MLB roundup: Tigers overcome five-run deficit in ninth
By The Sports Xchange
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Down 7-2 in the ninth, the Detroit Tigers rallied for seven hits and eight runs in the final inning, stunning the Tampa Bay Rays with a 10-7 win Thursday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays had held the Tigers to four hits entering the ninth, and they were 28-1 this season when leading after eight.
Reliever Ryan Garton then gave up four singles without recording an out, and Erasmo Ramirez (7-7) gave up two more hits, then a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. A three-run double by Cameron Maybin -- who led off the inning with a single -- gave the Tigers for the unlikely lead.
Tampa Bay hadn't allowed more than five runs in any inning this season, and Detroit matched a season high with the eight-run showing.
How the ninth unraveled for the Rays: Maybin, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Nick Castellanos singled to chase Garton with the lead still 7-3. Ramirez gave up an RBI single to Justin Upton and a sacrifice fly to Steven Moya, then an RBI single to Jarrod Saltalamacchia to make it 7-6.
Ramirez walked Jose Iglesias to load the bases, then walked Ian Kinsler to tie the game. Maybin's double to left-center cleared the bases and completed the rally.
The bullpen disaster came after Rays starter Jake Odorizzi held the Tigers to one hit in the first five innings.
Nationals 13, Reds 4
WASHINGTON -- Switch-hitting shortstop Danny Espinosa had two homers and a career-high seven RBIs and lefty Gio Gonzalez won his first game since May 18 as the first-place Washington Nationals had three homers to blitz the Reds.
Espinosa, who has 15 homers this season, became the first player in Montreal/Washington franchise history to hit a homer from each side of the plate since Geoff Blum did it for the Expos in 2001. Espinosa is the first person in franchise history to pull off the feat in which one of the homers was a grand slam.
Ryan Zimmerman added two hits, including a homer, and three RBIs and Chris Heisey had two hits and two RBIs.
Gonzalez (4-7) allowed four runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in six innings before Matt Belisle came on in the seventh. Washington had lost the previous seven starts by Gonzalez, who was 0-6 in that stretch.
Royals 4, Cardinals 2
ST. LOUIS -- Kendrys Morales became the fourth major league player this year with multiple hits in six straight games, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer to lead the Royals' interleague victory.
Morales, who went 12-for-16 in the four-game series and is 16-of-24 in the last six games, lined an RBI double to right off Mike Leake (5-6) in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. He capped his huge series with a 456-foot homer into the third deck in left field off reliever Tyler Lyons with two outs in the eighth inning.
Reliever Dillon Gee (3-2) picked up the win despite allowing a two-out solo homer to Jhonny Peralta in the sixth. Wade Davis, who blew a save chance in Kansas City's 3-2, 12-inning victory Wednesday night, worked around Peralta's leadoff hit in the ninth for his 19th save.
Indians 4, Blue Jays 1
TORONTO -- Carlos Carrasco struck out a season-best 14, Rajai Davis and Jason Kipnis homered and the Indians matched a club record with their 13th straight win.
Carrasco (4-2) held the Blue Jays to three hits, including a home run by Josh Donaldson, and two walks in 7 1/3 innings. The right-hander finished one strikeout shy of his career best, 15, set last Sept. 25 against the Kansas City Royals.
Cody Allen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 17th save.
Toronto right-hander R.A. Dickey (5-9) allowed two home runs among eight hits while giving up three runs in seven innings.
Davis hit his eighth homer of the season, and Kipnis extended his hit streak to 12 games with his 11th homer of the season.
Mets 4, Cubs 3
NEW YORK -- Rookie right fielder Brandon Nimmo, making his first major league start as a leadoff batter, keyed a three-run rally in the seventh inning to lead the Mets.
The Mets broke a four-game losing streak. The Cubs had their three-game winning streak snapped.
The Cubs led 3-1 entering the seventh, when starter John Lackey was lifted after allowing a one-out single to Travis d'Arnaud. Pinch-hitter Alejandro De Aza worked an eight-pitch walk against right-hander Joel Peralta (1-1), after which Nimmo, playing in his fifth big league game, won a nine-pitch battle with a single.
Left-hander Pedro Strop then induced Neil Walker to hit a grounder to drawn-in second baseman Javier Baez, who fired to third to try to get Nimmo as De Aza crossed the plate. But the throw sailed past Kris Bryant and Nimmo sprinted home with the go-ahead run.
