BOSTON — Mookie Betts belted three solo homers and J.D. Martinez also went deep, powering the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history.
AL East-leading Boston won for the third time in four games after losing 7-6 in 13 innings on Tuesday night.
Cheslor Cuthbert homered for Kansas City, and Drew Butera had a two-run double. Danny Duffy (0-4) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Drew Pomeranz (1-1) worked six innings for the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save.
YANKEES 4, ASTROS 0
HOUSTON — Luis Severino pitched a five-hitter and struck out 10 for his first career complete game while Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and drove in all four runs for New York.
The Yankees have beaten Houston by the exact same 4-0 score for tow straight days.
Severino (5-1) walked one and threw 110 pitches in his 60th major league start, earning his third straight win. He was still throwing 99 mph in the ninth inning as he polished off New York’s third complete game over the last three seasons.
ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 2
SEATTLE — James Paxton struck out a major league-high 16 in seven dominant innings, but the Seattle bullpen blew a late lead in a loss to Oakland.
Paxton posted the highest strikeout total by a Seattle pitcher since Randy Johnson fanned 19 on Aug. 8, 1997. He got 14 A’s on swinging strikeouts. Paxton left with a 2-0 lead.
ANGELS 10, ORIOLES 7
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Albert Pujols reached 2,998 career hits with a home run and a double, and Mike Trout also homered for Los Angeles.
Trout and Pujols both homered in the first, and Justin Upton homered and drove in four runs as the Angels earned their second straight win following a 3-9 skid.
Pujols hit his 620th career homer, connecting off Dylan Bundy (1-4). He is on deck to become the 32nd member of the 3,000-hit club.
INDIANS 12, RANGERS 4
CLEVELAND — Edwin Encarnacion homered three times and drove in six runs, helping the Indians to the runaway win.
Encarnacion hit a three-homer in the first, a two-run shot in the second and a solo drive in the eighth. The designated hitter leads the team with nine homers despite a .191 batting average.
BRAVES 7, METS 0
NEW YORK — Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom was pulled after four dominant innings with a hyperextended right elbow, and the Braves broke out against the bullpen to back a stellar start by Sean Newcomb.
DeGrom pitched smoothly through the heart of Atlanta’s order in his final inning. But he was replaced by Paul Sewald (0-2) to begin the fifth.
DODGERS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX — Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was forced to leave in the second inning with a strained groin, and manager Dave Roberts indicated the starter could be out for a while.
Los Angeles ended a four-game losing streak and won after eight consecutive regular-season losses at Chase Field.
NATIONALS 9, PIRATES 3
WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper hit a leadoff homer and drove in three runs, Stephen Strasburg struck out 11 and the Nationals earned their fourth straight win.
Matt Adams clubbed his third homer in two games for Washington. Strasburg (3-3) allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in seven innings.
ROCKIES 11, CUBS 2
CHICAGO — Nolan Arenado hit two of Colorado’s four homers and drove in five runs, lifting the Rockies to the road win.
Arenado hit a long two-run homer to center off Yu Darvish (0-3) in the first inning. He connected again in the eighth, hitting a three-run drive to left off Luke Farrell.
CARDINALS 3, WHITE SOX 2
ST. LOUIS — Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez hit his first major league home run and threw 7 1/3 effective innings.
Dexter Fowler added a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who won their second game in a row.
Chicago has dropped four straight and 13 of 17. The White Sox fell to a season-low 12 games under .500.
BREWERS 3, REDS 1
CINCINNATI — Christian Yelich homered, Wade Miley pitched six effective innings in his Milwaukee debut and the Brewers swept the sloppy Reds.
Yelich hit a tiebreaking drive to right off Luis Castillo (1-4) in the fifth.
TWINS 4, BLUE JAYS 0
MINNEAPOLIS — Fernando Romero pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning in his major league debut, giving Minnesota a badly needed boost.
Eddie Rosario homered for the Twins, who won for only the second time in their last 13 games. Romero (1-0) was a big reason why, striking out five in 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers preserved the shutout, allowing only two singles the rest of the way.
TIGERS 3, RAYS 2
DETROIT — JaCoby Jones led off the 12th inning with a triple and scored on John Hicks’ bunt single, lifting Detroit to the victory.
PHILLIES 6, MARLINS 0
MIAMI — Aaron Nola allowed four hits in 7 1/3 innings, helping Philadelphia stop a four-game slide.
Nola (4-1) retired 17 consecutive batters at one point. He struck out seven and walked one.
GIANTS 9, PADRES 4
SAN FRANCISCO — Nick Hundley matched his career high with four hits, Brandon Crawford broke out of a lengthy slump with three RBIs and the Giants beat the Padres.
Austin Jackson added two hits and two RBIs, and Derek Holland (1-3) pitched five innings for his first win of the season for San Francisco.
