Yankees edge Reds
NEW YORK — Jacoby Ellsbury got four hits and scored the winning run in the ninth inning on Brian McCann’s pop-fly single that dropped near three Cincinnati Reds in shallow right field, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 victory Sunday.
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Ellsbury and Derek Jeter each had an RBI single for the Yankees, who finished a three-game sweep in their first series after the All-Star break. Ellsbury also stole two bases and made a sliding catch in center field that saved a run. He reached safely all five times up, including a leadoff single in the ninth off Aroldis Chapman (0-3).
David Robertson (1-2) pitched a perfect ninth to give the Reds their season-high, sixth straight road loss.
JAYS 9, RANGERS 6
TORONTO — Melky Cabrera hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, and Toronto beat slumping Texas.
Cabrera drove in three runs and finished 3 for 5, his 13th multi-hit effort in the past 28 games, as the Blue Jays won their first series since sweeping a two-game set against Milwaukee on July 1-2.
Cabrera’s homer came on the third pitch he saw from right-hander Neftali Feliz (0-1), handing Texas its 13th loss in 15 road games. The Rangers have won just four of their past 28 overall and are a major league-worst 39-59. It is the first time Texas is 20 games under .500 since finishing the 2003 season 71-91.
Todd Redmond (1-4) worked one inning for the win.
Toronto sealed it with a three-run eighth against Matt West.
Rangers right-hander Nick Tepesch allowed five runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings.
TIGERS 5, INDIANS 1
DETROIT — Drew Smyly allowed four hits in seven innings, and Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer, helping Detroit beat Cleveland and avoid a four-game sweep.
Smyly (6-8) didn’t give up a hit until Yan Gomes’ two-out double in the fifth. The left-hander allowed one run on Gomes’ seventh-inning homer — and two walks with six strikeouts.
Josh Tomlin (5-7) allowed four runs, six hits and a walk over 4 1-3 innings.
The AL Central-leading Tigers (54-41) stopped a four-game losing streak and increased their lead over Cleveland to 5 1-2 games.
RED SOX 6, ROYALS 0
BOSTON — Jon Lester allowed no earned runs for the third time in four starts, and Boston completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City.
In eight innings, the All-Star left-hander struck out eight and gave up two walks and four hits. Only one Royals player reached third base.
Lester (10-7) is 4-0 with a 0.85 ERA over his last seven starts with 47 strikeouts and eight walks in a span of 52 2-3 innings. He has yielded just one earned run in 31 innings.
Lester extended his scoreless streak to 14 innings before Junichi Tazawa got the first out of the ninth. Edward Mujica retired the next two batters.
Yordano Ventura (7-8) gave up all six runs.
DODGERS 4, CARDS 3
ST. LOUIS — Adrian Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning off St. Louis Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal and the Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 4-3 victory on Sunday night.
The Dodgers pulled into a virtual tie for first place with San Francisco in the NL West despite a so-so outing from Clayton Kershaw, whose run of seven straight starts allowing one or fewer runs came to an end. Yasiel Puig did not play after getting hit by a pitch on the left hand a day earlier and the Dodgers finished without Hanley Ramirez, who was taken out in the ninth — also after getting struck on the left hand.
Gonzalez leads the National League with 38 road RBIs. He missed a chance earlier, flying out with the bases loaded to end the fourth. J.P Howell (2-3) got the last out in the eighth and Kenley Jansen finished for his 28th save in 31 chances.
PADRES 2, METS 1
SAN DIEGO — Odrisamer Despaigne came within four outs of the first no-hitter in San Diego’s 46-year major league history, and the Padres beat the New York Mets on Seth Smith’s run-scoring infield single in the ninth.
Making his fifth major league start, Despaigne didn’t allow a hit until Daniel Murphy doubled to left-center with two outs in the eighth. San Diego, the only active major league franchise without a no-hitter, was playing its 7,264th regular-season game.
Murphy scored on David Wright’s single to tie the score 1-1.
Vic Black (2-3) walked Carlos Quentin leading off the ninth, and Alexi Amarista bunted, with pinch-runner Cameron Maybin advancing to second and Amarista reaching when the ball went through Black’s legs.
After a double play, Josh Edgin relieved, and then tumbled to the ground when he came off the mound to field Smith’s bouncer.
Joaquin Benoit (4-2) threw a perfect ninth for the win.
New York scored one run in the last 18 innings of the series and has lost two in a row following a 9-2 spurt.
San Diego’s Yasmani Grandal homered in the fourth off Zack Wheeler
ASTROS 11, WHITE SOX 7
CHICAGO — Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer and a tiebreaking RBI double, and Houston tied its season high with 17 hits in a win over the Chicago White Sox that prevented a three-game sweep.
Chicago fell behind 4-0 early and tied it 7-all in the sixth on Alexei Ramirez’s RBI double, Jose Abreu’s run-scoring single and a run-scoring two-out grounder by Dayan Viciedo that went through the legs of All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve for Houston’s second error of the inning.
Daniel Webb (5-3) allowed RBI doubles in the seventh to Dominguez and L.J. Hoes, and Marwin Gonzalez followed with a two-run single. Dominguez had three hits and four RBIs.
RAYS 5, TWINS 3
MINNEAPOLIS — James Loney had two hits and two RBIs, and Chris Archer won consecutive decisions for the first time this season as Tampa Bay topped Minnesota for its fifth straight win.
Archer (6-5) pitched 6 1-3 innings, giving up one earned run on six hits. Rookie Kirby Yates got two outs in the ninth for his first career save.
