Detroit beats Minnesota in feisty game
MINNEAPOLIS: Twins slugger Miguel Sano punched Tigers catcher James McCann in the mask Saturday during a bench-clearing scrap in the fifth inning of Detroit’s 5-4 victory over Minnesota. Two innings after Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones was hit in the face by a pitch, Detroit starter Matthew Boyd threw behind Sano, who pointed his finger toward Boyd and yelled out at the mound. McCann intervened and appeared to put his mitt in the face of Sano, who immediately took exception and let fly with a right hand.
There was plenty of pushing and shoving near home plate as both benches and bullpens emptied, though there did not appear to be any other punches thrown. Sano and Boyd were both ejected. Jones took a 90 mph fastball in the mouth from Twins reliever Justin Haley in the third and left the game. The rookie center fielder was escorted to the bench bleeding from a split lip and later went to the hospital for a CT scan. Nicholas Castellanos and Justin Upton each hit a solo home run for the Tigers, who placed star slugger Miguel Cabrera (groin) on the disabled list before the game and used five relievers after Boyd was tossed. Blaine Hardy (1-0) won in relief and Francisco Rodriguez earned his sixth save in eight chances.
CUBS 12, REDS 8
Willson Contreras hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward each added a three-run shot to power Chicago past Cincinnati. Jake Arrieta (3-0) returned to the mound where he threw his second career no-hitter last April and struggled mightily at the outset, giving up two homers in the first inning. Chicago’s offense pulled him through with another homer-heavy game at Great American Ball Park. Arrieta helped with an RBI triple. Rizzo connected in the first inning against lefthander Cody Reed (1-1), who was moved into the Reds’ injury-depleted rotation. Contreras hit his grand slam in the second, Reed’s final inning.
NATIONALS 3, METS 1
Gio Gonzalez pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning to win again at Citi Fieldas Washington beat New York for its sixth straight victory. Gonzalez (2-0) gave up two singles in 6 1/3 innings. The lefty improved to 9-1 lifetime on the Mets’ home field. Still missing slugger Yoenis Cespedes and other injured starters, New York has lost seven of eight. Koda Glover, the fourth Washington pitcher, completed the combined two-hitter by getting the last out for his first big league save. Jacob de-Grom (0-1) struck out 10 and walked six in 5 2/3 innings. He was supposed to pitch Friday night but was scratched with a stiff neck.
YANKEES 11, PIRATES 5
Pinch-hitter Chris Carter drilled a threerun homer in the eighth inning off reliever Felipe Rivero to lift New York over Pittsburgh. Carter sent the first pitch he saw from Rivero (1-1) into the bullpen beyond the center field fence for his first homer with the Yankees. Starlin Castro added a threerun shot of his own and Aaron Judge hit his team-high sixth home run for New York. Ronald Torreyes had four hits and two RBIs. Dellin Betances (2-1) earned the win in relief. Andrew McCutchen hit his third home run and had a sacrifice fly for Pittsburgh. David Freese added a solo home run but the Pirates fell apart late.
ATHLETICS 4, MARINERS 3
Adam Rosales and Ryon Healy each homered in the first inning while Jharel Cotton pitched six innings of two-run ball as Oakland beat Seattle for its fifth straight win. The two hottest A’s hitters quickly got to Ariel Miranda (1-2). Rosales led off with his second homer, and two batters later, Healy hit a two-run shot, his third this season.
RAYS 6, ASTROS 3
Tim Beckham’s third straight hit came during a four-run sixth inning that helped carry Tampa Bay over AL West-leading Houston. Beckham, who tripled and singled in two at-bats against starter Charlie Morton (1-2), drove in a run with his single in the sixth off reliever Will Harris. Evan Longoria had a two-run double for the Rays, who have won four of five. Austin Pruitt (2-0) got the win after 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief. Alex Colome pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Houston took an early 2-0 lead when Evan Gattis and Jose Altuve hit their first home runs of the season off Rays starter Blake Snell.
