati catcher Tyler Stephenson, who went 2-for-4 with a run on Wednesday, is 7-for-15 in his past four games. He scored ahead of Noelvi Marte’s fifth home run in the second inning.

Cincinnati’s Matt McLain started in center field for the first time in his three-season major league career on Wednesday. He appeared at the position for the first time on Tuesday after entering as an eighth-inning pinch hitter. McLain previously had seen action in the field only at second base and shortstop.

–Field Level Media