PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes allowed one hit in six strong innings and Brandon Lowe homered for the third time in two games, driving in five runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates steamrolled the Washington Nationals 16-5 to begin a four-game series Monday night.
Skenes (3-1) struck out six and walked one, throwing a career-high 32 changeups among his 88 pitches while improving to 7-1 in his last 11 home starts. The only run he gave up came on a first-inning homer by CJ Abrams.
Lowe went 3 for 5 with a two-run single in the second and his sixth homer — a three-run shot in the Pirates’ 10-run sixth. He had a grand slam and a solo shot Sunday at Wrigley Field in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs.
Lowe became the first Pirates player to knock in at least five runs in consecutive games since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920.
Oneil Cruz reached base four straight times for Pittsburgh and went 2 for 3 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. He had three RBIs and scored three runs.
SEATTLE — Canada’s Josh Naylor hit his first two homers of the season and drove in five runs, George Kirby allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings, and Seattle completed a four-game sweep of Houston.
It was Naylor’s seventh career game with five or more RBIs.
Seattle was coming off a five-game skid before sweeping Houston. The banged-up, last-place Astros have lost eight in a row, their longest skid since they dropped the last 15 games of the 2013 season en route to 111 losses.
Kirby (2-2) allowed his only runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Yainer Diaz and a double-play grounder from Nick Allen. He struck out six, allowed seven hits and walked one while throwing 99 pitches.
ORIOLES 9, DIAMONDBACKS 7
BALTIMORE — Jeremiah Jackson hit a grand slam and a solo shot, Pete Alonso put Baltimore in front with a seventh-inning homer and the Orioles rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Arizona.
Nolan Arenado hit two home runs and had five RBIs, and Ketel Marte hit a pair of solo homers to put the Diamondbacks up 7-1 in the sixth.
But Arizona’s bullpen gave up the lead.
Taylor Rashi allowed two hits and a walk in the sixth before Jackson hit a hanging slider into the left-field seats. One inning later, Jonathan Loáisiga (0-1) hit Taylor Ward with a pitch before Alonso launched his second homer of the season.
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber homered twice and drove in three runs, Cristopher Sánchez pitched six strong innings and Philadelphia defeated Chicago.
JT Realmuto had three hits and three RBIs for the Phillies, who got back to .500 with just their second win in the last six games.
Dansby Swanson hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who have lost three of four.
MINNEAPOLIS — Boston ace Garrett Crochet was battered by Minnesota for 11 runs — 10 earned — and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Crochet, a two-time All-Star who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting last season, became the first Red Sox pitcher to allow 10 runs in less than two innings.
The 26-year-old left-hander gave up four runs, three earned, in a 31-pitch first inning. Minnesota scored seven more in the second before Crochet was removed with two outs and Boston trailing 11-0.
Victor Caratini hit his first home run for the Twins in the second, a three-run drive off the facing of the third deck in left field. Light-hitting infielder Ryan Kreidler ended Crochet’s night with his third career home run, a solo shot into the second deck in left.
ATLANTA — Agustín Ramírez and Connor Norby homered and Miami ended their three-game skid with a win over Atlanta.
Ramírez hit a 418-foot, three-run shot in the fifth inning off Aaron Bummer (0-1) that broke a 3-3 tie. He finished 3 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Liam Hicks was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Norby was 2 for 5 and drove in two runs, and Xavier Edwards was 2 for 4 and scored three times.
Andrew Nardi (1-0) pitched a scoreless fifth in relief of Eury Pérez, who gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits in four innings.
Nardi, Calvin Faucher, John King, Lake Bachar and Anthony Bender combined for five scoreless innings out of the Marlins bullpen and gave up two hits.
Atlanta starter Grant Holmes retired the first nine Marlins batters, then gave up three runs in a 30-pitch fourth inning and was pulled.
Michael Harris II was 2 for 3 with a walk in his return from paternity leave, and Austin Riley knocked in two runs for the Braves.