Reds spoil Baker’s return to Cincy with Nats
O's overcome struggling Yanks Cubs beat D'backs Cueto earns MLB-leading 9th win for Giants
The Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs and spoiled Dusty Baker’s return to Great American Ball Park with a 7-2 victory Friday night against the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.
It was the third consecutive win for the Reds, and their fourth in the last five outings, while Washington saw its fourgame winning streak come to an end.
Eugenio Suarez, Zack Cozart and Adam Duvall all hit home runs to back up the starting pitching of Brandon Finnegan , who allowed just one runner past second base in his 6 1/3 innings on the mound.
Baker was the Reds manager from 2008-13, and led the Reds to three postseason berths.
Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 2
R.A. Dickey ended his drought against Boston and Edwin Encarnacion and Devon Travis hit two-run homers as Toronto won its fourth straight game.
Boston’s Xander Bogaerts, representing the tying run, came up with two out and two on in the ninth inning and struck out against Roberto Osuna on a 3-2 pitch after being ahead 3-0 – ending the game and his 26-game hitting streak.
Dickey, 4-0 in five starts against the Red Sox in 2014, had been 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in nine starts since, opened with five hitless innings and allowed two hits and an unearned run , sending the Red Sox to their third straight loss.
The win was also the first in four starts and only the second since his first turn of the season for Dickey (3-6). He walked five, struck out four and hit a batter with the only run scoring on a passed ball.
Mets 6, Marlins 2
Noah Syndergaard won his fourth straight decision and James Loney hit a two-run, tiebreaking home run to lead New York over Miami.
Syndergaard struck out nine in seven innings, allowing two runs, six hits and one walk. For Loney, it was career home run No. 100 and his first with the Mets, who acquired him May 28 after starting first baseman Lucas Duda suffered a back injury.
Indians 6, Royals 1
Danny Salazar pitched eight innings, allowing one run and three hits, and rookie Tyler Naquin hit his first major league home run as Cleveland beat Kansas City at Progressive Field.
Yan Gomes also homered for the second-place Indians, who have won the first two games of the four-game series to move within a half-game of the firstplace Royals in the AL Central.
Salazar gave up one run and three hits and had nine strikeouts and five walks.
Tigers 10, White Sox 3
Victor Martinez and James McCann each had three hits, including solo home runs, to lead Detroit over Chicago at Comerica Park.
Martinez and McCann drove in two runs apiece for the Tigers, who had lost five of its last six. Ian Kinsler supplied two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Jose Abreu had two hits and drove in a run for the White Sox.
Orioles 6, Yankees 5
Hyun Soo Kim picked up another three hits, including a key single in the seventh inning that helped Baltimore rally past New York.
Orioles slugger Chris Davis hit his 11th home run of the season and first since May 20 – a towering shot onto the flag court behind right field.
Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez and Austin Romine homered for the Yankees, who have lost four of their past five games.
Angels 9, Pirates 2
Kole Calhoun homered and drove in two runs and Johnny Giavotella’s two-run single keyed a three-run first that started Los Angeles’ victory over Pittsburgh.
Yunel Escobar, returning after sitting out three games with a sore left wrist, had two of the Angels’ 15 hits, including a two-run single in the seventh. Every starter in the Angels lineup had at least one hit, except starting pitcher Jared Weaver.
In a matchup of veteran starting pitchers coming off four uneven starts apiece, Weaver easily outpitched Francisco Liriano, with the Angels righthander giving up successive homers to Starling Marte and Jung Ho Kang in the second but no other scoring over six innings.
Cubs 6, Diamondbacks 0
Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-3 and doubled home the go-ahead run to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning as Chicago beat Arizona.
Diamondbacks right-hander Archie Bradley and Cubs righty John Lackey each gave up little through nearly six scoreless innings in the opener of the weekend series at Wrigley Field. But neither finished the game, as Lackey picked up the win after working 6-plus innings.
The victory was the third straight for the Cubs while the Diamondbacks lost their fourth in five games.
Giants 5, Cardinals 1
Overcoming unusual control trouble, Johnny Cueto won his sixth straight decision and upped his record to 9-1 with six solid innings as San Francisco stopped St. Louis.
Cueto gave up four hits and an unearned run, walking a season-high five and striking out a season-low one. Prior to this start, his career earned run average at Busch Stadium was 5.71.
Adam Wainwright absorbed the loss despite seven good innings. Wainwright gave up five hits and two runs, issuing a walk and whiffing six.
Rangers 7, Mariners 3
Adrian Beltre powered Texas over Seattle in a matchup of teams that came into the game tied for first place in the American League West.
Beltre hit a three-run homer in the first inning and then lined a two-run double to right center in the third to put Texas up 5-1 in support of righthander Yu Darvish.
Darvish, who was making his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, struck out five and allowed three runs. (Reuters)