Astros win last unplanned road game
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Jose Altuve homered, the Houston bullpen pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 on Thursday in the last game before they return to their flood-ravaged home city.
Josh Reddick added an RBI single for the AL West-leading Astros, who avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of their instate rivals at Tropicana Field, where the series was relocated because of Hurricane Harvey.
Houston will have a previously unscheduled day off Friday and play a doubleheader Saturday against the Mets at Minute Maid Park. The downtown Houston stadium escaped major flood damage. Astros president Reid Ryan has said he hopes the weekend games “can serve as a welcome distraction” for the city.
For the Rangers, it was their first loss all year at the Tampa Bay Rays’ home park. They swept the Rays in a three-game series in June.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, DODGERS 1
PHOENIX — Zack Greinke earned his major league-best 16th victory with six strong innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Los Angeles to complete the first series sweep of the Dodgers this season.
Chris Iannetta and A.J. Pollock homered for the Diamondbacks, who matched their season-best seventh straight victory and pulled 3 1/2 games ahead of idle Colorado for the National League’s top wildcard spot.
Greinke (16-6) allowed a run and four hits, striking out six and walking two, to improve to 13-1 in 16 home starts this season.
Kenta Maeda (12-6) went just three innings and gave up seven runs and eight hits.
TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 4
MINNEAPOLIS — Max Kepler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Minnesota rallied to beat Chicago.
REDS 7, METS 2
CINCINNATI — Joey Votto hit a home run, then gave a bat and jersey to a 6-year-old cancer patient as Cincinnati beat New York.
Votto homered in the seventh. He high-fived the young fan he knows through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Scooter Gennett drove in three runs with a homer and a double off Jacob deGrom (14-8).
BLUE JAYS 11, ORIOLES 8
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles’ seven-game winning streak ended under a barrage of home runs by Kendrys Morales, who went deep three times and had a careerhigh 7 RBI to provide the Toronto Blue Jays with a win.
Looking to sustain its charge into the thick of the AL playoff picture, Baltimore bolted to a 5-2 lead in the third inning before the last-place Blue Jays stormed back behind Morales, who had four hits and scored four runs.
Adam Jones and Chris Davis homered for the Orioles, who fell 2 1/2 games back in the race for the final AL wild card. Baltimore starter Jeremy Hellickson (2-3) allowed seven runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Marco Estrada (7-8) improved to 6-1 lifetime against Baltimore despite allowing six runs and 10 hits in five ragged innings.
Roberto Osuna retired Jones on a groundout with two runs in, two on and two outs in the eighth. The right-hander also worked the ninth for his 35th save.
PHILLIES 3, MARLINS 2
MIAMI — Ben Lively hastened Giancarlo Stanton’s slide into a slump, and the Philadelphia Phillies sent the Miami Marlins below .500.
Stanton failed to get the ball out of the infield in three plate appearances against Lively and finished 0 for 5 with two strikeouts. The major league home run leader (51) is 1 for 15 this week.