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Highlights of Monday's MLB games

[July 19, 2016] July 18 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights from Monday's Major League Baseball games:

Oakland 7, Astros 4

The Houston Astros had to know what was coming when Oakland A's right-hander Kendall Graveman took the mound Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum.

Nine days earlier in his previous start, Graveman challenged the Astros with a heavy dose of mid-90s sinkerballs and held them to two runs over eight innings in a 3-2 A's victory in Houston.

Graveman followed the same game plan Monday and extended his winning streak to a career-high five games with a 7-4 victory against the Astros.

Angels 9, Rangers 5

Mike Trout's three-run, seventh-inning home run led a four-run rally that gave the Los Angeles Angels a 9-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Angel Stadium.

Ji-Man Choi added his first major league home run as the Angels earned their eighth win in 10 games and their fourth in succession, matching their season high.

Tigers 1, Twins 0

Matt Boyd pitched six scoreless innings to collect his first victory this season and Justin Upton ripped his 200th career homer, lifting the Detroit Tigers past the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Monday at Comerica Park.

Making his seventh start, Boyd (1-2) allowed only three hits and one walk while tying his career high with seven strikeouts. Boyd retired the last seven batters he faced and finished with a flourish in the sixth, striking out Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier after snaring a Joe Mauer line drive.

Upton's second-inning shot down the left-field line was all that Boyd and three Detroit relievers would need against the downtrodden Twins. Upton, who was stuck on 199 home runs since July 7, had two of Detroit's three hits. Francisco Rodriguez finished up to notch his 26th save.

Cubs 5, Mets 1

Jon Lester returned to late spring form while Anthony Rizzo clubbed his 22nd home run of the season as Chicago beat New York.

Lester (10-4) picked up his first victory since June 18 with an efficient 7 2/3-inning outing to open the three-game Wrigley Field series.

Cubs closer Hector Rondon faced one batter in the ninth to earn his 16th save as Travis d'Arnaud grounded into a game-ending double play.

Yankees 2, Orioles 1

Alex Rodriguez hit his first home run in a month, Ivan Nova pitched six effective innings and New York opened a four-game series against Baltimore with a victory.

Rodriguez started for the fourth straight game after ending the first half as a part-time player against left-handed pitching and homered in his first at-bat against Kevin Gauman (1-7). It was Rodriguez's first home run since June 18 in Minnesota and the 696th of his career.

The 40-year-old's ninth home run came after Ivan Nova (7-5) left the bases loaded in the first and stranded the leadoff hitter in the second. Nova allowed one run and four hits after struggling through the early portions of the game but gave the Yankees six innings for the first time in six starts.

Marlins 3, Phillies 2

Martin Prado led off the top of the 11th inning with a home run as Miami beat Philadelphia.

The Marlins, who scored twice in the ninth off Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez to tie it, won for the sixth time in seven games.

Tommy Joseph homered for the Phillies, who lost for the third time in four games.

Reds 8, Braves 2

Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez each hit two-run homers, and Zack Cozart added a solo shot, lifting Cincinnati to a victory over Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.

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The Braves fell to 19-31 all-time at Great American Ball Park while falling for the fifth time in their past six there.

Billy Hamilton, who scored the winning run on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, caused havoc on the basepaths again Monday. The Reds center fielder singled three times, stole three bases (giving him 27 thefts on the season) and scored twice.

Cardinals 10, Padres 2

A close game through 5 1/2 innings turned into a blowout in an instant. Scoring four runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh, St. Louis routed San Diego at Busch Stadium.

The key hit occurred when pinch-hitter Matt Adams, who was batting for pinch-hitter Michael McKenry after San Diego removed starter Christian Friedrich for Carlos Villanueva, lined a 3-2 pitch up the gap in left-center, scoring Jedd Gyorko and Greg Garcia for a 4-1 lead.

Aledmys Diaz followed with a two-out RBI triple and Stephen Piscotty tacked on a run-scoring single to make it 6-1. Randal Grichuk and Gyorko belted back-to-back homers in the seventh for a 9-2 advantage and Piscotty capped the scoring in the eighth with a 439-foot homer to the third deck in left field.

Rockies 7, Rays 4

Manager Walt Weiss was pleased when Colorado beat Tampa Bay, as relievers Adam Ottavino in the seventh and Jason Motte in the eighth stranded the tying run at third base.

The Rockies, who are on the fringe of the National League wild-card race, have won three of four and the Rays have lost three of four since the All-Star break. The downtrodden Rays fell for the 25th time in 29 games.

The Rockies play seven games this week at Coors Field, against the Rays and lowly Atlanta Braves, before their schedule gets very challenging. A seven-game trip to face the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets after this homestand starts a stretch in which 29 of the Rockies' 35 games will be against teams with winning records.

Mariners 4, White Sox 3

Adam Lind spoiled Chicago starter Chris Sale's latest gem with a three-run, walk-off home run off White Sox closer David Robertson in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Seattle a win.

Sale threw eight shutout innings and the White Sox bats finally came alive, but it wasn't enough on a night when Seattle scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

After Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager drove in Seattle's first run of the game with a two-out RBI single off Robertson, Lind came on to pinch-hit and delivered his second walk-off homer of the season. He hit an 0-1 pitch from Robertson (0-2) into the right-field seats to spoil Sale's bid to become the first 15-game winner in the majors this season.

Royals 7, Indians 3

Christian Colon tied the game with an eighth-inning, pinch-hit double, and Jarrod Dyson capped off the seven-run frame with a grand slam as Kansas City topped Cleveland.

The Indians took a 2-0 lead into the eighth, but starter Corey Kluber left before the inning began due to a right leg cramp.

Cleveland relievers Bryan Shaw (1-4) and Jeff Manship promptly surrendered seven runs as the Royals sent 10 men to the plate. (Editing by Simon Jennings)

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