German wins 7th, Yankees beat Rays 4-3 in AL East showdown
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Domingo German became the majors' first seven-game winner, Gio Urshela got a key hit set up by a pair of odd bounces and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Friday night.
The injury-filled Yankees pulled within a half-game of the AL East-leading Rays in the first of 19 meetings between the teams this season.
German (7-1) was matched up against Tyler Glasnow (6-1), who left in the sixth inning with right forearm tightness.
Glasnow struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings. He signaled for a trainer after striking out Gleyber Torres and was pulled.
German allowed three runs and five hits over five innings. Aroldis Chapman, the fourth Yankees reliever, worked the ninth for his ninth save.
Home runs by Austin Meadows and Ji-Man Choi gave the Rays a 3-2 lead entering the sixth.
Gary Sanchez opened the Yankees sixth with an infield single on a popup that struck the highest of four overhanging catwalks — approximately 185 feet high — and fell in the infield as Tampa Bay players scrambled to catch the carom.
Clint Frazier followed with a single and Torres fanned, finishing Glasnow. Emilio Pagan relieved and Miguel Andujar hit a grounder that took a crooked hop off the mound and went for an infield single that loaded the bases. Urshela then delivered a two-run single for a 4-3 lead.
BOSTON (AP) — Mitch Moreland hit a three-run home run, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi each added a solo homer, and Boston moved above .500 for the first time this season with a win over Seattle.
Boston (20-19) has won nine of 11, scoring 80 runs during the stretch. Seattle (20-21) lost for the 10th time in 12 games and is under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2017 season.
Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2) pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out five to pick up his third win in four starts.
Rookie Erik Swanson (1-4) took the loss, allowing seven hits and seven runs over 4 2/3 innings. It marked the latest rough outing for a Mariners' pitching staff that has given up 11 or more runs four times in 12 games.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amed Rosario hit a grand slam during an eight-run outburst that marked the Mets' biggest first inning in three decades, and New York routed Miami.
Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil also homered for the previously slumping Mets, who set a season best with 15 hits and matched their high for runs. Zack Wheeler (3-2) struck out 11 over seven innings, reaching double digits for the third time in four outings.
After totaling only 15 runs on a 1-5 road trip, the Mets broke loose back home against Pablo López (2-5) and the major league-worst Marlins (10-28). New York sent 13 batters to the plate in the first, with J.D. Davis and Robinson Canó each getting two of the team's eight hits.
CHICAGO (AP) — Gio González pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning and Ryan Braun homered, helping Milwaukee beat Chicago for its season-high seventh straight victory.
González outdueled José Quintana to help Milwaukee move into a virtual tie with Chicago for the NL Central lead. Yasmani Grandal and Jesús Aguilar each drove in two runs, and Hernán Pérez backed Gonzalez with a couple nice plays at second base.
The Brewers (24-16) moved a season-high eight games over .500 in their first visit to Wrigley Field since they topped the Cubs 3-1 in the division tiebreaker game Oct. 1.
Chicago (22-14) had won 10 of 11, but it was shut down by González (1-0) and five relievers. Quintana (4-2) allowed three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings in his first loss since April 5.
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched one-hit ball for seven dominant innings, right fielder Josh Reddick made another leaping catch and Houston beat Texas.
Jake Marisnick homered in the third, and Yuli Gurriel and Robinson Chirinos hit back-to-back solo home runs with two outs in the seventh.
Astros star second baseman Jose Altuve exited in the first inning with left hamstring discomfort after beating out an infield single. He was listed as day to day.
The only hit off Verlander (6-1) was a single by Asdrubal Cabrera to lead off the fifth. The right-hander struck out eight, walked two and hit a batter.
Ryan Pressly threw a perfect eighth, and Roberto Osuna pitched around a single in the ninth for his 10th save, helped by Reddick.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jake Odorizzi stretched his scoreless streak to 20 innings with seven frames of one-hit ball, Max Kepler and Mitch Garver homered, and Minnesota beat Detroit.
Odorizzi (5-2) retired his last 20 batters after a first-inning double by Christin Stewart, striking out five without a walk while lowering his ERA to a career-best 2.32.
The Twins (24-12) have the best record in the majors, backed by a surging rotation and a lineup that's suddenly full of sluggers.
Garver, part of a trio of catchers who have collectively been the most productive offensively in baseball this season, hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Tyson Ross (1-5) for his eighth shot in 21 games. Kepler went deep in the fifth.
The Tigers, who were shutout for the second straight game and an American League-most fifth time this season, have the second-fewest home runs in the majors with just one by 11-time All-Star Miguel Cabrera.
TORONTO (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer, Teoscar Hernandez added a solo shot and Toronto snapped a season-worst five-game losing streak with a win over Chicago.
Grichuk's two-out blast in the first inning was his sixth of the season and came off starter Dylan Covey (0-2).
Covey allowed four runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Toronto's scheduled starter, right-hander Clay Buchholz, was scratched and placed on the 10-day injured list because of a sore shoulder. Right-hander Daniel Hudson opened for Toronto and allowed a run in the first on back-to-back doubles by Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu.
Chicago's Tim Anderson hit a solo homer in the fifth, and the White Sox cut it to 4-3 on Leurys Garcia's RBI groundout in the seventh.
