Associated Press
Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Rookies are supposed to be overmatched against pitchers like Felix Hernandez. Mike Trout is no ordinary rookie.
Trout tied a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run homer and a rare two-run sacrifice fly, and pinch-runner Peter Bourjos scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
“You’re talking about one of the best pitchers in the game — one of the top-five strikeout leaders — and Trout stood up to him. That’s the type of player he is,” Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. “It shows he has the plate discipline. It doesn’t matter who’s on the mound. He’s not afraid. He’s ready to go. And that’s what I love about him. He’s a bulldog.”
Kendrys Morales led off the ninth against Josh Kinney (0-2) with his second double of the game and was replaced by Bourjos. Alberto Callaspo was intentionally walked, and both runners advanced on Howie Kendrick’s sacrifice. Another intentional pass to Erick Aybar brought up pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis, who watched Kinney’s 1-2 pitch skip past catcher John Jaso.
Angels closer Ernesto Frieri (1-0) earned his first American League win, striking out the side in the ninth on 13 pitches.
Ervin Santana ended up with a fortunate no-decision after falling behind 5-0 in the third on a two-run homer by Dustin Ackley and a three-run shot by Jaso on a 3-0 pitch. The right-hander was charged with four earned runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out six.
“He just had a rough inning. That’s all,” Hunter said. “Guys just went over and tapped him on the shoulder to show him that we were going to battle through it. We got three runs and got some new life, then he settled down and got the breaking ball down a little bit and located the fastball better.”
Hernandez allowed five runs — four earned — and five hits in seven innings with three strikeouts. The 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner was 6-0 with a 1.41 ERA over his previous 10 starts, lowering his ERA from 3.70 to 2.63 prior to facing the Angels. In two starts against them this season, he has yielded nine earned runs in 13 innings.
The Angels tied it 5-all in the fifth when Trout was credited with two RBIs on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Eric Thames caught the ball in the right-field corner after a long run and collided with the short fence before making a return throw toward second base. Aybar kept running all the way from second after the catch, waved home by third base coach Dino Ebel, and scored behind Kendrick.
“On that play right there, you know that all three runners are going to tag up, and the guy at third base is definitely going to score,” Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. “The guy at second base is definitely going to get to third base, so what you have to do is control the baseball and make sure the guy at second doesn’t come all the way around. So Eric needed to hit the cutoff man, but what he ended up doing was (throwing over) him.”
Trout, who celebrated his 21st birthday last Tuesday with a home run at Oakland, hit his 21st homer of the season in the third to slice Seattle’s lead to 5-3 after Kendrick led off with a double and Aybar reached on an error by shortstop Brendan Ryan. Aybar was running on the 3-2 pitch to Trout, who leads all rookies with 60 RBIs.
“I’m just comfortable right now,” Trout said. “I got a good pitch to hit, a 3-2 changeup, and it was right in my wheelhouse. I was just trying to hit the ball up the middle and stay short with my swing.”
Trout also had five RBIs on Aug. 30, 2011, at Seattle — a three-run homer, a solo shot and a bases-loaded walk. He is the first player to get two RBIs on a sacrifice fly since teammate Albert Pujols did it with the Cardinals on June 7, 2009, against Colorado.
Hernandez was coming off a two-hitter in a 1-0 win at Yankee Stadium last Saturday. He had allowed only one home run in his previous 12 starts and 82 2-3 innings since giving up back-to-back homers by Gordon Beckham and Adam Dunn of the White Sox on June 1 at Chicago.
“Felix didn’t have his sharpest stuff tonight,” Jaso said. “It was tough for him to throw his changeup righty-on-righty, and that’s what Trout hit out. But I definitely don’t want to take anything away from Trout because he’s proven himself to be a great player. And driving that ball to right field to get that sac fly shows you right there how good he is. He stayed inside of it, knew what to do and hit it hard.”
ORIOLES 7, ROYALS 1
BALTIMORE — Manny Machado thrust himself into the Orioles’ record book in his second major league game, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs to carry Baltimore.
After going 2 for 4 in his debut on Thursday, Machado hit a solo shot in the fifth inning and a three-run drive in the sixth. Both homers came off Luke Hochevar (7-10) and landed in the left-field seats.
At 20 years and 35 days old, Machado is the youngest Oriole ever to have a multihomer game. Boog Powell was 20 years and 258 days old when he homered twice against Minnesota in May 1962.
Machado also became the 12th youngest major leaguer since 1918 to hit at least two home runs in a game.
Omar Quintanilla also homered for the Orioles, who have won six of seven.
Miguel Gonzalez (4-2) allowed one run and six hits in eight innings, striking out five and walking one. The right-hander was 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in two home starts.
Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, who lost for the second time in six games.
YANKEES 10, BLUE JAYS 4
TORONTO — Ichiro Suzuki matched a career high with five RBIs, and Freddy Garcia won in Toronto for the first time in more than a decade, leading the New York Yankees over the injury-riddled Blue Jays.
Mark Teixeira hit his 22nd homer to help the AL East leaders win their third consecutive game and snap a three-game skid at Rogers Centre. New York hadn’t won three straight since sweeping Toronto at Yankee Stadium from July 16-18.
