— Justin Verlander pitched just well enough to earn his 200th career win and the Houston Astros hit five home runs
Larry Allen Jersey , beating the Oakland Athletics 9-4 Sunday to avoid a sweep and retake sole possession of the AL West lead.
The surging A’s had won the first two games at the Coliseum to tie shaky Houston atop the division. But Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer in the third
inning and Evan Gattis, Alex Bergman, Marwin Gonzalez and Martin Maldonado later
homered for the defending World Series champions. Maldonado also tripled and
doubled.
Verlander (12-8) gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings while becoming the 114th pitcher with at least 200 career wins.
Oakland’s Sean Manaea (11-9) was charged with six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.
DODGERS 12, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pitched seven sharp innings for his 150th career win, Justin Turner homered and drove in five runs, and Los Angeles routed
Seattle.
Kershaw (6-5) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one. The 30-year-old lefty with three NL Cy Young Awards improved to 150-69 in the
majors.
Turner extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a season-high four hits, including a three-run homer in the ninth inning with position player Andrew
Romine on the mound.
Kike Hernandez had an RBI single as part of the Dodgers‘ five-run first inning against Roenis Elias (2-1). He added his 18th home run and a bases-loaded
walk as the Dodgers won for the third time in four games.
METS 8, PHILLIES 2
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Amed Rosario had three hits and drove in three runs, and New York went from cheering on players in the Little League World Series to
impressing the youngsters in a victory over Philadelphia.
Jeff McNeil added a two-run single to back Jason Vargas (3-8) as the Mets claimed the second Little League Classic and prevented the Phillies from moving
into first place in the NL East.
Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer for the Phillies, but Nick Pivetta (7-10) allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings in Philadelphia’s seventh loss in 11
games.
Players and families from the 16 teams competing in the nearby LLWS packed into 2,500-seat Bowman Field, the 92-year-old home of the Phillies’ Class A
affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
The spotlight shined on New York’s Todd Frazier and Michael Conforto and Philadelphia’s Scott Kingery
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BREWERS 2, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, Jhoulys Chacin beat St. Louis for the first time in his career and Milwaukee edged the Cardinals.
Milwaukee (69-57) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back ahead of St. Louis (68-57) for the second National League wild card. The Cardinals lost
for just the second time in their last 12 games.
Chacin (13-4) entered the game 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career games against the Cardinals, but shut them out through six innings as the Brewers
avoided their first three-game sweep at St. Louis since July 1-3, 2016.
John Gant (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
PIRATES 2, CUBS 1, 11 INNINGS
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Frazier hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning, and Pittsburgh beat Chicago for a split of their four-game series.
Josh Harrison grounded out and Adeiny Hechavarria struck out before Frazier drove a 3-0 pitch from Brandon Kintzler (1-3) deep to right. It was Frazier’s
fifth homer of the season.
The Cubs had a prime scoring chance against Richard Rodriguez (3-2) in the top half of the inning, but came up empty. Addison Russell was picked off third
by catcher Elias Diaz, and Albert Almora Jr. struck out looking with the bases
loaded with two out.
NL Central-leading Chicago managed just one run in each game of the series, but took the first two behind strong pitching performances by Jon Lester and
Cole Hamels.
ROCKIES 4, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) — DJ LeMahieu homered, German Marquez pitched seven solid innings and the Rockies closed out their first four-game sweep in Atlanta.
Colorado improved to 30-16 since June 26, and each of those 46 games came against teams with winning records at the time.
LeMahieu put Colorado in front with his third-inning drive to left field. He has hit nine of his 11 homers on the road
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Marquez (11-9) won his fourth straight road decision. He allowed two runs and five hits.
Johan Camargo had two hits and two RBIs for Atlanta. Anibal Sanchez (6-4) struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings.
INDIANS 8, ORIOLES 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Melky Cabrera hit a grand slam to cap a six-run fourth inning and Cleveland beat Baltimore for its AL-leading 13th shutout.
Cabrera, batting right-handed against reliever Sean Gilmartin, hit a 1-1 pitch into the bleachers in left-center for the Indians‘ ninth grand slam this
season, moving them into a tie with Boston and Cincinnati for the major league
lead.
