WASHINGTON — Jacob deGrom dazzled in his first major league start in more than a year, allowing one run on three hits and striking out six in five innings before a bullpen meltdown cost the New York Mets in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Sidelined for the second half of last season by an elbow injury and shut down late in spring training because of a stress reaction in his right scapula, deGrom got a standing ovation from a crowd full of Mets fans prior to his first game back in almost 13 months. Serenaded with applause when he delivered a 99 mph fastball on his first meaningful pitch since July 7, 2021, deGrom threw 46 of 59 for strikes before coming out of the game around the time the team planned for. He averaged 99.7 mph on 31 fastballs, throwing 13 in triple digits and topping out at 101.6 mph.

The 34-year-old two-time NL Cy Young Award winner got all but one of his strikeouts swinging and was much sharper than his final rehab start in the minors last week when he allowed four runs in four innings on 67 pitches. He left with a no-decision after Francisco Lindor homered for the NL East leaders in the sixth.

Mets reliever Stephen Nogosek (0-1) took the loss after allowing a two-run homer to Luis Garcia and a solo shot to Yadiel Hernandez in the sixth. Yoan López also gave up a homer in the seventh, when he got big help from center fielder Brandon Nimmo on a diving catch to end the inning.

REDS 2, MARLINS 1: Graham Ashcraft allowed one unearned run in a career high 8 1/3 innings and Cincinnati won in Miami.

The 24-year-old Ashcraft (5-2) scattered five hits and struck out three. He was lifted after Jesús Aguilar’s one-out double in the ninth. Alexis Díaz relieved and retired the next two batters for his fourth save.

The Reds had only three hits against four Marlins pitchers, but Aristides Aquino’s two-run single in the first was enough.

PADRES 13, ROCKIES 5: San Diego rallied to beat Colorado in the first game of a doubleheader in San Diego, hours after obtaining superstar Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals in one of the biggest trades in baseball history.

The trade was announced a few minutes before first pitch. The crowd of 23,828 at Petco Park applauded loudly when an image of Soto and Josh Bell, who also came from the Nats, was shown on the video board early in the game.

An offense that will benefit greatly from the addition of Soto, a generational talent who is only 23, came to life after the Padres fell behind 3-0. Jurickson Profar had a career-high five hits and drove in two runs, Kim Ha-seong had a career-high four hits and two RBIs, and Jake Cronenworth added a two-run homer.

PIRATES 5, BREWERS 3: Rookie Oneil Cruz hit a three-run homer to spark a five-run sixth inning as Pittsburgh rallied to a win at home over NL Central-leading Milwaukee, snapping a seven-game skid.

Cruz hit a blast to dead center field off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, pulling the Pirates into a 3-all tie. Pittsburgh then added two runs to win for the first time since July 23.

The Brewers had their four-game winning streak snapped, one day after trading All-Star closer Josh Hader to San Diego. Milwaukee had also won seven of eight.

BRAVES 13, PHILLIES 1: Spencer Strider struck out a career-high 13 in six-plus innings, Eddie Rosario tied a career high with five RBI and Atlanta won at home for its fourth straight win.

The defending World Series champions are 40-14 since June 1, the best record in the majors over that span. They moved within 2½ games of the NL East-leading New York Mets.

Philadelphia. which dropped to 10-32 when scoring three runs or fewer, entered 34-18 since June 1, the fourth-best record in the majors over that span, and on a five-game winning streak. The Phillies were coming off an 18-hit performance in Sunday’s 8-2 win at Pittsburgh but were held to four hits by the Braves.

CARDINALS 6, CUBS 0: Adam Wainwright pitched seven spotless innings with longtime catcher Yadier Molina back behind the plate, and St. Louis won at home.

Paul Goldschmidt homered and drove in three runs to lead the St. Louis offense. Dylan Carlson hit a two-run shot and made a nice catch in center field. Nolan Arenado also went deep.

Molina returned from knee inflammation that had sidelined him since June 16. Paired once again with Wainwright, the two 40-year-olds teamed up to shut down Chicago.

Wainwright (8-8) allowed six hits and struck out four without a walk. Molina flashed his Gold Glove form by throwing out Rafael Ortega attempting to steal second in the first inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

MARINERS 8, YANKEES 6: Pinch-hitter Sam Haggerty opened the seventh inning with a go-ahead homer, Andrés Muñoz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and Seattle hung on for a victory in New York after blowing a four-run lead.

The switch-hitting Haggerty batted for left-handed hitting Jarred Kelenic against left-hander Lucas Luetge (3-4) and broke a 6-6 tie by lifting a 1-0 cutter into the left-field seats.

Haggerty homered two days after getting stiches above an eye, an injury sustained when he was hit by his helmet, thrown after he failed on a bunt.

BLUE JAYS 3, RAYS 1: Kevin Gausman allowed one hit and struck out 10 over eight masterful innings and Toronto opened a nine-game trip with a 3-1 win in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Blue Jays have won 11 of 13 and increased their lead over Tampa Bay to four games for the top AL wild-card spot.

Jordan Romano worked the ninth to get his AL-best 25th save despite allowing Taylor Walls leadoff homer in the ninth.

TWINS 5, TIGERS 3: Riley Greene had two hits and two RBI as Detroit spoiled Minnesota’s big trade deadline day, beating the Twins in Minneapolis.

Minnesota made big moves to bolster its hopes for a division title by acquiring starter Tyler Mahle and right-handed relievers Jorge López and Michael Fulmer before the deadline. Fulmer made the short walk from one clubhouse to the other after the trade from Detroit was announced.

But it was the last-place Tigers who earned a win on a sweltering night, snapping a three-game losing streak. Greene, Akil Baddoo and Javier Báez had RBI singles in a three-run seventh inning.

WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 2:  Eloy Jiménez had three hits and four RBI, José Abreu homered and Chicago easily won at home.

The White Sox made no major moves prior to the trade deadline and will bank on improvement from within as they try to overtake Minnesota and Cleveland to win their second straight AL Central championship. This one wasn’t exactly pristine, but they’ll take the lopsided win.

Jiménez singled and scored in a three-run first inning and smacked a two-run double in the fourth to bump Chicago’s lead to 5-2. He added a long sacrifice fly in the sixth before Abreu chased Royals starter Brad Keller (5-12) with a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole, making it 8-2.

INTERLEAGUE

DIAMONDBACKS 6, GUARDIANS 3: Christian Walker hit a three-run homer, Alek Thomas had a two-run double and Arizona win in Cleveland to stop a four-game losing streak.

Carson Kelly hit a solo homer, had three hits and scored two runs for Arizona, which never trailed in winning at Progressive Field for the first time since Aug. 13, 2014.

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