MLB roundup: Aaron Judge hits 48th HR as Yankees blank Guardians

Aaron Judge (32) achieved his major league-leading 48th home run as the New York Yankees secured a 6-0 victory against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon.

Judge homered for the third consecutive game, connecting with a 2-1 changeup from Guardians starter Gavin Williams (2-6) and sending the ball into the right field stands, which provided the Yankees with a 1-0 advantage in the fourth inning. This marked Judge's sixth home run in his last seven games and his 13th in the past 24 contests.

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (5-2) allowed only one hit over six innings, overcoming a career-high five walks to become the fourth active pitcher to achieve 150 career wins. Cole, who permitted a single to Steven Kwan on the second pitch of the game, joined the ranks of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw among active pitchers.

Williams surrendered three runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings, recording five strikeouts and four walks before being replaced after Juan Soto grounded into a forceout, preceding Giancarlo Stanton's 21st home run of the season.

In another matchup, the Nationals triumphed over the Rockies with a score of 8-3. Patrick Corbin delivered a season-high eight strikeouts over six impressive innings, leading the host Washington team to victory in the final game of a three-game series.

Corbin (3-12) permitted just one run on four hits while issuing one walk, achieving his 100th career win and his first since July 19. Prior to this outing, he had struggled with an 0-3 record and an 8.51 ERA over his last five starts.

Brenton Doyle interrupted Corbin's shutout attempt with a two-out solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, narrowing the Rockies' deficit to 2-1.

The St. Louis Cardinals triumphed over the Milwaukee Brewers with a score of 3-0. Miles Mikolas, along with three relievers, collaborated to limit the Brewers to just three hits during the game.

Mikolas pitched six innings, surrendering only two hits while recording three strikeouts and issuing one walk. Andrew Kittredge (2-4), JoJo Romero, and Ryan Helsley each contributed an inning of relief to secure the shutout, with Helsley achieving his 39th save.

Nolan Arenado contributed an RBI single, extending his on-base streak to 21 games, as the Cardinals secured two victories out of three in the series. Brewers' starting pitcher Freddy Peralta managed to keep the Cardinals scoreless for five innings, allowing three hits and two walks.

In another matchup, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. Paul Skenes delivered an impressive performance, throwing six scoreless innings to lead Pittsburgh to a shutout victory in the first game of their four-game series.

Skenes (8-2) restricted the Reds to merely two hits in his 17th start of the season. The right-handed pitcher recorded nine strikeouts and issued one walk while throwing 87 pitches.

Bryan De La Cruz excelled with three hits and three RBIs, while Bryan Reynolds contributed two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Yasmani Grandal also added a home run for the Pirates, who had recently lost three out of four games.

Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (9-6) started strong, navigating the first four innings without difficulty, but encountered challenges in the fifth inning, where he allowed five runs on just two hits. He finished with nine strikeouts and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.