MLB roundup: A-Rod moves past Gehrig in RBIs
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez moved past Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig into third place on the all-time RBI list with a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning and the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 4-2 victory Wednesday.
Rodriguez entered Wednesday tied with Babe Ruth for second on the all-time RBI list after reaching 1,992 RBIs with a seventh-inning single in Friday's loss to the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez drove a 0-1 slider from Chris Young (4-1) over the left field wall that moved him past Gehrig and gave him 1,995 RBIs.
It also was Rodriguez's 665th home run and 2,880th hit, putting Rodriguez 20 shy of joining Derek Jeter as the only Yankees to reach 3,000 hits. Rodriguez added his 2,881st hit with a single in the seventh and finished the game one behind Barry Bonds, who is well behind Hank Aaron (2,297).
Michael Pineda (6-2) bounced back from two sub-par outings and allowed one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Tigers 3, A's 2
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to power Detroit over Oakland.
Cespedes played his first two-plus major-league seasons for the A's before being traded to Boston on July 31. He lined right-hander Dan Otero's 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence with two outs, giving Detroit a 3-0 lead.
A's starter Scott Kazmir threw three shutout innings and held the Tigers hitless but left the game because of tightness in his left shoulder. Kazmir, who made the American League All-Star team last season, struck out four, walked three and threw 47 pitches.
Orioles 5, Astros 4
BALTIMORE -- Chris Davis hit a tiebreaking solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, his second home run of the game, that lifted Baltimore over Houston.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought in left-hander Tony Sipp to face Davis, but the move backfired as he homered on the first pitch to snap a 4-4 tie. Davis also hit a two-run homer off Collin McHugh in the fourth. He has 10 homers and 26 RBIs this season.
The Astros tied the score with a three-run seventh against Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer to left center, tying the score at 4.
Giants 3, Brewers 1
MILWAUKEE -- Joe Panik hit a two-run homer and Ryan Vogelsong matched a season high with five strikeouts as San Francisco completed a three-game sweep of Milwaukee.
Panik collected two hits and erased a 1-0 Milwaukee lead in the fifth inning when he homered off Mike Fiers, who was starting on short rest in place of Wily Peralta and struck out six in his five-inning stint, allowing eight hits without a walk.
Vogelsong gave up five hits and didn't walk a batter to win his third consecutive road start. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five May starts after beginning the season 0-2.
Mets 7, Phillies 0
NEW YORK -- Rookie right-hander Noah Syndergaard did it all in his fourth major league start, throwing 7 1/3 shutout innings and delivering three hits, including a long homer, in New York's win over Philadelphia.
The Mets scored once in the first inning, three times in the third and once apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth in sweeping a three-game series from the Phillies at Citi Field for the second time this season.
Syndergaard (2-2) allowed six hits and walked none while striking out six in pitching beyond the sixth inning for the first time as a big-leaguer. He allowed just two runners to get into scoring position.
Indians 12, Rangers 3
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland belted three home runs, including a three-run shot by Carlos Santana in an eight-run third inning, to roll over Texas.
The win snapped Texas' seven-game winning streak. It was the last day of a road trip for Texas and the last day of a 4-2 homestand for the Indians, who pounded out 17 hits, including home runs by Santana, Nick Swisher and Lonnie Chisenhall.
Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (6-4) pitched eight innings to get the win. He gave up one run on five hits, with eight strikeouts and one walk.
Twins 6, Red Sox 4
MINNEAPOLIS -- Aaron Hicks and Eddie Rosario homered and right-hander Phil Hughes pitched 6 2/3 innings to help Minnesota beat Boston.
The Twins got their first sweep of Boston in nearly a decade, when they took three from the Red Sox in June of 2006 at the Metrodome. It was also the Twins' fifth consecutive win overall and seventh in their last eight games.
Dustin Pedroia homered twice for the Red Sox, who had lost just four times total in five previous series at Target Field since 2010. It was Pedroia's second multi-homer game of the season and first since Opening Day.
Mariners 3, Rays 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For eight innings, Tampa Bay's Chris Archer and Seattle's Felix Hernandez threw shutout gems, taking a scoreless stalemate into the ninth.
Then the Rays went to the bullpen, and reliever Brad Boxberger gave up a three-run homer to Nelson Cruz as the Mariners won to sweep the three-game series.