The Rays, who went 11-4 going into the All-Star break, matched their longest winning streak of the season against the punchless Twins, who scored six runs in the three-game series. At 47-53, Tampa Bay hasn’t been this close to .500 since May 25, when they were five games under, and went on a 10-game losing streak.
Kevin Correia (5-12) took over the major league lead in losses, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. The veteran right-hander gave up two runs in the first and single runs in each of the next two innings.
ANGELS 6, MARINERS 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Grant Green hit a bases-loaded single off Fernando Rodney with two outs in the ninth inning after Albert Pujols tied it with an RBI double, and the Los Angeles Angels pulled out a victory over Seattle.
Rodney (1-4), the former Angels’ closer, replaced Joe Beimel with one out in the eighth and retired the next two batters. He entered the ninth attempting to complete a five-out save and record the 200th of his career, but the Angels rallied for their major league-leading 30th come-from-behind victory.
It was Rodney’s third blown save in 30 chances this season.
Joe Thatcher (1-1) worked a scoreless inning for the Angels.
A’s 10, ORIOLES 2
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sonny Gray struck out eight to win his fifth consecutive decision, and Oakland pounded Baltimore.
Gray (11-3) gave up two runs, one earned, two hits and two walks in 6 2-3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander hasn’t lost since June 13 at the New York Yankees.
The major-league best A’s (61-37) overpowered the AL East-leading Orioles (53-44) in the final regular-season meeting between the playoff-contending clubs. Oakland had 15 hits, chasing starter Kevin Gausman (4-3) in the fifth.
Eric O’Flaherty tossed 1 1-3 scoreless innings, and Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth to help Oakland finish 4-2 against the Orioles.
Stephen Vogt had three hits and drove in a run for the A’s. John Jaso tripled, singled and had two RBIs. Josh Donaldson had two singles and two RBIs.
MARLINS 3, GIANTS 2
MIAMI — NL hits leader Casey McGehee homered for the second time this season, and Miami took the lead for good on a wild pitch by Tim Lincecum in the seventh inning to beat San Francisco.
Miami stopped a six-game losing streak and averted a three-game series sweep.
McGehee came in with 118 hits and 54 RBIs, and the two-run homer in the first inning was his first since May 10. Lincecum (9-6) allowed three runs in seven innings, ending his streak of wins in four consecutive starts.
Brad Hand (1-2) gave the Marlins’ shaky rotation a welcome boost by pitching seven innings to match a career high, and he allowed two runs. He had been 1-12 previously as a starter, with the lone victory in 2011.
Hand lowered his ERA to 5.02 in six starts this year. Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 24 chances.
PIRATES 5, ROCKIES 3
PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, Neil Walker followed with a home run, and Pittsburgh overcame a three-run deficit to beat Colorado for a three-game sweep.
With the score 3-all, Matt Belisle (2-6) relieved, and Josh Harrison worked out a seven-pitch walk leading off the seventh. Harrison stole second and scored on a single by McCutchen, who then was caught stealing second. Walker followed with his 14th homer.
Jeanmar Gomez (2-2) pitched a one-hit seventh, All-Star Tony Watson struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Mark Melancon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances.
Pittsburgh has two series sweeps this month after failing to sweep any during the first three months of the season.
NATIONALS 5, BREWERS 4
WASHINGTON — Jayson Werth hit a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the ninth after the Brewers tied it in the top of the inning, and Washington edged Milwaukee.
Washington’s bullpen tossed five scoreless innings in relief of Gio Gonzalez until Rickie Weeks’ RBI single in the ninth off closer Rafael Soriano (1-1), who earned the win despite blowing his third save in 25 chances.
Anthony Rendon reached on a fielder’s choice against Rob Wooten (1-4) with two outs and scored from first on Werth’s drive into the left field corner.
Washington took two of three in the series. Ryan Zimmerman had two hits, including a two-run homer, for the Nationals.
BRAVES 8, PHILLIES 2
ATLANTA — Tommy La Stella drove in three runs, and Chris Johnson hit a two-run homer to back Alex Wood and help Atlanta rout Philadelphia.
The Braves have won of five of seven and remained second in the NL East, one percentage point behind Washington.
Wood (7-7) allowed three hits and one run with eight strikeouts in six innings to win for the first time four starts.
The first five innings were played in a steady drizzle before heavy rain caused a 1 hour, 39-minute delay in the middle of the sixth.
Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the second when John Mayberry Jr. homered, but the Braves went up 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning on Johnson’s seventh homer.
Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (4-10) gave up five hits, six runs, two walks and struck out one in five innings. Over his last six starts, Kendrick is 1-4 with a 6.99 ERA.
DIAMONDBACKS 3
CUBS 2
PHOENIX — Josh Collmenter threw seven sharp innings, Arizona scored on an unusual play in the sixth inning and then completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
The only run off Collmenter (8-5) came on Anthony Rizzo’s 23rd home run of the season and third of the series.
Arizona’s go-ahead run scored from third base when the first baseman Rizzo caught a pop foul while tumbling into the camera well. By rule, runners are awarded a base when a defensive player carries the ball out of play.
David Peralta, who scored on the play, drove in two runs with a double and single.
Jake Arrieta (5-2) allowed three runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings for the Cubs. Collmenter gave up four hits, struck out four and walked one.
Addison Reed pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in 28 tries.
The Diamondbacks are 3-0 after the All-Star break for the second time in franchise history.