MLB roundup: Braves' Miller flirts with no-hitter
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
MIAMI -- Right-hander Shelby Miller came within one out of a no-hitter, pitching a two-hitter, as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Miami Marlins 6-0 on Sunday.
Miller (5-1) had a no-hitter until two outs in the ninth, when Justin Bour smacked the first pitch for a single on a 95-mph fastball. Dee Gordon followed with a single. Miller then retired Martin Prado on a pop out to end the game. Prior to that inning, the only blemish for Miller came in the second, when he walked Marcell Ozuna.
For Miller, 24, who was acquired in the offseason from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Jason Heyward trade, it was his fourth career shutout and his second this season. He pitched a three-hitter against the Phillies on May 5.
The Marlins fired manager Mike Redmond after the game. The Marlins are off to a disappointing 16-22 start after a busy offseason. Redmond's replacement will be announced Monday.
Orioles 3, Angels 0
BALTIMORE -- Mike Wright pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings in winning his major league debut, Adam Jones doubled in two runs and Baltimore salvaged the finale of the three-game series.
The 25-year-old Wright allowed four hits, and struck out six without issuing a walk, helping the Orioles avoid their first home sweep of the season.
The right-handed Wright (1-0) was pressed into service when Bud Norris (bronchitis) and Chris Tillman (lower back stiffness) were both scratched over the weekend with injuries.
Mets 5, Brewers 1
NEW YORK -- Rookie right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard earned his first major league win by throwing six strong innings in his Citi Field debut and Curtis Granderson hit a leadoff homer for New York.
The Mets won the final two games of the three-game series. The Brewers are losers of four of five.
Syndergaard, who took the loss against the Chicago Cubs in his major league debut last week, allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five. He threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of the 23 batters he faced and kept the Brewers off-balance by mixing a fastball, consistently clocked in the 96-97 mph range, with a changeup, clocked around 80 mph, and a curveball he threw in the mid-70s.
Astros 4, Blue Jays 2
HOUSTON -- Right-hander Collin McHugh was back in the win column, pitching Housotn to a victory to complete a four-game sweep of Toronto.
McHugh (5-1) allowed six hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking one. The Astros scored half their runs on homers -- Luis Valbuena hit his 10th in the first and Colby Ramus hit his seventh in sixth inning.
Mark Buehrle, Toronto's 36-year-old left-hander, pitched eight innings, giving up six hits, including two doubles and two home runs. Buerhle (5-3) struck out five and walked two.
Phillies 6, Diamondbacks 0
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia stayed hot to complete a three-game sweep of Arizona.
The win marked the Phillies' fifth straight victory, their longest winning streak since July 7-11, 2014, when they also won five in a row. The Diamondbacks have lost four straight and seven of their last nine.
The Phillies received multi-hit performances from Ben Revere, Darin Ruf, Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez. Right-hander Sean O'Sullivan (1-2) delivered his best start of the season, throwing six shutout innings to earn his first win.
Giants 9, Reds 8
CINCINNATI -- Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt homered as hot-hitting San Francisco defeated Cincinnati in the finale of a four-game series.
The Giants won the final three games in the series, scoring 10, 11 and nine runs in the process. Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit (1-0) pitched three innings and was awarded the victory.
Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips homered for Cincinnati, which has lost three straight for the fifth time this season.
Royals 6, Yankees 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Edinson Volquez pitched seven scoreless innings and Salvador Perez homered and drove in two runs as Kansas City beat New York.
Volquez (3-3), who was winless in his past four starts, checked the Yankees on three hits to pick up his first victory since April 20. Volquez, who walked none and struck out five, lowered his ERA to 2.74.
The Yankees have dropped five of six and have scored six runs in the losses. They were shut out for the first time this year.
Pirates 3, Cubs 0
MILWAUKEE -- A.J. Burnett threw seven scoreless innings as Pittsburgh blanked Chicago.
