Semien hits leadoff HR, A's beat Astros to win 8th straight

Updated Aug. 9, 2020 1:00 a.m. ET

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Semien homered in the first after hitting a walkoff single to end a 13-inning win a night earlier and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday for their eighth straight victory.

Frankie Montas (2-1) pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits without walking a batter and striking out five for the AL West-leading A’s.

The three-time reigning division champion Astros lost their fourth in a row. The last three defeats had been by a total of four runs.

Semien became the first player in A’s franchise history with a game-ending hit and a leadoff homer on back-to-back days.

Matt Chapman homered in the eighth and added an RBI groundout in the sixth as Oakland (11-4) matched the 2014 club for the best record through 15 games over the last 30 years.

Houston starter Framber Valdéz (0-2) gave up two runs and seven hits, striking out nine with one walk over seven innings.

GIANTS 5, DODGERS 4

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Slater had his first multi-homer game, Johnny Cueto took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and San Francisco beat Los Angeles.

Slater hit solo shots over the wall in center in the third and fifth innings off Clayton Kershaw and became only the seventh player to hit two homers in the same game off the Dodgers’ ace.

It was a tough night for Kershaw (1-1), who has traditionally dominated the Giants. The right-hander allowed four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings with a walk and six strikeouts.

Cueto (1-0) only allowed a third-inning walk to Chris Taylor in the first five innings before hitting a wall in the sixth. He went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Mike Yastrzemski also homered in the third to extend San Francisco’s lead to 2-0.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, PADRES 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Starling Marté and Stephen Vogt homered off Chris Paddack in the sixth inning, and Arizona beat San Diego.

The Padres failed to capitalize on two more home runs by Fernando Tatis Jr., including his second leadoff homer in two nights.

Tatis’ second homer, off Héctor Rondón in the eighth, pulled the Padres to 3-2.

All the excitement of Tatis’ leadoff drive off Merrill Kelly (2-1) disappeared by the fourth inning, when Vogt’s sacrifice fly brought in Marté.

Marté sent a charge through the Diamondbacks dugout in the sixth when he hit a go-ahead homer off the side of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner. With two outs, Vogt drove a ball into the home run porch down the right field line to chase Paddack (2-1). .

Archie Bradley pitched the ninth for his third save.

RANGERS 2, ANGELS 0

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer, six Texas pitchers combined on a four-hitter to give the Rangers consecutive wins for the first time this season.

Edinson Volquez (1-1), the first reliever after starter Kolby Allard’s five innings, worked the sixth for his first major league victory since 2017. It was his first win for the Rangers since 2007, before the former starter was traded to Cincinnati for Josh Hamilton. Rafael Montero worked a perfect ninth for his second save in two nights.

The Angels are 5-10 under new manager Joe Maddon, matching the worst 15-game start in team history. They had been 5-10 five other times, most recently in 2013.

Gallo went the opposite way in the sixth off Patrick Sandoval (0-1), the line shot landing in the Angels bullpen in left-center field. All four of Gallo’s homers this season have come off left-handed pitchers.

ORIOLES 5, NATIONALS 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pat Valaika, Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander homered during a five-run rally in the eighth inning as Baltimore roughed up Washington’s relievers.

The Orioles went into eighth with just two hits and trailing 3-0. Sean Doolittle relieved and Baltimore began the eighth with back-to-back, pinch-hit homers by Valaika and Severino.

Daniel Hudson (1-1) took over with one out and after a walk and single, Santander hit his third homer of the season into the left-field bleachers.

Shawn Armstrong (1-0) allowed just one hit and struck out two in 1 ½ innings of relief. Miguel Castro earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

Juan Soto hit his first home run of the season in the second to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Eric Thames had an RBI double in the sixth as the Nationals went up 3-0.

ROYALS 9, TWINS 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jorge Soler homered in back-to-back innings, the second blast coming in a go-ahead six-run fourth in which Kansas City went deep three times.

Nicky Lopez hit a two-run shot off reliever Lewis Thorpe (0-1) and Salvador Perez also went deep as the first seven Royals reached base in the fourth. Soler and Perez went back-to-back for the second time this season, and it was the first time the club had hit three homers in an inning since Aug. 19, 2018, against the White Sox.

Tyler Zuber (1-1) earned the win in relief of Danny Duffy. Trevor Rosenthal got four outs for his second straight save.

Nelson Cruz, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler went deep for the Twins, who lost the series opener in a 3-2 pitching duel.

YANKEES 8, RAYS 4, 1st game; RAYS 5, YANKEES 3, 2nd game

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows hit a two-run single and the Tampa Bay earned a split of seven-inning games in a doubleheader.

The Yankees won the opener as ace Gerrit Cole came within one strike of earning his 20th straight regular-season win.

Cole took a 5-0 lead into the fifth. With two outs and a runner on, he had a 1-2 count on Ji-Man Choi, who came back to hit an RBI double. Jose Martinez followed with a two-run homer on the 107th pitch from a clearly tiring Cole. Soon after, Yankees manager Aaron Boone took a slow walk to mound to replace Cole with Chad Green (2-0), who got the win after allowing one run over 1 1/3 innings.

