MLB roundup: Rangers Fend Off Marlins

MIAMI — Nick Martinez allowed two runs in six innings in his homecoming, Alex Rios drove in two runs, and the Texas Rangers roughed up Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi on the way to a win over the Marlins.

Leonys Martin had three hits for Texas, which led 5-0 after two innings.

Martinez (3-9) allowed six hits and threw 62 of his 96 pitches for strikes. He was born in nearby Hialeah and pitched at Belen Jesuit Prep, about 12 miles from Marlins Park.

Miami rallied in the ninth with solo homers by Marcell Ozuna and pinch-hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia, both off Neftali Feliz. With the tying run on first, Feliz closed out his fifth save in six chances by striking out Donovan Solano.

Eovaldi (6-8) gave up nine hits and five runs, four earned, in five innings.

NATIONALS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2

WASHINGTON — Pinch-hitter Anthony Rendon’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted surging Washington past Arizona for its ninth straight victory.

Bryce Harper opened the ninth with a single off Evan Marshall (4-3) and went to third on Kevin Frandsen’s base hit. Out of the starting lineup for the first time in 63 games, Rendon ripped a single past third baseman Cliff Pennington, scoring Harper.

Five of Washington’s last six victories have been by a single run with four coming in its last at-bat.

The Diamondbacks tied the game in the eighth on Ender Inclarte’s two-run homer against reliever Tyler Clippard. Rafael Soriano (3-1) pitched the ninth.

Arizona has lost five straight and is 5-13 in August.

The Nationals last won nine in a row when they matched a franchise-record tying 10-game streak June 2-12, 2005. Washington also extended its home win streak to eight games.

Tanner Roark threw seven scoreless innings for the Nationals and left with a 2-0 lead. The NL East-leading Nationals moved seven games ahead of second place Atlanta.

PADRES 4, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES — Alexi Amarista had two hits and drove in a run, Eric Stults combined with three relievers on a six-hitter, and the San Diego Padres beat the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stults (6-13) allowed one run in five innings, struck out five and walked one. The Dodgers came into the game with a 20-10 record against left-handed opponents, but Stults did just enough against the team he pitched for from 2006-09.

Kevin Quackenbush pitched the ninth to earn his first major league save. He started a 1-2-3 putout to end the game.

Rymer Liriano went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, and Seth Smith went 2 for 5 for the Padres, who pounded out 11 hits in ending a two-game skid.

Roberto Hernandez (7-9) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings.

PHILLIES 4, MARINERS 3

PHILADELPHIA — Wil Nieves doubled and had three hits, and Cole Hamels got a victory when he wasn’t at his best as Philadelphia defeated Seattle.

Chase Utley had the go-ahead RBI, and Ben Revere and Marlon Byrd drove in runs for the Phillies, who won for just the third time in nine games.

Kendrys Morales homered for Seattle, which was bidding to move 12 games over .500 for the first time since 2007. The Mariners lost for the third time in 10 games.

Hamels (7-6) snapped his string of seven straight starts going at least seven innings, but earned the win. He gave up three runs and nine hits with four strikeouts, one walk and two wild pitches.

Jonathan Papelbon struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 30th save in 33 opportunities. Jake Diekman followed Hamels and struck out four in two scoreless frames and Ken Giles fanned the side in the scoreless eighth.

James Paxton (3-1) took the first loss of his career after the shortest outing in his 10th start, lasting just four innings while allowing four runs – one earned – on seven hits. He had been 6-0.

METS 8, ATHLETICS 5

OAKLAND, Calif. — Lucas Duda hit a three-run homer, Eric Campbell also connected, and the New York Mets beat Oakland to snap a three-game losing streak.

Zack Wheeler (9-8) allowed two earned runs while working 5 2-3 solid innings. The Mets split their quick two-game interleague series.

Wheeler is 6-0 with a 2.12 ERA over his nine outings since June 30. He is 4-1 in his last 10 road starts.

Jeurys Familia relieved Vic Black with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth and walked in a run but avoided further damage. He finished for his fourth save.

Campbell and Duda homered during a five-run third against Jeff Samardzija (3-3).