Joe Biagini (2-1) struck out Moncada for the final out of the seventh. Ken Giles got his ninth save in 10 chances.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Frazier opened the game with a homer, Starling Marte drove in the game-winner and Trevor Williams allowed one run in seven solid innings as Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis.
Marte's RBI single off of Andrew Miller (1-2) broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth and helped the Pirates snap a two-game skid.
Williams (2-1) stranded seven runners through the first four innings, and pitched around two fielding errors in the fourth inning. He allowed nine hits and limited the Cardinals to one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Felipe Vázquez struck out Paul Goldschmidt to cap a perfect ninth and earn his 11th save.
Adam Wainwright went a season-high seven innings and retired the final 10 batters he faced. He struck out eight — five looking — and allowed five hits and no walks.
DENVER (AP) — German Marquez pitched effectively into the sixth inning and had a three-run double in Colorado's seven-run fourth inning in a victory over San Diego.
Trevor Story also homered among his three hits for the Rockies, winners of three of their last four. Nolan Arenado added a two-run triple and Ian Desmond had three hits.
Manny Machado and Ty France each had RBI singles for the Padres and Franmil Reyes had three hits. Eric Lauer (2-4) went three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season and allowed a career-high eight runs and eight hits.
Marquez went 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs and 10 hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Mike Trout homered and drove in three runs, Andrelton Simmons had two RBIs and scored twice, and Los Angeles beat Baltimore in a game that included an rain delay of 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Trout hit a two-run drive in the third inning after a young fan he befriended last year asked him before the game to hit a homer. He added an RBI double in a five-run fifth. He also drew his major league leading 36th walk.
Trevor Cahill (2-3) pitched six innings, allowing two runs and four hits to win for the first time in five starts since April 8.
Trey Mancini and Chris Davis homered for the Orioles, whose 5-14 home record is the worst in the big leagues.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon homered twice to drive in three runs, and Kansas City beat Philadelphia.
Homer Bailey (4-3) gave up one run and four hits in five-plus innings, and Scott Barlow struck out a career-high six in two innings of relief for the Royals. Jorge Soler added his team-leading 10th home run of the season.
Gordon's solo shot in the fifth inning was the 1,500th hit of his career. It was also his fifth career multihomer game and first since August 20, 2016.
Jake Diekman worked his eighth consecutive scoreless outing, and Ian Kennedy pitched a perfect ninth. The Royals' bullpen threw four hitless innings and struck out eight.
Phillies starter Jake Arrieta (4-3) went five-plus innings, giving up four runs and seven hits.
Bryce Harper walked three times and scored Philadelphia's only run of the game, coming home on Odubel Herrera's RBI grounder in the fourth.
BRAVES 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, and Atlanta overcame Zack Greinke's latest strong start to beat Arizona.
Acuña returned to the leadoff spot and smashed his eighth homer off Yoan Lopez (0-1). The shot was estimated at 466 feet, the longest of Acuña's career.
Greinke allowed a run and five hits over seven innings. He didn't walk a batter and reached a three-ball count against only two hitters.
Julio Teheran pitched six innings of one-run ball, Dan Winkler (1-0) pitched the seventh and Luke Jackson struck out two in ninth for his third save.
Dansby Swanson had three hits, and Freddie Freeman had two hits and an RBI for Atlanta.
David Peralta had two hits, including an RBI triple, for Arizona.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joc Pederson hit two home runs, Kenta Maeda pitched one-hit ball over six innings and Los Angeles cruised past Washington.
The Dodgers won without shortstop Corey Seager, who was scratched shortly before first pitch for undisclosed reasons.
Julio Urías pitched three innings of scoreless relief for his second career save.
Anibal Sanchez (0-6) allowed three runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings, including both of Pederson's homers.
Pederson hit his 14th career leadoff homer in the first inning and struck again in the fifth.
Maeda (4-2) struck out six and walked two. Wilmer Difo had the only hit against him, a single leading off the third.
The Dodgers also got an RBI triple from Chris Taylor in the fourth. David Freese added a two-run homer in the seventh off reliever Matt Grace to give the Dodgers 39 home runs at home this season.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Luis Castillo struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, Nick Senzel hit a two-run triple and Cincinnati beat San Francisco.
Yasiel Puig added a two-run single and Senzel got two hits.
Castillo (4-1) allowed two hits and walked five. He combined with Zach Duke, Michael Lorenzen and Wandy Peralta on a four-hitter.
Dereck Rodriguez (3-5) lost his third straight start. Stephen Vogt had three hits and walk in his sixth game with the Giants and is batting .467 (7 for 15) with his new team.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered against Brad Hand leading off the 12th inning to lift Oakland over Cleveland.
Chapman hit a 3-2 pitch down the left field line for his first career game-ending hit. The homer was his 10th this season and the first allowed by Hand.
Ramon Laureano also homered and Robbie Grossman had three hits for Oakland. Joakim Soria (1-2) retired six batters to win.
A's starter Frankie Montas matched his career-high with seven strikeouts over six innings. Montas allowed two runs, eight hits and one walk.
José Ramirez had an infield single and a walk for Cleveland. The Indians third baseman has reached base in 19 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the AL and second in the majors to Kris Bryant of the Cubs who has a 20-game streak.
