NEW YORK — Max Scherzer tied a season high with 11 strikeouts over seven innings and the New York Mets beat the sloppy Atlanta Braves 6-2 Saturday night to complete a doubleheader sweep.

Francisco Lindor had three hits and three RBI as New York took the opener 8-5, and the Mets stretched their NL East lead to 5 1/2 games.

Mets fans taunted the second-place Braves in the ninth inning of Game 2 by performing the Tomahawk Chop, a tradition at games in Atlanta despite complaints from some Native American groups that the action is degrading.

Pete Alonso had three singles, including a bases-loaded hit to match Yankees star Aaron Judge for the major league lead with 93 RBI. The Mets swept their second doubleheader against Atlanta this season and opened their biggest division lead since June 21.

Lindor reached twice in the late game and scored on shortstop Dansby Swanson’s throwing error while Max Fried (10-4) nearly was injured on the play.

Scherzer (8-2) allowed two doubles to Travis d’Arnaud among four hits. He produced his fourth scoreless outing this season and third since returning from an oblique injury July 5.

Scherzer retired his final nine hitters and impressively ended the seventh. He struck out the side on 15 pitches, getting Eddie Rosario to whiff at a cutter before pinch-hitter William Contreras and Ozuna swung through sliders.

The strikeout to Ozuna pulled Scherzer into a tie for 14th on the career list with former Detroit teammate Justin Verlander at 3,140.

Scherzer recorded his 109th career double-digit strikeout game and fifth this year. He also did not issue a walk for the fourth time this year.

Ronald Acuña Jr hit an RBI single off Mychal Givens in the eighth and Contreras homered in the ninth as Atlanta dropped to 4-7 in the season series against the Mets and committed three errors.

Swanson committed two errors and Riley had a throwing error in the sixth on a soft grounder by Darin Ruf.

Fried allowed four runs (two earned) and six hits in six innings. He also withstood a scary scene on a play at first during New York’s three-run third.

After Alonso hit a bloop single, Ruf hit a grounder to first baseman Matt Olson, who got the force at second. Swanson’s return throw caromed off Fried’s chest at first and went into foul territory.

Fried slipped and fell down face-first, and his knees hit the ground hard as attempted to get Lindor at home.

New York scored three in the third and then capitalized on Riley’s throwing error in the sixth. Riley’s throw went past Olson on Ruf’s soft infield single and moved Alonso to third.

Alonso broke for home when Mark Canha hit a high chopper to Riley. Riley made a strong throw and Alonso was initially called out by plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. Replays showed Alonso’s foot grazed the plate before d’Arnaud could apply the tag, and the call was overturned.

After Givens allowed Acuña’s single, pinch hitter Tyler Naquin hit an RBI single and scored on a squeeze bunt by Tomas Nido.

CUBS 4, MARLINS 0: Drew Smyly tossed shutout ball into the seventh inning for his first win at Wrigley Field for the Cubs, leading host Chicago past Miami.

P.J. Higgins homered and singled, and Nico Hoerner added three hits and an RBI to help the Cubs defeat Miami for a second straight day after losing five straight.

Ian Happ had two hits and scored a run and Willson Contreras had an RBI single. Both All-Stars, Happ and Contreras were the subject of trade rumors before Tuesday’s deadline, but remained with Chicago.

The Marlins have lost six of seven and were shut out for the 12th time this season.

PHILLIES 11, NATIONALS 5: Rhys Hoskins homered in the first inning for the third straight game – the first Phillies player to do it since at least 1900 – and surging Philadelphia won in a rout at home.

J.T. Realmuto and Matt Vierling also went deep for the surging Phillies, who have won nine of 10 to move a season-best 11-games over .500. Realmuto also tripled and drove in three runs and Jean Segura had three hits for Philadelphia, which will try for a four-game series sweep of the Nationals on Sunday.

