LDN - Sports

Highlights of Wednesday's MLB games

[July 21, 2016] July 20 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Wednesday's Major League Baseball games:

Twins 4, Tigers 1

Max Kepler hit a tiebreaking solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning to power the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

The rookie right fielder smashed a 3-2 pitch from Francisco Rodriguez (1-1) into the right field stands. Kepler has 10 home runs, including nine over the last 26 games.

Eddie Rosario provided some insurance later in the inning with a two-run shot off Rodriguez, who had not allowed a run in his previous 10 appearances.

Red Sox 11, Giants 7

Ramirez socked three two-run homers as Boston won a shootout with San Francisco at Fenway Park.

It was the first career three-homer game for Ramirez, who also made a series of outstanding defensive plays at first base. He had a chance to hit a major-league-record-tying fourth homer in the eighth inning but grounded out to the pitcher.

Drew Pomeranz didn't factor into the decision in his Red Sox debut, hanging zeros through three innings before imploding in a five-run Giants fourth. The All-Star southpaw lasted just three-plus innings, giving up five runs and eight hits.

Reds 6, Braves 3

Tucker Barnhart and Joey Votto homered, and Anthony DeSclafani allowed two runs over eight innings, lifting Cincinnati over Atlanta.

DeSclafani (5-0) recorded his fifth straight quality start, allowing two runs and eight hits with no walks. He is undefeated since being reinstated from the disabled list on June 10.

Freddie Freeman's 17th home run, a solo shot to the opposite field in left, put the Braves ahead 1-0 in the first. But DeSclafani was in control from there.

Indians 11, Royals 4

Mike Naquin belted two home runs and drove in six runs, while Carlos Carrasco gave up one hit in six dominant innings for Cleveland.

Naquin hit a solo homer in the third, a two-run double in the fourth and a three-run blast in a seven-run fifth inning. Naquin's six RBIs are a career high and it was his first multi-homer game.

Carrasco (7-3) retired the first 10 Royals before Cheslor Cuthbert doubled in the fourth, the only hit he would permit. Kansas City did not have another base runner until Whit Merrifield and Cuthbert walked with two out in the sixth. Carrasco, who is 5-1 in his past six starts, was removed after 85 pitches, 25 in the sixth inning.

Cubs 6, Mets 2

Anthony Rizzo homered twice and right-hander Kyle Hendricks struck out seven in six-plus scoreless innings as the Cubs breezed.

The victory gave the Cubs (57-37) two wins in the three-game series while the Mets (50-44).

Rizzo, who went 2-for-4, collected his 23rd and 24th home runs of the season and now ranks second in the NL behind teammate Kris Bryant.

Blue Jays 10, Diamondbacks 4

Josh Donaldson doubled, homered and drove in three runs and Edwin Encarnacion belted his 10th career homer in Toronto's victory.

Donaldson gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead two batters into the game, when he followed Darwin Barney's single with his 24th homer of the season.

Encarnacion capped a four-run eighth inning with his 26th homer of the season. Marcus Stroman (8-4) gave up one run and eight hits in eight innings for his first victory on the road since beating Minnesota 3-1 on May 18.

Astros 7, Athletics 0

Right-hander Doug Fister pitched seven shutout innings, and the Astros avoided a sweep in the three-game series.

Fister (10-6) beat the A's for the third time in four starts this season, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking two.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 2-for-3 with two walks and raised his major-league-leading batting average to .357. George Springer had two RBI doubles, scored two runs and walked.

Rays 11, Rockies 3

They Rays won their second straight game, the first time they won consecutive games since June 14-15. The Rays also won their first series since taking two of three June 24-27 against Boston.

Chris Archer (5-13) broke a six-game losing streak that was one shy of his career high and won for the first time since June 6. Archer allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and 11 strikeouts, one shy of his season high.

Tim Beckham, who went 5-for-5, drove in two runs, as did Steven Souza Jr. and Steve Pearce.

The Rays did most of their damage against Jorge De La Rosa, who allowed season highs in runs (nine) and hits (11) and tied his season high in earned runs allowed (seven) while throwing 91 pitches in four innings.

