Kluber has 5th career shutout as Cleveland wins 6th straight
BALTIMORE: Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his fifth career shutout and Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana homered as Cleveland overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 12-0 Monday night for its season-high sixth straight victory.
Santana and Austin Jackson had three RBIs apiece for the AL Central leaders, whose recent surge has lifted them to a season-best six games over .500 (37-31).
Cleveland batted around in the fourth and fifth innings and sent eight men to the plate in a threerun sixth that made it 11-0. Cleveland banged out a seasonhigh 10 extra-base hits, including seven doubles.
Kluber (6-2) struck out 11 and walked none in his 12th career complete game and second shutout this season. The right-hander scattered three singles and struck out the side in the ninth.
MARLINS 8, NATIONALS 7: Marcell Ozuna singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning as Miami overcame an early six-run deficit to beat Washington.
Marlins slugger Justin Bour tied the game at 6 in the third with a grand slam, his 18th homer. Giancarlo Stanton also hit his 18th of the season to make it 7-all in the seventh.
Bryce Harper hit his 18th homer for the Nationals. Anthony Rendon also went deep before leaving in the fifth inning with a neck stinger he sustained diving for a grounder. He is day to day
ROYALS 4, RED SOX 2: Whit Merrifield drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer and Kansas City topped Boston for its eighth win in nine games.
Jason Hammel (4-6) pitched seven sharp innings before turning it over to Mike Minor, who loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth. No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez grounded out to end the threat.
Kelvin Herrera worked the ninth for his 16th save.
BLUE JAYS 7, RANGERS 6: Kendrys Morales hit a go-ahead single after a tying single by Josh Donaldson in the ninth inning, and Toronto edged Texas in a matchup of AL Division Series opponents the past two seasons.
The Blue Jays won despite blowing a 5-1 lead in their first visit to Texas since last postseason, when they won the first two games in a best-of-five sweep that was their second straight ALDS victory over the two-time defending AL West champs.
Donaldson’s single off closer Matt Bush scored Ryan Goins, who just beat the throw to second for a leadoff double. Morales’ hit to the gap in left-center scored Donaldson from second after a stolen base and a walk. It was the third blown save in 11 chances for Bush (2-2).
CUBS 3, PADRES 2: Willson Contreras hit a tying homer, Javier Baez scored the go-ahead run on an error and Wade Davis worked out of a ninth-inning jam for Chicago against San Diego.
Anthony Rizzo thrived in the leadoff spot again, extending his career-high hitting streak to 13 games by going 2 for 3 with an RBI as the Cubs won their second straight to improve to 35-34.
PIRATES 8, BREWERS 1: Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Gerrit Cole pitched seven strong innings and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee.
Travis Shaw’s leadoff homer in the second put the Brewers ahead 1-0 and set a franchise mark, with the Brewers scoring their 16th consecutive run via the long ball.
The Pirates took the lead in the third on Adam Frazier’s two-run single off starter Matt Garza (3-3).
Cole (5-6) held the Brewers to one run and three hits.
BRAVES 9, GIANTS 0:R.A. Dickey threw seven scoreless innings, Matt Adams hit another homer and Atlanta sent San Francisco to its seventh straight loss.
The 42-year-old Dickey (5-5) escaped a jam in the first to turn in his strongest outing of the season. He gave up just three hits and retired 16 of the last 17 hitters he faced.