The rally made a winner out of right-hander Erik Goeddel (1-0), who threw 1 2/3 perfect innings.
Yankees 2, Rangers 1
NEW YORK - Chase Headley scored on a passed ball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, giving New York the victory.
Headley opened the inning with a walk against Tony Barnette (5-3), and was sacrificed to second by Didi Gregorius. The Yankees had second and third after Starlin Castro weakly grounded out to first.
On a 1-1 pitch to Jacoby Ellsbury, Barnette's pitch went under Robinson Chirinos' glove and under him. The ball reached the backstop and Headley slid in head first giving New York its fourth walk-off win of the season. It also allowed thre Yankees to reach the .500 mark.
Texas lost for the fourth time in its last 16 games and was unable to match a team record for wins in a month with 21. It was the Rangers' major-league-leading ninth walk-off loss and it was their first loss decided on a passed ball since June 16, 1986 against the Angels.
Dodgers 8, Brewers 1
MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies, the Milwaukee's rookie right-hander, fell back to earth, allowing three home runs and unable to get through the fifth inning in the loss to at Miller Park.
Davies had been on a roll the last two months, going 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA in his previous 10 starts. But he battled his command from the outset and allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out three in his first loss since April 29.
Trayce Thompson, Yasmani Grandal and Corey Seager homered for Los Angeles, and for Seager it was his 17th.
Kenta Maeda (7-5) scattered three hits and two walks in six innings, allowing just a run while striking out six.
Newcomer Bud Norris is scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Friday.
White Sox 6, Twins 5
CHICAGO -- J.B. Shuck matched a career high with three hits, including a go-ahead bloop single in the eighth inning that lifted the White Sox to a victory.
Shuck's two-out single snapped a tie and drove in Avisail Garcia, who extended the inning with a walk. Rookie Tim Anderson also had three hits for the White Sox, who won their third straight series.
White Sox closer David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 21st save of the season. Robertson gave up a one-out single to Kurt Suzuki, who represented the tying run. But Robertson struck out the side, including Danny Santana, to close out the win.
The Twins had tied the score 5-5 in the seventh on Eduardo Nunez's RBI single.
White Sox starter Carlos Rodon was perfect for 3 2/3 innings before surrendering back-to-back homers to Robbie Grossman and Brian Dozier, who homered for the third time in as many games.
Braves 8, Marlins 5
ATLANTA -- Brandon Snyder drove in two with a pinch-hit triple in a four-run sixth inning to help the Braves improve their record against the Marlins to 7-2. Nearly a fourth of the wins for the Braves (27-52) have come against Miami (41-38).
Tyler Flowers had three doubles for the Braves, while Jace Peterson, Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, Erick Aybar and Chase d'Arnaud all had two hits in the 14-hit outburst.
Maurico Cabrerra, making his third major league appearance, got pinch-hitter Cole Gillespie to end the game with a fly ball, recording his first save.
Justin Bour hit a three-run homer in the second inning for the Marlins. It was his 15th homer of the season and the eighth of his career against the Braves.
Giants 12, A's 6
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Madison Bumgarner made major league history at the plate and earned his ninth win of the season on the mound Thursday night as San Francisco defeated Oakland.
Bumgarner (9-4) became the first starting pitcher in 40 years to intentionally hit for himself at an American League stadium. Bumgarner, who has 13 career home runs, hit a leadoff double in his first at-bat, sparking a six-run rally in the third inning when the Giants batted around. Bumgarner went 1-for-4 and had two at-bats in the third inning.
On the mound, Bumgarner gave up four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four, walked none and ended his two-game losing streak.
Mariners 5, Orioles 3
SEATTLE -- Taijuan Walker made a triumphant return to the mound, and Seth Smith hit a two-run homer as Seattle ended Baltimore's seven-game winning streak.
Walker, who missed his previous turn in the rotation due to foot soreness, allowed just one run on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. Walker (4-6) retired the first 11 batters of the game and had a shutout going through six innings. A leadoff home run by Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim in the seventh ended the shutout bid and cut Seattle's lead to 4-1.
Kim's home run was the Orioles' 56th of the month, setting a June record for homers by any team.
