Joey Votto homers for 7th straight game, 1 shy of MLB record

NEW YORK (AP) – Joey Votto homered for the seventh straight game, one shy of a major league record, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the New York Mets 6-2 on Friday night. Jonathan India went deep twice for the Reds, including a leadoff shot that came on Carlos Carrasco’s first pitch with the Mets. Acquired from Cleveland in January, the veteran right-hander finally made his New York debut after recovering from a hamstring injury. It was an up-and-down day for the Mets, who made a big deal to get Javier Báez from the Chicago Cubs before baseball’s trade deadline – and then revealed injured ace Jacob deGrom will be shut down for two more weeks because of inflammation in his pitching elbow, making it unlikely he’ll rejoin the NL East leaders before September. Báez was acquired from the Cubs along with right-hander Trevor Williams for outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Mets’ first-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft. Báez is expected to join the Mets on Saturday and will play shortstop until injured buddy Francisco Lindor (oblique) returns. Votto is the eighth player to homer in at least seven straight games and the first since Kendrys Morales did it for the Toronto Blue Jays in August 2018. Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) are the only players to go deep in eight consecutive games. Sonny Gray (3-6) allowed the first four batters he faced to reach but gave up just one run on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings. Miguel Castro (2-3). was the loser. YANKEES 3, MARLINS 1 MIAMI (AP) – Anthony Rizzo homered, singled and walked in his debut with New York to help the Yankees beat Miami. A day after being obtained from the Chicago Cubs in a trade, Rizzo snapped a 14-inning scoreless drought for the Yankees with his solo shot in the sixth inning for the game’s first run. All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo, another lefty slugger who joined New York in a trade with Texas Thursday, went 0 for 4 with a walk. Jameson Tailon (7-4) won his sixth decision in a row with 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save in 25 chances. Zach Thompson (2-4) was the loser. BLUE JAYS 6, ROYALS 4 TORONTO (AP) – Bo Bichette hit a two-run home run, Teoscar Hernandez added a solo shot and the Blue Jays made a triumphant return to Toronto after almost two years away from home, beating Kansas City. George Springer had three hits and an RBI in his first home game north of the border as the Blue Jays played at Rogers Centre for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019. Displaced from Canada because of border restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Jays played the bulk of the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, the home of their Triple-A affiliate. They began the 2021 regular season playing at their spring training home in Dunedin, Florida, before moving back to Buffalo in June. Right-hander Ross Stripling (4-6) allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Jordan Romano finished for his ninth save in 10 opportunities. Daniel Lynch (1-3) was the loser. Kansas City’s Salvador Perez homered. RAYS 7, RED SOX 3 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Yandy Díaz, Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena homered and Tampa Bay beat Boston to moved within a half-game of the AL East-leading Red Sox. Díaz connected on a two-run drive in the first. After Wander Franco hit a two-run double in the third inning, Tampa Bay went up 6-2 in the fourth when Zunino and Arozarena had solo shots off Martín Pérez (7-7). Christian Vázquez and Bobby Dalbec had RBI singles off Josh Fleming (8-5) in the fourth. NATIONALS 4, CUBS 3