Cardinals 4, Padres 2

Carlos Martinez survived a 10-minute delay for a second-inning nose bleed and limited San Diego to four hits over seven efficient frames in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Busch Stadium.

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In improving to 9-6, Martinez walked one and struck out five, permitting just two singles after the game's first two hitters. Travis Jankowski doubled and Ryan Schimpf homered over the wall in center, putting Martinez down 2-0 five pitches into the game.

St. Louis' offense did all its damage against Colin Rea (5-4) with the long ball. Matt Holliday, Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina hit homers off Rea.

Mariners 6, White Sox 5 (11 innings)

Leonys Martin's second home run of the game, a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifted the Mariners to victory.

Martin's solo shot gave Seattle its second walk-off homer of the series after teammate Adam Lind beat the White Sox in dramatic fashion two days earlier. Martin hit an 0-2 pitch from Chicago reliever Dan Jennings (3-2) for a towering homer to right.

Chicago third baseman Todd Frazier hit his 28th home run of the season on the way to a 4-0 lead in Seattle starter Felix Hernandez's return to the mound, but the Mariners used three home runs to get back into the game. Adam Lind's solo shot with two outs in the eighth inning tied the score 5-5 and allowed Hernandez to get out of his first start since May 27 with a no-decision.

Nationals 8, Dodgers 1

Gio Gonzalez allowed just one run in six innings, and Washington hit four homers in a win over Los Angeles. The Nationals won for the first time in the teams' five meetings this year.

Bryce Harper, Ben Revere and Jayson Werth homered off Los Angeles starter Bud Norris (5-8). Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos each had two hits and an RBI, with Rendon hitting a home run.

Gonzalez (6-8) gave up three hits and two walks while striking out six. Felipe Rivero followed Gonzalez with two scoreless innings for Washington, and Koda Glover pitched a perfect ninth in his major league debut.

Phillies 4, Marlins 1

Jeremy Hellickson pitched eight strong innings, and Tyler Goeddel homered as Philadelphia topped Miami.

Hellickson (7-7) allowed one run and five hits in his longest outing of the season. He struck out eight, matching his second highest total this year, and did not walk a batter.

Jeanmar Gomez picked up his 26th save of the season by working a perfect ninth as the Phillies snapped a three-game losing streak. Chris Johnson homered for Miami, which lost for only the second time in nine games.

Yankees 5, Orioles 0

Michael Pineda pitched six effective innings, and New York matched a season high by going two games over .500 with a victory over Baltimore.

Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran homered and drove in two runs apiece for the Yankees. Teixeira went deep on a night when he returned after missing three games with a sore left foot. Beltran hit his 20th home run of the season, the 12th time he has reached that mark in his career.

Pineda (4-9) allowed five hits and did not give up a run for the first time since Sept. 19, 2015, against the New York Mets. He walked two and struck out eight. Pineda held the Orioles to one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and recorded six of his strikeouts in those instances.

Brewers 9, Pirates 5

Jonathan Lucroy drove in three runs, Jonathan Villar reached base four straight times and Milwaukee roughed up Pittsburgh starter Jeff Locke.

Villar had two singles, two walks, a run scored, a stolen base and an RBI to lead an offense that scored in five different innings. Scooter Gennett and Chris Carter added two RBIs each as the Nos. 3-6 batters for Milwaukee -- Ryan Braun, Lucroy, Carter and Gennett -- combined for five hits, five runs and seven RBIs.

Locke gave up five runs and seven hits and walking five in three-plus innings before Milwaukee added four more runs against Pittsburgh's bullpen.

Cardinals 3, Padres 2

Jedd Gyorko's answer to how it felt to blast six homers in five games against his old team was as simple and as on point as his swing at the moment.

The St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman homered twice in the nightcap of Wednesday's day-night doubleheader, capping a three-homer day that highlighted his team's 4-2, 3-2 sweep of the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium.

Gyorko, who has whacked more than half his 11 homers this year against San Diego pitching, became the first St. Louis player to homer in five straight games against the Padres since Albert Pujols did it in 2001-02. (Compiled by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru)

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