MLB roundup: Indians win again -- 12 in a row
By The Sports Xchange
ATLANTA -- The streaking Cleveland Indians are one win away from tying their all-time record for consecutive victories.
Danny Salazar won his sixth consecutive start and Lonnie Chisenhall hit his third homer in five games as the Indians made it 12 in a row with a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves that completed a three-game interleague sweep Wednesday night.
The Indians' record winning streak is 13 games, first set in 1942 and matched in 1951.
Salazar (10-3) allowed five hits, walked none and struck out eight over seven innings while lowering his ERA to 2.22 -- second in the American League. He threw 98 pitches in his longest start since going eight innings June 3 against Kansas City.
The Indians (47-30) have outscored their opponents 76-25 during the winning streak and it was the third time in the stretch they didn't allow a run.
Cleveland has won 21 of its past 27 games and is 17 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2013 season 92-70.
Yankees 9, Rangers 7
NEW YORK -- Brian McCann homered in consecutive at-bats and Didi Gregorius hit a two-run home run with one outs in the bottom of the ninth as New York rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat Texas.
After Alex Rodriguez lined out, McCann drove a 1-0 pitch from Sam Dyson into the right-field seats. Starlin Castro followed with a walk and Gregorius ended it by lining the first pitch from Dyson into the right-center field into the right-field seats.
It was Gregorius' first career walk-off home run and touched off a wild celebration at the plate.
Nationals 4, Mets 2
WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer allowed just two hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings and Daniel Murphy hit two homers as Washington beat New York, sweeping the three-game series against the defending National League champions.
Oliver Perez came on in the eighth to face pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson, who singled to put two runners on with one out and the score 2-0. The Nationals brought on Blake Treinen, who retired pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud on a grounder. Washington manager Dusty Baker then called on Shawn Kelley, and Alejandro De Aza struck out swinging to end the inning.
Murphy then hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the last of the eighth off Sean Gilmartin to pad the margin to 4-0. Murphy tied his career high with 14 homers in a season against his former team.
Cubs 9, Reds 2
CINCINNATI -- Anthony Rizzo belted his first career inside-the-park home run in the first inning and Kyle Hendricks allowed two runs over six frames as Chicago completed the sweep of Cincinnati.
This series was particularly crazy beginning with Kris Bryant's historic three-homer, two-double game on Monday, followed by a 15-inning affair the next night in which the Cubs used three pitchers in left field.
The wildness continued in the first inning on Wednesday when, with two runners aboard, Rizzo hit a liner to left-center field that caromed off the glove of left fielder Adam Duvall and rolled to the warning track. Rizzo raced around the bases to stake the Cubs to an early 3-0 lead.
Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who nearly collided with Duvall on the play, was struck on the left side of his face by the ball and had to leave the game.
Rays 4, Red Sox 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and pitched seven shutout innings, outdueling former teammate David Price.
Moore (4-5) held Boston to three hits, all in the sixth, and helped the Rays take a three-game series from the Red Sox for the second time this season.
Price (8-5) has just one win in his last seven starts, and he is now 0-3 as a visitor since being dealt from the Rays two years ago.
Tigers 10, Marlins 3
DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three runs and Daniel Norris struck out a career-high eight batters as Detroit cruised past Miami.
Cabrera and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who also homered, had three hits apiece for the Tigers, who finished 6-3 on their nine-game homestand. They play 11 consecutive road games prior to the All-Star break.
Steven Moya added a solo shot, Victor Martinez had two hits and two RBIs and Ian Kinsler contributed two hits and three runs scored. Norris (1-0), making his second start of the season, gave up two runs on eight hits in five innings.
Blue Jays 5, Rockies 3
DENVER -- Aaron Sanchez worked a season-high-tying eight innings as Toronto beat Colorado in the rubber game of the three-game series. It was the Blue Jays' first win in a series of three or more games since June 3-5, when they took two of three games at Boston.
Sanchez (8-1) got 14 outs on ground balls, including two double plays. He yielded one run on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Josh Donaldson had two hits, including a home run, and Edwin Encarnacion added two hits and two runs for the Blue Jays.