Garcia (6-5) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings to win back-to-back starts for the second time this season. He walked none, struck out four and retired his final eight batters to win in Toronto for the first time since Sept. 17, 2000, with Seattle.
Ricky Romero lost for the eighth time in nine starts as Toronto dropped its fourth straight and was beaten for the 10th time in 12 games. Romero (8-9) gave up three runs, two earned, and four hits in seven innings but remained winless since June 22. He is 0-8 with a 7.26 ERA in nine starts since.
RED SOX 3, INDIANS 2
CLEVELAND — Clay Buchholz pitched a two-hitter, Cody Ross hit a two-run homer, and Boston broke a three-game losing streak by beating Cleveland.
Buchholz (10-3) gave up one earned run in his second complete game of the season and fifth of his career. The right-hander improved to 8-2 in 17 starts following a loss the last two years.
Ross broke a 1-1 tie with a 420-foot shot off Chris Seddon (0-1) in the sixth inning.
Asdrubal Cabrera had both Cleveland hits, including his 13th homer, but the Indians had their two-game winning streak broken and lost for the 12th time in 14 games.
Buchholz hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in five consecutive starts, the longest streak by a Boston starter since Tim Wakefield did it six straight in 2002.
The right-hander gave up Cabrera’s one-out homer in the first and an unearned run in the sixth. He struck out six, walked none, and moved to 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 11 starts since May 27.
RAYS 12, TWINS 6
MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Joyce hit a two-run homer and a two-run double, Jose Molina drove in three runs, and Tampa Bay beat Minnesota for the Rays’ ninth win in 12 games.
Jeremy Hellickson (7-7) won for the third time in four starts despite lasting only five innings. He had an 8-1 lead after a six-run second by the Rays, who batted around twice and won their fourth straight.
The Twins had won nine of 13 games, but rookie Cole De Vries (2-3) was roughed up from the first pitch. Desmond Jennings hit the first of six doubles by the Rays and scored on Joyce’s homer to right field. De Vries got only four outs and gave up seven hits and eight runs. His ERA rose from 3.81 to 4.77 in his 11th start of the season.
The Rays started a 10-game road trip in style, finishing one short of their season-high in runs.
Evan Longoria drove in a run with a second-inning single, giving him three RBIs in four games since returning from his 85-game absence caused by a partially torn left hamstring. Ben Zobrist was the only starter without a hit.
TIGERS 6, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Austin Jackson hit an inside-the-park home run and a triple, and Detroit beat AL West-leading Texas.
Jackson notched his first career inside-the-park homer in the seventh inning after right fielder Nelson Cruz made a diving attempt to catch the ball, which bounced in front of him and then over his glove and to the wall.
Prince Fielder hit his 20th homer, a three-run shot in the sixth that put the Tigers up 4-2 and chased Scott Feldman (6-7).
Max Scherzer (11-6) struck out eight in six innings for his 10th win in 13 decisions since May 10.
Jackson led off the fourth with a triple to right-center. He scored on Miguel Cabrera’s single, his 96th RBI that tied him again with Josh Hamilton of the Rangers for most in the majors.
Hamilton got his 96th RBI in the first inning with his 31st homer that tied him with Adam Dunn of the White Sox for the major league lead.
WHITE SOX 4, ATHLETICS 3
CHICAGO — Jordan Danks hit his first major league homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Chicago White Sox overcame a three-run deficit to top Oakland.
With two outs in the ninth, Danks sent the first pitch he saw from Pat Neshek (1-1) deep into the right-field seats for a solo shot.
Brett Myers (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning to help the AL Central leaders win for the 11th time in 16 games. Dayan Viciedo tied it at 3 with a solo homer in the seventh, snapping a 5-for-43 slump.
A’s starter Brandon McCarthy came off the disabled list to make his first start since June 19. McCarthy, who had been sidelined with a strained shoulder, gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Reds stop slide
CHICAGO — Rookie Todd Frazier doubled twice and drove in four runs, Aroldis Chapman came out of the bullpen to stop an eighth-inning rally attempt and Cincinnati beat Chicago 10-8 to end its season-high losing streak at five games.
Ryan Ludwick hit a two-run homer in the third against Justin Germano (1-2) as the NL Central leaders built a 5-1 lead. Ludwick also doubled, walked and matched his career best with four runs.
Chicago lost for the ninth time in 10 games and made five errors — by five players — that led to two unearned runs.
Homer Bailey (10-7) allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings. He set his career high for wins, topping last year’s nine.
After Chicago closed to 9-8 with two runs in the eighth, Chapman struck out Anthony Rizzo with a runner on third. He retired the side in order in the ninth for his 26th save.
BRAVES 4, METS 0
NEW YORK — Paul Maholm pitched a three-hitter in his second start for Atlanta and the Braves got two-run homers from Jason Heyward and Dan Uggla to beat New York.
Heyward connected in the first inning to help spoil Matt Harvey’s home debut with the Mets. Uggla went deep in the eighth off reliever Josh Edgin for his first homer in more than a month as Atlanta won for the 13th time in 16 games.
