Dodgers outlast Phillies in 16-inning marathon
Yankees blank Rays Pirates run streak to 11 Mets top Padres Cardinals flirt with no-hitter again
Trevor Plouffe hit a walk-off, three-run home run in the 16th inning to lift the host Philadelphia Phillies past the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 in 16 innings on Tuesday night.
Plouffe’s first homer of the year came off position player Enrique Hernandez, one of 18 total pitchers used by both teams.
Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro also homered for the Phillies, who played their longest game since August 24, 2013, when they lost 12-7 in 18 innings to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tuesday’s contest lasted 5 hours, 55 minutes.
Yankees 4, Rays 0
Masahiro Tanaka pitched a three-hitter as visiting New York blanked Tampa Bay.
Tanaka (8-2) turned in his best outing of the season despite returning from a hamstring injury just two weeks ago. He struck out nine, walked one, faced two above the minimum and threw 74 of 105 pitches for strikes.
Tanaka’s outing helped the Yankees halt a five-game losing streak to the Rays and capped a busy day for New York, which placed embattled catcher Gary Sanchez on the disabled list (groin) before the game.
Pirates 9, Indians 4
Starling Marte finished 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, and Pittsburgh won its 11th game in a row with a rout at Cleveland.
The 11-game winning streak represents Pittsburgh’s longest run since September 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 games, with their most recent loss coming a week before the All-Star Game.
Marte pushed his hitting streak to 17 games, which is a career high and the longest active streak in the majors. Edwin Encarnacion went 2-for-3 with a solo homer to lead the Indians, who have lost three in a row.
Mets 6, Padres 3
Zack Wheeler continued a strong July audition as a potential trade chip for New York by tossing seven solid innings to earn the win over visiting San Diego.
By winning the middle game of the three-game series after a Monday loss, the Mets gave themselves a chance to snap their series victory drought at 17 – one shy of the team record, set in 1982 – in Wednesday’s finale. The Padres have lost eight of their past 10 games.
Wheeler (4-6) allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three. The 28-year-old retired the final 12 batters he faced following Wil Myers’ two-run single in the third inning.
Cardinals 4, Reds 2 (11)
Dexter Fowler smacked a two-run homer to right field in the 11th inning, sending St. Louis to victory at Cincinnati.
Fowler’s blast capped a game that saw Cardinals rookie left-hander Austin Gomber pitch 61/3 no-hit innings before surrendering a 2-0 lead. For the second consecutive night, Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez tied the game with a late home run.
Gomber was making his first major league start. He was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take the roster spot of rookie right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon, who pitched seven no-hit innings in his major league debut Monday night.
Orioles 7, Red Sox 6
Jonathan Schoop and Tim Beckham each homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore defeated visiting Boston.
The Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory, their first since last week’s All-Star break and the trade of shortstop Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
J.D. Martinez hit two of the Red Sox’s four home runs, retaking the major league lead at 31 for the season.
Yankees land Britton from Orioles
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees acquired left-handed reliever Zach Britton from the Baltimore Orioles, the teams confirmed late Tuesday night.
The Orioles received three prospects, with right-hander Dillon Tate headlining the return, and left-hander Josh Rogers and right-hander Cody Carroll also included.
With the Yankees, Britton will serve as a setup man in front of star closer Aroldis Chapman.
Britton, a two-time All-Star, is making $12 million this year and will be a free agent at season’s end.
Britton has four saves and a 3.45 ERA in 16 games this season, beginning the year on the 60-day disabled list following right Achilles surgery during the offseason. He was activated from the DL on June 11.
For his career, Britton has a 3.22 ERA in 306 games (46 starts) in eight seasons with Baltimore. (Reuters)