Baseball Capsules
September 2, 2015
BOSTON (AP) Brett Gardner homered and Stephen Drew hit a two-run double as the New York Yankees pieced together just enough offense to overcame Rick Porcello's career-high 13 strikeouts and beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Porcello (6-12) scattered five hits over eight innings and the only earned run he allowed was Gardner's solo homer in the eighth. However, the Red Sox gave him little support at the plate, stranding seven runners.
Michael Pineda (10-8) pitched six strong innings for the Yankees, scattering four hits and striking out seven and Andrew Miller picked up his 29th save as New York evened the series at one game apiece.
Boston had a promising rally going in the eighth that quickly fizzled on an attempted double steal.
MARLINS 7, BRAVES 1
ATLANTA (AP) - Justin Nicolino pitched seven scoreless innings, Justin Bour hit a three-run homer, and Miami beat hapless Atlanta again.
Nicolino (3-2) shut down the Braves with help from a pair of double plays. Atlanta lost for the 14th time in 15 games, including the last seven in a row, but at least avoided its second straight shutout when A.J. Pierzynski drove in a run with a two-out single in the eighth off Erik Cordier.
The Braves have been outscored 110-40 during their most recent skid. Manny Banuelos (1-3) made his first start in more than a month coming off the disabled list. He lasted 2 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and three runs.
Hector Olivera went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his major league debut for the Braves.
RAYS 11, ORIOLES 2
BALTIMORE (AP) - J.P. Arencibia homered and drove in six runs to back an impressive pitching performance by Drew Smyly, and Tampa Bay cruised past Baltimore.
Brandon Guyer had four hits for the Rays, who scored four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to send the Orioles to their 12th loss in 13 games. Tampa Bay has won three in a row to get back to .500 and stay in the hunt for the final AL wild card spot.
Smyly (2-2) struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked one and retired the final 10 batters he faced.
It was his fourth start since returning from a 3 1/2-month stay on the disabled list with a torn left labrum.
Chris Tillman (9-10) gave up seven runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, INDIANS 3, 10 INNINGS
TORONTO (AP) - Ryan Goins hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning and Toronto snapped Cleveland's six-game winning streak.
Yan Gomes hit two home runs and Michael Brantley also connected but it wasn't enough for the Indians.
Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion went 0 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, ending his career-high hitting streak at 26 games.
Dioner Navarro singled off Bryan Shaw (3-3) to begin the 10th and was replaced by pinch-runner Ezequeiel Carrera. One out later, Goins drilled the game-winning homer into the right field bullpen, his fifth.
Mark Lowe (1-2) got one out for the victory as AL East-leading Toronto won for the fourth time in five games and remained 1 1-2 games ahead of the New York Yankees, who beat Boston 3-1.
PHILLIES 14, METS 8
NEW YORK (AP) - Darin Ruf homered and had a career-high six RBIs, helping Philadelphia emphatically end its 10-game losing streak to the New York Mets.
Leadoff batter Darnell Sweeney drove in three runs for the last-place Phillies, who won for the second time in 15 meetings with the NL East leaders this season. Andres Blanco hit a two-run double and scored twice in an eight-run sixth, Philadelphia's biggest inning of the year. The Phillies scored the eight runs on only three hits.
Ruf caught hold of an 0-2 curveball and launched it for a three-run shot, the second time in six days he capped a five-run third inning with a homer off Jonathon Niese (8-10).
Jeanmar Gomez (2-3) was credited with the win after yielding two runs and five hits in two innings.
BREWERS 7, PIRATES 4
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Jimmy Nelson pitched seven dominant innings and Milwaukee hit Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole for five early runs.
Nelson (11-10) gave up four hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
The Brewers had four consecutive hits in the first off Cole (15-8). Ryan Braun drove in a run with a single and Adam Lind drove in two with a double as Milwaukee grabbed a 3-0 lead before Cole retired a batter. Jean Segura drove in another run in the inning on a two-out infield hit.
Jonathan Lucroy's run-scoring single extended Milwaukee's lead to 5-0 in the second.
Cole gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings.
Nelson retired 10 straight before Jung Ho Kang led off the fifth with a double and then scored on Neil Walker's single.
Francisco Rodriguez got the final out for his 32nd save.
CUBS 5, REDS 4
CHICAGO (AP) - Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning, and Kris Bryant had three hits to lead Chicago.
Schwarber sent a deep drive into the left-center field bleachers on a 3-2 pitch from Burke Badenhop (1-4). The blast scored Dexter Fowler, who had singled with two outs.
Bryant drove in two runs for Chicago, which had lost five of six but is still in good shape for its first playoff berth since 2008. The Cubs entered play Tuesday 5 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco for the NL's second wild card spot.
Hector Rondon picked up his 25th save in 29 tries. Fernando Rodney (6-5) allowed Eugenio Suarez's homer in the seventh that gave the Reds a short-lived 4-3 lead but won his first game since the Cubs acquired him from Seattle on Aug. 27.
TWINS 8, WHITE SOX 6
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Miguel Sano's towering home run tied the game for Minnesota in the seventh inning, and two Chicago errors aided the go-ahead rally in the eighth to help the Twins beat the White Sox.
Eduardo Escobar's leadoff double, his third hit, started the trouble for Zach Duke (3-5), who threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt by Kurt Suzuki for one run. Third baseman Tyler Saladino let a grounder go through his legs, and the Twins scored twice more on a single and a sacrifice fly.