Astros 10, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jose Altuve finished a homer short of the cycle, and Houston completed a three-game sweep of Los Angeles.
Altuve, who has an 11-game hitting streak, singled in the first inning, tripled in the third and doubled in the fifth. With a chance for the cycle, he lined out to left in the sixth, then singled to left for his fourth hit in the ninth.
George Springer and Luis Valbuena homered for Houston, which got a serviceable performance on the mound from Dallas Keuchel (5-9). The lefty gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks in six innings.
Orioles 12, Padres 6
SAN DIEGO -- Yovani Gallardo's solid pitching enabled Baltimore to record its seventh consecutive win.
Gallardo (3-1) allowed three runs on as many hits and struck out six in six innings. He earned his second win in his third start since returning from the disabled list after recovering from biceps tendinitis.
Mark Trumbo paced the Orioles with four RBIs, and Manny Machado added three RBIs and two of the Orioles' 12 hits.
Phillies 9, Diamondbacks 8 (10 innings)
PHOENIX -- Pinch hitter Tyler Goeddel's 10th-inning sacrifice fly allowed Philadelphia to complete a three-game sweep of Arizona.
Jenmar Gomez (3-2) got four outs and left two runners on base in the eighth inning for the victory. Brett Oberholtzer, the Phillies' seventh pitcher, worked around a one-out bunt single by Michael Bourn in the last of the 10th for his first career save.
Cesar Hernandez had four hits, Freddy Galvis had three hits, Cody Asche had two hits and three RBIs, and Peter Bourjos homered for the Phillies, who have won four of six. Bourn had four hits for Arizona, which got a three-run homer from Jake Lamb.
Brewers 7, Dodgers 0
MILWAUKEE -- Home runs from Ryan Braun and Kirk Nieuwenhuis and a career-high eight shutout innings from right-hander Junior Guerra led Milwaukee to a shutout victory over Los Angeles at Miller Park.
Guerra (5-1) earned his second consecutive victory by holding the Dodgers to just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
He stranded runners at the corners in the first inning then faced just one over the minimum the rest of the way.
White Sox 9, Twins 6
CHICAGO -- Brett Lawrie, Tyler Saladino and Todd Frazier all homered and James Shields picked up his first win for Chicago in a victory over Minnesota.
The power surge came a night after the White Sox failed to score. Saladino homered in the fifth inning before Frazier followed up with his solo shot in the sixth to give Shields some room to work with.
Chicago�s last 13 home runs have all come with no one on.
Athletics 7, Giants 1
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso hit two-run homers, and rookie left-hander Sean Manaea pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, leading Oakland to a victory against San Francisco at the Oakland Coliseum.
The A's beat the Giants for the third straight time and will try to sweep the four-game season series on Thursday night at the Coliseum.
Manaea (3-4) had been on the disabled list since June 14 with a strained left forearm before being activated Wednesday to make his 10th career start. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one. Manaea exited after allowing a two-out double to Buster Posey in the sixth with the A's leading 7-0.
Royals 3, Cardinals 2 (12 innings)
ST. LOUIS -- Alcides Escobar's one-out RBI double in the top of the 12th inning lifted Kansas City to a win over St. Louis.
Whit Merrifield started the rally with a double off Seth Maness (0-2), St. Louis' eighth pitcher of the game, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Escobar lined a 3-1 pitch down the right field line just in front of a diving Stephen Piscotty as Merrifield scored.
Chien-Ming Wang (5-0) pitched the last two innings for the win as Kansas City won despite stranding 19 runners. The Cardinals dropped to 15-22 at Busch Stadium, where they have lost six in a row.
Pirates 8, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Pittsburgh rolled out to a big early lead and rode rookie starter Jameson Taillon to a win over Seattle.
The 24-year-old Taillon (2-1) allowed just one run off six hits over six innings in his fifth major league start, while Pirates right fielder Sean Rodriguez provided the bulk of the offense.
Rodriguez had two doubles, four RBIs and scored twice as Pittsburgh jumped out to an 8-0 lead through the top of the fifth inning.
