Puig’s 2-run single lifts Dodgers past Phillies

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Yasiel Puig is just 22 years old, and already has established himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in the major leagues — as well as a role model for his teammates who enjoy his gung-ho style in the outfield and on the base paths.

Puig singled home the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh inning, Andre Ethier had a two-run double, and the Los Angeles Dodgers opened a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-4 victory on Thursday night.

“He kind of reminds me of myself,” Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp said of the Cuban rookie sensation. “Sometimes he plays too hard, and sometimes you have to tell him: ‘Man, calm down. You can’t make every play.’ But he’s done an amazing job in his first month in the big leagues. He’s gotten big hits and made big plays on defense. He’s doing a lot, and I think we’re just feeding off the kid.”

Zack Greinke (4-3) struck out five over seven innings and allowed four runs on 12 hits, including solo homers by Domonic Brown and Chase Utley, to help the Dodgers get their season-best sixth straight win.

Puig was shaken up crashing into the right field auxiliary scoreboard while trying to track Utley’s ninth homer in the top of the seventh that put Philadelphia ahead 4-3. However, Puig was none the worse for wear — as he proved moments later.

The Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom half against rookie reliever Justin De Fratus (2-2) without the benefit of a hit. A.J. Ellis walked and Juan Uribe reached on a bunt that first baseman Ryan Howard tried to field before slipping and falling on the play. Nick Punto advanced the runners with another bunt, and Hanley Ramirez drew an intentional walk while batting for Greinke.

Skip Schumaker was called out on strikes for the second time, but Puig slapped an 0-2 pitch to left field to put the Dodgers ahead 5-4.

“He was ready to hit, so my plan there was to slow him down and try to use his aggressiveness against him,” De Fratus said. “It worked on the first two pitches. I didn’t think I threw a bad pitch on the next one, but it wasn’t where I was trying to get it and he burned me.”

Puig is batting a robust .427 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in just 23 big league games.

“His energy just feeds into all of us,” Ellis said. “We all dream and wish we could play the way he’s playing, and it makes us want to play better. It’s an energy and a way to play the game that you don’t see too much. When he crashed into the fence, I just wanted to see him pop back up. I love his aggressiveness and love him trying to make a play right there.”

Kemp, playing in his third game after missing a month with an injured right hamstring, was 2 for 4 with an RBI double. He led off the eighth with a single, then stole second and third base and scored on Ellis’ sacrifice fly.

“I’ve got to test it out. I can’t play timid. I’ve got to play aggressive,” Kemp said of the hamstring. “That’s the way I’ve always been and the way I have to play. He wasn’t paying too much attention when I was on second base, so I tried to take a chance right there. I’m tired of not making the playoffs, so my biggest thing is trying to help my team get there in any way. I feel good. I guess I’ve got them young Puig legs.”

Kenley Jansen followed J.P. Howell and Ronald Belisario out of the bullpen and got the last three outs for his seventh save in nine chances.

Phillies rookie Jonathan Pettibone threw 96 pitches through six innings and was lifted for a pinch-hitter after giving up three runs and four hits. The right-hander retired his final 15 batters.

Pettibone found himself trailing 3-0 after just 17 pitches. Kemp hit an RBI double inside third base, and two more runs came in on Ethier’s double. Right fielder Delmon Young prevented another run, sprinting toward the corner and stretching out to grab Ellis’ extra-base bid.

Young tied a career high with four hits — all singles — and put himself within seven of 1,000 for his career.

Brown, in his first career at-bat against Greinke, put Philadelphia on the board in the second when he drove a 3-2 fastball to center for his 21st homer and tied Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez for the NL lead. Greinke then gave up a single to Young and a walk to Kevin Frandsen before picking off Young at second base.

The Phillies tied it 3-all in the fifth with four consecutive one-out hits, including run-scoring singles by Utley and Jimmy Rollins — only his second RBI in 10 games.

“Zack probably didn’t have his best stuff, but he just competed,” Ellis said. “That’s a tough lineup. I mean, they match up all those tough lefties at the top and they have a good mix of players with a lot of professional hitters. But Zack held on and gave us a chance.”

DIAMONDBACKS 3, NATIONALS 2

WASHINGTON — Didi Gregorius drove in the go-ahead run with a bunt single in the 11th inning and Aaron Hill homered as the Diamondbacks salvaged the finale of a three-game series.

Miguel Montero led off the 11th with a ground-rule double off Craig Stammen (4-3). A.J. Pollock ran for Montero and Cody Ross bunted him to third. After Jason Kubel drew a walk, Gregorius bunted down and Pollock ran on contact, scoring the go-ahead run as Gregorius beat the throw at first.

Josh Collmenter (4-0) pitched the 10th inning and Heath Bell picked up his 14th save as the Diamondbacks snapped a three-game losing streak.

Ian Desmond homered for the Nationals.

Arizona’s Patrick Corbin, who came in 9-0, and Stephen Strasburg matched up for seven innings with each allowing two runs.

Strasburg gave up six hits while striking out four and walking two as he threw 113 pitches. Corbin allowed five hits while striking out six and walking two.

