Uehara gives up walk and win to Padres
CHICAGO: Chicago’s Japanese reliever Koji Uehara gave up an eighthinning walk with bases loaded to help San Diego to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Cubs in Major League Baseball on Wednesday.
After the Padres’ Erick Aybar hit a tying home run in the sixth inning, Luis Torrens walked with the bases loaded against Uehara, and San Diego stopped a threegame losing streak.
Chicago rookie Ian Happ hit a two-run homer in the fourth against reliever Craig Stammen, going deep for the second straight game and third time in four.
Uehara (2-4), the fifth of six Cubs relievers, replaced Pedro Strop starting the eighth and allowed singles to Wil Myers leading off and Cory Spangenberg with one out. Aybar was intentionally walked, loading the bases, Matt Szczur fouled out and Torrens took a 3-1 fastball that sailed inside.
Phil Maton (1-0), the third of five Padres relievers, pitched a scoreless seventh for his first major league win, and Brandon Maurer got two outs for his 13th save.
Marlins 2 Nationals 1: In Miami, Max Scherzer’s bid for the third no-hitter of his big league career ended with one out in the eighth inning, and he then gave up two unearned runs as the Miami Marlins rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 2-1.
After backup catcher A.J. Ellis reached on an infield single for Miami’s first hit, an error by first baseman Adam Lind and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. Scherzer threw a wild pitch that scored the tying run, and Giancarlo Stanton lined an RBI single — the Marlins’ only other hit — to put them ahead.
Scherzer (8-5) threw no-hitters against the Pirates and Mets in 2015, and he seemed on his way to another when he began the eighth inning with a 1-0 lead.
He retired 18 in a row before Ellis hit a chopper that bounced in front of the plate and glanced off the tip of Scherzer’s glove as he reached overhead for it. The ball rolled to shortstop Trea Turner, who failed in his attempt to make a barehanded pickup and rush a throw.
Official scorer Ron Jernick immediately ruled the play a hit, and Scherzer knew it. He picked up the ball and angrily flung it to the dugout — not as a souvenir.
Washington totaled five hits against Dan Straily and three relievers. Kyle Barraclough (3-1) pitched the eighth, and A.J. Ramos worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his 10th save.
Royals 6 Red Sox 4: In Kansas City, Missouri, Salvador Perez hit his first career grand slam, connecting in the eighth inning to rally Kansas City over Boston.
The Royals have won nine of 11 and moved within a game of .500.
Perez homered over the Kansas City bullpen in left field on the ninth pitch from Robby Scott (0-1). With Boston leading 4-2, reliever Matt Barnes started the inning by walking Jorge Bonifacio and Lorenzo Cain on 12 pitches.
Scott was summoned to face Eric Hosmer, but walked him on four pitches to load the bases for Perez. The All-Star catcher fouled off three full-count deliveries before hitting his 15th home run of the season.
Jorge Soria (3-2) worked a spotless eighth. Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 17th save.
Rays 8 Reds 3: In St. Petersburg, Florida, Tampa Bay left fielder Mallex Smith rushed in to tag out speedy Billy Hamilton after a lengthy rundown, highlighting the Rays’ win over Cincinnati.
Hamilton stole his major leagueleading 31st base in the fourth inning. But he later got trapped when he thought about scoring from second base on a two-out grounder by Eugenio Suarez that shortstop Daniel Robertson bobbled.
It took five throws to nab Hamilton between home and third, with six Rays lined up ready to take part in the rundown. Smith dashed from the outfield and was stationed at third to take a throw and tag Hamilton.
Trevor Plouffe homered for his new team and Taylor Featherston also connected for Tampa Bay.
Dodgers 8 Mets 2: In Los Angeles, Yasiel Puig riled the struggling Mets with a long look at his threerun homer, Yasmani Grandal added two solo shots and the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers took over first place in the NL West by battering New York pitching again.
Rich Hill (4-3) turned in his best five innings of the season for the Dodgers, who have won six straight and 12 of 13. They jumped a half-game ahead of Colorado, which had its six-game winning streak snapped by Arizona.
Outscored 30-8 in the first three games of this four-game series, the banged-up and frustrated Mets (3140) have dropped six of seven overall and are nine games under .500 for the first time since Sept. 2, 2014.
Puig posed at home plate and watched his fourth-inning drive off rookie Tyler Pill (0-3), irritating New York first baseman Wilmer Flores. He said something to Puig as the Cuban slugger rounded the bag. Puig looked back at Flores as he was trotting toward second and cursed at him, Flores said.