Mookie Betts crosses home plate in front of Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings after hitting a leadoff home run in the first inning Thursday in Pittsburgh. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Mookie Betts hit the 25th leadoff home run of his career and the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their dominance of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6-3 win on Thursday.
Betts sent the third pitch he saw from Mitch Keller (3-7) into the bullpen beyond the center-field fence for his sixth homer this season. Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner had two hits each and Zack McKinstry drove in two runs as Los Angeles won its 13th straight over the Pirates.
Phil Bickford picked up his first save when the game was called with one out in the top of the eighth inning after a rain delay of 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Julio Urías (9-2) became the first nine-game winner in the majors by working six innings to give Los Angeles’ overtaxed bullpen a little bit of a breather. Urías added a two-run single in the third off Keller after the Pirates intentionally walked catcher Austin Barnes to load the bases with two outs.
The victory gave the Dodgers their sixth series sweep this season. It also matched their longest winning streak ever against Pittsburgh. They took 13 consecutive games from the Pirates from May 4-July 20, 1952, when the franchise was in Brooklyn.
Betts saved a run when he made a brilliant play to throw out Pittsburgh’s Erik González at the plate in the second inning. The five-time Gold Glover tracked down a sinking line drive off the bat Ka’ai Tom in shallow right, then did a 360-degree spin before throwing home, where his one-hopper arrived just before González could slip his left hand under catcher Austin Barnes’ sweeping tag.
PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3: Jean Segura hit a two-run single high off the left-field fence in the 10th inning and Philadelphia rallied to beat visiting Atlanta.
Freedie Freeman hit a solo home run off closer Hector Neris with one out in the ninth to tie it, and the Braves scored two runs off José Alvarado (5-0) on a wild pitch and passed ball in the 10th.
But Alec Bohm’s RBI single off Chris Martin (0-2) in the bottom half cut it to 3-2. Odubel Herrera followed with a double down the left-field line. Segura then hit a drive to deep left-center. He slowly jogged around first and watched Herrera dive headfirst across the plate for the winning run before teammates mobbed Segura beyond second base.
The Phillies took two of three from the three-time defending NL East champions, including a walk-off win Wednesday night on Luke Williams’ first big league homer with two outs in the ninth.
Zack Wheeler struck out 12 in eight dominant innings and Segura hit an RBI double in the eighth to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead but Freeman’s 14th homer erased it. Herrera had a chance to rob Freeman but didn’t his jump was too far in front of the fence and the ball fell beyond his glove.
BREWERS 7, REDS 2: Jace Peterson drove in three runs, Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run homer and Milwaukee won at Cincinnati.
Peterson, promoted from Triple-A Nashville before at the start of the series, blooped a tiebreaking, two-run single in a three-run sixth and added an RBI double in the eighth as the Brewers won for the 11th time in 13 games.
Vogelbach homered in the seventh, his sixth this season and second in as many days.
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed just one run and two hits and struck out six through four innings but was pulled for a pinch hitter following a 37-minute rain delay.
Brent Suter (7-3) allowed one run over two innings.
Luis Castillo (2-9) gave up one hit in 5 2/3 innings and struck out seven. He left with a 2-1 lead after walking two batters in the sixth. Lucas Sims gave up Willy Adames’ run-scoring double and Peterson’s single.
Joey Votto tied the score 1-1 with a 400-foot homer leading off the second, his first home run since he was activated Tuesday after missing a month because of a broken thumb.
MARLINS 11, ROCKIES 4: Starling Marté had four hits, including a homer and double, and Miami won at home.
Adam Duvall and Jazz Chisholm also went deep for the Marlins, who had 16 hits.
TIGERS 8, MARINERS 3: Jonathan Schoop homered and Isaac Paredes hit a go-ahead single as Detroit took advantage of three errors to beat visiting Seattle.
Mitch Haniger put Seattle ahead against Tyler Alexander with the first of his two solo homers, but the Tigers rallied to take two of three from the Mariners, who have lost six of nine following a five-game winning streak.
NOTES
INDIANS: Cleveland traded first baseman Jake Bauers to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named or cash.
Bauers was given Cleveland’s starting job despite being outplayed by Bobby Bradley in training camp because he was out of minor league options. Bauers batted just .190 with six RBI in 43 games before the Indians designated him for assignment last weekend and recalled Bradley.
DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona fired hitting coach Darnell Coles and assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske with the team struggling to score runs during a brutal stretch in which it has lost 30 of 35 games.
The Diamondbacks named co-hitting coaches to replace them. Rick Short was promoted from Triple-A Reno and Drew Hedman was Arizona’s run production coordinator.
Arizona has a majors-worst 20-43 record and has lost a franchise record 19 straight road games.
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