SEATTLE — Josh Naylor delivered a breakout performance with his first two home runs of the season, driving in five runs to power the Seattle Mariners to a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night, completing a four-game sweep that highlighted Seattle's resurgence after a recent slump.
The win marked the Mariners' first series sweep of the year, coming on the heels of a five-game losing streak that had tested their early-season resolve. Naylor, who entered the game without a home run in 2026, connected twice off Houston pitching, including a three-run shot in the third inning that gave Seattle an early lead. It was the seventh time in his career that Naylor has driven in five or more runs in a single game, according to Mariners records.
George Kirby anchored the effort on the mound, allowing just two runs over 7 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking one. The right-hander scattered seven hits and threw 99 pitches, with his only blemish coming in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Yainer Diaz and a double-play grounder from Nick Allen that plated another run. Kirby improved to 2-2 on the season, providing the stability that allowed Seattle's offense to pull away.
For the Astros, the loss extended their skid to eight games, their longest since dropping the final 15 contests of the 2013 season en route to a franchise-record 111 defeats. Houston, already plagued by injuries and sitting in last place in the AL West, struggled to mount a comeback against Kirby's precise command. The sweep leaves the Astros searching for answers as they head into a tough stretch of their schedule.
Elsewhere in the majors, the Baltimore Orioles staged a dramatic comeback, rallying from a six-run deficit to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7 in Baltimore. Jeremiah Jackson was the hero, smashing a grand slam and a solo home run to erase Arizona's lead. Pete Alonso added a crucial seventh-inning homer that put the Orioles ahead for good, according to game reports.
Arizona had built a 7-1 advantage by the sixth, thanks to Nolan Arenado's two home runs and five RBIs, along with solo shots from Ketel Marte. But the Diamondbacks' bullpen faltered, with Taylor Rashi allowing key hits in the sixth before Jackson's grand slam off a hanging slider. Jonathan Loáisiga took the loss after hitting Taylor Ward with a pitch and surrendering Alonso's go-ahead blast.
In Philadelphia, the Phillies snapped a mini-slump with a win over the Chicago Cubs, though specific details on the final score were not immediately available from initial reports. Kyle Schwarber homered twice and drove in three runs, while Cristopher Sánchez delivered six strong innings on the mound. J.T. Realmuto contributed three hits and three RBIs, helping Philadelphia climb back to .500 with their second victory in six games. For the Cubs, Dansby Swanson's two-run homer provided a brief spark, but they have now dropped three of their last four.
The Minnesota Twins handed Boston a rough night in Minneapolis, pounding Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet for 11 runs—10 earned—on nine hits in just 1 2/3 innings. Crochet, a two-time All-Star who finished second in last year's AL Cy Young voting, became the first Boston pitcher to allow 10 runs in under two innings. He surrendered four runs, three earned, in a laborious 31-pitch first inning, then watched Minnesota explode for seven more in the second.
Victor Caratini highlighted the onslaught with his first home run of the year for the Twins, a three-run drive that clanged off the facing of the third deck in left field. Light-hitting infielder Ryan Kreidler capped Crochet's evening with his third career homer, a solo shot into the second deck. The 26-year-old left-hander's struggles marked a stunning downturn for a pitcher expected to anchor Boston's rotation.
Pittsburgh erupted for a 16-5 rout of the Washington Nationals at PNC Park, kicking off a four-game series with fireworks. Paul Skenes was dominant, allowing just one hit over six innings while striking out six and walking one. The young right-hander threw a career-high 32 changeups among his 88 pitches, improving to 3-1 and extending his strong home record to 7-1 over his last 11 starts.
Brandon Lowe stole the show offensively, homering for the third time in two games and driving in five runs. He went 3-for-5, including a two-run single in the second and a three-run homer—his sixth of the season—in Pittsburgh's explosive 10-run sixth inning. Lowe's performance made him the first Pirates player to notch at least five RBIs in consecutive games since the statistic became official in 1920. Oneil Cruz added three RBIs and three runs scored, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games while reaching base four times.
The only run Skenes allowed came on a first-inning homer by Washington's CJ Abrams, underscoring Pittsburgh's defensive support behind their ace. The Pirates' offensive barrage provided a much-needed boost after a narrow 7-6 loss to the Cubs on Sunday, where Lowe had already slugged a grand slam and a solo shot.
In Atlanta, the Miami Marlins snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Braves, powered by home runs from Agustín Ramírez and Connor Norby. Ramírez's 418-foot, three-run homer in the fifth off Aaron Bummer broke a 3-3 tie, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Liam Hicks went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Norby drove in two, and Xavier Edwards scored three times on a 2-for-4 night.
Andrew Nardi earned the win with a scoreless fifth inning in relief of starter Eury Pérez, who allowed four runs (three earned) and seven hits over four frames. The Marlins' bullpen—featuring Nardi, Calvin Faucher, John King, Lake Bachar, and Anthony Bender—combined for five scoreless innings and just two hits. Atlanta's Grant Holmes started strong, retiring the first nine Marlins before yielding three runs in a 30-pitch fourth. Michael Harris II went 2-for-3 with a walk in his return from paternity leave, while Austin Riley knocked in two for the Braves.
The Cleveland Guardians topped the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3 in St. Louis, with Angel Martínez and Brayan Rocchio each homering. Gavin Williams (2-1) earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits over five-plus innings, walking two and striking out four. Jordan Walker's major league-leading eighth home run of the season—a leadoff blast in the sixth—ended Williams' night and marked him as the fifth Cardinals player to reach eight homers in the first 16 games, joining legends like Stan Musial, Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, and Albert Pujols.
Finally, in New York, the Yankees edged the Los Angeles Angels 11-10 in a thriller that snapped a five-game skid. Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham each homered twice, with New York scoring the game-winner on a wild pitch in a three-run ninth. Mike Trout countered with two homers and five RBIs for the Angels, including a three-run shot in the sixth that tied the score at 7.
Early drama unfolded in the second when Judge and José Caballero hit two-run homers off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 lead on a balmy 77-degree night. Caballero's error on Trout's fourth-inning grounder led to four unearned runs for Los Angeles. Grisham's pinch-hit, three-run homer in the fifth restored New York's edge at 7-4, but Trout's MVP-caliber response evened it. Judge's solo homer in the bottom of the sixth gave him 47 multi-homer games, surpassing Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth's 68 among Yankees greats.
These results underscore a night of high drama across the majors, with sweeps, comebacks, and individual milestones shaping the early 2026 season. As teams jockey for position, the Mariners' dominance over Houston signals potential momentum in the AL West, while struggling squads like the Astros face mounting pressure. Upcoming series will test whether these performances herald sustained success or fleeting highlights.