Cole wins 20th straight regular-season game, Yanks top BoSox

Updated Aug. 15, 2020 1:25 a.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.

Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.

Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington.

The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.

Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.

DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th multihit game as a Yankee and eighth this season.

Alex Verdugo homered for Boston, which lost its fifth straight to fall to 6-14. The Red Sox also lost to the Yankees for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings since July 28, 2019.

Rafael Devers hit an RBI single in the eighth off Jonathan Holder.

Boston used Colten Brewer (0-1) as an opener and he allowed two runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings.

DODGERS 7, ANGELS 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw allowed one hit over seven brilliant innings, Cody Bellinger hit a pair of two-run homers and Los Angeles opened the Freeway Series with a over the Angels.

Justin Turner had two hits and drove in a run as the surging Dodgers opened this star-studded annual interleague series with their first win over the slumping Angels since 2018. The Dodgers (14-7) also moved back into sole possession of first place in the NL West.

Anthony Rendon homered in his fourth consecutive game for the Angels.

Kershaw (2-1) struck out six and improved to 7-2 in his career against the Angels while decreasing his interleague ERA to 2.23 — the lowest in major league history among pitchers with at least 15 starts. He also retired Mike Trout three times.

Bellinger broke out of a season-long slump with his 12th career multi-homer game.

Tommy La Stella had a two-run single in the eighth for the Angels, who have lost five of seven.

Patrick Sandoval (0-2) pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning for the Angels, but remained winless in 12 career major league starts.

ATHLETICS 8, GIANTS 7, 10th inn.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Piscotty hit a tying grand slam in the ninth inning, Mark Canha’s sacrifice fly put Oakland on top in the 10th, and the Athletics beat San Francisco in the opener of the Bay Bridge Series.

Oakland trailed by five in the ninth inning but rallied to win from such a deficit for the first time since July 15, 1952, according to STATS. The Giants hadn’t lost after leading by five or more runs in the ninth inning or latter since June 25, 1929.

Matt Chapman began on second base with the new extra-innings rule and advanced on Matt Olson’s groundout to bring up Canha. He hit a flyball to right off Jarlin García (0-1).

Joakim Soria (2-0) escaped trouble in the ninth for the win, and Liam Hendriks finished for his sixth save.

Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer, and Evan Longoria and Mike Yastrzemski also connected to back Johnny Cueto. The right-hander struck out five over seven strong innings, allowing two runs, three hits and two walks but had nothing to show for it.

Robbie Grossman hit an RBI triple in the A’s two-run seventh.

MARLINS 8, BRAVES 2

MIAMI (AP) — Jesus Aguilar drove in three runs, Jon Berti stole home and NL East-leading Miami won its long-awaited, coronavirus-delayed home opener, beating Atlanta.

Miami returned to Marlins Park following a 23-day road trip, interrupted when 18 players and two coaches tested positive for the virus.

Pablo Lopez (2-1) allowed two runs, seven hits and struck out a career-high eight in six solid innings. The Marlins improved to 9-4.

Magneuris Sierra’s bunt scored Eddy Alvarez from third in the fourth to give Miami a 3-2 lead. Berti added another run in the inning, stealing home on the front end of a double steal.

Travis d’Arnaud hit a solo homer in the Atlanta first. Kyle Wright (0-3) took the loss.

PHILLIES 6, METS 5

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Philadelphia to a victory over New York.

Roman Quinn led off the inning with a single off Seth Lugo (1-2), and Andrew McCutchen followed with a single. After Rhys Hoskins struck out, Harper ripped an 0-2 pitch to right. Quinn slid headfirst ahead of Michael Conforto’s throw. The Phillies had to wait for a video review to confirm it before they celebrated with air-fives.

J.T. Realmuto hit a go-ahead, three-run homer but Hector Neris (1-0) couldn’t protect a one-run lead in the ninth. He allowed a single and walk before striking out Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith. Robinson Cano followed with an RBI single to tie it at 5.

Phillies starter Spencer Howard lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs — three earned — and seven hits. It appeared he left because of a blister on his finger.

Walker Lockett started after two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was scratched because of neck tightness. He gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings.

BLUE JAYS 12, RAYS 4

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit two of Toronto’s six home runs, Bo Bichette connected for the fourth straight game and the Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay.

Along with their seven homers in a 14-11 loss to Miami on Wednesday night at Sahlen Field, Toronto became the fourth team in major league history to hit at least six homers in back-to-back games. The Blue Jays joined the Dodgers (1996), Angels (2003) and Washington (2012).

Randal Grichuk hit a tying homer in the sixth, Bichette added a three-run drive and Hernández connected to cap the five-run inning that made it 8-4.

Rowdy Tellez and Cavan Biggio also homered for the Blue Jays.

Brandon Lowe homered and drove in three runs for Tampa Bay, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.

Toronto reliever Wilmer Font (1-1) faced one batter, inducing a double-play grounder in the top of the sixth, to earn the win. Ryan Thompson (1-1) took the loss.

REDS 8, PIRATES 1

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jesse Winker had his first career two homer game and Sonny Gray continued his torrid strikeout pace as Cincinnati broke open a close contest with five runs in the last two innings in a win over Pittsburgh.

Nick Castellanos added a three-run homer off Chris Stratton to cap Cincinnati’s four-run seventh.