Mike Clevinger (9-7) pitched six innings and is 4-0 in five career starts against Baltimore. The right-hander allowed seven hits and struck out seven.
Orioles starter Yefry Ramirez (1-5) allowed seven runs in three-plus innings. The rookie right-hander was removed after the first five hitters reached base in
the fourth.
MARLINS 12, NATIONALS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jose Urena made the most of his borrowed time, pitching a two-hitter for his first complete game in the majors and leading Miami over
Washington.
Urena (4-12) was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball after hitting Atlanta rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. on Wedn For the second night in a row, a
young San Francisco pitcher shut down the Arizona Diamondbacks.
This time, Dereck Rodriguez blanked them into the seventh inning and the Giants made it two straight wins in Arizona with a 7-0 victory Saturday.
Rodriguez’s performance came a night after Andrew Suarez allowed one run in six innings during San Francisco’s 2-1 series-opening victory. The NL
West-leading Diamondbacks have managed just one run in the last 18 innings.
”It’s big,” Rodriguez said. ”They’re leading our division and we come in and shut them down. That’s big for our team and our pitching staff, gives us some
momentum.”
Brandon Crawford, Andrew McCutchen and Joe Panik homered on another rough night for Shelby Miller, who struggled in his second start since returning from
Tommy John surgery.
Panik’s homer, off reliever Jimmie Sherfy in the eighth
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Ty Blach and Cory Gearrin completed San Francisco’s 10th shutout of the season.
”Overall just a well-played game,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ”We got the hits, the runs to give us a cushion there and what a job Rodriguez did. He
followed up a great start. He’s been throwing the ball terrific.”
The Giants have won nine of 11 to pull into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for second in the NL West, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place
Diamondbacks. San Francisco can complete a three-game road sweep on Sunday.
Since returning from an 8-2 trip, the Diamondbacks have dropped two to the Giants by a combined score of 9-1.
”An unfortunate offensive night for us once again,” manager Torey Lovullo said. ”We didn’t build as big of innings as last night but we had a couple
opportunities and we really couldn’t cash in.”
Rodriguez (3-1), the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan ”Pudge” Rodriguez, dominated in his sixth major league start. He allowed six hits in 6 1/3 innings,
struck out five and walked two. In his last two starts, the 26-year-old
right-hander has given up one run in 13 1/3 innings.
Miller (0-2) was tagged for six runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one, throwing 96 pitches. In his debut Monday night at
Miami, Miller gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 9-5 loss to
the Marlins.
Miller said he is past being satisfied with getting through an outing healthy.
”We are getting close to the All-Star break and we are playing division teams that are right behind us trying to get first place away from us and I am going
out there and not pitching well,” he said. ”That is more what I am upset about.
I am not really focused on the little positives that I can take from coming back
from a major surgery
Nate Orchard Jersey , which is a pretty big deal, but it is getting at that point in the season where we have to win ballgames, and every single one
that we can.”
Crawford and McCutchen each had a solo home run off Miller – Crawford in the second and McCutchen in the fourth.
Arizona’s real trouble came in San Francisco’s four-run third, which included five singles. One of them, a dribbler up the middle by Pablo Sandoval, drove in
two runs. Crawford walked with the bases loaded to bring in another run.
ROTATION QUESTIONS
With right-handers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija due back from the disabled list soon, there might not be room for Rodriguez and/or Suarez in the
rotation.
”We want our guys back but at the same time when they’re throwing like this it does give you the luxury of making sure your guys are ready,” Bochy said.
”Depth is going to be so important. We’re at the halfway point. You never know
what can happen and it’s been great the way Suarez and Rodriguez have come up
here and handled themselves.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: Cueto (right elbow sprain) threw four scoreless innings Friday night in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Sacramento. He allowed four hits,
struck out six and walked one.
Diamondbacks: INF Ketel Marte left with a right leg injury after beating out an infield single leading off the seventh. He was able to walk off under his own
power. Lovullo said afterward it was a cramp and Marte is day to day. … CF A.J.
Pollock (broken left thumb) went 0 for 4 with Triple-A Reno in his first rehab
game Friday night.
UP NEXT
Left-hander Derek Holland (5-7, 4.24 ERA) starts for the Giants in their bid for a three-game sweep. RHP Zack Godley (9-5, 4.58) goes for Arizona.
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