Clayton Kershaw gets 8 Ks, Dodgers beat Tampa Bay 7-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Clayton Kershaw took a shutout into the seventh inning in his first start at Tropicana Field and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Tuesday night.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner (4-0) wound up allowing two runs, six hits, one walk and had eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers, with the National League’s best record at 32-17, have won six of seven. Tampa Bay dropped two games behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees.

Justin Turner, Austin Barnes, Kiki Hernandez, Corey Seager and pinch-hitter Joc Pederson had run-scoring singles for the Dodgers.

Kershaw had scattered four hits through six but was replaced by Pedro Baez with two on and one out in the seventh and Los Angeles up 6-0.

The Rays then got within 6-3 on a run-scoring single by Austin Meadows and Tommy Pham’s RBI double off Scott Alexander.

Los Angeles has won 15 consecutive regular season games starter by Kershaw.

ASTROS 5, WHITE SOX 1

HOUSTON — Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out a season-high 12 to lead Houston over Chicago.

Verlander (8-1) allowed one hit and walked one in eight innings for his fourth straight win and the seventh in eight starts. The only hit off him came when Jose Abreu sent the first pitch of his at-bat just over the wall and out of reach of a leaping Jake Marisnick in straightaway center field with one out in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-1.

Yuli Gurriel hit a solo homer off Dylan Covey (0-3) in the fourth inning to give the Astros home runs in 18 straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history.

Houston, a big league-best 33-16, won for the 12th time in 13 games overall and ninth in a row over the White Sox.

Covey allowed four hits, walked four and allowed four runs in four-plus innings.

YANKEES 11, ORIOLES 4

BALTIMORE — Clint Frazier homered twice and had a career-high five RBIs, Gary Sánchez contributed a three-run drive and New York routed Baltimore.

New York made it easy for Domingo Germán (9-1) to win his sixth consecutive start and increase his major league-leading victory total. The right-hander pitched only five innings and left with a 9-3 lead.

David Hale worked the four innings to earn his first save since 2010 at Class A.

DJ LeMahieu had three hits and Sánchez finished with four RBIs for the AL East leaders, who have won seven of eight.

Sánchez got it started, hitting his second three-run homer in as many nights before David Hess (1-6) got an out.

Stevie Wilkerson hit a three-run homer for the Orioles, who have lost 10 and 12 and dropped to an AL-worst 15-33.

BLUE JAYS 10, RED SOX 3

TORONTO — Rowdy Tellez had two homers and five RBIs and Randal Grichuk also homered in Toronto’s win over Boston.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returned to the Toronto lineup, going 2 for 5 with a pair of runs.

Marcus Stroman (2-6) lasted six innings, giving up one run, five hits and a season-high six walks.

Boston’s loss ended its seven-game winning streak in starts by Eduardo Rodríguez (4-3).

MARLINS 5, TIGERS 4, 11 INNINGS

DETROIT — Chad Wallach hit a tiebreaking double in the 11th inning, and Miami beat Detroit.

Detroit forced extra innings by scoring two unearned runs off Miami closer Sergio Romo. The bottom of the ninth included an error, two replay reversals and the ejection of Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire.

That was the only success Detroit had against the Miami bullpen, though. Nick Anderson (1-1) struck out the side in the 10th, then closed the Tigers out in the 11th for his first career win.

Wallach put the Marlins ahead in the 11th with a two-out drive to left-center field off Joe Jimenez (2-2). The Tigers have dropped seven in a row.

METS 6, NATIONALS 5

NEW YORK — Pete Alonso hit a long tying homer in the eighth inning, Amed Rosario had a winning infield single with two outs in the ninth and New York rallied from deficits three times to beat Washington.

Edwin Díaz (1-2) worked around a ninth-inning single for his first win with the Mets. Washington lost its third straight.

Mets starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs and four hits in seven innings, while Washington’s Erick Fedde allowed one run and four hits in five innings.