The Phillies improved to 38-19 since June 1, which was the final game for manager Joe Girardi before being replaced by interim manager Rob Thomson.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

MARINERS 2, ANGELS 1: Ty France hit a two-run homer in the third inning, George Kirby pitched six solid innings and Seattle Mariners won at home in the first game of a doubleheader.

France’s homer came with two outs against starter Jaime Barria (1-2) and erased a one-run lead that came from Mickey Moniak’s second-inning RBI single.

The go-ahead blast came one day after France hit a tying single in the ninth during a 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Angels. France has 14 homers on the season.

GUARDIANS 4, ASTROS 1: Cal Quantrill tossed six scoreless innings and Amed Rosario had a two-run single, lifting Cleveland to a win at home over AL West-leading Houston.

All-Star José Ramírez added two hits and an RBI, and Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw had two hits apiece. The Guardians pulled within 1 1/2 games of first-place Minnesota in the AL Central with the combined six-hitter.

Quantrill (8-5) struck out four with a lone walk, extending his winning streak to four and remaining undefeated at Progressive Field. The right-hander is 11-0 in 36 career games at the ballpark, including 26 starts for Cleveland.

TIGERS 9, RAYS 1: Harold Castro drove in two runs and scored twice as Detroit ended a three-game skid with a win at home over All-Star Shane McClanahan and the Tampa Bay Rays on Lou Whitaker Night.

Playing in front of their first sellout crowd since opening day, the Tigers won for the fifth time in 16 games on the night they retired Whitaker’s No. 1. Garrett Hill (2-3) picked up the win, allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings.

McClanahan (10-5) gave up four runs on six hits in seven innings.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out in the first, but Jose Siri flew out to shallow center before Hill struck out Luke Raley.

INTERLEAGUE

CARDINALS 1, YANKEES 0: Jordan Montgomery blanked his old teammates over five innings and Nolan Arenado drove in the lone run as St. Louis handed New York its season-high fourth straight loss, in St. Louis.

Making his first start for St. Louis since being acquired at the trade deadline earlier in the week, Montgomery (4-3) was taken out after five innings for precautionary reasons due to cramping. He gave up two hits and a walk with one strikeout.

Four St. Louis pitchers held the Yankees to just two hits – singles in the first and third. Only two runners reached second base. Giovanny Gallegos pitched 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his 11th save, striking out the final two hitters.

ORIOLES 6, PIRATES 3: Ryan McKenna hit a two-run double in the fifth inning, and Baltimore won its fifth straight game, beating Pittsburgh at home.

The Orioles celebrated the 30th anniversary of Camden Yards with a pregame ceremony that included Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Mike Mussina, and Brooks Robinson addressed the team before the game. Then the current Baltimore players, who have become quite a story over the past few weeks, added some more present-year excitement to all the nostalgia.

Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh in the fourth to cut an early Baltimore lead to one, but McKenna came through as a pinch-hitter the following inning, putting the Orioles up 5-2 with a big two-out hit to left.

NOTES

CUBS: Chicago reinstated 11-year veteran shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the injured list, then designated the four-time Gold Glove winner for assignment before their game with the Miami Marlins.

Simmons signed a $4 million deal with the Cubs in March and appeared to be slotted for a regular role with Chicago. But the 32-year-old from Curacao appeared in just 34 games with the Cubs because of two right shoulder injuries.

GUARDIANS: Franmil Reyes, who began the season as the cleanup hitter for Cleveland, was designated for assignment. The 27-year-old outfielder/designated hitter had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus earlier in the week after batting .213 with nine home runs and 104 strikeouts in 263 at-bats.

BLUE JAYS: Toronto placed All-Star outfielder George Springer on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow prior to their game at Minnesota.

Springer has been bothered by the elbow for much of the summer. He’s scheduled to receive an anti-inflammatory injection this weekend to aid the healing. Springer missed four of the previous five games with the injury, going 1 for 4 against the Twins on Thursday night.

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