Kluber aces Severino; Ramirez powers Indians past Yankees

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Aug 29, (AP): The Kansas City Royals extended their scoreless streak to a franchise-record 43 innings, getting shut out for a fourth straight game in a 12-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

The Royals haven’t scored since the second inning of a 3-2 loss to Colorado last Thursday and were blanked three times over the weekend by Cleveland. The 1968 Chicago Cubs and 1906 Philadelphia Athletics hold the major league record at 48 scoreless innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The 1992 Cubs were the last team to be blanked in four straight games, and it hasn’t happened in the AL since the 1964 Washington Senators nine years before the adoption of the designated hitter. No team has been shut out in five straight games since at least 1913, according to information gathered from baseball-reference.com.

Austin Pruitt (7-4) pitched six onerun innings for Tampa Bay, and Matt Andriese allowed one more hit while getting a three-inning save, his first this season.

Lucas Duda, Wilson Ramos and Logan Morrison went deep for Tampa Bay, with Duda getting his 25th and Morrison his 32nd of the season. Evan Longoria and Morrison hit back-toback doubles after Duda’s shot in the third off Ian Kennedy (4-10).

Indians 6, Yankees 2 In New York, Corey Kluber outpitched Luis Severino in a marquee matchup of All-Stars, and slumping Jose Ramirez homered twice to power Cleveland past New York for its fifth straight victory.

Carlos Santana hit a tiebreaking homer off Severino in the seventh inning and Austin Jackson also went deep for the AL Central leaders, who increased their cushion to seven games over idle Minnesota.

Coming off three consecutive shutouts in a sweep of Kansas City, the defending AL champions ran their scoreless streak to 30 innings before Chase Headley homered against Kluber (13-4) leading off the third. The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner went eight innings and allowed only three hits, rebounding from a loss to Boston last week that ended a fivegame winning streak and marked his first defeat since July 4.

Severino (11-6) gave up four hits three homers in 6-2/3 innings and lost for only the second time in 10 starts.

Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5 In Toronto, Christian Vazquez had four hits, including a two-run home run, Eduardo Nunez added a solo shot and Boston beat Toronto, snapping a four-game skid.

Boston also overcame the latest stellar defensive play from center fielder Kevin Pillar, who dived to make a sensational catch on the warning track and take a hit away from Mookie Betts in the sixth. The crowd of 35,630 gave Pillar a standing ovation.

The AL East-leading Red Sox avoided their first five-game losing streak of the season.

Drew Pomeranz (14-4) got the win and Craig Kimbrel gave up two runs before locking down his 30th save. Danny Barnes (2-5) took the loss.

Cubs 6, Pirates 1 In Chicago, Mike Montgomery pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning and helped himself at the plate, leading the Cubs to the win.

Montgomery (5-6) struck out four and walked none in his second start since he was inserted into the rotation after Jon Lester was placed on the 10-day disabled list. The left-hander was pulled after Jordy Mercer snapped his 17-1/3-inning scoreless streak with a leadoff homer in the eighth.

Carl Edwards Jr. got three outs before Wade Davis finished the sixhitter as Chicago moved 2-1/2 games ahead of idle Milwaukee for the top spot in the NL Central.

Trevor Williams (5-7) hung in there with Montgomery, pitching five innings of two-run ball, but Pittsburgh lost for the 11th time in its last 16 games. Mercer went 3 for 3, David Freese had two hits and Andrew McCutchen singled for the Pirates.

Nationals 11, Marlins 2 In Washington, Max Scherzer overpowered Giancarlo Stanton, Howie Kendrick hit a three-run triple and the Nationals beat Miami.

Scherzer (13-5) allowed one run and five hits, including Christian Yelich’s home run, and had 10 strikeouts in his return from the 10-day disabled list.

Stanton, named NL Player of the Week for the second time this month on Monday, went 0 for 3 against Scherzer with two strikeouts and a groundball double play.

Jayson Werth had a two-run homer off Jose Urena (12-6) in his first game with the Nationals since suffering a left foot contusion on June 5.

Giants 3, Padres 0 In San Diego, Jeff Samardzija allowed just three singles in pitching his first shutout since 2015, and Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik homered to lead San Francisco over San Diego.