ROCKIES 5, PIRATES 0

PITTSBURGH — German Márquez struck out seven over eight dominant innings and Trevor Story hit his 11th home run as Colorado cooled off surging Pittsburgh.

Márquez (5-2) gave up three hits, walked one and didn’t allow a runner to third base as the Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak.

Charlie Blackmon went 3 for 5 for Colorado, including a two-run triple to left off Chris Archer (1-4) in the fourth. Story homered for the second straight game. His shot to deep left field in the third inning glanced off the glove of Pittsburgh leftfielder Bryan Reynolds.

ATHLETICS 5, INDIANS 3

CLEVELAND — Pinch-hitter Mark Canha’s two-run homer off struggling Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer in the third inning sent Oakland to its fifth straight win.

Canha replaced injured slugger Khris Davis and connected off Bauer (4-3).

Bauer walked four, struck out five and hit three while throwing a season-high 123 pitches.

Oakland reliever Liam Hendricks (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Blake Treinen, the A’s fourth reliever, worked the ninth for his ninth save in 11 tries.

REDS 3, BREWERS 0

MILWAUKEE — Sonny Gray and three Cincinnati relievers held down Milwaukee, which was missing Christian Yelich because of back spasms.

Gray (1-4) earned his first win of the season with six shutout innings in his first appearance at Miller Park. Gray tied his season-high with nine strikeouts. Raisel Iglesias earned his 10th save.

Brewers starter Gio Gonzalez (2-1) pitched five innings, allowed three hits and three earned runs, striking out four.

RANGERS 5, MARINERS 3

ARLINGTON, Texas — Lance Lynn allowed two runs over seven innings and Shawn Kelley earned the save hours after learning that two lumps removed from his throat last week were benign as Texas beat Seattle.

Lynn (6-3) gave up five singles and one walk and had a season-high 11 strikeouts and one walk in his 200th career start. Kelley, who was activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, allowed a ninth-inning homer to Omar Narváez, who had three hits, in earning his third save of the season.

Left-hander Tommy Milone (0-1) allowed two runs on three hits in five innings in his first major league start of the season.

Giants 4, Braves 3

AN FRANCISCO — Joe Panik hit a game-ending two-run single off Atlanta closer Luke Jackson with two outs in the ninth to lift the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

It’s the fourth blown save this season for Jackson (2-1) and spoiled an otherwise strong day by the Braves pitching staff.

TWINS 8, ANGELS 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Marwin Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs as Minnesota rallied past Los Angeles.

Gonzalez’s two-run shot in the sixth tied the game at three. Minnesota then broke it open with four in the seventh off Luke Bard (1-2). AL batting leader Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario each had two hits and drove in two runs for the Twins, who have won five of six on their road trip.

Minnesota’s Michael Pineda (4-3) allowed three runs the first two innings but only one hit in his final four innings of work.

PADRES 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2

SAN DIEGO — Eric Hosmer’s two-run, opposite-field home run off Zack Greinke highlighted the three-run sixth inning that carried San Diego past Arizona.

Greinke (6-2), who recorded his 2,500th career strikeout in the fourth, was working on a one-hit shutout when he ran into trouble in the sixth. Ian Kinsler singled with one out, advanced on Franmil Reyes’ groundout and scored on Manny Machado’s single. Hosmer then drove Greinke’s next pitch to left field to give the Padres the lead. It was Hosmer’s seventh.

Left-hander Matt Strahm (2-3) allowed two solo homers among his four hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked none.

ASTROS 5, WHITE SOX 1

HOUSTON — Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out a season-high 12 to lead Houston over Chicago.

Verlander (8-1) allowed one hit and walked one in eight innings for his fourth straight win and the seventh in eight starts. The only hit off him came when Jose Abreu sent the first pitch of his at-bat just over the wall and out of reach of a leaping Jake Marisnick in straightaway center field with one out in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-1.

Yuli Gurriel hit a solo homer off Dylan Covey (0-3) in the fourth inning to give the Astros home runs in 18 straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history.