Hernandez (8-1) pitched a four-hitter for his second complete-game shutout of the season and earned his first win at Tropicana Field. He struck out eight and walked one. Archer allowed only two hits, walked none and struck out 12, matching a career high.
Rockies 6, Reds 4
CINCINNATI -- Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon homered, and right-hander Kyle Kendrick pitched seven strong innings, lifting Colorado over Cincinnati in the finale of a three-game series.
Todd Frazier and Tucker Barnhart homered for the Reds, who have lost 10 of 11. The Reds halted a nine-game losing streak on Tuesday, their longest since 1998.
Kendrick (2-6) allowed one run through seven innings before giving up three earned in the eighth as the Rockies took the series. He walked one and struck out one over just 75 pitches.
Pirates 5, Marlins 2
PITTSBURGH -- Jung Ho Kang's two-run single capped a five-run rally in the seventh inning as Pittsburgh ran its winning streak to a season-high six games.
The Pirates trailed 2-0 with two outs and none on in the seventh when Chris Stewart and pinch hitter Jose Tabata hit consecutive singles off left-handed reliever Mike Dunn to put runners on the corners.
Right-hander Sam Dyson (2-2) relieved and gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Josh Harrison and pinch hitter Pedro Alvarez that tied the score. Dyson then walked Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte to force in the go-ahead run and Kang greeted righty Carter Capps with his two-run single to center to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
White Sox 5, Blue Jays 3
TORONTO -- Adam LaRoche drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak.
Jose Abreu led off the 10th with a triple to right field against Blue Jays right-hander Roberto Osuna (1-1) and LaRoche singled to right to give Chicago a 4-3 lead. Gordon Beckham doubled home pinch-runner Emilio Bonifacio as the White Sox ended the Blue Jays' three-game winning streak.
Right-hander David Robertson (4-1), who gave up the tying homer to Josh Donaldson in the ninth, picked up the win.
Cardinals 4, Diamondbacks 3
ST. LOUIS -- Peter Bourjos' hard but clean slide into home plate forced a throwing error from catcher Jordan Pacheco in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Matt Carpenter with St. Louis' winning run.
With the bases loaded and one out, Jhonny Peralta bounced the first pitch to third baseman Yasmany Tomas. The throw home forced Bourjos, but Bourjos knocked Pacheco's legs out from under him, and Pacheco's throw to first sailed down the right field line as Carpenter trotted home.
Jason Heyward led off the ninth with a 423-foot, game-tying solo homer off closer Brad Ziegler that curved inside the right field foul pole, Heyward's fifth of the year.
Nationals 3, Cubs 0
CHICAGO -- Bryce Harper hit his 18th home run, and Max Scherzer struck out a season-high 13 in seven scoreless innings as Washington beat Chicago.
Scherzer (6-3) scattered five hits walked just one as he won his fifth straight start while the Nationals took two of three from the Cubs. Drew Storen worked the ninth inning for his 16th save.
Harper slammed a leadoff home run in the sixth inning off Jon Lester as the Nationals opened a 2-0 lead. He is tied with Seattle's Nelson Cruz for the major league lead in homers.
Padres 5, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Andrew Cashner gave up three runs in seven innings and got key hits from Justin Upton and Matt Kemp as San Diego beat Los Angeles.
Angels starter Garrett Richards was his own worst enemy, committing two errors, including one while fielding a bunt in the seventh inning that led to two unearned runs. That was when Upton and Kemp came through with back-to-back, two-out, RBI singles that turned a 3-3 game into a 5-3 Padres lead. Those hits also knocked Richards out of the game.
Richards (4-3) got the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings.
Braves 3, Dodgers 2
LOS ANGELES -- Cameron Maybin homered, and Atlanta avoided a three-game sweep by holding off Los Angeles.
Braves starter Alex Wood (3-2) limited the Dodgers to a run for seven innings, striking out six, walking two and scattering seven hits. Jim Johnson pitched a perfect eighth, fanning two batters, before Jason Grilli survived a rocky ninth for his 14th save.
Grilli served up a solo home run to left fielder Alex Guerrero, his ninth this season, and a single to pinch hitter Andre Ethier before forcing Ethier at second and inducing pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo, who made his Dodger debut, to fly out to center.