METS 3, ROCKIES 2

DENVER — Marlon Byrd hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and threw out a runner from right field in the ninth to lead New York past Colorado in a makeup of a snowed-out game April 17.

With the Mets trailing 2-1 and a runner on, Byrd drove a fastball from reliever Matt Belisle (4-5) into the left-center seats. That was about the extent of the offense for New York with star slugger David Wright receiving a rare rest. Starter Jeremy Hefner drove in the team’s other run.

LaTroy Hawkins (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh and Bobby Parnell closed for his 14th save in 17 chances. The fourth-place Mets finished 7-4 on a four-city road trip that took them to three time zones. They have won eight of 12 overall.

CUBS 7, BREWERS 2

MILWAUKEE — Matt Garza struck out 10 in seven solid innings and Dioner Navarro hit a three-run homer, sending Chicago to a victory over Milwaukee.

Garza (3-1) had his third consecutive strong outing. The right-hander allowed one run on eight hits and a walk while throwing 101 pitches.

The Cubs broke the game open with four runs in the third, capped by Navarro’s seventh homer. Milwaukee made a pair of errors and all the runs in the inning off Wily Peralta (5-9) were unearned.

Peralta gave up seven runs, three earned, on eight hits and a walk while striking out two in five innings. He allowed the leadoff batter to score in three of the first four innings.

RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 4

BOSTON — Jon Lester pitched into the eighth inning before leaving with an jammed hip, and Dustin Pedroia homered in a seven-run second to help the Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series.

Toronto, which reeled off 11 straight wins this month, had won 12 of its past 14 games and 15 of 19 to close within 6½ games of the AL East-leading Red Sox.

Then the Blue Jays ran into Lester (8-4), who was charged with four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in winning for just the second time in his last eight starts.

The left-hander retired 10 straight to begin the game and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth. He came out after giving up two singles to start the eighth and with a 3-0 count on Emilio Bonifacio.

Red Sox manager John Farrell came darting out of the dugout as the infielders crowded around Lester. Moments later, Lester walked off the field and Junichi Tazawa came on in relief. Lester said afterward that he doesn’t think he’ll miss his next start.

Koji Uehara pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

Chien-Ming Wang (1-1) lasted just 1 2-3 innings, allowing all seven runs on six hits.

RANGERS 2, YANKEES 0

NEW YORK — Derek Holland tamed a team that often tagged him, pitching a two-hitter as Texas finished an impressive road trip with a win over New York.

Jurickson Profar homered and scored twice, while fellow rookie Engel Beltre got two hits in his first big league start. AL West-leading Texas went 5-1 on its trip to St. Louis and Yankee Stadium.

Holland (6-4) threw his sixth career shutout and the lowest-hit shutout by a visiting Rangers pitcher against the Yankees since the Texas franchise moved from Washington for the 1972 season.

The 26-year-old lefty struck out seven, walked two and didn’t permit a runner after the third.

Phil Hughes (3-7) allowed five hits in eight innings after getting seven days’ rest.

ORIOLES 7, INDIANS 3

BALTIMORE — Chris Davis drove in the tiebreaking run on a fielder’s choice grounder in a wild five-run fifth inning, and Baltimore rallied for a victory over Cleveland.

The Orioles used six hits and two errors to erase a 3-2 deficit in the fifth, salvaging a split in the four-game series. Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy also had RBIs during the rally.

Miguel Gonzalez (6-3) won for the fourth time in five decisions. He allowed three runs on nine hits over 6 2-3 innings, walking none and matching a career high with nine strikeouts.

Lonnie Chisenhall and Mike Aviles homered for the Indians. Chisenhall had three hits.

Corey Kluber (6-5) yielded seven runs — six earned — in 4 2-3 innings.

ANGELS 3, TIGERS 1, 10 INNINGS

DETROIT — Albert Pujols hit a tiebreaking double in the 10th inning and Los Angeles beat Detroit for a three-game sweep and its ninth straight victory over the Tigers.

Mike Trout had four hits and Jered Weaver pitched seven strong innings in a tight duel with Detroit right-hander Doug Fister.

J.B. Shuck singled leading off the 10th against Phil Coke (0-5) and went to third on Trout’s single to right field. Pujols sent a drive to deep center, where Austin Jackson failed to make a difficult catch with his back to home plate. Josh Hamilton made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Kevin Jepsen (1-2) worked a scoreless ninth for the win and Ernesto Frieri got his 19th save.

TWINS 3, ROYALS 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Samuel Deduno pitched seven sharp innings and one of Justin Morneau’s two doubles drove in Minnesota’s first run in a victory over Kansas City.

Deduno (4-2) gave up only five hits and, more importantly, one walk. He struck out three and let only eight fair balls leave the infield. Jared Burton pitched a scoreless eighth and Glen Perkins notched his 20th save in 22 tries with a scoreless ninth despite allowing a walk and a double.

The Twins even managed to beat Jeremy Guthrie (7-6). The right-hander topped them twice earlier this season and brought a 6-2 record over nine previous career matchups into the game.

Salvador Perez hit a long homer for the Royals.