Aaron Judge hit his eighth home run of the season for the Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Ford also connected for New York.

After Ford homered, a two-run double by Gio Urshela put the Yankees up 4-0 and chased Rays starter Tyler Glasnow (0-1) with two outs in the third.

In the nightcap, the Rays used six pitchers during a bullpen day. Judge flied out deep with a runner on base to end it.

Pete Fairbanks (2-1) pitched the fourth to get the win.

Meadows’ hit off Luis Avilan put Tampa Bay up 3-1 in the fourth inning. Avilan replaced spot starter Michael King (0-1), who allowed three runs on one hit and five walks in 3 2/3 innings.

METS 8, MARLINS 4

NEW YORK (AP) — J.D. Davis homered and drove in a career-high four runs, Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto also connected, and the New York Mets finally slowed down Miami.

Rookie left-hander David Peterson (2-1) allowed two runs over five innings to win his first home start for the Mets. Davis hit a three-run shot and a sacrifice fly to help New York (6-9) win for only the third time in 10 games.

Conforto and Alonso each ripped a two-run homer off Daniel Castano (0-1), the latest starter to make his major league debut for the depleted Marlins. Despite a coronavirus outbreak that ravaged the roster, Miami (7-2) had won six in a row during a streak that began July 26.

BLUE JAYS 2, RED SOX 1

BOSTON (AP) — Five Toronto pitchers combined on a four-hitter and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning on a groundout to lift the Blue Jays.

Anthony Kay (1-0) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Anthony Bass picked up his third save.

Gurriel drew a leadoff walk in the eighth from Marcus Walden (0-1), moved to third on Randal Grichuk’s one-out single and scored on a soft grounder by Rowdy Tellez to second baseman Jose Peraza, who was playing deep and didn’t have time to turn a double play.

REDS 4, BREWERS 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Anthony DeSclafani allowed two singles over six scoreless innings and Eugenio Suarez hit a three-run homer to lift Cincinnati.

Suarez put the Reds up 3-0 in the first with his second homer of the season. The Reds added a run in the seventh and Milwaukee countered with Brock Holt’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.

DeSclafani (1-0), making his second start after opening the season on the disabled list, allowed a leadoff single in the third to Holt, who was erased on a double play, and a two-out single to Eric Sogard in the sixth.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the season and 100th career save.

The Reds capitalized on shoddy defense for three runs in the first off Trevor Anderson (0-1), who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing the three runs – two earned – on four hits, walking two and striking out two.

ROCKIES 5, MARINERS 0

SEATTLE (AP) — Charlie Blackmon added three more hits to his major league-leading total and drove in three runs, and four Colorado pitchers combined for a one-hitter.

Colorado won for the seventh time in eight games to keep rolling atop the NL West.

Rockies starter Ryan Castellani, making his major league debut, began with four perfect innings. He was pulled after a hit batter and walk to open the fifth.Reliever Jeff Hoffman kept the no-hitter going until J.P. Crawford lined a single to center field with two outs in the sixth inning for the Mariners’ lone hit.

Hoffman (2-0) threw three innings before Yency Almonte pitched a perfect eighth and Phillip Diehl closed out the ninth.

Daniel Murphy and Trevor Story also had RBI singles for Colorado.

Anthony Misiewicz (0-1) gave up two runs in one inning.

PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 0

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jake Arrieta tossed six strong innings for his first win in more than a year and Jay Bruce and J.T. Realmuto each homered to lead Philadelphia.

Arrieta (1-1) tossed three-hit ball and struck out six for his first win since June 30, 2019. He had help all around -- right fielder Bryce Harper made an outstretched, diving catch in the fifth that earned a fist pump in appreciation from Arrieta.

Realmuto continued his hot streak, homering for the third straight game, with a 427-foot solo shot in the fourth off Braves starter Kyle Wright (0-2). Wright put the next runners on base and Bruce hit a three-run homer to make it 4-0.

TIGERS 11, PIRATES 5

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Niko Goodrum, Miguel Cabrera, C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario all hit home runs in the first inning against Pittsburgh’s Derek Holland to lead Detroit.

Detroit sent four of Holland’s first 11 pitches over the fence at PNC Park to propel the Tigers to another big offensive outburst against reeling Pittsburgh one night after a 17-13 win in 11 innings.

The Pirates lost for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

Cabrera got three hits, including his 481st career home run. The 37-year-old also drove in three runs.

Ivan Nova (1-0) nearly let a big early lead slip away. The veteran gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Kevin Newman tied a career-high with four hits and drove in two runs for Pittsburgh.

INDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach Plesac tossed six strong innings and Cleveland snapped a scoring drought with a six-run fourth.

The Indians had been blanked for 13 innings before Franmil Reyes and Jordan Luplow each hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Luplow was 0 for 21 with a walk this season before homering. Domingo Santana added a solo homer in the eighth.

Plesac (1-1) allowed five hits and struck out seven in lowering his ERA to 1.29 this year.

Yoan Moncada homered in the eighth for Chicago. He has reached in 19 straight games dating back to last Sept. 25.

The Indians were held hitless through the first three innings before erupting against Drew Anderson (0-1) in the fourth.