LEADING OFF: Schwarber launching longballs, Padres hit road

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Washington Nationals' Kyle Schwarber watches his solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A look at what's happening around the majors on Tuesday:

HOMER HAPPY

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Kyle Schwarber keeps putting on a remarkable power show, clearing the fences at a record rate for the Nationals.

The Washington leadoff hitter launched two more home runs Monday night against the Mets. That gave him 15 homers in 17 days -- the shortest span for a player to hit 15 in major league history, STATS said.

Schwarber next takes aim against Rich Hill and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

PADRE POWER

Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and their San Diego teammates hit the road after a 9-1 homestand.

The Padres’ success at Petco Park included a four-game sweep of Cincinnati and a three-game sweep over the defending World Series champion Dodgers.

Lefty Blake Snell (3-3, 5.29 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati. Righty Tony Santillan (1-1, 3.29 ERA) starts for the Reds.

HOPE TO SEE YA SOON

Pirates pitcher Max Kranick is back in the minors, along with his unblemished record.

The 23-year-old righty was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, a day after he pitched five perfect innings to win his major league debut.

Kranick set down all 15 batters he faced against the Cardinals before he was pulled during a 64-minute rain delay in St. Louis. He became the first pitcher since 1893 to leave after at least five innings with a perfect game intact in his MLB debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Kranick can be recalled in 10 days. Pittsburgh is using a six-man rotation and needed relief help.

“He’s going to go back to Indy and get another start. He did a good job,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We wanted another bullpen arm. ... we had to make sure we had blanket coverage.”

TROUT OUT

The Angels will be minus star Mike Trout until after the All-Star break as he recovers from a strained right calf.

Trout swung a bat Monday in a batting cage for the first time since he was hurt on May 17. The outfielder has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Trout’s injury is more than 50% healed, manager Joe Maddon said. Trout will go on a minor league rehabilitation assignment, probably after the All-Star break. He is eligible to return July 17, when Los Angeles hosts Seattle in its second game after the break.

An eight-time All-Star and three-time AL MVP, Trout was batting .333 with eight homers and 18 RBIs when he was hurt running the bases against Cleveland.

SWING TIME

Rays pitcher Rich Hill is looking forward to stepping to the plate when he starts at Washington.

The 41-year-old isn’t a great hitter, but enjoys the opportunity.

“You get to play the whole game,” he said. “You get a hit, you get on base. You get to run the bases. You feel like a kid. It feels great.”

Hill is a .112 (26 for 233) hitter with five doubles and 13 RBIs.

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