ORIOLES 4, RED SOX 2
Trey Mancini and Jonathan Schoop homered in succession off knuckleballer Steven Wright while Jayson Aquino won his first big league start as Baltimore beat Boston for its fourth straight victory. Aquino (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits over six innings to earn his first career victory while Mychal Givens followed with two perfect innings and Darren O’Day finished for his first save. Jackie Bradley Jr homered for the Red Sox, who were without injured second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3
Maikel Franco hit a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Philadelphia over Atlanta. Adonis Garcia’s infield single drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th after Brandon Phillips hit a tying solo homer off Edubray Ramos with two outs in the ninth, but Philadelphia rallied against Jim Johnson (2-1).
INDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 0
Carlos Carrasco pitched eight innings of three-hit ball, helping Cleveland shut out Chicago for the second straight night. Carrasco (2-1) struck out eight and did not allow a runner to reach second base. Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Brantley each hit a two-run homer and Jose Ramirez added a solo shot as the Indians won their fifth straight.
CARDINALS 4, BREWERS 1
Pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz delivered a goahead homer in the seventh and Lance Lynn pitched six strong innings as St. Louis defeated Milwaukee. Diaz, who didn’t start at shortstop due to back stiffness and a sore shoulder, homered leading off the seventh against reliever Carlos Torres (0-2). Lynn (21) gave up a run and three hits. He struck out seven and walked two. Seung Hwan Oh got his fourth save in five tries.
RANGERS 2, ROYALS 1
Elvis Andrus hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning as Texas topped Kansas City. Rougned Odor led off the ninth with a sharp single off Travis Wood (0-2), who didn’t face another batter before Peter Moylan took over. After Odor stole second base, Andrus hit a sharp single to left field. Mike Napoli homered for the Rangers, who have won three straight for the first time this season.
DIAMONDBACKS 11, DODGERS 5
Yasmany Tomas homered twice and David Peralta hit a team-record four doubles to lead Arizona over Los Angeles. Chris Herrmann and Jake Lamb each hit a tworun homer for the Diamondbacks. Peralta scored three times and Tomas drove in his third run by drawing a bases-loaded walk as part of a three-run seventh inning. Kike Hernandez hit a leadoff home run for the Dodgers (8-10), who have lost five of six, while Herrmann connected off starter Kenta Maeda (1-2) in the fourth, giving the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead.
ROCKIES 12, GIANTS 3
Antonio Senzatela got his third win in four major league starts while Trevor Story homered for the second straight night as Colorado beat San Francisco. Charlie Blackmon tripled and homered and Mark Reynolds also went deep for the Rockies, who have won five of six. Giants center fielder Denard Span left the game after crashing into the wall shoulderfirst while catching Blackmon’s deep drive for the final out of the second. The team said Span has a mild shoulder sprain and was scheduled for X-rays.
MARLINS 6, PADRES 3, 11 INNINGS
Dee Gordon scored on his own swinging bunt in a crazy play during the 11th inning and Giancarlo Stanton homered twice as Miami beat San Diego. The Marlins went ahead 4-2 with no outs in the 11th thanks to San Diego’s sloppy defense. With Justin Bour aboard on a pinch-hit single, reliever Jose Torres (1-1) fielded Gordon’s dribbler and threw it away, with the ball rolling all the way into the right-field corner to allow Bour to score. Hunter Renfroe had difficulty picking up the ball, allowing Gordon to sprint home. Stanton added a two-run homer for a four-run lead.
ANGELS 5, BLUE JAYS 4
Andrelton Simmons hit a tiebreaking grand slam and Tyler Skaggs pitched into the eighth inning as Los Angeles held off Toronto. Simmons connected in the third inning off Casey Lawrence (0-2) for his second career slam, while Skaggs (1-1) gave up a run in the first but settled down to hold the Blue Jays to five hits over the next six innings. Toronto is a major league-worst 4-13.