MLB roundup: Ernie Clement homers in 9th to lift Blue Jays over Dodgers

Ernie Clement hit the first pitch of the ninth inning over the fence in left and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger hit back-to-back solo home runs in the eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit for the Blue Jays.

Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered for the Dodgers, who were trying to sweep a team with a winning record for the first time this season.

Los Angeles reliever Blake Treinen took over in the eighth with the Dodgers leading 3-2, but Guerrero homered to left-center field on an 0-and-2 pitch and Barger went deep to right-center field on another sweeper.

The Dodgers then loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth and Freeman drew his second bases-loaded walk of the game to force in a run and tie it 4-4.

Los Angeles reliever Alex Vesia (2-2) took the mound for the ninth and immediately gave up the solo shot to left by Clement.

Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer came in 7-2 in 12 career starts against the Dodgers with a 2.63 ERA, but he went just three innings, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out four and walking four.

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked four.

Bo Bichette walked with one out in the first inning and Guerrero followed with a double just over the outstretched glove of left fielder Alex Call, scoring Bichette from first base for a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers quickly got the run back when Ohtani homered to lead off the bottom of the first, his first 41st of the season, tying the score 1-1.

Mookie Betts followed with a walk, but he was caught stealing one pitch before Freeman hit an opposite-field home run for a 2-1 lead.

Both teams had the bases loaded with one out in the second. Toronto didn’t take advantage, then Lauer got Will Smith on a shallow flyout, but he walked Freeman to force in a run and extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.

Toronto cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth after Bichette led off with a single, took second on a comebacker and scored on a two-out looping single to right by Ty France, ending the day for Glasnow.

Mariners 6, Rays 3

Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 45th home run of the season and Josh Naylor also went deep as Seattle held on to defeat visiting Tampa Bay for a series sweep and the Mariners’ seventh straight win.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo (10-6) pitched at least six innings for the 23rd straight time to open the season. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits, and matched his career high with nine strikeouts.

The Rays’ Adrian Houser (6-4) overcame a shaky start to go five innings. The righty gave up four runs on six hits. Ha-Seong Kim doubled and homered for the Rays, who dropped their third game in a row.

Tigers 9, Angels 5

Kerry Carpenter drove in four runs, including a three-run homer, and host Detroit rolled past Los Angeles to take two of three in the series.

Riley Greene knocked in three runs, including a two-run homer, while Gleyber Torres reached base three times while scoring twice and driving in another run. Detroit starter Casey Mize (11-4) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings.

Nolan Schanuel and Luis Rengifo each hit two-run homers for Los Angeles while Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz (3-10) surrendered seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in three-plus innings.

Brewers 7, Mets 6

Isaac Collins led off the ninth inning with a walk-off homer for the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, who stormed back from a five-run deficit to stun the reeling New York Mets, 7-6, and sweep their three-game series.

The Brewers have won nine straight and 12 of 13 to improve their MLB-leading record to 73-44. The Mets, who squandered leads in all three games this weekend, lost their seventh straight and fell for the 11th time in 12 games as their lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League wild-card spot dropped to 1 1/2 games.

The Brewers, who trailed 5-0, began their comeback when William Contreras homered to lead off the fourth before Joey Ortiz laced a two-run single. Pete Alonso had an RBI double in the fifth for the Mets before Contreras added a homer in the fifth, a two-run shot, to cut the lead to 6-5.

After the Brewers’ Nick Mears (3-3) tossed a hitless ninth, Collins homered just beyond the right-field fence on Edwin Diaz’s (5-2) fifth pitch to set off a celebration.

The Mets, who scored in each of the first five innings, took their lead thanks to RBI singles by Juan Soto, Jeff McNeil and Ronny Mauricio and homers by Brett Baty and Cedric Mullins.

Cardinals 3, Cubs 2

Nolan Gorman atoned for a costly throwing error by producing the game-winning RBI as St. Louis edged visiting Chicago.

The second-place Cubs fell six games behind the streaking Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. Pedro Pages hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who have won three of their last four games. Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray (11-5) allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits in seven innings.

Matt Shaw hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who lost for the fourth time in their last six games. Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (8-5) allowed three runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Astros 7, Yankees 1

Jason Alexander took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and pitched six scoreless innings as visiting Houston defeated New York.

Making his 15th career start and fourth for Houston, Alexander (3-1) did not allow a hit until Ben Rice lined a one-out single. Alexander had a lead before taking the mound as Jose Altuve homered on the first pitch he saw from Yankees starter Max Fried (12-5). Altuve hammered a fastball into the left-field seats for his 250th career homer. Rookie Cam Smith added a two-strike, two-run double with two outs in the fifth for a 4-0 lead.

New York only managed three hits and scored their lone run on a Ryan McMahon sacrifice fly in the seventh.