The Cubs came in having won six in a row but were stopped in their tracks by Burnett (3-1), who allowed three hits while striking out seven in his seven innings of work to earn his third consecutive victory.
Burnett worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth as he struck out Jorge Soler and escaped without damage when Starling Marte hauled in Chris Coghlan's fly at the wall in left.
Rays 11, Twins 3
MINNEAPOLIS -- Tampa Bay pounded out 19 hits and scored five runs in the sixth inning, salvaging the final game of a three-game series.
The loss was Minnesota's second in the past 10 home games.
The Rays scored three runs off right-hander Kyle Gibson in three innings, then scored five off the Minnesota bullpen in the sixth inning alone.
Rangers 5, Indians 1
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mitch Moreland hit a two-run home run and narrowly missed another homer as Texas avoided a sweep at the hands of Cleveland.
Moreland lined a Carlos Carrasco pitch that center fielder Michael Bourn could not pull back into the park in bottom of the sixth, helping the Rangers pad a 2-1 lead. Moreland doubled off the top of the wall in the second inning, and Adrian Beltre scored from first on that play on an error from right fielder Nick Swisher, putting Texas up 1-0.
Rangers starter Nick Martinez threw five innings of one-run ball, and three relievers blanks the Indians the rest of the way.
Mariners 5, Red Sox 0
SEATTLE -- James Paxton extended his scoreless-innings streak to 20, leading Seattle past Boston. The Mariners salvaged a split in the four-game series.
Paxton pitched eight innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out two, to win his second consecutive start. His streak of 20 innings without allowing a run ties former Mariner Erik Bedard for the longest in franchise history by a left-handed starter.
Brad Miller hit his third home run in a span of two games, a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. That home run, Miller's fifth of the season after he hit two Saturday night, gave Seattle a 3-0 lead. Third baseman Kyle Seager added a two-run shot in the eighth.
Dodgers 1, Rockies 0
LOS ANGELES -- In a game that featured three hits per team, the Dodgers made a fourth-inning RBI single by Yasmani Grandal stand up as they eked out a victory over Colorado.
Mike Bolsinger allowed three hits over six innings while striking out six and walking two. Three Dodgers relievers threw one scoreless inning apiece, with Kenley Jansen earning his first save.
Kyle Kendrick was the hard-luck loser, giving up one run on five hits and five walks over seven innings.
White Sox 7, A's 3
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jeff Samardzija allowed three runs over eight innings, and Chicago defeated Oakland, sweeping the three-game series and winning its season-high fifth consecutive game.
Samardzija (3-2) allowed eight hits, struck out five and walked three in his first career appearance against the A's, who traded him to the White Sox on Dec. 9 as part of a six-player deal.
Right fielder Avisail Garcia went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in the ninth for the White Sox, who reached the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Nationals 10, Padres 5
SAN DIEGO -- Danny Espinosa and Bryce Harper clubbed three-run homers as Washington routed San Diego to record its third consecutive victory.
Espinosa's fifth homer of the season in the fifth erased a 2-0 Padres lead and put the Nationals ahead to stay. Harper went 3-for-3 and fell a double shy of the cycle while driving in four runs and scoring three. The home run was Harper's National League-leading 14th of the season.
San Diego's Justin Upton hit two home runs, his second multi-homer game of the season and the ninth of his career.
Cardinals 2, Tigers 1
ST. LOUIS -- Lance Lynn fastballed his way through thard-hitting Detroit's lineup for 7 1/3 inning, and second baseman Kolten Wong supplied the key hit.
Wong snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth, rocketing the first pitch from Detroit starter Alfredo Simon 434 feet over the St. Louis bullpen and into the right-center-field seats for his fifth homer.
Lynn (3-3) gave up six hits and a run, walking two and fanning seven as he won his second consecutive start. He became the first Cardinals starter to pitch past the sixth inning since John Lackey went 7 2/3 innings in a May 7 win over the Chicago Cubs.