Kevin Jepsen (3-6) pitched a perfect eighth inning for the win. Glen Perkins recorded his 32nd save, his first in 16 days, despite a three-hit ninth that included an RBI single by Saladino.
Avasail Garcia's two-run homer in the sixth inning gave Chris Sale and the White Sox a 4-3 lead.
TIGERS 6, ROYALS 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Justin Verlander threw his fifth consecutive quality start, and Ian Kinsler homered and drove in three runs to help Detroit snap a four-game losing streak.
The Tigers had lost nine of 10 to drop into last place in the AL Central.
Verlander (3-6) limited the Royals to seven hits and four runs, two unearned, over 6 2-3 innings. He has a 0.76 ERA in his past five starts and the Tigers' lone two victories since Aug. 19, including a one-hit shutout of the Angels in his previous outing.
Johnny Cueto (2-4), who the Royals acquired in a July 26 trade with Cincinnati, allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings. Cueto has given up 38 hits in his past four starts, the most hits he has allowed in his career over a four-start span.
MARINERS 7, ASTROS 5
HOUSTON (AP) - Logan Morrison's tiebreaking two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning lifted Seattle past Houston.
The game was tied 5-5 when Morrison hit the third pinch-hit homer of his career, sending a pitch from Pat Neshek (3-4) into the seats in right field.
Franklin Gutierrez hit a solo homer in the second and Mark Trumbo, who homered twice on Monday, added a two-run shot off the train beyond Houston's left-center field wall to give Seattle a 5-3 lead in the fifth.
Jose Altuve hit an RBI single with two outs in the sixth to get Houston within 1. The Astros tied it up when Jake Marisnick scored from third on an error by catcher John Hicks when he tried to pick off Altuve at second base.
Logan Kensing (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win and Tom Wilhelmsen threw a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
CARDINALS 8, NATIONALS 5
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Brandon Moss hit a three-run walk-off home run with two outs in the ninth to lift St. Louis.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals have won nine of 10 and lead the division by six games. They've won nine in a row over Washington, coming from behind the last two nights.
Moss, who struck out with the bases loaded to end the third, homered off Casey Janssen (1-4) to straightaway center on a 1-0 count. Janssen took the loss on Monday, allowing four runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Mitch Harris (2-1) worked the last two innings, allowing two hits.
Ryan Zimmerman homered and Anthony Rendon had a two-run double in a four-run third for Washington.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, ROCKIES 4, 1st game
DIAMONDBACKS 5, ROCKIES 3, 2nd game
DENVER (AP) - A.J. Pollock hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, Paul Goldschmidt also homered to help Arizona complte a doulbeheader sweep.
Phil Gosselin homered and drove in four runs to lead Arizona to a win in the first game. It was the second time this season the Diamondbacks swept a doubleheader from Colorado.
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado homered in both games to take the NL lead with 32. He had three RBIs on the day and now leads the league with 98.
Trailing 3-1 in the nightcap, Arizona rallied against reliever Scott Oberg (3-4). Oberg hit Gosselin, walked Chris Owings and gave up a tying two-run double to Aaron Hill. Pollock followed with a two-run homer - his 15th.
Rubby De La Rosa (12-6) allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. Josh Collmenter worked the last two innings for his first save.
Arizona led most of the first game. Gosselin, who was acquired in a June 20 trade with Atlanta, doubled home a run in the third, and then broke it open with a three-run shot off Miguel Castro (0-1) in the seventh.
Patrick Corbin (4-3) allowed two runs - homers by DJ LeMahieu in the second and Kyle Parker in the fifth - and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth for his third save.
RANGERS 8, PADRES 6
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Elvis Andrus singled in the go-ahead run and then stole home to cap a four-run seventh inning, and Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer and Texas held off San Diego.
The seventh inning started with reliever Marc Rzepczynski (0-1) getting the first two outs before the Rangers broke a 4-all tie on Andrus' bases-loaded single off Sean Kelley. Two more runs scored on catcher Derek Norris' error on the play. Andrus capped off the inning with a straight steal of home.
Matt Kemp homered and drove in four runs for San Diego, and has a major-league best 38 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Ross Ohlendorf (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning.
The Padres loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth against Rangers' closer Shawn Tolleson. He struck out Justin Upton looking before Jed Gyorko had an RBI single and Austin Hedges a sacrifice fly. Tolleson retired Cory Spangenberg on a flyout to end the game.
ANGELS 6, ATHLETICS 2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Kole Calhoun had three hits, including his 21st home run of the season, to back a strong start by Matt Shoemaker, and Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak.
David Freese singled and scored in his return to the Angels' lineup after missing more than a month with a fractured right index finger. Carlos Perez added two hits while Mike Trout also singled and scored for the Angels.
Shoemaker (7-9) gave up five hits and one run over seven mostly crisp innings in his second start since coming off the disabled list. He struck out five, walked two and allowed only two runners past first base.
Brett Lawrie homered for the A's, a solo shot off Shoemaker in the first.
The Angels were broke out of their funk with four runs in the second against Cody Martin (0-1).
DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Zack Greinke beat Madison Bumgarner in a premier pitching matchup, and the first-place Dodgers beat the second-place Giants.
The Dodgers increased their division lead to 5 1/2 games after taking the series opener 5-4 in 14 innings in a game that ended at 12:39 a.m. PST Tuesday. They have won seven of their last eight.
Greinke (15-3) allowed one run and five hits in 7 1-3 innings. He struck out five and walked one while improving to 7-0 in seven starts against the Giants since joining the Dodgers in 2012.
Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 30 chances.
Bumgarner (16-7) gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one.
