NEW YORK -- Jordan Montgomery took a shutout into the seventh inning for his first major league win, Matt Holliday homered in his return to the lineup and the New York Yankees romped to their eighth consecutive victory by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-4 on Monday night.
Holliday put the Yankees ahead with a titanic three-run shot in a five-run third inning, and Aaron Judge added a two-run homer that chased Derek Holland (1-2) with the score 7-0 in the fifth. New York has rebounded from a 1-4 start with its longest winning streak since a 10-game run in June 2012.
Making his second career start, Montgomery (1-0) immediately found himself in a first-inning jam. But the 24-year-old lefty calmly pitched his way out of it by retiring cleanup hitter Jose Abreu and streaking Avisail Garcia with runners at second and third (see full recap).
Braves complete 4-game sweep of Padres
ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman said Dansby Swanson was the perfect choice to hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Freeman's reasoning? It was Swanson's time for a hit to finally fall.
Swanson delivered an RBI single with two outs in the ninth and the Atlanta Braves, boosted by Freeman's two home runs and double, beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 Monday night for a four-game sweep in their first series at SunTrust Park.
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Swanson took a .146 batting average into the game and was 0 for 4 before dropping the single just in front of diving left fielder Allen Cordoba (see full recap).
Brewers power past struggling Cubs
CHICAGO -- Eric Thames homered in his club record-tying fifth straight game and the streaking Milwaukee Brewers turned back the Chicago Cubs 6-3 on Monday night.
Milwaukee never trailed after Thames hit an opposite-field homer to snap a 3-3 tie in the third inning. Jeromy Burnitz became the first and last Brewers player to homer in five straight games in August, 1997.
Ryan Braun and Jeff Bandy also went deep for Milwaukee, the only team to hit as many as three homers in a game off Chicago starter John Lackey (1-2) last season. The victory was the Brewers' sixth in the last seven games.
The Cubs lost for a fourth straight time, their worst stretch since a five-game skid from July 5-9 last season (see full recap).
Astros 5-hit Angels in shutout win
HOUSTON -- Charlie Morton and three relievers combined for a five-hitter, Jose Altuve drove in two runs and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 on Monday night for their fifth straight win.
Morton (1-1) worked in and out of trouble over five innings, allowing five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He had runners on in every inning, including stranding the bases loaded in the second when he got Ben Revere to fly out. Morton has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his three starts this season.
Chris Devenski followed Morton with two perfect innings, Luke Gregerson threw a perfect eighth and Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his third save. Astros pitchers retired the last 14 batters (see full recap).