Samardzija had been unbeaten in five previous starts at the Coliseum. Instead, he was done after 3 2-3 innings.

BLUE JAYS 9, BREWERS 5

MILWAUKEE — Jose Bautista’s three-run homer capped a five-run sixth inning, and Toronto outslugged Milwaukee, snapping the Brewers’ five-game winning streak.

Bautista hit a 1-2 pitch from reliever Brandon Kintzler into the Brewers’ bullpen in right field. The homer made a winner of R.A. Dickey (10-12), who gave up five runs in 5 2-3 choppy innings. Dickey left after Carlos Gomez’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth made it 7-5.

Colby Rasmus also homered for Toronto, which outhit the NL Central leaders 15-10. The Blue Jays completed a 2-6 trip.

Jimmy Nelson (2-4) took the loss after allowing the first two runners to reach in the sixth.

TIGERS 6, RAYS 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rick Porcello pitched a three-hitter for his AL-leading third shutout, and Victor Martinez hit a grand slam, leading Detroit over Tampa Bay.

The Rays lost their fourth in a row.

Porcello (14-8) moved into a tie for the AL lead in wins, retiring 20 straight batters after Ben Zobrist’s double in the first.

Porcello walked none and struck out four in his first win since Aug. 2. He matched Miami’s Henderson Alvarez for the major league lead in shutouts.

Martinez hit his fourth career slam, connecting off Kirby Yates in the seventh. Starter Jake Odorizzi (9-10) left earlier in the inning.

Wil Myers, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, went 0 for 3 in his return to the Rays’ lineup after missing 70 games because of a broken right wrist.

PIRATES 3, BRAVES 2

PITTSBURGH — Justin Upton dropped a routine fly ball in the ninth inning which set the stage for Gaby Sanchez’s game-winning sacrifice fly that capped a comeback as Pittsburgh beat Atlanta.

David Carpenter (4-4) took the loss after allowing an unearned run.

Pittsburgh snapped a seven-game losing streak, and ended Atlanta’s five-game winning streak.

Upton drove in a run with a single in the first inning after Jason Heyward walked and Freddie Freeman singled. Upton’s single extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Mark Melancon (2-3) worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the win.

ASTROS 5, YANKEES 2

NEW YORK — Scott Feldman shut down the slumping New York Yankees again, and Robbie Grossman snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single that sent Houston to a victory.

Dexter Fowler had an RBI double, Jose Altuve added a run-scoring single, and the Astros (54-73) did more damage to New York’s playoff chances with their fourth victory in five meetings this season. Houston won a series at Yankee Stadium for the first time in four tries.

The fourth-place Astros improved to 4-7 in the Bronx and will go for a three-game sweep Thursday.

Stephen Drew hit his first homer for New York, and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in a run with a bunt single. But the Yankees (63-61) lost for the seventh time in nine games and dropped five games out of a playoff spot.

Feldman (7-9) matched a career high by throwing 121 pitches in 6 2-3 innings. Jose Veras worked the ninth for his first save since Sept. 2, 2013, with Detroit.

Yankees reliever David Huff (2-1) took the loss.

ANGELS 8, RED SOX 3

BOSTON — Josh Hamilton broke out of a slump with two hits and three RBIs, Howie Kendrick drove in two runs, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Boston.

Hamilton was in a 5-for-41 slump with 18 strikeouts but hit two sacrifice flies and then singled in the Angels’ final run in the ninth inning.

The Angels’ seventh win in eight games put them 1 1-2 games ahead of Oakland but it was costly. Right-handed starter Garrett Richards sustained a patellar injury in his left knee while running to cover first base in the second inning.

Richards, 7-2 in his previous 11 starts, left after 1 2-3 innings with a 2-0 deficit. Boston made it 3-0 on David Ortiz’s homer in the third off winning pitcher Cory Rasmus (3-1).

That gave Ortiz his eighth 30-homer season with Boston, tying Ted Williams’ club record. Ortiz went 4 for 4 and is 8 for 10 in the series with four walks.