Samardzija (9-12) frustrated the Padres to beat them for the first time in four starts this year. He allowed infield singles to Wil Myers in the second and Yangervis Solarte in the fifth before Cory Spangenberg singled to right in the eighth. It was his fourth shutout and ninth complete game.

Crawford homered to right-center off Jhoulys Chacin (11-10) leading off the fourth, his 12th. Panik hit a tworun shot off the right-field foul pole off Phil Maton with one out in the eighth, his eighth. Crawford was aboard on a single.

Tigers 4, Rockies 3 In Denver, Nicholas Castellanos had three hits, including a two-run triple, and Jordan Zimmermann rebounded from early trouble to help Detroit beat Colorado.

The Rockies stranded 11 baserunners as they began a nine-game homestand. Their lead for the second NL wild-card spot dwindled games over idle Milwaukee.

Zimmermann (8-11) went five innings and allowed three runs all in the second inning. He settled down to move his career mark to 7-0 against the Rockies in 11 career starts.

Shane Greene struck out two of three in the ninth for his sixth save.

Antonio Senzatela (10-5) never found his command in allowing four runs over 3-2/3 innings.

Orioles 7, Mariners 6 In Baltimore Adam Jones hit a milestone home run and Welington Castillo had three hits and two RBIs in the Orioles’ fifth straight victory.

Chris Davis doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning for the resurgent Orioles, who climbed over .500 (66-65) for the first time since June 11. Baltimore jumped past Seattle (66-66) to within 1 = games of idle Minnesota for the final AL wild-card spot.

Jones’ solo home run in the fifth inning gave him 25 for an Oriolesrecord seventh consecutive season. He shared the mark of six with Cal Ripken Jr.

With the score tied at 6, Trey Mancini led off the Baltimore seventh with a single off Emilio Pagan (1-3) and Davis followed with a liner into the right-field corner.

Donnie Hart (2-0) pitched the seventh for the win.

Angels 3, Athletics 1 In Anaheim, California, Andrew Heaney struck out a career-high 10, Martin Maldonado had three hits and scored twice and Los Angeles beat Oakland.

Heaney (1-0), making his third start since Tommy John surgery, struck out the side in the first and the sixth innings. He had his best outing since the surgery, allowing two hits in six innings. He walked three and gave up one home run but worked his way out of trouble behind a strong curveball.

Blake Parker pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Daniel Gossett (3-7) allowed three runs in 6-2/3 innings.

Phillies 6, Braves 1 In Philadelphia, Rhys Hoskins ended his homer streak but did drive in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning double, Aaron Nola pitched seven strong innings and Philadelphia beat Atlanta.

Cameron Rupp homered for the Phillies, who have connected in 10 straight games and totaled 21 homers over that stretch.

Rookie slugger Hoskins didn’t go deep after homering in five straight games while becoming the fastest ever to reach 11 home runs, doing it in 18 games and 64 at-bats. His double just

to

three

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Lucas Duda hits a three-run home run off Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy during the third inning of a baseball game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Aug

28. (AP)

inside the left-field line scored Nick Williams to put the Phillies ahead 2-1.

That was enough for Nola (10-9), who rebounded from two straight subpar outings by allowing one run and five hits with six strikeouts and no walks. beat the likes of Alvarez.

“I need this fight to get back to boxing. I have been working hard in training every day,” said Golovkin, who has fought in seven different countries and 22 cities but never in Las Vegas.

He is undefeated with a 37-0 record while Alvarez has only lost once in 51 fights (49-1-1).

Promoter Tom Loeffler said WBC, IBF and IBO champion Golovkin is having no trouble getting motivated for this fight which is sold out.

“He has the sparkle in his eye again,” said Loeffler.

Alvarez, meanwhile, added that this fight will be on the same level as his 2013 bout against Floyd Mayweather which he lost by a decision.

“It is right there with Mayweather and possibly bigger. That fight taught me a lot. But this fight will bring out the best in me,” said the 27-year-old Mexican.

“(Golovkin) is the most dangerous fighter at this moment. We want to show him that on this side, there is a