LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless streak ended at 41 innings when he gave up a home run to Chase Headley, but the Los Angeles ace pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead the Dodgers over the San Diego
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless streak ended at 41 innings when he gave up a home run to Chase Headley, but the Los Angeles ace pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead the Dodgers over the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Thursday night.
Kershaw won his eighth straight start and came within 18 innings of the major league record set by Dodgers right-hander Orel Hershiser, who threw 59 consecutive shutout innings in 1988.
The switch-hitting Headley homered off Kershaw (11-2) in the sixth, halting the longest scoreless streak in the majors since Brandon Webb went 42 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007.
Kershaw’s run tied Luis Tiant for the fifth-longest in the expansion era (since 1961).
The 26-year-old lefty became the third pitcher in the last 100 years to win eight straight starts in one season while striking out at least seven batters in each one. The others were Sandy Koufax (1966) and Juan Marichal (1967).
Despite missing five weeks because of a strained muscle in his upper back that sidelined him after his opening-day victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia, Kershaw has a 1.98 ERA in 14 starts — his best numbers before the All-Star break in his seven-year career.
Headed to his fourth All-Star game in a row, the two-time Cy Young Award winner seems a strong choice to start the Midsummer Classic on regular rest Tuesday night in Minnesota.
Kershaw earned his 14th complete game in 196 career starts, helping the defending NL West champions increase their division lead to one game over San Francisco in the opener of a four-game series that will take them into the All-Star break.
GIANTS 6, ATHLETICS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — All-Star pitcher Scott Kazmir struck out nine in seven scoreless innings to help the Athletics win the annual Bay Bridge series .
Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer and Stephen Vogt drove in three runs for the A’s, who won three of four in the two-city series that began Monday night in Oakland. The A’s (58-34) have won seven of eight overall and have matched the best start in Oakland history.
Tim Hudson (7-6) was unable to make it out of the sixth inning and lost his fourth straight decision for the floundering Giants.
San Francisco has lost 15 of its past 19 home games and hasn’t won consecutive games at AT&T Park in more than a month.
Kazmir (11-3) allowed three hits and one walk. He has yielded one run or fewer in 11 of 19 starts this season for a 2.38 ERA.
ORIOLES 4, NATIONALS 3
BALTIMORE — Steve Pearce homered and scored twice to help Wei-Yin Chen earn his team-high ninth victory, and Baltimore beat Washington for its eighth win in 10 games.
Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz both drove in a run for the Orioles, who built a 4-0 lead in the third inning and held on. Baltimore took two of three from the Nationals in this rain-shortened, home-and-home interleague showdown between division leaders.
Jayson Werth homered for Washington and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and an RBI.
Chen (9-3) gave up three runs in 5 2-3 innings, improving to 6-1 in 12 starts since May 3. He was 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in his previous two starts against the Nationals.
After Darren O’Day worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, Zach Britton got three outs for his 15th save, capping his 22nd consecutive scoreless appearance at home.
Gio Gonzalez (6-5) allowed three earned runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. His streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings ended when Pearce connected in the first.
INDIANS 9, YANKEES 3
CLEVELAND — Roberto Perez hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, Carlos Santana also connected and Cleveland scored nine runs in its last two innings at bat to rally past New York.
Asdrubal Cabrera’s bases-loaded triple and Michael Brantley’s sacrifice fly highlighted a four-run seventh that erased a 3-0 deficit. Brantley, a first-time All-Star this season, added an RBI single in a five-run eighth, when Perez and Santana homered.
On a conference call during the game, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said right-hander Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The team hopes its rookie sensation will be able to return this season.
Cashman said Tanaka could be back in six weeks, but didn’t rule out the possibility of Tommy John surgery if the pitcher doesn’t respond to a rehab program.
Perez also singled in the seventh for his first career hit. Carlos Carrasco (2-3) pitched a scoreless inning to help the Indians gain a four-game split.
Derek Jeter, playing his final regular-season game in Cleveland, went 2 for 4 in the 1,000th multihit game of his career. Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single for his 2,800th major league hit.
Zelous Wheeler hit a two-run homer, and Yankees starter David Phelps took a shutout into the seventh. Matt Thornton (0-3) toook the loss.
CUBS 6, REDS 4, 12 INNINGS
CINCINNATI — Luis Valbuena hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple in the 12th inning and Chicago avoided a rare five-game sweep in Cincinnati.
Arismendy Alcantara singled with one out and went to second on Starlin Castro’s two-out infield single. Valbuena, who was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, sent a drive to deep right field against J.J. Hoover (1-6).
Skip Schumaker was unable to catch up with the ball, but Valbuena was thrown out at the plate trying for an inside-the-park home run.
Alcantara got his first major league hit — a two-run double — and drove in three runs. Blake Parker (1-0) pitched the last two innings and the Cubs snapped their losing streak at a season-high six games.
PHILLIES 9, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE — Jimmy Rollins broke up Matt Garza’s no-hit bid with a single in the seventh before sparking a seven-run outburst an inning later, helping Philadelphia complete a four-game sweep of Milwaukee.
Rollins greeted reliever Will Smith in the eighth by singling to left to drive home two runs. Garza (6-6) had just been pulled from the game to a standing ovation but could only watch from the dugout as his shutout evaporated.
RED SOX 4, WHITE SOX 3, 10 INNINGS
BOSTON — Mike Carp’s pinch-hit single in the 10th inning gave Boston its second straight walk-off victory over Chicago.
Jon Lester struck out 12 in seven innings for the Red Sox, but fellow All-Star Koji Uehara gave up a tying, two-run homer in the ninth to pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie — his third long ball in three games and fourth of the season.
David Ortiz had a two-run double for the Red Sox, who ended their 3-7 homestand on an upswing.
Pinch-hitter Daniel Nava drew a leadoff walk in the 10th and scored the winning run for the second consecutive game. Ronald Belisario (3-6) took the loss.
Chicago had runners at first and third with two outs in the 10th, but Alexei Ramirez was retired on a grounder to pitcher Andrew Miller (3-5).
TIGERS 16, ROYALS 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Everybody in Detroit’s lineup had at least one hit and scored one run, the season-best offensive onslaught spurring the rout of Kansas City.
The Tigers established a season-high for runs just two days after their 14-5 blitzing of the Dodgers, and took a 5 1/2-game lead over the second-place Royals in the AL Central.
Drew Smyly (5-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in 6 2-3 innings for Detroit.
Jeremy Guthrie (5-8) gave up a career-worst eight earned runs on eight hits, three walks and two hit batters. He was mercifully pulled with no outs in the fifth, which means the Royals’ veteran has now allowed 16 earned runs in eight-plus innings covering his last two starts.
ANGELS 15, RANGERS 6
ARLINGTON, Texas — All-Star center fielder Mike Trout had a three-run homer among his four hits for fast-starting Los Angeles in its drubbing of freefalling Texas.
The first four Angels in the game had hits and scored. It started when Kole Calhoun had a leadoff triple into the right-field corner, then trotted home on a relay throw that bounced into the seats.
BRAVES 3, METS 1
NEW YORK — Aaron Harang allowed four hits in seven innings, and Atlanta used early offense against Bartolo Colon to avert a four-game sweep by New York.
The Braves snapped a four-game skid and ended the Mets’ season-best, four-game winning streak. New York hasn’t swept a four-game set from Atlanta since July 1989.
PIRATES 9, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS — Edinson Volquez tossed a six-hitter to win his fourth straight start, pitching Pittsburgh past St. Louis.
Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Russell Martin and Andrew McCutchen all drove in two runs for the Pirates, who avoided being swept in the four-game series.