The Braves played their first in a stretch of 20 straight games, this one without Chipper Jones. The All-Star third baseman said he was out with back tightness caused by the bed in his New York hotel room.
Harvey (1-3) gave up just two hits over six innings but walked five in his fourth major league start.
Maholm (10-7) threw 95 pitches in his fourth career shutout and sixth complete game. He struck out five and walked none for his sixth victory in seven decisions.
DODGERS 5, MARLINS 2
MIAMI — Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs playing for the first time against the team that traded him last month, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Miami.
Ramirez, who spent seven seasons with the Marlins before being dealt away July 26, broke a tie in the sixth inning with an RBI single. He added a 40-foot single with the bases loaded in the seventh.
Clayton Kershaw (10-6) allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings to win his third consecutive start. Kenley Jansen allowed two baserunners in the ninth but completed a four-hitter to earn his 23rd save in 29 chances.
Juan Rivera hit a two-run homer off Mark Buehrle (9-11), who failed for the fifth time in a row to reach the 10-win milestone for a 12th consecutive season. Buehrle allowed four runs in six innings.
Justin Ruggiano hit his 10th homer for Miami.
ROCKIES 3, GIANTS 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler Chatwood combined with three relievers on a three-hitter as Colorado beat San Francisco.
Wilin Rosario doubled twice and scored a run while Tyler Colvin added two hits and an RBI.
The Rockies, swept at home by the Giants a week ago, scored all their runs off Tim Lincecum (6-12). The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner had allowed only two runs in winning his previous two starts.
San Francisco fell into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
Chatwood (2-2) scattered three hits over five innings in his second start this season. It was the third shutout by Rockies pitchers this year.
Adam Ottavino pitched two innings, Matt Belisle worked the eighth and Rafael Betancourt pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 20th save.
PADRES 9, PIRATES 8
PITTSBURGH — Chase Headley homered from both sides of the plate for the first time in his career and drove in five runs to rally San Diego past Pittsburgh.
Headley hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning that tied the score at 7. His two-run drive in the seventh off left-hander Tony Watson (5-2) put the Padres ahead 9-8 after Rod Barajas hit an RBI single for the Pirates in the sixth.
San Diego ran its winning streak to 10 games in Pittsburgh and hasn’t lost at PNC Park since Sept. 18, 2009. The Padres have won five straight games overall.
Headley is hitting .333 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in his last 12 games.
Brad Brach (1-2) got his first major league win and Huston Street pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 21st save in as many opportunities.
Travis Snider hit a three-run homer for the Pirates, his first since being acquired July 30 in a trade.
NATIONALS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX — Stephen Strasburg allowed one hit over six innings and Ryan Zimmerman homered to help Washington rout slumping Arizona for its seventh straight win.
Michael Morse homered and Steve Lombardozzi had a career-high four hits and scored three runs. Bryce Harper added two sacrifice flies for the Nationals, who remained 4½ games ahead of second-place Atlanta in the NL East.
Strasburg (13-5) issued four walks, struck out six and threw 58 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He raised his season innings total to 133 1-3, just under 27 fewer than the 160-inning cap the Nationals have planned for him in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery.
Arizona starter Trevor Cahill (9-10) went six innings, allowing four runs and six hits. The Diamondbacks have lost five of seven.
PHILLIES 3, CARDINALS 1
PHILADELPHIA — Roy Halladay pitched eight innings and Chase Utley hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth to lift Philadelphia over St. Louis.
It was the second straight outstanding outing for Halladay (6-6), who missed 42 games while on the disabled list with a strained lat. He returned July 17 and struggled in his next three starts, going 0-1 with a 5.82 ERA. He threw seven innings in a 3-0 victory over Arizona on Saturday.
The right-hander matched a season low by allowing just two hits, while striking out eight and walking none. He didn’t allow a hit after Jon Jay’s two-out single in the third, retiring 16 of his final 17 batters.
The Cardinals threatened in the ninth against Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched a scoreless inning for his 25th save in 28 chances. With runners at the corners, Carlos Beltran tried to steal second but left too early and was cut down by Papelbon.
Beltran homered and Kyle Lohse pitched seven strong innings for the Cardinals. Barret Browning (0-1) took the loss.
ASTROS 4, BREWERS 3
HOUSTON — Brian Bogusevic’s RBI single in the ninth inning capped a two-run rally that lifted Houston over Milwaukee.
It was the first win this season for the Astros in their last at-bat and it broke a five-game losing streak. It also was Houston’s first walk-off win since last Sept. 26, according to STATS LLC.
The Astros won for the fifth time in 39 games. The only team since 1900 to lose at least 35 times in a 39-game span was the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, who finished 36-117 under Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, according to STATS.
Wilton Lopez (4-1) struck out two in a perfect inning for the win. Carlos Corporan homered drove in two.
Rickie Weeks doubled three times for the Brewers, who have lost 10 straight road games for the first time since 1992.
Steve Pearce tied it at 3 with an RBI single off John Axford (4-7), charged with his eighth blown save.