Clay Buchholz (5-8) took a 3-1 lead into the fifth but let the first six batters reach base. That sent Boston toward its fourth straight loss.

ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 3

CHICAGO — Nelson Cruz took the major league lead with his 33rd home run, and surging Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox.

Adam Jones and Steve Pearce also homered for the Orioles, who have won four straight and extended their AL East lead to nine games over second-place Toronto.

Baltimore posted its first sweep in Chicago over the White Sox since July 1995.

Cruz’s homer was a two-run shot in the fourth off Hector Noesi (7-9) that gave Baltimore a 3-2 lead. Cruz is one ahead of White Sox rookie Jose Abreu and Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton for the homer lead.

The Orioles have also hit a major league-leading 161 as a team.

Wei-Yin Chen (13-4) went 7 1-3 innings and allowed three runs and six hits. Zach Britton earned his 27th save in 30 tries.

INDIANS 5, TWINS 0

MINNEAPOLIS — Rookie T.J. House pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning, and Mike Aviles had three hits and two RBIs to lift Cleveland over Minnesota.

House (2-3) walked three and struck out five, and scattered four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Four relievers combined to blank the Twins the rest of the way, running Minnesota’s scoreless streak to 17 innings.

Another rookie, designated hitter Zach Walters, hit his sixth home run of the year in the second inning to put Cleveland on top 1-0. It was Walters’ third home run in eight games with the Indians since he was acquired from Washington.

The home run was the 17th allowed in 20 starts by Ricky Nolasco (5-9), who gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings.

GIANTS 8, CUBS 3

CHICAGO — Jake Peavy pitched seven solid innings in his fifth start with San Francisco, and the Giants rolled past the Chicago Cubs, hours after they won a protest regarding a rain-shortened loss from the night before.

Hunter Pence and Andrew Susac homered, and Travis Ishikawa drove in three runs with pair of doubles among three hits to help the Giants strengthen their hold on an NL wild card spot.

Peavy (2-3) has won two straight after losing his first three starts with San Francisco following a July 26 trade from Boston where he was 1-9.

Struggling starter Edwin Jackson (6-14) was hit hard in just 2 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed seven runs, eight hits and two walks. Jackson has lost seven of eight decisions.

Before the game, the Giants won their protest filed with Major League Baseball over Tuesday night’s rain-shortened loss that was called in the fifth inning. MLB said this was the first successful protest since 1986.

The suspended game will be completed on Thursday before the regularly scheduled game between the teams.

ROCKIES 5, ROYALS 2

DENVER — Matt McBride hit his first career grand slam, and Jorge De La Rosa pitched eight crisp innings, helping Colorado cool off Kansas City.

The loss trimmed the Royals’ lead to one game over Detroit in the AL Central.

Danny Duffy (8-11) was cruising along with a 2-1 lead until a two-out error by third baseman Christian Colon in the sixth opened the door for a big inning.

It was McBride’s first homer since Sept. 25, 2012, and third of his career. He was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs the day before.

De La Rosa (13-8) allowed five hits and two runs against his former team. He also got the Royals to hit into four double plays.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 20 chances.

The Royals went 15-5 in interleague play.

CARDINALS 7, REDS 3

ST. LOUIS — Lance Lynn beat Cincinnati for the third straight time, Jhonny Peralta hit a bases-clearing double, and St. Louis completed a three-game sweep.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (15-7) was off-kilter from the get-go and missed a chance to become the majors’ first 16-game winner. He allowed five runs in five innings, and his seven-game winning streak ended.

The Cardinals have won eight of nine and swept the Reds at home for the first time since Sept. 26-28, 2008. Cincinnati has lost 10 of 12, with Cueto getting the two wins.

Jon Jay had three hits, scored twice and was plunked by a pitch for the sixth time in six games for St. Louis. He is batting .514 (18 for 35) during a 12-game hitting streak, and has been hit by a pitch a majors-leading 16 times.

Lynn (14-8) gave up four singles and was set to pitch the eighth leading 5-0 before a 58-minute rain delay ended his outing. The Reds scored three times in the ninth, and Trevor Rosenthal got two outs for his 37th save in 42 chances.