NEW YORK — Vidal Nuno rebounded from two awful starts to pitch two-hit ball into the sixth inning, Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardner hit consecutive homers, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Friday night in the opener of a series between struggling powers.
NEW YORK — Vidal Nuno rebounded from two awful starts to pitch two-hit ball into the sixth inning, Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardner hit consecutive homers, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Friday night in the opener of a series between struggling powers.
Brian McCann added a two-run homer for New York, which has won six of the eight meetings with Boston this season.
In his first at-bat as a 40-year-old, Derek Jeter fisted a single to right field with one out in the first. His birthday was on Thursday, the Yankees’ final day off before playing 17 straight going into the All-Star break.
After Jacoby Ellsbury doubled, Jeter scored on Mark Teixeira’s sacrifice fly off Brandon Workman (1-1) for the early lead. The Yankees captain also singled in the fourth for hit No. 3,390 and went 2 for 4 in New York’s second win in six games.
WHITE SOX 5, JAYS 4
TORONTO — Jose Abreu hit two solo home runs, Alexei Ramirez added a two-run blast and Chicago survived a shaky ninth inning to win for the second time in nine games.
Dayan Viciedo also went deep as the White Sox won for the second time in 12 road games and connected four times off Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-7).
Abreu led off the fifth with his 24th home run and began the seventh with his 25th, tying Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion and Baltimore’s Nelson Cruz for most in the majors.
Encarnacion also homered, going back to back with Dioner Navarro in the sixth, but that was all the Blue Jays would manage against left-hander John Danks (7-6), who won for the fourth time in five starts.
Jake Petricka got out of a jam in the ninth inning to notch his second save.
RAYS 5, ORIOLES 2
ORIOLES 4, RAYS 1
BALTIMORE — Nelson Cruz and Nick Hundley homered to back a commanding performance by starter Chris Tillman and Baltimore split a doubleheader with Tampa Bay.
In the opener, rookie Alex Colome gave up two hits over 5 2-3 innings and Brandon Guyer hit three doubles to lift Tampa Bay to a 5-2 victory.
Tillman (7-4) gave up one run and four hits over eight innings to earn his first win in seven home starts this season. He was 0-4 with a 2.78 ERA.
Zach Britton got three outs for his 10th save.
Hundley connected in the sixth off Juan Carlos Oviedo (3-3) for a 2-1 lead, and Cruz hit his 25th home run — tied for the major league lead — in the seventh off Joel Peralta after Adam Jones led off with his fourth hit of the game.
In the first game, Baltimore mustered only one hit after the second inning, a seventh-inning homer by Manny Machado.
Added to the roster for the doubleheader as the 26th man, Colome (1-0) gave up one run and walked four in his second big league victory. The first came against Miami in his debut on May 30, 2013.
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 2
PHILADELPHIA — Freddie Freeman homered, doubled and drove in all four Atlanta runs to back Julio Teheran’s strong pitching.
Teheran (7-5) allowed two runs — one earned — and six hits in seven innings. He struck out nine, walked none and retired his final seven batters for Atlanta, which had lost six of 10 beginning with Philadelphia’s three-game sweep at Turner Field last week.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save in 27 chances.
Ben Revere had three hits, including a triple, for the Phillies, who have lost five of seven.
CUBS 7, NATIONALS 2
CHICAGO — Light-hitting catcher John Baker had three hits, a walk and four RBIs, and Chicago starter Jason Hammel again mastered Washington.
Baker capped his big day with a bases-loaded, three-run double off reliever Jerry Blevins in the seventh inning. He entered the game hitting .160 in 35 games. The four RBIs doubled his season total to eight. He also had four RBIs against the Nationals on Sept. 4, 2009, in Washington.
Chris Coghlan, Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Sweeney each had a pair of hits in the 13-hit attack to help the Cubs win for the 21st time in their last 38 games.
Hammel (7-5) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk in 6 1-3 innings en route to his seventh victory in seven decisions against the Nationals.
A’S 9, MARLINS 5
MIAMI — Coco Crisp scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning on a replay reversal, and Oakland bounced back after blowing a four-run lead.
Josh Reddick’s two-out RBI triple tied the game in the eighth, and the Athletics scored four times in the ninth off Marlins closer Steve Cishek (4-3).
Crisp singled to start the ninth and took second on Alberto Callaspo’s single. When Yoenis Cespedes followed with a single, right fielder Giancarlo Stanton made a strong throw home, and Crisp was ruled out at the plate.
After a review that took 3½ minutes, the called was overturned, giving the A’s a 6-5 lead. Josh Donaldson hit a sacrifice fly for his third RBI, and Stephen Vogt and Reddick followed with run-scoring singles.
PIRATES 3, METS 2 (11)
PITTSBURGH — Josh Harrison doubled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning and Pittsburgh moved two games above .500 for the first time since April 10.
Jordy Mercer hit a two-run single for the Pirates (41-39), who won the first two games of the four-game series.
Pinch-hitter Clint Barmes drew a one-out walk from former Pittsburgh reliever Vic Black (1-2) in the 11th. Mercer struck out before Harrison hit a drive to the 375-foot sign in right-center, scoring Barmes without a throw.
Harrison entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh and squirmed his way out of a rundown in the 10th on a wild play that drew an argument from Mets manager Terry Collins, who thought Harrison should have been called out for running outside the baseline.
ROYALS 8, ANGELS 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Omar Infante capped a seven-run inning with his first career grand slam, and Kansas City won on a rough night for starting pitchers.
Jason Vargas and Angels counterpart Matt Shoemaker (5-2) combined to give up 14 runs on 20 hits — four of them home runs. Neither got an out in the fifth inning.
Michael Mariot (1-0) picked up with his first career win with 1 1-3 innings of relief, and Greg Holland earned his 23rd save by tossing a perfect ninth.
Salvador Perez had three hits while Lorenzo Cain, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon each drove in a run for Kansas City, which ended the Angels’ six-game winning streak despite limping into the series having lost six of seven.
RANGERS 5, TWINS 4
ARLINGTON, Texas — Adrian Beltre homered, Shin-Soo Choo had three hits in his return to the leadoff spot and Texas snapped its longest losing streak in nearly nine years.
Nick Tepesch (3-3) allowed only three singles over 7 1-3 scoreless innings for the Rangers, who entered the series opener mired in an eight-game losing streak for the first time since August 2005.
Minnesota has lost its last nine road games, including a three-game sweep at the Los Angeles Angels before getting to Texas.
Kevin Correia (4-9) allowed four runs and six hits over six innings. The right-hander, who struck out three and walked two, had given up only two earned runs over 18 innings his previous three starts.
BREWERS 3, ROCKIES 2
MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning that scored a run and had an RBI single in the ninth that scored the game-winner for Milwaukee.
Mark Reynolds led off the ninth with a single off reliever Matt Belisle (2-3) and advanced on a sacrifice by Jean Segura. Scooter Gennett pinch hit for Francisco Rodriguez (3-2) and was intentionally walked. The runners advanced on a passed ball by catcher Michael McKenry. After Rickie Weeks went down swinging, Braun drilled Belisle’s first pitch up the middle.
Josh Rutledge tied the game when he homered off Rodriguez with one out in the ninth.
Rodriguez was trying to help Kyle Lohse win his third straight start. Lohse has been victimized by five blown saves this season.