MLB: Giants have majors’ best record after Cueto beats Rockies

Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

SAN FRANCISCO — Johnny Cueto pitched a five-hitter to become the NL’s first 13-game winner, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Wednesday night to move atop the major league standings.

San Francisco (54-33) passed the Chicago Cubs (52-32), who lost to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day.

Voted to the All-Star Game for the second time and a candidate to start in next week’s Midsummer Classic, Cueto (13-1) allowed one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk while going the distance for the fourth time this season. The performance gave San Francisco’s slumping bullpen a much-need break.

Cueto also became the first Giants pitcher since John Burkett in 1993 to win 13 games before the All-Star break.

Posey struck out looking with a runner on third in the first inning before hitting his 11th home run of the season off Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (5-7) in the sixth.

REDS 5, CUBS 3

CHICAGO — Tucker Barnhart hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Trevor Cahill in the seventh inning, and Cincinnati gave Chicago its 12th loss in 17 games.

A day after having seven players selected for next week’s All-Star Game, the Cubs lost to the last-place Reds for the second time in three days and dropped below the San Francisco Giants for the majors’ best record.

ORIOLES 6, DODGERS 4, 14 INNINGS

LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Schoop doubled in the go-ahead runs with two outs in the 14th inning, lifting Baltimore over Los Angeles in a game that included a stadium-record 36 strikeouts.

Mychal Givens (6-1) got the win. Zach Britton got his 25th save in as many chances.

Mark Trumbo hit two leadoff home runs for the Orioles, who took two out of three to win the interleague series.

TIGERS 12, INDIANS 2

CLEVELAND — Nick Castellanos had three hits, including a three-run homer, and tied his career high with five RBIs to lead Detroit and stop Cleveland’s home winning streak at 13.

Rookie Michael Fulmer (9-2) allowed two runs — one earned — and five hits in six innings, improving to 7-1 with a 0.63 ERA in his last nine starts.

Josh Tomlin (9-2) retired his first nine batters, then gave up hits to four of his next five and lost for the first time since May 30. He allowed eight runs, tying his big league high, and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

PIRATES 7, CARDINALS 5

ST. LOUIS — Jung Ho Kang drove in two key runs with a seventh-inning double a day after Chicago police said they were investigating an allegation of sexual assault against the infielder, and Pittsburgh got its sixth straight comeback win.

Pittsburgh has won seven consecutive overall and leapfrogged St. Louis for second place in the NL Central. It got homers from David Freese and Sean Rodriguez, and Kang’s double off Jonathan Broxton (1-1) put the Pirates up 6-5 after they trailed 5-1.

Kang has not been charged, and Major League Baseball said in a statement it would “respond fully as additional facts emerge.”

Pirates relievers combined for five scoreless innings. A.J. Schugel (2-2) got the win and Mark Melancon picked up his 26th save.

RED SOX 11, RANGERS 6

BOSTON — David Ortiz reached 20 homers for the 15th consecutive season and drove in three runs, and Steven Wright pitched efficiently into the seventh inning.

Wright (10-5) gave up six runs — five earned — and was pulled after Ian Desmond’s two-run triple with no outs in the seventh. The 31-year-old knuckleballer was voted an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Texas starter Martin Perez (7-5) was tagged for 11 runs.

ASTROS 9, MARINERS 8

HOUSTON — Carlos Gomez had three RBIs and finished a home run shy of the cycle and Luis Valbuena hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning to help Houston sweep Seattle.

The game was tied at 7 with one on and one out when Valbuena launched a towering shot off Edwin Diaz (0-2) to the second deck in right field for his second straight game with a homer.

Ken Giles (1-3) struck out two in a scoreless eighth for the win. Luke Gregerson allowed an RBI double to Robinson Cano with one out in the ninth before striking out Dae-Ho Lee with the bases loaded for his 14th save.

NATIONALS 7, BREWERS 4

WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper hit the first of Washington’s three home runs, and the Nationals returned to form.

After watching Washington score a combined two runs in the first two games of the series, manager Dusty Baker said before the finale, “We’re operating at a low energy level right now.”

Harper remedied that with a three-run shot in the first inning, the Nationals’ first long ball in three games. Ryan Zimmerman chased Brewers starter Matt Garza (1-2) with a two-run drive in the fifth for a 7-4 lead.

Tanner Roark (8-5) allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings for the Nationals.

METS 4, MARLINS 2

NEW YORK — Wilmer Flores homered twice and Jacob deGrom pitched seven strong innings for New York.

Giancarlo Stanton went deep twice for the second consecutive day to reach 200 homers.

Following a 26-pitch first inning, deGrom (5-4) settled in and won his second straight start after going winless in his previous 10.

Left-hander Justin Nicolino (2-5) fell to 0-5 in his last 10 major league starts.

BLUE JAYS 4, ROYALS 2

TORONTO — Michael Saunders hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and singled home the winning run in the eighth as Toronto completed a three-game sweep.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-out double off Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the eighth and scored when Saunders lined a single to center.

Marcus Stroman (7-4) pitched eight innings to win for the first time in four starts. Roberto Osuna finished for his 17th save.

WHITE SOX 5, YANKEES 0

CHICAGO — Miguel Gonzalez pitched five-hit ball over seven innings for Chicago.

Gonzalez (2-4) matched his longest outing of the season and shut down New York after it pounded out a season-high 20 hits in Tuesday’s 9-0 romp.

Tim Anderson capped a four-run second with a two-run double off Michael Pineda (3-8), and the White Sox won for the sixth time in eight games.

ANGELS 7, RAYS 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — All-Star Mike Trout homered and Jered Weaver pitched six innings of one-run ball for Los Angeles.

With his 100th hit, Trout became the first player to collect 100 hits and 15 home runs before the All-Star break four times before his age-25 season. Miguel Cabrera and Jimmy Foxx are the only other players to have accomplished the feat three times.

PADRES 13, DIAMONDBACKS 6

PHOENIX — Ryan Schimpf homered twice, Yangervis Solarte drove in five runs, three on a homer, and San Diego beat Arizona.

Shelby Miller (2-9) allowed six runs in five innings.

Jose Dominguez (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief of starter Colin Rea to get the win.

PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3

PHILADELPHIA — Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Philadelphia.

Maikel Franco hit a homer for the fourth straight game. Galvis lined a 2-2 pitch off Arodys Vizcaino (1-4) into the seats in right after Franco had started the inning with a walk.

Hector Neris (3-3) got the win despite allowing a go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Jeanmar Gomez finished for his 23rd save in 25 tries.

TWINS 4, ATHLETICS 0

MINNEAPOLIS — Ervin Santana struck out eight and walked none in a two-hitter for Minnesota.

Santana (3-7) pitched his eighth shutout and 15th complete game, helping the Twins take two of three from the A’s.

Sonny Gray (3-8) gave up one run, six hits and four walks in six innings, losing his seventh straight decision, the longest active skid in the American League.