Gray (4-1) struck out 10, raising his season total to 45, a franchise record for a pitcher’s first five appearances. Luis Castillo set the previous mark of 41 in 2019. Gray allowed five hits and one run – Bryan Reynolds’ first homer and run batted in of the season – with one walk in 6 2-3 innings.

Chad Kuhl (0-1), who gave up four hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts in five innings.

ORIOLES 6, NATIONALS 2, Game 1

NATIONALS 15. ORIOLES 3, Game 2

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore finished what it started, beating Washington in a game suspended five days earlier because of a tarp malfunction at another ballpark, stretching its winning streak to six games in the opener. In the nightcap, the Nationals used a 19-hit attack to beat the Orioles.

In the completion of this week's game, Baltimore led 5-2 in the top of the sixth Sunday at Nationals Park when rain halted play. The grounds crew failed to get a tangled tarp out in time to prevent the infield from becoming unplayable.

When play resumed, the Orioles had two on and one out in the sixth. Holaday delivered a run-scoring single to make it 6-2, giving him two RBIs in the game.

Before the rain came Sunday, Baltimore got two RBIs apiece from Hanser Alberto and Anthony Santander in a five-run fifth against Stephen Strasburg (0-1).

Travis Lakins (2-0) got the victory by retiring the only batter he faced to end the fourth inning.

Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer for the Nationals, who are off to a 6-10 start.

In the nightcap, Strasburg left after throwing only 16 pitches in his second outing of the season.

Strasburg gave up a solo homer to Anthony Santander and got two outs before departing. Erick Fedde (1-1) was exceptional in relief, allowing just two hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

Nationals prospect Luis García had a two-run double in the eighth. And, in the field, Carter Kieboom had 11 assists, a Nationals record for a third baseman.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, PADRES 1

PHOENIX (AP) — Merrill Kelly pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single, and Arizona beat San Diego.

Kelly (3-1) gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out seven and lowered his season ERA to 1.71.

After a rough start to the season, the D-backs have won six of nine games to improve to 9-11. The Padres fell to 11-10.

Emerging San Diego ace Dinelson Lamet (2-1) continued his string of good outings, giving up exactly one earned run in all five of his starts this season. He threw six innings on Friday, giving up three hits and striking out eight.

The D-backs added four runs in the eighth. Calhoun, Starling Marte and David Peralta all had run-scoring hits while Ketel Marte brought home a run with a sacrifice fly.

The Padres managed just six hits and didn’t score until the ninth inning.

INDIANS 10, TIGERS 5

DETROIT (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered and drove in three, and Cleveland beat Detroit for a club-record 18th consecutive time.

The Indians’ previous longest winning streak against one opponent was a 17-game run against the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.

Aaron Civale (2-2) improved to 3-0 in four career starts against the Tigers, allowing four runs, eight hits and a walk in six innings. Domingo Santana hit a three-run homer for the Indians.

Ivan Nova (1-1) allowed eight runs, five hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings for Detroit. Cameron Maybin hit a solo homer in the ninth for the Tigers.

RANGERS 3, ROCKIES 2

DENVER (AP) — Lance Lynn allowed two hits in the first inning on the way to his first complete game in six years, Nick Solak hit his first homer of the season, and Texas beat Colorado.

Lynn (3-0) gave up singles to the first two batters he faced and Garrett Hampson scored from third on Nolan Arenado’s groundout. Two Texas errors in the sixth led to an unearned run for Colorado.

Lynn fanned six, struck out the side in the eighth before closing out his first complete game since Sept. 11, 2014, at Cincinnati. He lowered his ERA to 1.11.

Daniel Bard (1-1) took the loss. Colorado starter Ryan Castellani went 4 2/3 innings in his second career start. He allowed two hits, both to Solak, and fanned seven, striking out the side in the first and third innings.

BREWERS 4, CUBS 3

CHICAGO (AP) — Christian Yelich hit a three-run homer and Milwaukee beat major league-leading Chicago.

Yelich hit his fifth homer of the season off Alec Mills (2-1) to right-center field, erasing Chicago’s 3-1 lead in the sixth inning.

Freddy Peralta (1-1), Milwaukee’s first reliever, pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five.

Brewers closer Josh Hader earned his fourth save.

Rizzo, Jason Kipnis and Ian Happ had RBIs for Cubs, who lost for just the second time in 11 games. Chicago dipped to 13-4 as Cubs hitters struck out 15 times against four pitchers.

Milwaukee ended a two-game losing streak and won for the third time in eight tries.

ASTROS 11, MARINERS 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season after recovering from COVID-19, connecting during a nine-run burst in the first inning that sent Houston over Seattle.

Alvarez drove in four runs in his 2020 debut, including his opposite-field shot off Nestor Cortes in the first.

Cortes (0-1) was named the starter less than an hour before first pitch after originally slated starter Yusei Kikuchi was scratched with neck spasms. Cortes allowed seven runs on five hits and retired only one batter before he was pulled.

Houston starter Framber Valdez (1-2) settled in after a lengthy first inning in which he walked two, hit a batter and had a balk where he appeared to slip. Valdez allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five in six innings to earn his first win of the season.

The Astros have won 22 of their last 24 games against the Mariners.

Yuli Gurriel followed Alvarez’s homer with a line-drive shot into the left-field Crawford Boxes. He had an opposite-field triple in the second inning.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.co